Skype Journal: Skype Toolbar for Outlook released
July 5, 2005 05:45 AMBy Peter Henning, Skype Super User and Beta Tester. Bucharest, Romania
Today we got a brand new toy from Skype, it is called Skype for Outlook. It integrates into Microsoft Outlook, the email and calendaring program in Microsoft's Office Suite.
This toolbar enables you to use Skype directly from Outlook and should work on all versions of Outlook beginning from version 2000 onwards on both Windows XP and Windows 2000. Skype for Outlook is a plugin for Skype therefore Skype needs to be installed on your system for the toolbar to work. As a side note, Outlook is a different product than Outlook Express which comes free with Windows and this toolbar will NOT work with Outlook Express.
Okay, nice new toy, but do you need it?
To answer this question you need to ask yourself if you are still using mail or have you moved on? To be honest I don't really use mail for personal communication anymore, but do get a lot of business related mail from people I know, which is why I love this toolbar.
Skype Staff have recognized that even though they use email less and less, some people and workplaces are still heavily reliant on email. This toolbar comes to their help in providing ways to make communication seamless.
Installation is fast
To install Skype for Outlook toolbar, just download it, run the .exe and follow the instructions. When you restart Outlook, you be will prompted to authorize an application called SKYPEOBE to use Skype. You should authorize this as it is essential for the toolbar to work.
So, what does it do?
One of the more important things about it is that it integrates Skype presence information into Outlook. Receiving mail from a contact and seeing that his is online can lead to a much quicker response and an increase in productivity to those who rely heavily on email.
Matching Outlook contacts to Skype contacts is easy.
To be able to associate a Skype name to an outlook contact just press the Looking glass icon on the toolbar. Skype for Outlook tries to find a match from you current Skype contact based on Name and Email, it if fails you can open the combobox and select it yourself. If you don't have the Skype name of that contact in your Skype contact list you can associate by typing it in. There is also an option to search for the contacts Skype name using Skype's integrated search feature.
Skype stores the Skype name information in the contact's radio phone field so you can complete this manually too.
There isn't any way of associating multiple Skype names with one contact, however I was told that this feature is something that they are looking into for the next release.
If you have completed the task successfully, clicking on an email received from Skype contact would show his/her presence and name on the toolbar.
Now after you have set up the associations is very simple to use. You can either select what you want to do from the toolbar combobox or you can just hit the appropriate buttons to call or send instant message. You can also do this by right clicking the email and going to the Skype for Outlook option.
The toolbar recognizes Skype contacts even from the cc and to email headers, giving you the ability to instantly call and chat to people who have received the same email.
You can also edit the Skype name either by manually modifying the Radio Phone field or clicking on the 'Edit Skype name...' option in the toolbar combobox.
Something that I found very neat is that Skype for Outlook enables you to call the phone numbers of Outlook contacts even without these being added to your Skype contact list.
You can also set the default country code so if the phone number in your contacts' profile is in local format (not in international), Skype can complete the phone number when attempting to call such a contact without your intervention.
Skype names and telephone numbers are also recognized in the body of an email, making it even more convenient for you to get in touch with whoever you want.
Care to start a group chat from email messages? You can do that too. Even chat topics are automatically set to the emails subject.
Credits
Special thanks for this product goes to Peter Kalmstrom who started working on an Outlook plugin for Skype quite a while back, drawing the attention of Skype management and having been hired as a contractor to develop this product. Recently he has been hired full time at Skype to continue the development of Skype for Outlook. Mat Taylor, Skype London, who manags the API and other third party develper's efforts helped do the engineering specifications and testing. Applause to both!Other features include:
- Record journal entries for all incoming Skype calls
- Automatically add Skype callto signatures to outgoing email messages.
- Import contacts to Skype direct from Outlook.
- Open Outlook contact automatically for incoming calls.
Later today, Skype Journal will feature another exclusive preview of another new Skype tool.
TrackBack (8)
» Skype for Outlook from Mark Evans
Om Malik has a posting on Skype's new took for Outlook, a toolbar that lets you use Skype directly from Outlook. Skype users will like the fact it appears easy to con... [Read More]
Tracked on July 6, 2005 4:11 AM
» Skype for Outlook rocks! from Ugh!!'s GreyMatter Honeypot
[Read More]
Tracked on July 6, 2005 9:10 AM
» Skype per Outlook from SKY TG24 Pianeta Internet
A mio parere Skype, come strategia di m [Read More]
Tracked on July 6, 2005 10:27 AM
» Hype...errr...Skype releases Outlook toolbar from Rod Trent at myITforum.com
[Read More]
Tracked on July 6, 2005 2:36 PM
» Barre d'outils Skype pour Outlook : c'est nouveau! from Jean-Luc Raymond
[Read More]
Tracked on July 6, 2005 3:23 PM
» Skype Toolbar for Outlook from VB-tech weblog
[Read More]
Tracked on July 6, 2005 4:08 PM
» Profile - Skype (Outlook Toolbar) from TechCrunch
Editor’s Note: I’m currently 35,000 feet above ground level, on my way to Europe. SAS is now offering Connexion by Boeing - $30 for high-speed wireless for the whole trip. Nothing like making a call from an airplane for two cents a minute.... [Read More]
Tracked on July 6, 2005 10:36 PM
» Skype for Outlook from ~Tech Angel~
Skype for Outlook is a toolbar that integrates Skype with Microsoft's popular Outlook program. It enables users to use Skype directly from Outlook and will work on all Outlook versions from 2000 on (it will not work with Outlook Express). [Read More]
Tracked on July 7, 2005 8:19 AM
Comments (18)
I was reading the post of Peter, and tried, without testing to compare the Outlook Tool of Peter Kalmström with another Outlook Tool developed by Sylvain Nawrocki of France (see http://www.s3ven.freesurf.fr/index.php?l=EN&menuid=2c).
Strong Point of the Kalmström tool: when you click on an e-mail you can see if the contact is on-line!
Strong Point of the Nawrocki tool: if wanted, you can put the Skype Username in a personal Outlook field!
Equal: in both you can call a Skype username who isn't in the Skype contact list!
Equal (i guess): when clicking on an Outlook contact (in the address book)you can see the user status of the Skype Constact.
There are other similarities, and from what i read the tool of Kalmström has more features than the Nawrocky tool.
For the time being, i stick to the Nawrocki tool for 2 reasons:
1. it fits my needs
2. i like what the guy is doing: developing free add-ons without much economical interest!
See his new "ST" or "Skype Tools": it is still very beta (i tested it yesterday and today) and permits for the time being only personalised ring tones for your contacts! Only for advanced users now, because i had (have) some problems!
Competition can go on!
Posted by: Jean Mercier at July 5, 2005 10:06 AM
Skype for Outlook, Skype for Internet Explorer.
So where's Skype for Firefox and Skype for Thunderbird?
Posted by: Julian Bond at July 5, 2005 11:29 AM
Hi Jean,
If you look in the Radio Phone field of a contact you'll see that there is the skype name of the contact stored. Not sure if this is what you've meant when you said it was missing.
Regards,
Peter
Posted by: Peter Henning at July 6, 2005 10:46 AM
Hey Julian!
From what I understand those products are not considered "strategic" by Skype. (Smile)
Thanks for dropping by again... Bill
Posted by: Bill Campbell at July 6, 2005 11:13 AM
You're aiming at the wrong user base. You should be going for the early adopters, like Firefox and Thunderbird users. Google have figured this one out, why haven't Skype?
Posted by: alanh at July 6, 2005 8:29 PM
Alan, I agree with you. Firefox visitors and IE visitors to Skype Journal are even. Amongst this community Firefox appears to have already won... and if not yet will soon. The Outlook plug-in is targeted conceptually (i believe) at making some form of corporate demonstration. Otherwise why do it. It's a misguided priority. I'd prefer to have voicemail fixed.
Posted by: Stuart Henshall at July 6, 2005 9:43 PM
Im my machine this toobar made Outlook EXTREMELY slow.
I took it off and installed again, but still got a slow machine as a result.
Anyone else with this problem:
Posted by: Pedro Paulo at July 7, 2005 12:45 PM
I have also been a beta tester of Skype for Outlook over the past couple of months. Peter covers all the features quite well.
Effectively it turns Outlook into a presence "überclient" since one can now initiate all Skype-related activity (status check, chat, phone calls, etc.) from Outlook without reverting to the Skype client. All that is left as unique uses for the Skype client are to report session histories and the status of your various Skype accounts (SkypeOut, VM, SkypeIn).
Skype for Outlook has become a critical tool for my Skype activity.
(BTW, part of my testing involved its compatibility when using other Outlook plug-ins such as Plaxo, the Lookout search tool and some business communications utilities that access Outlook Contacts for contact information; the compatibility with these plug-ins is now there.)
Posted by: Jim Courtney at July 7, 2005 8:55 PM
Hey Peter,
I did not say the field was missing in the Kalmström tool, I said that you can choose any field or create a new one with the Nawrocky tool!
By the way ... Sylvain Nawrocky should correct one small disadavantage of his tool: the position of the toolbar is NOT saved! I have each time again to reposition it when i leave and restart Outlook!
Regards,
Jean
Posted by: Jean Mercier at July 8, 2005 8:09 AM
After trying this with my Outlook install since it was available, I removed it today. I'd had more crashes on my outlook than ever before. It locked up my Norton and Skype, requiring a reboot. It may just be that my "number" of buddies is too many. I don't know. However, my system responds and feels better now it is gone.
Posted by: Stuart Henshall at July 12, 2005 11:20 AM
I installed outlook toolbar, on a win xp home, professional and a windows 2000. on all system, my outlook has turned extremely slow... any particular reason??
Posted by: Utam Cuniah at October 6, 2005 4:52 AM
Having used an early (beta 2 years ago) version of Peter Kalmstrom's outlook toolbar for Skype, I had high hopes for the release candidate... but alas, had to uninstall, too slowwww, not sure why... I have over 5000 contacts, and that may be one issue. I'd like to hear from Skype on this, Hello Peter?
tx
Jean-Baptiste Monnier
Posted by: Jean-Baptiste Monnier at January 17, 2006 10:46 PM
Is anyone experiencing error issues with
Outlook 2003 and the Skype toolbar?
I have been using it on my [WIN XP PRO] labtop and have been using skype (now beta2.5) for over 18 months and like the toolbar since I am still using mail regularly. Any ideas on how I can improve
performance and avoid error messages?
thanks for your input.
Posted by: Omer at June 22, 2006 3:06 AM
Um, *some* companies are still reliant on email? What world do you live in, anyway? The assertions in this blog entry that email is somehow a also-ran antiquated technology made me laugh out loud. Please, I know you're drinking the Skype KoolAid to be able to write this blog for them, but please, be at least somewhat realistic. Funny, funny stuff.
Posted by: mantis at June 22, 2006 11:22 AM
Well, I think you should always have up to date email backups. I used to do it manually by saving the .dbx files, until I found Outlook Express Backup Genie that does it automatically at regular times.
I choused it over other because it can work with both MS Outlook and Outlook Express
Posted by: Alicia at July 28, 2006 6:51 PM
Guten Tag!!!
Becoming A Counselor,
Hru... :-)
Posted by: Jim at August 4, 2006 7:53 AM
I installed the Skype Toolbar for Outlook, and like other users here, had to uninstall it immediately since it made Outlook *unbelievably* ssslowwww. I have a 3 GHz Pentium 4 with 1Gb of RAM and a fast SATA hard drive; 336 Outlook contacts.
Posted by: mozzis at September 9, 2006 10:53 PM
It takes a very long time to starting Outlook application after installing Skype Toolbar for Outlook on my computer.
Posted by: Office Outlook at October 12, 2006 6:06 AM