As you may remember, Skype is now a part of Microsoft and there’s been rumors as to when Skype will be available on Windows Phone 7 devices. There’s a new rumor floating around that there are some private invitations going out to beta test a new Skype app.

The invitation is something along the lines of “Skype for Windows Phone is just around the corner and we’ve teamed up with the Skype folks to help with beta testing. If you are receiving this newsletter directly, look for an invitation in the coming weeks and be on the inside track for what is sure to be one of the hottest new apps on the Marketplace!”

For now, it sounds like it will be a standalone app and not integrated into the OS like Windows Live Messenger and Facebook chat are. This might possibly come in the next version of Windows Phone 7 along with some new devices.

Source: PocketNow

Verizon HTC Thunderbolt owners have been frustrated about random reboots, battery life, and GPS lock times, along with other issues, since release. The first update cured some of these issues, but some still remain. Well there are now some new signs pointing to an update for June 30th and with Gingerbread in tow. At least that’s what these new leaked images show us.

We know that a fix was is in the works, and it was supposed to come during the second half of June. However, we hadn’t heard any other info about the OTA update, except that MR2 was rumored to have been delayed a bit longer, as has been the case with most every announcement surrounding this device, since we first heard about it.

Well, It seems that this is not just a maintenance release, as has been expected. The leaked document shows some impressive additions to the upcoming update, including features like:

• Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread
• pre-installed Amazon Appstore
• Skype video functionality
• gTalk video compatibility (which comes default with Android 2.3.4)

So it would appear we have quite an impressive update to look forward to.
Not only do we now have more details, but we have a date to expect it.
So if things stay on schedule, we should be expecting to have access to this update as of June 30th.

What are your thoughts on this update?
Is this a believable document and release date?
Are you excited to officially be getting Gingerbread for your HTC Thunderbolt?

source: androidandme

There seems to be no shortage of Instant Messaging apps in the Android market these days. A simple search will come up with apps like eBuddy, Meebo, IMO, IMEasy etc. Well, IM+ is yet another instant messaging app. IM+ from Shape Services has to be the most extensive messaging app that I have had the opportunity to use and believe me, I have pretty much tried them all.

IM+ is an all-in-one Instant Messaging solution. One of the greatest features of this application is that there is no longer a need to be running multiple chat applications at the same time. Everything you might need is right there in IM+, all wrapped up into one well rounded application. It is a simple idea but very well executed in IM+. If you are the kind of social butterfly that enjoys chatting with several friends or co workers at one time, then this app is essential for you.

For those who are coming from the iPhone, you will know that IM+ is one of the most popular IM apps in the Apple App Store. It supports Twitter, Facebook, Skype, push notifications, and many more unique and useful features. So how does the IM+ for Android stack up against the competition? Can it stand out in a somewhat crowded corner of the market? Let’s have a look, shall we?

After initial install, the first thing you’ll want to do is to add your IM accounts. Current networks supported by IM+ include MSN, Skype, Facebook, AOL, Gtalk, Yahoo, Jabber, ICQ and mySpace. There is no Twitter support for the Android version of the app yet, despite it being available on the iPhone version.Once you have all of your IM accounts setup and configured, you will find all of your contacts listed in a single window. In this list, an icon identifying the network each user is on will appear next to each user in the list. Keeping it clear who’s on which network.

User Interface
In my honest opinion, IM+ Probably has the nicest user interface of all of the IM apps. The contact list fills up the whole screen, without wasting any space with useless designs or borders. Another plus, is that the font size is big enough to read with ease and the thumbnail pictures of your contacts are crisp and clear. Any incoming chat will be moved to the top of the window to make it easy to access. If the app is not active, you will also receive a notification in your status bar.

Chat Interface
Each conversation is well arranged and also color coded for easy navigation. For MSN Live Messenger, you can even start a group chat. This is one feature not available in most IM apps. It also supports a good range of emoticons.
Another outstanding feature of IM+, is how you can set your visibility for each account. For example, you want to chat with your sister on Facebook but aren’t crazy about the idea of chatting with chatty Aunt Kathy on AOL? IM+ lets you control which accounts are running and who you want to talk to.
Also a great and original feature I liked, is the ability to view and export your History log. As someone who switches between different computers and mobile devices, I hold conversations with different people at different times, on different devices. In order to track the conversation, I have to sync my history logs so they appear on all the devices and screens that I am using. Most mobile IM apps don’t have a history log, let alone the ability to export them. With IM+, you can easily export the history log to, let’s say a Dropbox account, and access it from your desktop at any time.

Some features and Settings:
Set a custom status
Many IM apps only come with the usual “Online” and “Away” status, but IM+ comes with “Online”, “Away”, “I am here”, “Invisible”, “Offline”. What’s even better, is you can create your own custom status very easily within the app.
Create your own custom message templates
Another great feature would be that IM+ allows you to create custom message templates that you can use at any time (such as, “I am busy now. Talk to you later”).

– Whether to show offline contacts
– Change status
– Show or not show the current conversations
– Whether to show groups
– Whether to show the date and time before each message
– Send messages using the “enter” key
– Whether or not to show the icon IM+ in the notification bar
– Whether to display notifications of messages received in a small window at the bottom of the screen
– Enable or disable the vibrate mode and / or audio notifications for new posts
– Activate the “Text to Speech”
– Enable or disable the battery saving function. A message that if you enable this feature, you will be disconnected when unit goes into standby
– Long press on a contact: delete, block and / or rename the contact, view conversation history and view the contact info

Usefulness:
Nowadays, it can be a complex task to chat and stay in touch with each and every buddy, pal, or friend, with them each using a different IM or chat application to stay connected. IM+ brings all these and more into one application, saving you the trouble and device’s resources of having to run multiple programs to stay in touch with everyone.

Ease of Use:
IM+ is pretty effortless to use and to setup. You simply connect to your accounts, select your contacts and you can begin chatting right away. It also allows you to handle multiple chats on different accounts at the same time, saving you the hassle of switching between different applications for each conversation.
The user interface is laid out very well. It makes sense to use and therefore is very intuitive to operate. It gives you direct access to what’s important for usage and doesn’t complicate things with unneeded settings and options. I would say that a lot of time was spent designing how this app can bring all of the important features of a good chat or IM client to you, in one small, easy to use, application. To switch between your contacts, chat streams and accounts, you just simply slide from side to side. The overall experience was very good. No bogging down and no major glitches that I experienced.

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• All IM chats in one simple application.
• Easy to use interface.
• Smooth, intuitive UI
• Group Conversations on Skype and MSN.
• Can run in the background.
• Good range of connection options.
• Status settings.
• Geolocation.
• Handles all major IM and chat accounts.
• Custom notification settings
• Newly added support for image and audio sharing.**

Cons

• Well, I had just a couple cons originally. However, by the time I was done doing this review, my biggest con was taken care of with an update from IM+. You can now share images and audio files within the application, something that was not possible before. Now if we could just see other file types added to this feature, I would say there is nothing left out.

IM+ is available in the Android market in both the Free and Pro version. Both versions are essentially the same except that the free version is ad-supported and the paid version helps support the developers and helps keep them motivated to bring us such great software.

Changelog

Version 4.1
• Contact list search
• Photo and sound files sending
• Multi-accounts for Facebook
• User interface improvements
• Customizable chat font size
• IM+ auto launch upon Android device starting
• Emoticons disabling
• Chinese Traditional localization
• Many bugfixes, tweaks and overall improvements

Is IM+ the application for you? If you like chatting on multiple platforms, this app could save you a lot of time and aggravation trying to manage multiple chats with different friends on different messaging platforms. IM+ is quite simple to use and a pleasure compared to most other messaging apps I’ve used. So, if you are the type that likes staying in touch with your social network accounts and chats on your handheld, IM+ is the must have application for you.

Shape Services

IM+ Pro

IM+

OK so I know this is not cell phone news – but this does impact us in the mobile world. Skype is to be bought out by Microsoft. This news comes after rumors yesterday of Skype taking offers. The total cost of the Skype buyout is $8.5 billion dollars. This includes $686 million of debt, eBay originally acquired the business for $2.6 billion in cash and stock back in 2005, because of this eBay gets $2.55 billion for its remaining 30% stake in Skype. This just means eBay finally made money on the deal from years ago. Skype co-founder Niklas ZennstrM  and Janus Friss get about $1.19 billion for their 14% stake in the company.

Now we here at PPCGeeks will let the speculating begin – but what exactly does Microsoft do with Skype? Do we see voIP for Windows Phone 7, or even a Kinect/Skype mash up? Is there something big planned that Microsoft has in store for future Windows Phones, or even possible Windows itself? Time will only tell but I do hope that they bring Skype voIP to native support in Windows Phone 7. I know there is a Skype app that will be released after Mango later this year, but imagine NATIVE support! One big question that concerns me and I think it does for others is “How badly will Microsoft foul up the acquisition with their unique bureaucratic charming personality? Let us know your thoughts PPCGeeks – and remember sometimes these things drive ideas for companies!

Source: DSLreports.com

Qik has been very popular for users who currently have Android devices but mainly more popular on the devices like the Sprint HTC EVO and the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G. You may ask why? Simply because they were among the few devices to be able to fully take advantage of all of Qik’s services, including video chat between Android and iOS.  Conversely, certain other Android handset owners who downloaded Qik’s app would soon realize that they were only limited with certain functionality, meaning they can’t video chat between Android and iOS.

Finally those days are over for those who couldn’t video chat between Android and iOS but had access to this application, Qik. They are now launching their latest application that gives you this privilege. Yes, you will be able to accomplish live streaming via Wi-Fi, 3G, or amongst 4G connectoins. Here’s another great feature; this application integrates nicely with your phone’s very own address book and will display contacts that are online and available.

Does this excite you? Let us know what you think after you try it!

Source: Techcrunch via Electronista

Skype recently announced it has arranged an agreement to acquire Qik, a provider of mobile video software and services that enable individuals to capture, instantly share and preserve great moments on video from anywhere. The deal will cost a big chunk of change but to them seems worth it. Most of you smartphone owners are very familiar with both of these applications.

The deal is said to close sometime in January of this year, so very soon!

Skype and Qik have very similar purposes of enriching communications and sharing videos, across any device. The acquisition of Qik helps accelerate Skype’s leadership in video by adding recording, sharing and storing capabilities to Skype’s product portfolio. Through this acquisition, Skype will also be able to leverage the engineering expertise that is behind Qik’s Smart Streaming technology, which optimizes video transmission over wireless networks.

According to the press release, together, Skype and Qik will focus on providing a richer, more integrated experience that will allow people globally to share experiences in real-time video across different platforms, as well as, store those moments so they can be viewed anytime later.

“Qik has worked very hard to solve complex problems that allow millions of people everyday to take advantage of sharing their lives with those people who are most important to them,” said Vijay Tella, Chief Executive Officer of Qik. “Joining Skype allows Qik’s team to unite with Skype’s talented team to develop new and innovative products for our customers and partners.”.

With this new merger taking place we can only hope that Skype will hold up to it’s current stability and not give it’s users any problems. When we or one of our users here get our hands on the updated apps, we will be sharing more information so keep your eyes open. For now, let us know what you think!

Source: Skype

Skype has been available on Verizon Android phones for a while now, but because of the exclusive deal between Verizon and Skype, it was limited to only that carrier. Now that wait is finally over and Skype is now available for every 2.1+ Android phone, regardless of carrier. In the US, you’ll be limited to Skype Calls using WiFi only though. Unfortunately it doesn’t support video chat either, and there’s no mention of future support for it.

You should be able to find it in the Android Market.

Source: Skype Blog via Neowin

According to sources at Mobiledia.com,  Social networking site Facebook and Internet telephone provider Skype have been in discussions to combine their services. The new partnership is expected to be announced within the next few weeks.

Following the integration, Skype 5.0 will be released with these functions already incorporated. Facebook users will then be able to access Skype through their Facebook accounts also being able to text, voice chat and video chat to friends on Facebook via Skype.

Skype currently has 560 million registered users and if incorporated with Facebook’s 500 million members this will only amplify each other’s popularity, especially in the international arena where Skype is already very popular.

Source: Mobiledia

“The ban is on Skype on mobile internet, not on fixed, and this is due to the fact it is against the law since it bypasses the legal gateway,” said Amr Badawy, the executive president of the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (NTRA).

Under Egyptian law, international calls must pass through a network controlled by majority state-owned Telecom Egypt, which this week reported disappointing earnings

“We are targeting any illegal voice traffic on the mobile (internet),” Badawy said, adding that the ban was communicated to the three mobile operators earlier this week. “Any traffic outside the international gateway is against the law.”

And as Mike Masnick from TechDirt notes, the distinction between mobile-vs-fixed internet connections is sketchy at best.

But what is the difference between the “mobile internet” and the “fixed internet” in real terms? If I use a laptop on a 3G connection… is that fixed or mobile? If I use a mobile phone on a WiFi connection connected to a DSL line, is that fixed or mobile? This just seems like a way to try to boost profits for the state owned telco with arbitrary rules.

What are your thoughts on this? Would you be up in arms if this happened in the United States?

Source- Techdirt

From their FAQ:

Why can’t I download Skype Lite or Skype for Windows Mobile?

Unfortunately, Skype Lite – a version of Skype for your mobile phone – and Skype for Windows Mobile are no longer available for download from our site.

We’ve chosen to withdraw Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile because we want to offer our new customers an improved mobile experience – much like the version that has proved so popular on the iPhone, and which is now available on Symbian phones. Our focus is on providing a rich user experience that allows you to enjoy free Skype-to-Skype and low cost calls as easily on the move as you do at your desktop.

We felt that Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile were not offering the best possible Skype experience.

Can I still use Skype Lite if I already have it?
Yes. People who have already installed Skype Lite can continue to use it throughout 2010.

Can I still use Skype for Windows Mobile if I already have it?
Yes. People who have already installed Skype for Windows Mobile can of course continue to use it.

For now, you can still download it from here, but there’s no telling how long that link will work.

Source: WMPowerUser