RSSSkype 3.0 Beta Adds Shopping Feature
By Ed Oswald | Published November 8, 2006, 6:53 PM
VoIP provider Skype released a new beta to its users on Wednesday, adding click-to-call functionality aimed at increasing its use in e-commerce applications. The company also plans to add additional features aimed at generating revenue from the free service.
Skype 3.0 would bring to fruition the online business functionality that eBay alluded to when it purchased the company last year. Many questioned the move, saying the price the auction site paid was well above its worth.
However, whatever Skype is doing, it's working: the company expects to generate $195 million in revenue for 2006, more than twice the $60 million it made the previous year. Going forward, Skype aims to build revenue based on e-commerce applications.
Another new feature would allow a user to be able to manage up to 100 Web-based chats with users, regardless of whether or not they have the VoIP software installed. The feature could be embedded into any Web page using just a few lines of code.
GigaOM's Katie Fehrenbacher gave the new beta version of Skype high marks. "Probably the most interesting feature is the plug-ins for Firefox and IE that turns phone numbers on web sites into Skype buttons where users can click-to-call," she said.
"This will be really helpful for stimulating click-to-call ecommerce, and must have been on the level of what eBay had in mind when they purchased the company," Fehrenbacher continued.
Skype counts about 136 million registered users, according to recent company reports.
I wish they'd create a "Skype Classic" version which just does the main features, so at least people have an option of not getting stuck with all these non-requested features.
That way people who have to have lots of new features would be happy and people who just wanted to talk would be happy...
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|VONAGE ... bloat free and it works!
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|Bloat free deosn't mean it's free to use, which is the whole point of Skype.
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|Skype's been added to Google Pack.
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|Perhaps Skype should fix the problems they have now before they start adding more features:
"The Register revealed last week that many users have been unable to receive calls using the SkypeIn service - which lets people on the normal phone network call Skype numbers. The service started having problems, again, in the middle of October and isn't fixed yet.
The problems seem to be getting worse and Skype is now offering compensation to those who complain loudly enough."
http://www.theregister.c...ypein_problems_continue/
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|if only they would release the API then someone would be able to make a slim-downed version. Skyllian (plugin for Trillian) was trying, but I think they've gotten no joy from the Skype guys.
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