Skype for Outlook.com roll out starts, to be available globally by summer
Microsoft has owned Skype since October 2011, but it is only now that we are finally starting to see the way the Redmond giant is planning on utilizing the VoIP tool's full potential.
Skype has been gracing Windows 8 Pro and RT for some time, including the Windows Phone 8 OS, and now, it is expanding its reach to web services. Skype just got released as a web-plugin for Outlook.com integration, but only in the U.K.
The VoIP company that was bought out by Microsoft for a cool $8.5 billion back in October 2011 has so far received far less love than many of us thought it would. Initially, the hope was for integrating Skype into the Xbox Dashboard, but that is yet to happen. But instead, Microsoft is going ahead and putting Skype in every nook and corner of its properties. Now, with Outlook integration, it would work pretty much the same way Hangouts works for Google or Skype calling works for Facebook.
Skype for Outlook.com is currently only available in the U.K., with U.S and Germany getting the feature within the coming weeks. Globally, the feature is set to be available by “summer,” which could be as late as August. Skype for Outlook.com requires a one-time download of a plugin, which is available for the most recent versions of Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox. Users can connect to Outlook.com using their Microsoft account. People who already have existing Skype accounts can link it to Outlook.com, which will allow them to add their Skype contacts to the email service. The process seems a little complex, but once the corresponding accounts are all linked together, using the features is supposedly seamless.
Here are two videos from Skype and Outlook teams respectively showcasing the ease of the features to come.