Skype 4.0 for Windows Video

Skype 4.0 for Windows Video Transcript

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>> Jessica Dolcourt: Skype is renowned for bringing people all over the world the ability to place long-distance calls for free using just the computer, the Internet, and a microphone. Skype's latest version for Windows, however, seems to be stirring up some controversy among loyal fans. I'm Jessica Dolcourt with CNET download.com, here to take a first look at Skype 4.0 for Windows. Skype makes some big interface changes in version 4.0. The two traditional management windows of past versions have been glued together into one larger window pane in version 4.0. Skype's idea was to keep its application cohesive, but a lot of users reject this change. If that's you too, Skype also supports a classic two-pane view that you can switch to in the view menu. The interface color is another change you can slightly alter. In tools menu, selection options, and then classic window. I prefer a wider range of skins to choose for myself like some glossy dark themes. Hopefully, those will come soon. Users also complained that they didn't want to see the buddy icons and location information while on a call. Just click the user name to hide or unhide the image. The new design for organizing conversations and contacts and side by side tabs is one feature you can't change, but that's OK. The conversations tab shows a list of all your current conversations, and you'll be able to revisit past chats and calls by showing your history. One of Skype's main goals with version 4.0 was to improve video and call quality. The video image has definitely improved, and in our tests, we noticed fewer delays and breakups with both the audio and video. Of course, this will vary depending on your particular equipment and how much bandwidth you've got in your area. While some of you may not love Skype's new look, it's the additional features currently omitted in version 4.0 that has a lot of Skype callers in a huff. There is still conference call, file transferring, and instant messaging, but public chats have been suspended. Skype caps have been cancelled, and call transferring and speed dial have been temporarily pulled. While there are some early [phonetic] additions to video and audio in this version, we think Skype really should have waited, and released a version that included all its popular extra features. Still, Skype 4.0 is definitely worth the download for those of you who are new to voice, for anyone looking for more video and audio stability during Internet calls, and for those who don't rely on any of those absent features. I'm Jessica Dolcourt looking at Skype 4.0 for Windows. [ Music ]