Watch the Skype Press Conference from CTIA Wireless 2009 Live
LAS VEGAS, March 31, 2009 - Join us live, beginning at 3:30 PM PDT by visiting here.
Or watch a replay of the video and presentation anytime after 6:00 PM PDT today.
Posted to: Events
Press room
31st
March 2009
31st
March 2009
Skype Coming to BlackBerry Smartphones in May
LAS VEGAS, March 31, 2009 - Skype today announced that the lite version of Skype™, a 'thin' Skype client for mobile phones, will soon be available as a free download for BlackBerry® smartphones. A beta version will be available in May for the BlackBerry® Bold™ and BlackBerry® Curve™ smartphones, with support for other BlackBerry smartphones coming later.
Continue reading "Skype Coming to BlackBerry Smartphones in May" »
Posted to: Mobile
31st
March 2009
Skype Available on Apple App Store
Free application enables millions of iPhone and iPod touch users worldwide to take their Skype conversations with themLAS VEGAS, March 31, 2009 - Skype announced that its highly anticipated application, Skype™ for iPhone, will be available on the Apple App Store beginning today. The app also adds Skype calling and instant messaging to any second generation iPod touch with a compatible headset and microphone.
Continue reading "Skype Available on Apple App Store" »
Posted to: Applications
23rd
March 2009
Skype opens up to corporate SIP communications
New beta program brings Skype voice calling to SIP-based PBX systems
LUXEMBOURG, March 23, 2009 -- Skype today announced the beta version of Skype For SIP for Business users. SIP, short for Session Initiation Protocol, is an open standard and the leading voice over Internet protocol used in businesses telephony networks at millions of locations globally. According to IDC, 438,000 IP PBXes were shipped worldwide in 2008 (Source: IDC, Worldwide IP PBX and Desktop Hardware IP Phone Market Forecast, 2008-2012: Using the PBX as the Foundation of Unified Communications, Doc #210695, February 2008).
Continue reading "Skype opens up to corporate SIP communications" »
Posted to: Skype for Business
18th
March 2009
New Study Suggests Consumers Want European Lawmakers to Preserve and Protect an Open Internet
Internet companies Dailymotion, eBay, Skype, Google, YouTube, PriceMinister, and Yahoo! today called on the European Parliament to keep the Internet lanes open, pointing to a new study showing that consumers expect Internet Service Providers to allow open, unrestricted access to the Internet.
The European Parliament and EU governments are considering a major telecoms reform package. Certain proposed amendments could erode end-users’ rights by allowing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to limit access to websites or applications, or to prioritise some Internet traffic in favour of their own or their partners' traffic. Parliament is expected to adopt legislation at its second reading in April of this year. (See the European Commission website for details).
International market research firm Synovate polled 944 consumers in France, Germany and the United Kingdom on their Internet needs and service. Commissioned by Google, Skype, and Yahoo!, the firm conducted the study independently, with no influence of the companies on the methodology, interviews or results. Synovate’s survey is available at: http://www.synovate.com/ispconsumerresearch/
.
Synovate presented its study at an event held this morning at the European Parliament and hosted by MEP Karin Riis-Jorgensen. Levi Nietvelt of Europe's consumer organization BEUC and Benoit Tabaka of PriceMinister also spoke. Synovate's key findings include:
- An overwhelming 91% of consumers expect their Internet service provider to avoid blocking or limiting their service. This overwhelming majority expects all legitimate websites and applications to receive similar treatment.
- Among those who have recently switched ISP, the research shows that gaining access to more advanced services was a key consideration for many online consumers (e.g. watching or downloading movies, making calls online). This suggests strong demand exists if high speed networks are built out allowing Internet companies to innovate and mount new, exciting services. Already, more than two-thirds of respondents regularly use online banking, online shopping, video streaming and various forms of online communication. On average, consumers undertake about 8 different online activities.
- Only a minority of 7 to 15 percent would actually consider changing their ISPs, especially if the Internet connection would cost them more. If unable to access certain websites or online services, more than a quarter of users blame the website - even if it is not responsible.
“The study highlights the importance of consumer views and experiences in formulating policy on important topics such as access to online services and websites. Consumers clearly think that they should have access to all legitimate sites and services online. They do not want their access blocked or limited. However, most are unaware that their ISP may be restricting access to such services in any way.” Synovate head Nigel Jackson commented.
Mrs Riis-Jorgensen, who hosted today's event in the European Parliament, comments: “The study shows that the current EU legislative approach relying on transparency for consumers may not be sufficient. If access to certain websites is limited or degraded, consumers may actually not vote with their wallets and switch providers, especially if there's a lack of cheaper Internet access packages. Additional safeguards are necessary that should include a level playing field where an ISP does not favour its own or affiliated services or applications.”
The leading Internet companies urge European lawmakers to ensure that the necessary safeguards exist to protect end-users rights and to preserve the open Internet. “Enabling Europeans to access and distribute the information, services and applications of their choice, using whatever device they want, is central to maintaining and encouraging the innovation that the Internet has become famous for. EU lawmakers should make sure that national authorities have the powers they need to act in cases where traffic management by telecommunication companies constitute unnecessary, discriminatory and/or anti-competitive behaviour.”
Contacts
Synovate
Nigel Jackson, +44 203 059 5231
Companies
Dailymotion: Giuseppe de Martino, +33 1 77 35 11 00
Google: Bill Echickson, +32 475669736
PriceMinister: Benoit Tabaka, +33 1 42 78 88 40
Skype: Paul de Lara, +44 7974 161211
More at: http://share.skype.com/sites/en/2009/03/open_internet.html
Yahoo: Rose Davidson, +44 20 7131 1644
Ms Karin Riis-Jorgensen, Member of the European Parliament, +32 228 45794
17th
March 2009
Worldwide, consumers still perceive wide gap between their computers and mobile devices; want greater control over mobile experience
Zogby survey of U.S., Japan, Spain and U.K. mobile users shows most do not currently download applications to mobile devices; Skype calls for greater collaboration between carriers, software providers and device makers to assist consumers in embracing next generation of mobile experience
LUXEMBOURG, March 17, 2009 - Skype published data today from a recent Zogby survey showing that most mobile users still perceive a gap between the purpose and controllability of their computers versus their mobile devices. This gap correlates with the finding that the vast majority of mobile users do not yet download applications to their mobile devices.
3rd
March 2009
SpinVox powers first Skype voicemail to text
LONDON and LUXEMBOURG, March 03, 2009 - SpinVox, the global leader in voice to content messaging and Skype, announces the availability of voicemail to text conversion for all Skype voicemail users today. SpinVox conveniently converts voice messages to text in English, Spanish, French and German. The messages are then sent by Skype as an SMS text directly to a designated mobile phone for users to read.Continue reading "SpinVox powers first Skype voicemail to text" »
