Category Archives: skype

Skype will End Support for Classic Skype in November



Skype has updated its blog post titled “Upgrade to the latest version of Skype”. The main thing to know is that support for Skype version 7 (also known as Classic Skype) and all previous versions of Skype, will end on November 1, 2018 on desktop and on November 15, 2018, on mobile and tablet devices.

Skype very much wants people to stop using the older versions of Skype and begin using Skype 8. The blog post states: “Although you may be able to use older versions for a little while, we encourage you to update today to avoid any interruption.”

Skype has received feedback about the problems with Skype 8, and has released information about things they are working on to fix issues they identify as the features most requested by users. To me, it feels like the features Skype is working on are probably useful for those who use Skype to record business meetings and calls.

I think that the audio quality in Skype 8 might be sufficient for business purposes. Unfortunately, it’s not ideal for podcast recording. I find it frustrating that there isn’t anything in Skype’s “to do” list that indicates they will make the recording quality in Skype suitable for the multitude of podcasters who have been using Skype for so many years.

Personally, I know of one podcast that is currently having issues with the audio quality of the show recordings that were made through Skype 8. I’m also aware of another that ditched Skype altogether in favor of using Discord for recording their shows. A host from that podcast recently tweeted something indicating that they found Discord to be a vast improvement over Skype 8.

Image from StockSnap.io


Anyone Can Now Use Skype Without an Account



skype-logoSkype announced that it will now be possible for people to use Skype without having a Skype account. They wanted to make it easier for people to start a conversation with a loved one or colleague as quickly as possible.

This new change appears to be aimed at people who do not currently have a Skype account. A person can join Skype as a Guest without having to register or download Skype. A Guest can go to Skype.com, tap the “Start a conversation” button, and add their name.

The Guest will be provided with a unique conversation link that they can share with their contacts. They can share it individually or as a group, via email, or through their social networks. When a person clicks on that shared link, he or she will be able to join that conversation immediately. They can also join as a Guest if they are using Skype for Web.

Guests can use all of Skype’s free features, including one to one and group messaging, voice and video calls, screen sharing, and file sharing. You can invite up to 300 people to chat and up to 25 people on a voice or video call – all for free.

When using Skype as a Guest, your conversation will last for 24 hours. If you want to return to the conversation, call a landline, mobile, or translate a conversation in real-time with Skype Translator, you will need to sign up for a free Skype account.

I think this new change will help people to stay in touch with relatives who live far away. You can now point your relative, who doesn’t use the internet very often, toward Skype’s website and start a conversation with a few clicks of a button.

https://youtu.be/j7SxypblIlw


Skype is Having an Issue



skypeAre you having problems using Skype today? This time, you can be absolutely certain that the problem is not on your end. Skype is aware of the problem and is working on it.

At 11:00 UTC, Skype posted an article on its blog that was titled: Issues With Skype status and calling. The first line says it all: “We have detected an issue that is affecting Skype in a number of ways”. From the blog:

If you’re signed in to Skype you will not be able to change your status and your contacts will all show as offline even if they are online. As a result, you won’t be able to start Skype calls to them.

A small number of messages to group chats are not being delivered, but in most cases you can still instant message your contacts.

If you aren’t signed in to Skype, you may be experiencing difficulty when attempting to sign in. Any changes to your Skype account such as your Credit balance or your profile details might take a little while to be displayed.

The following tweet was posted on the @Skype verified Twitter account.

A similarly worded tweet was posted on the @SkypeSupport verified Twitter account.

It appears that the best way to find out when Skype is working properly again is via Twitter. It seems that both of Skype’s Twitter accounts might provide further information when they know more about the issue. In the meantime, competing company ooVoo seems to be taking advantage of the situation.


Skype TX – Studio Grade Software for Broadcasters



skype-logoSkype has announced a new solution for broadcasters that will be available sometime in 2014. Skype TX is studio grade software that delivers high quality audio and video output to seamlessly connect broadcast and media productions with people from around the world.

This improved offering from Skype was made possible as a result of Skype’s acquisition of Cat and Mouse. Skype has built on the existing Cat and Mouse technology to deliver a high quality hardware and software Skype integration directly into a studio environment.

Studio Grade Skype TX seamlessly adds full-frame Skype video and audio via SDI. It is optimized for broadcast workflow with API integration and call management. It enables a single operator to manage multi-channel calls and to create compelling new formats with HD-SDI Skype video feeds direct to your switcher. Skype video feeds are processed into several audio formats. The most notable is that it will be free of audio/visual distractions such as call notifications and ads.

Skype TX is fully supported by a specialist Microsoft-trained broadcast technical team. For more information, Skype suggests you visit their Skype In Media website.


Plantronics Voyager Legend Bluetooth Headset Review



I’ve been a user of Plantronics’ Bluetooth headsets for many years, starting with the Explorer 320 and more recently the Voyager Pro. I’ve always liked them because I found them a good fit on my ears but they’re trouble-free and easy-to-use with no problems pairing on a wide range of phones. More recently, I’ve taken receipt of a Voyager Legend and, so far, it’s living up to its name.

On review here is the full Voyager Legend UC package which comes with the headset itself, Bluetooth adaptor, desktop charging stand and charging case. This is the complete outfit for those in the office and on the go, aimed at those who use both mobile phones and IP-based communications, such as Microsoft’s Lync or Skype. This is the Microsoft version with an alternative version supporting Avaya, Cisco and IBM services. The Legend can manage two Bluetooth connections simultaneously so calls coming in from both routes can be answered on the headset and speaking from experience, this is very handy.

Plantronics Legend Box

The Voyager Legend UC comes in a plain box but opening it up reveals a wealth of accessories and adaptors, including UK and continental plug adaptors plus various USB connectors and chargers.

Plantronics Legend Inside Box

Here’s the charging case with the USB Bluetooth adaptor and the Voyager Legend itself. The Bluetooth adaptor is half the size of the previous generation that came with the Voyager Pro.

Plantronics Legend Charging Case

As might be guessed from the name, this is a charging case and the case has a built-in rechargeable battery which charges the Legend when it is in the case. In the photo below, you can see the contacts in the case on the right. It’s a clever idea, especially when on extended travel as you don’t need to lug around chargers – the case itself recharges via a micro-USB connection.

Charging Contacts

Of course, the desktop dock provides a convenient place to keep the Legend and charge it at the same time. There’s a magnetic catch to snap the headset in place.

Plantronics Legend Headset and Dock

Plantronics Legend in Dock

In use I find the Legend very comfortable to wear and I almost use it almost exclusively to answer my calls at my desk, whether the call comes through on my mobile or my desk phone. The headset is stylish enough to wear without feeling self-conscious, though I tend to take it off when I’m away from my desk. The Legend has three earpiece sizes in the box to accommodate different ears and can be worn on either the left or the right ear.

The Legend has some great features, such as auto answer, which detects when the headset is lifted from the dock and answers the call automatically. The Legend accepts voice commands, letting you put the headset into pairing mode, answer or decline calls and check battery level with ease. There are hardware controls on the headset for on/off, volume up/down, accept call and a multi-function button which does a couple of different things.

The talk time is rated at 7 hours and I never had any trouble with the battery running down unexpectedly. The charging case extends this even further with two full recharges from the case taking the total call time to 21 hours. Call quality is excellent, with callers sounding clear and natural, and most people don’t realise that I’m on a Bluetooth headset. The Legend also supports A2DP, which is handy if you want to listen to music or podcasts, albeit with one ear.

Plantronics have an Android smartphone app which, amongst other things, can help you track down where you last used the headset via GPS. It’s a neat idea but I found the app didn’t always play nicely with other GPS-using apps as the Plantronics app would turn off the GPS after getting a lock. The other app would than flail around looking for a signal lock. I submitted a bug report to Plantronics so hopefully they’ll get that fixed soon as it’s very irritating when playing Ingress.

There’s no two ways about it, the Plantronics Voyager Legend UC is a brilliant headset which I’m sure will do me for years – it has both the features and the construction to last. It’s definitely a premium product and it doesn’t come cheap: the RRP is over £150 but you can find it online for less than £100 including the carry case. However, it’s worth it if you want to to use a hands-free headset on an extended basis both at the desk and on the go.

The Voyager Legend UC was provided by Plantronics for review.


Tablet Nirvana



I’ve been playing around with tablets for a while now along with several smartphones along the way, and I believe I’m getting very close to my idea of what the ideal tablet should be.

I started out with a Nook Color. The original Nook Color is a nice piece of hardware with a beautiful 7″ inch color screen, but the hardware behind it was somewhat lacking. The original Nook Color’s processor was a bit slow, and the performance lagged somewhat. I even experimented with other versions of Android on it. What I found was that I loved the 7″ inch 16 x 9 format color screen size, which is close to ideal, but the processor was too slow, it didn’t have an integrated GPS chip, nor did it have functioning Bluetooth capability. Overall, the hardware just wasn’t enough to push it beyond the locked-down version of Android that Barnes and Noble shipped on it. I ended up finding the Nook Color a good home and sold it.

Next, I got an iPad 2. I really like the iPad, and I still have it. The iPad 2 came close to the ideal tablet, but it lacked an integrated GPS chip. It is also a bit bulky to easily handle with one hand. The problem came with the upgrade to iOS 6. I drive a truck over-the-road, and I was constantly using the integrated Google Maps. Google’s satellite maps are very clear and detailed, and I often make use of Street View as I’m constantly having to travel to new places I’ve never been before. iOS 6 ripped out the quite superior Google Maps and substituted Apple’s inferior also-ran excuse for a replacement. I can see no good reason for them doing this, other than a lame back-stabbing attempt to punish Google for coming out with Android. I am still quite unhappy with the loss of mapping functionality. Of course I realize that I can simply go to the Google Maps website and use Google’s satellite maps along with Google Street View, but doing it through the browser is an inferior experience to what the original iPad Google Map once was before iOS 6 took it away. By the way, I’ve never found much use for the integrated cameras in the iPad 2. Mostly I’ve used the forward-facing camera for occasional video Skype or Facetime chats.

A few days ago, I purchased a 32 gigabyte Nexus 7 manufactured by Asus, priced at $249 for the 32 gigabyte version and $199 for the 16 gigabyte version. After using the Nexus 7 for a while, I think I might be in tablet heaven. I love the 7″ inch 16 x 9 widescreen size. It can easily be held in one hand. Also, it will easily fit in many inside coat pockets.

The Nexus 7, which of course comes with Google Maps and turn-by-turn street navigation, has an integrated GPS chip. It also has a powerful quad-core Tegra 3 processor, along with full Bluetooth functionality. It has a forward-facing camera for video chatting, along with great battery life, and a stellar high definition screen.

I’m finding that I’m tending to reach for the Nexus 7 rather than the iPad 2. The Nexus 7 is so light. The iPad 2 now feels a bit clunky and kludgy.

Am I ready to sell the iPad? Not just yet. I want to wait a while and see how it shakes out. It’s still handy to be able to have two separate devices to watch streaming videos on — when one runs down, I can switch to the other if I don’t have them plugged in.

The Nexus 7 is an incredible value. Now that the vast majority of apps also come in Android versions, why needlessly spend hundreds of dollars extra for a product where the manufacturer has a proven history of deleting popular functionality with so-called upgrades?


Skype wants to bring you Lady Gaga



skype

While the web swoons over the new Facebook “graph search”, Microsoft web communications service Skype is aiming towards a more musical crowd. Honestly, it may be a similar audience, but the announcements today still seem far apart. While Mark Zuckerburg occupied the stage earlier, Microsoft was letting everyone know that the pop star would be available for a group video call very soon.

“Now’s your chance to see Lady Gaga live, uncut and offstage. Watch as our lucky sweepstakes winners talk upcoming music, costumes and backstage moments — all live, and face-to-face, with Lady Gaga”, stated Skype’s Leanne Johnson in a blog post earlier today.

The event will take place on Thursday, January 17th at 2pm PST. You can submit a question in hopes that she may actually answer it. Microsoft has set up a special web site at Skypeball.com/skypewithgaga for the occasion.