Skype betas v2.6 of its Net phone software

By Matt Whipp

Posted on 31 Aug 2006 at 17:01

Skype has released version 2.6 of its Net phone software as a public beta.

The new version makes a big deal of Skypecasts. The new 'Live' tab lists imminent events about to start, which could be anything from language lessons to dating services.

New browser plug-ins for Internet Explorer and Firefox mean that phone numbers on web pages will be recognised and Skype users simply click the number to call it using SkypeOut.

Also new is the ability to add links to mood messages. Your contacts will see the link alongside the buddy icon in their Skype interface.

Finally, Skype is making use of its global user database by adding a feature that reminds Skype users when any of their contacts has a birthday, assuming they have entered that information into their profile.

The beta is available for download from the Skype website.