Skype exploring newer horizons
Skype Ltd. will begin testing an upgrade of its free communications software Skype 3.0 that can automatically detect phone numbers in Web pages and initiate calls. It also features community conference calls and text chats, as well as IT management features.
The new feature that recognizes telephone numbers in a Web page is called Click-to-Call. It allows users to place calls to those numbers using the fee-based SkypeOut service.
It has also introduced two new features: Skypecasts, for conference calls and public chats, in which people with a common interest can gather to communicate with each other.
Finally, the user interface has been modified to make it easier to find commands and perform actions. This launch shows Skype futuristic considerations. Skype keeps on venturing into new areas to find newer source of revenues. No wonder Skype is the leading VoIP provider today.
Niklas Zennström, Skype’s CEO and co-founder, aptly said at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, “
This software upgrade reflects Skype’s strategy of diversifying beyond Internet telephony toward other modes of online communications and of finding new revenue streams beyond phone charges.”
He also said, “Eventually, the price of telephone calls will continue falling until they are free, so Skype needs to generate revenue from other sources, such as e-commerce and advertising.”
Source: IDC News