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Skype
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April 8, 2019Skype is really rolling out the new features and giving users the improvements, they want including doubling the number of users that you can group call at once from the 25-user limit to the now a 50-user limit. I have to say I would be hard pressed to find 50 of my friends to Skype with all at once but in Corporate America this feature is going to be useful. Skype doubling of the number of users supported by group calls to 50 puts Skype ahead of most mainstream chat services likes of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Apple who finally released group FaceTime messaging back in August has a limit of 32 people in a group Facetime. Skype allowing more users now puts them ahead in an area where they were behind but doing so many users in a group call has made Skype rethink the way Skype handles notifications. Skype has added a notification to replace the ringing as the default, allowing every member of the group to receive a quick ping to join the call. You can still use the ring feature if the notification of a starting a call is not enough, you can select individual members to ring, or if your group is less than 25 participants, you can ring the entire group.
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Skype conference calls could be about to get a whole lot busier. Microsoft is planning to bump up the maximum number of group call participants from 25 to 50 (18 more than can fit into a Group FaceTime call). The audio and video buttons will be enabled for larger groups, so people can more easily mute their microphones or turn on/off their webcam. So you don’t bother people who can’t join a call too much, Skype also plans to make ringing optional. It will instead send a notification to group call participants, though you can still ask Skype to ring people if they don’t respond. These features are available as of today for beta testers, and they’ll likely roll out more broadly later. Via Engadget
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February 7, 2019We’ve all had those moments: You’re about to video call your parents and your laundry is all over the place, or you’re about to have a meeting with a potential investor and your business plan is on a whiteboard behind you, or you’re being interviewed on live television and your adorable child comes marching into the room. There are plenty of life’s moments that can get in the way of you being the focus in every video call—and that’s why we’re introducing background blur in Skype video calls. Background blur in Skype is similar to background blur in Microsoft Teams. It takes the stress out of turning on your video and puts the focus where it belongs—on you! With a simple toggle, right-click, or even through your Skype settings, your background will be instantly and subtly blurred, leaving just you as the only focal point.* Background blur in Skype and Teams uses artificial intelligence (AI)—trained in human form detection—to keep you in focus during your call. This technology is also trained to detect your hair, hands, and arms, making a call with background blur just as relaxed and easy as a regular video call. Background blur is available on most desktops and laptops with the latest version of Skype. For more questions about background blur in Skype, read our support article. We also love to hear from you on the Skype Community, where millions of Skype users have registered to share their expertise, feedback, and Skype stories. *We do our best to make sure that your background is always blurred, but we cannot guarantee that your background will always be blurred. Via Skype
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September 7, 2018Today we kick off season 2 talking about the break, my new book launching on Leanpub in the future, plus a merchandise store possible. Apple and Google both announce hardware events and Microsoft Ignite is this month. Fitbit announces new hardware and no Pixel watch. Microsoft extends there support for Windows 10 builds from 18 to 24 months. Does anyone use Cortana or Siri on the desktop? Outlook.com is rolling out a new design and updates Outlook Premium and much more…… Today we talk about… Microsoft Will Now Finance XBox Hardware Microsoft Does Away With Surface Financing Microsoft Redesigns Skype To Get Rid of The Snapchat Look Skype Adds Read Receipts Microsoft Wants Windows 10 To Work With Your Android Phone Microsoft Teams Can Do Everything Skype For Business Can Do Microsoft Edge Needs To Be A Better E-Reader Alexa Coming To XBox Microsoft Consumer Services On XBox Cortana needs more skills And Much More….. To Support Todays Show Visit Tech Geek Deals for the best deals on tech every sale helps support the work we do on The Technology Geek.
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April 18, 2018I don’t know what it is about Skype it’s just one product I can’t seem to move away from for my daily needs. I travel a lot for my job and places I go sometimes don’t have the best cell service or people I am working with need face to face meeting. My first issue has been and will always be cell phone reception. Places I go to generally have Wi-Fi coverage but when you’re deep in the basement of a building, in middle of a huge hospital or at an event center cell phone coverage is always an issue. I find myself many times needing to call support numbers with no cell phone service present. Most places don’t allow Wi-Fi calling on iPhones and Androids but using Skype is fine at these places mainly because they are Microsoft owned and considered secure. The other issue is usually my laptop is connected to Wi-Fi and you can use Skype to call a landline number as well. The other reason I use Skype is for meetings and conference calls. I know it sounds kind nuts but since Microsoft is putting Skype on all Windows 10 machines this has been great for me when it comes to setting up meetings. I know a lot of readers have said just use FaceTime the issue is many of my clients are Android users and FaceTime only allows one video chat at a time there is no group video chat capability. I have tried many alternatives to Skype over the years for just video calls with Android users Hangouts is great but it does not support landline calling the same goes for the WhatsApp. I have found ooVoo and Viber as alternatives to Skype with some limitations that keep me from making the switch. ooVoo...
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February 15, 2018The question I am asking today is does anyone use Skype anymore? This recent story is the reason I am asking this. Recently my wife and her friend wanted to video chat about something. My wife’s friend has an iPhone and my wife has an Android. The first pick was Facetime by her friend but since this is iOS only that could not happen. Then my wife and her friend were going to do Google Hangouts but since her friend did not have a Gmail account this was not possible. My wife suggested Google Due since she uses to talk to all her friends with Androids and all you need to link up is the phone number to message. They both realize they had snap chat and since they are both contacts on each other phones it worked. After they were on the call they realized Facebook would have been an option as well. The reason for the story is to prove my point when you want to talk to someone the process needs to be easy, quick and fast. For a quick video chat as long as the personal phone number is in your phone that’s all you need this is why Snapchat and Duo have done so well its quick easy and simple. Mostly everyone has a Facebook account this is the reason why Facebook has gotten so popular for messaging, calling and video chatting. Google Hangouts does well because of Google’s large user base and popularity of Gmail Googles email service. One thing great about Google Hangouts is as long as you have a Gmail account you have a Hangouts account already created. Hangouts does have an advantage as well since its installed by default on every Android phone sold. Skype is the dying video chat messenger for multiple...
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October 30, 2017The long-awaited Skype desktop app is here for the entire world to download. Well almost everyone. Skype announced on their blog “The Skype for desktop Preview and the next generation of Skype for mobile improved the way you connect with your contacts and added expanded capabilities such as personalized themes, chat list, and @mentions to the Skype experience. The Skype desktop app—now out of preview and rolling out today—brings all these exciting new improvements and features to your desktop. It’s all built on brand-new technology that scales to billions of people on a reliable platform.” The new Skype allows for you to use the same Skype on mobile and on the desktop makes for a more unified experience. New feature include Customization themes Better organize chat lists Share cloud-based, files, photos, and videos Send files via dragging and dropping files up to 300 MB over Skype uses less battery power now that it’s in the cloud. Added Cross-device functionality Added Notification panel Chat media gallery Conversation fun with Reactions and @mentions Status updates are back Bots are back But the update is not for everyone if you read further on post “Windows 10 November Update (2016) and lower, Windows 8, Windows 7, or Linux and have automatic updates enabled, the update will be delivered to you when it’s ready. If you would like to get the update manually, you can download and install the new version at Skype.com. Windows 10 users will receive an update shortly to add the new features.” For a small number of user, you will need to wait but great things are sometimes worth waiting to get in tech.
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October 14, 2017I recently decided to ditch my landline phone for Skype. The first reason I decided to ditch my landline was because of cost for a phone with the unlimited long distance which I am playing close to $77 dollars a month from Verizon. After looking at several VoIP services I decided that Skype was the best choice for me. Ooma and other services want the purchase of hardware I already have a smartphone for walking around and most of the time I use my landline I am on my computer anyway. The reason I went with Skype is because I need the video conference call feature and screen sharing. I figured I could dump my Verizon phone line and cancel my Webex subscription and consolidate everything into one service to save money. Skype offers unlimited calls to USA and Canada for $2.99 month that’s about 39 dollars a year. This would be enough for most people but I wanted a designated number which is 18 dollars a quarter or 39 dollars a year. Considering Webex is fifteen dollars month and Verizon is $77 I am coming out way ahead. Skype is very versatile as well I use it to call landline phones from my laptop or phone when I have weak cell phone reception. I use it for multiuser conference calls and remote support using its screen sharing features. Skype has recently added a Cortana Bot which can help with finding quick information like weather info and sports scores. The Skype Bot can also be used for reminders and messenger features. Skype does SMS messaging to phones this is, unfortunately, a pay as you go feature at a few cents a text which sounds pricey but is very handy. I think that eventually, this will be a feature bundled in...
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August 3, 2017The Microsoft Skype Team announce yesterday that they are bringing PayPal to Skype. The new feature allows users to Send Money through Skype using PayPal. To Send Money you as the user will need to be using the latest version of the Skype mobile app for your iPhone or Android phone. The user receiving the funds can be using any version of Skype. If the user receiving the funds does not have a PayPal account, they will be prompted to create one to receive the funds. The Send Money feature must be available in your location. To use the Send Money feature or receive funds you must reside in one of the 22 countries in which Send Money is supported. The first time you use the Send Money feature, you’ll be asked to confirm your location. If the Send Money feature is available in your location, you will need to link your PayPal account to your Skype profile. The Skype Team says in their blog “At Skype, we work to make your life easier and more efficient. That’s why we developed Send Money, a Skype feature that allows you to transfer funds via the latest Skype” Going on to say “no longer require switching from Skype to your browser or banking app to start a payment process.” Also adding “Using your mobile phone while you’re chatting with friends or family, you can simply swipe right, tap Send Money, and complete the money transfer process.” I have to give this one to Skype this is a great idea. They are slowing moving the way of the popular Facebook Messenger which allows you to do many functions without leaving the chat windows. Well done Skype.