The prize list is certainly attractive. There are three main categories:

1. Category/vertical search (re-mix eBay to help people find things more efficiently)
2. Web mash-up (re-mix eBay with another Web service)
3. Multi-platform (integrate eBay with Skype, PayPal, Outlook, GNOME, TiVo, etc.) applications

The eBay Developer Challenge 2006 starts November 14 and ends January 31.

Thanks to my Skype buddy Gary Weir for the heads-up on this news item.

Seems open only to legal residents of the US. Very strange that eBay would be so provincial in their outlook after buying Skype. H'mmmm...

Congratulations to the Jyve team who submitted a personal presence server with browsing and call forwarding to win the Skype Developer Competition. Full kudos to them. All the details can be found on the Skype site here. I certainly enjoyed supporting them during testing and constantly asking for more. Well done guys! Some of the others won't come as any surprise to Skype Journal readers, you have already read about them on these pages. Certainly shows the inventiveness and in some cases playful nature of Skype Developers.

Some of the other entrants. The only one I'm yet to try is the Dial MP3.

• Jybe, a simple and easy to use tool for sharing office documents and enabling real time collaboration over the web with Skype contacts.
• Dial Mp3, which allows you to listen to any mp3 in your collection on your phone.
• Pamela Basic, a personal assistant for Skype that answers calls and chats for you in 32 languages when you are away.
• Gizmoz, which lets all Skype users communicate with animated, 3D talking headz. :
• YapperNut Answer Machine for Skype ("Amy"), which offers voicemail, delayed messaging and allows you to receive and send messages when away from the computer.
• Spontania Video4IM, a high-quality video solution

Commercial Mentions:

• KhaosLabs - Free ActiveS COM wrapper.
  
• Columbus CRM (Skype integration with CRM solution)


• ISkoot (free call forwarding)


• Audiomatic (voice activated macros including Skype commands)


• SalesForce CRM integration