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Developer Zone
"Can you hear me now?" is not the standard for sound quality. Anyone who's been to a modern cinema, sat in a high-end home theater, or played a sophisticated game knows there is more. After all, they give two Academy Awards for sound because sound makes movies more vivid, immersive, persuasive, emotional, and believable. The same is true for sound's effect on video gameplay, especially with team play.
As we move into an era when video and post-video experiences become part of everyday communication, what should our audio expectations include?
Don Tuite wrote a thoughtful essay for electronic design," 
Audio Codecs — The Entertainment-DSP Connection : Standard compression algorithms and proprietary post-processing code challenge DSP chipmakers to deliver more MIPS at fewer watts."
Until now we've been comparing audio quality of Skype and other Internet telephony tools to old fashioned telephones and mobile phones. Tuite suggests a path from telecom codecs (the software that turns sound into digital form, and back) to the highest quality audio DSPs. These deliver more channels of sound, spatial arrangement of those sounds in three dimensions, and more fidelity that ears can hear.
What's between today's high-end telecom quality and tomorrow's high-end entertainment quality? Technical barriers include heat, electrical power, processing demands, and chip size. Most of the high-end entertainment codec systems are proprietary and expensive.
Do you want conversations, movies, music, television, vlogcasts, and everything else we get through Skype to be exceptional? Let's set the highest expectations.
See also:
tools
I'm in lust for the Minivox speakerphone - perfect size to go with your phone or laptop.The $70 microtelPC desktop that comes with two VoIP solutions inside: Skype and Earthlink's SIP tool (thanks, Angelique).
Jybe: A free browser plug-in, "Jybe allows users to make Skype calls, share documents, and send invitations from Internet Explorer and Firefox." "You can now initiate a call to your Skype users directly from JYBE. Simply invite them from within JYBE and they will be automatically called and IM-ed to their Skype user name. They can now join your session instantly." The Skype API at work.
Geeking out
Great EE Times interview with Niklas Zennström if you're a phreak. "We're using different codecs for different circumstances.
For instance, if you have a broadband connection, we are using one codec and if you have a narrowband connection, we are using another." Makes me want to whip out a fuzzy logic engine to optimize codec selection. Do you think the Skype client renegotiates codec choices mid-conversation? via El Contexto es Todo (es)
Skype's network has some serious flaws, including the inability to retire or recycle user IDs or to authenticate callers. If you're interested in this stuff, see Doc Searls' pile of links from Digital Identity World. (I missed the DIDW conference to take this picture. Cost of trip: $2000. Image of Jeff Pulver eating a sandwich in his conference room: priceless.)
How do people Skype?
- Priit, an Estonian exchange student in Shanghai, tells about getting Grandmother to use Skype.
- Home-bound blogger Skypes Phoenix police about noisy neighbors.
- InfoWorld's Chad Dickerson gave up Skypecasting:
I've concluded that while Skype is really great for informal phone calls, using it as the platform for recorded interviews is simply ill-advised. I'm pretty sure this will be the last interview I do with Skype. Frankly, the people I'm interviewing (and planning to interview) are too busy to repeat the key moments that are ruined by Skype jitter/flutter and I feel like I'm insulting busy listeners if I force them to listen to garbled conversation (even when it is very sporadic). I haven't gotten any specific complaints about this from listeners or interviewees, it's just something that bugs me about the first two. This is one area where the Principle of Good Enough doesn't apply -- either you hear words clearly, or you don't.
- Man admits addiction to Skype, TiVo as gateway drug.
- Case study of hi-tech field sales organization using Skype on the road, saves money. (jp)
Will you be the first to register Skype.xxx? And could it be the next great VoIP business model?
Video4Skype is clearly a hot item. Slashdot picked up the story today. According to a spontania representative: “we had 3000 downloads just in 24hrs and our server got colapsed. Right now it is up and running so you can proceed to download it.” In my experience that makes it the hottest Skype add-on ever.
The product also received coverage on the PRZoom Newswire.
Nicolas asked me to remove his Skype User ID form the pic in my previous post because he was getting too many requests for authorizations. (Girls… he is happily married.)
I have tested with about a dozen users now. So just how good is it?
continue reading.....Skype said it will be re-launching their Software Developer Program, SDP, this month. They have 2 days to go! Please hurry!
Since I was the first member of the SDP eight months ago I can say this is a much-needed upgrade. Skype continues to innovate. But the real long-term innovation engine will be driven by an ecosystem of global software and device developers. Small, like Khaoslabs in Toronto, Canada, with the two genius Kevin’s (Kevin 1 and Kevin 2) who we work with, and large, like Motorola.
Lives in Madrid. His day job is telecom engineering. Evenings and weekends are filled with all things Skype. He programs the Skype API using VB.NET via a COM Wrapper. 
He is host and administrator of the Hispanic Skype User Forum.
I have worked with Ramon for a year now. 
Ramon is a great example of the unique nature of the Skype Ecosystem. Like Ramon, the Skype community is dedicated, selfless and supportive. Reminds me of my early days in the MAC community.
It is no easy task translating our 60 page Guidebook Learning Skype’s Plug-In Architecture, but Ramon did it in less than 30 days, in his spare time. Thank you Ramon.
As I write this my Skype buddy Gaurav Prasad 
is just waking in India. As he opens the chat message I sent him he will think he is still dreaming.
Gaurav is a Linux freak. He is a major contributor to the Learning Skype’s plug-in Architecture guidebook
I sent him this link. Business Week's coverage of the new Nokia hand-held “Linux-based Internet Tablet”.
How long will it take Gaurav to get Skype up on this platform? How long before he will have the Skype API enabled on it?
Nokia have made a bold strategic move. See it here. How long before we read about Nokia on the Skype Partner’s Page?
One thing is very clear in this report in eWeek. Nokia chose open source because they understand the value a strong developer ecosystem brings to their business.
Nice post by Maja Brisvall a design strategist on Skype targeting the mobile space.
The design director at Nokia told me a month ago that his misjudgment of MMS was basically that people don't want to send images to strangers. Well this cannot be true, as Lunarstorm finds that what it's users do all the time is communicating by exposing photos of everything. And marketing director, David Erixon, of Vodafone Sweden agrees, it is to difficult to send MMS, the UI of the mobile phone is flaw.By moving Skype to wifi phones p2p content will fly. The challenge for Skype will be to stay true to it's vision of being an honest company, avoid turning into a Telco and be wise enough to quickly develop a brilliant design strategy which will set the specifications for how Skype branded phones should look, feel and work.
MAJA
Last month we did two reviews of SkypeSee here and here. They have renamed the product wigiwigi which I hope won't last as a name.
The lastest version 17w is downloadable here.
This version should be considered a prototype or alpha release, but it is a very good one. The User Interface is rather crude, but it's truly worth playing with it if you are a video geek. It is the finest video quality I and my fellow testers have seen. Here is a sample:
It shows Carlo in Denmark and me in Kelowna, BC, Canada. Christian's photo is the "wallpaper" on Carlo's screen which provides a way to compare the over all quality of the video pics. The numbers below my pic on the right show how we set the call parameters for Quality at 40 and (Frame) Rate at 35. The bandwidth consumed is shown here.
At this time calls are made by entering "Call" plus the IP address as shown here in the lower left of the video window.
Once the call is established you can enter Quality 40 followed by Rate 30.
Now here is a great trick. No other system I have seen can do this. Type in Mirror instead of Call. This places a call to yourself. Now set the Quality to any value from 4 to 128 and the Rate to a value form 1 to 70. You will see yourself as other's will see you.
The resloution is so good I can hold up what I call an "eye exam chart", i.e. a page of 11 point type and Carlo can read it. That is suburb resolution.
The audio quality is good too. All this puts more pressure on Skype to excel. :) :)
This post exposes "presence" and is merely an appetizer of what's to come. The following three icons are live and a page refresh "CTRL F5" will provide updates on status if you leave it open and check it from time to time. You may even catch us in a call... and all together.
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| We believe real-time presence updates are about to change the world. Only the really sharp eyed will notice that we added a presence status indicator to each author on the main page.
I'm in complete control of how and when I broadcast my Skype presence information. We've also added it to our internal wiki. Additional features are being added. For example I want to share "Skyping" (in a call in old language) with my colleagues however don't really want that being displayed on the blog. However this should be optional. On certain sites it may be a benefit to show that you are "skyping" and not just online. Popularity, willingness to talk etc. Layering of presence is the next step.
Watch for more information! It's coming soon! BTW even with a few colleagues sharing "in a call" / "skyping" information is an interesting experience. It's very different to being a lone blog that says "skyping". When you know your buddies and they are also on Skype at 1:00am and in a call.... it brings new perspectives.
I'm certain the benefits outweigh the initial reservations.
What I like about Skype is it's got all ages excited and imaginative minds working on new ways of doing things. At the request of a commenter I'm sharing with you that a Skype Chat RSS reader is working, and a Skype GoogleBot similarly integrated to work in Skype Chat. Using the same methods the chat channel can also be used for blog writing and many other commands. My friend Rabbit didn't stop there. I'm just waiting now for the full SkypeBot launch.
Plus these bots can be customised just like many others. Many who read this blog may also be familiar with Joi Ito's #joiito IRC channel at irc.freenode.net. JoiBot can be entertaining. On other sites round the net there are many entertaining solutions.
continue reading.....We at Skype, are very excited to present our first public competition. It's a competition for developers (that's software developers, not property developers). We would like you invite you to enter.
We're giving away 5000 Euros of cash prizes and in return we'd like you to use our API to develop applications that show-off the potential of Skype, and make it even easier and better to use in the future.
You can put forward as many entries as you like. All we ask is that you're happy for us to make them available to download for free from skype.com and that you get them to us before the deadline for entries on July 1st 2005.
After you work your way through the Details, tell Skype Journal about your project. If you're blogging it, send us a link. For some insights, be sure to read the free Skype Journal's "Learning Skype's Plug-In Architecture" guide.
Andrew Ferguson is a disturbed young man. Brilliant, but disturbed. Funny and innovative. But disturbed.
You know the email spam you get that says, please call this bloke in Africa to send him money to (fill in the appeal here) in the wake of (insert natural or national disaster)? Well Andrew decided to call. Using SkypeOut. Interminably. At odd hours. Tying up the con-man's phone line.
Aside from the dark pleasure of petty revenge, what's going on here?
Skype's design favors offensive tactics
First, there's an imbalance in our cost of calling. As a Westerner, he can afford 10 Euros for 10 hours of calls. If he buys more, the rate falls even further. As a percent of disposable income, this is small potatoes to Andrew.
Second, there's an asymmetry in the opportunity cost of tying up the spammer's phone line. Others aren't getting through to the spammer, so every hour the line is tied up is a sucker missed and money foregone.
Third, Skype calls can be automated. So you can program a thorough barrage of short calls scattered throughout the day. And night. This optimizes your use of your SkypeOut minutes since there is not per-call charge, just a charge for the time. It also exploits the spammer's need to answer each time the phone rings or never talk to another sucker. So every call both increases the effort needed to capture a sucker, since for each sucker there are dozens or hundreds or thousands of fake calls. With little effort (one programmer coded this in 20 minutes) you can make it pointless for a spammer to keep a given number.
Take this a step further: decentralize. Create a spam filter that looks for, say, new Nigerian phone numbers in your email spam bin. Automatically grab them, and post to a listserve, sharing targets. Then have your Skype run the attacks against multiple targets, randomly selected by you and others. This decentralizes the work, aggregates your SkypeOut minutes, buying power, and exposure (if someone tries to find out who you are) among many Skypers. Putting the Power of Many to use.
This is a hoot.
Until the number being attacked is a fire department, or a hospital, or your home. Or air traffic control, or a credit card processing center. Or your mobile phone, where you have to pay high rates for every call, even one lasting just a few seconds.
What can you do about a telephonic denial of service attack?
Other than changing your number?
Maybe we can adapt defenses against flooding attacks in other media, like email and DNS. Maybe not; much of the information used on the Internet isn't available with POTS.
Can you detect an attack building up?
How about a distributed DOS attack?
Who would you call for help?
After the fact, which laws would apply? When would Skype cooperate with law enforcement or civil litigators to provide SkypeOut logs connecting calls to SkypeOut user accounts? Would Skype provide billing data?
And could we blame it on Andrew? Or his Doctor from Nigeria?
Skype Journal presents this guide to help developers learn Skype's Plug-in Architecture. 
(Download it.) This guide steps you through the concepts. Your DIY project: build your own Skype answering machine. Along the way, you'll:
- Build tomorow's communications platform
- Customize & personalize Skype
- Create powerful applications
- Understand and work with the Skype API
Thanks. This book is our first community project to help develop and support the Skype developer community. It brought together a great group of Skype developers and users committed to creating new communications solutions. Many are active in the Skype Forums.
A special thanks to the Skype team for making this book available from the Skype developers' web site.
continue reading.....The latest release of the SkypeAPICOM Wrapper Version 1.0.0.18 is now available and packaged as an MSI (Microsoft Installer), which means it now auto installs into C:\Windows\System\ and register itself. Nice touch Jason.
The new version 1.0.0.18 provides access to the new Skype API Conference feature and multi-Chat announced by Skype on March 17 and discussed in the Skype Journal.
continue reading.....I have migrated from evenings testing (trialing? exploring) social networking services to new software programs that use the SkypeAPI. These "plug-ins" dock with Skype to provide addtional functionality. I started this process thinking I'd write a "How to turbocharge your Skype!". I find I can, and yet adding the wastegate and boost guage etc. doesn't yet result in a smooth ride. So what can you do?
For a USB CyberphoneK you will get everything from dialing to voice features. With MiTunes --- iTunes goes on and off automatically pausing each time you engage in a call. With Skypeheadset your bluetooth headset is automated to pick up Skype calls. SAM or Pamela provide answering machine variations. Similarly you can add detail to your Outlook and presence servers and other applications are on the way. In principle the picture is positive.
Now what if that family of emerging programs don't all work "friendly" like together?
continue reading.....Skype yesterday released a documentation update for the SkypeAPI. Download This release now uses Protocol 4 adding new functions and providing support for:
There is a list of Bugfixes and of course updates on syntax changes. Now lets all hold our breath and wish for Call Transfer!
MiTunes (beta) is a SkypeAPI plug-in I've really been looking for. If you love iTunes and Skype then try it out. Simply it auto pauses and auto-resumes iTunes whenever you are on Skype. The program was created by Hans Blaaw who is creating a range of API enabled solutions at Skypeteer which include SMS solutions IE support. They are all in an early stage of development.
I installed MiTunes (requires Windows PC's and latest version of iTunes)and it docked with through API without any problems. It worked flawlessly until I received a second call while in a call which went to VM. It then assumed I had hung up and restarted itunes, so I was listening to both itunes and caller one. So that's a bug that still needs some work.
Get the download.
continue reading.....Another developer is working on connecting Skype to a MySOL server. That will enable a nice scalable Presence Server solutions. More than a few people are waiting for this solution.
I'm writing a VC Win32 service to intercept all the events of Skype and store it into a MySQL Server. Next I'd like build a Presence server and other stuff (like php o java web applications)... I want to release it as Open Source project on Linux and Windows platforms and I'm working to do it. I'm also looking for developers interested in it. I'll post more details as soon as possible. forum.skype.com
For technical types wanting to play with the SkypeAPI which lets you build cool applications this link from via the forums may help.
The SkypeAPI COM wrapper is an ActiveX "layer" around the Skype API (documentation here). It's designed to make it simpler for COM-client development environments (VB, .NET, etc.) to communicate with Skype Skype API COM Wrapper
What's a Skype Presence Server? From Qzoxy It allows you to share your Skype Presence (at the moment online status) beyond your buddylist. While SkypeMe buttons have proliferated on many blogs they never provided crucial presence information. Here are sites where you can see Skype Presence being Shared. At the end I encourage PayPal to use the Skype API as a payment mechanism.
Active in a bulletin board? Want to activate your Skype signature. Here is how. It's still early stage and not that sophisticated yet. Still it shares the same amount of detail you get from a buddylist and that has a positive impact on communication.
Most ambitious to date. See Jyve: A joint-venture partner with Qzoxy who will be providing hosted solutions for web sites and BBs. If you think using the Skype API opportunities are limited you should just sign up to Jyve so you can get your password and registration details back... not via e-mail, rather directly in a Skype text message from Jyve. That's a pretty neat trick. It means in time... that call placed from a site like Jyve will be able to ring and provide a caller ID and context letter simultaneously. That will be a pretty neat trick and is yet again something that telephone companies can't provide. Subscriptions to different services will enable more effective call screening. Now there is another market for that.
Here is a short list where some users are participating by sharing presence.
Qzoxy Test Forum currently conducting load measurement tests.
Skype Forum
German Skype Community Forum
Skype Spanish Community Forum
Bill Campbell's website
http://70.24.83.35:270/qzoxy/contact.asp our Qzoxy Contact Us Page
What does this mean at the moment? Signatures on bulletin boards are having active Skype logo's added to them. So you can see my current Skype status below and it will update from time to time. My presence (this logo) is tied directly to the Qzoxy server. The next step will be more detailed calling cards; coming soon.
My Current Skype Online Status 
Click for Contact Options
I also imagine some of you asking me if broadcasting my Skype status bothers me. I'd have to answer that it doesn't. I don't block calls or text messages. They simply aren't a nuisance and I'm not a pretty girl to be hit on. So for the most part I get the calls I need and / or expect. Enabling my presence particularly in communities or environments where I would like to connect with others makes sense to me. What I may want in time is a "Presence Service" one that registers my presence or serves it differently to different groups at different times. It may also serve up access in the future. Example: I am available (subject to my presence management setting) to community X between 6 and 9 pm every night. This could be my daughters sports team. If I'm on the line it will know and may even instigate a call back and que system.
So rather than being confronted with am I listed in the white pages or not.... I can list my number and availability with services and communities that warrant my attention for which I will grant access. Then again... put a big enough PayPal check on the call and I'll probably answer. So how long before PayPal runs with Skype handles as an alternate to e-mails? Or is that SkypePay? Hmmm.
News of Skype's API is leaking out slowly with a few rumors here and there. I'm been quiet as I've been in the beta forum and some of my best Skype buddies have been busy readying some new presence solutions. However the Skype API forum and API details
It's now possible to build Skype tools into your own website, or other applications. Nobody officially knows this, of course, because, typically, Skype Technologies hasn't actually announced it -- but if you download the latest build today, you'll spot the innovation in the install log.What on earth is a Skype API? Skype is an instant messenger, but specially designed to allow non-expert users to talk to each other over the Internet. The trick is available with rival IM services like MSN, AOL and Yahoo but many users find it hard to set up. Skype's install is comparatively idiot-proof. And the API means that programmers can add the Skype IM features to their own work. PCWorld
The first big surprise will be a Skype Presence Server developed outside of Skype. It will enable a new market for presence. A market where you and I can choose who brokers our presence information and when and where it is shared.
It looks like you can do quite a bit. The first is part of how a USB phone can use the API. The second is what third party software can do. And it looks like you can place calls, IM, view a user profile, and probably some more stuff. You can even have two apps use the API at the same time.This could get interesting. Documentation for the API is expected to be released in November, and some companies are quietly working on easy to use API wrappers to allow Skype to be used through Java and web apps. RossCode.com
This slow leak style appears to be the norm for Skype now. See also NewWire
The Skype API has huge potential. It will immediately provide opportunities not available with other messaging services and has potential to grow a whole new market for information services. My belief is simple. If Skype's API release is successful then not only will growth accelerate, it will gain a huge innovation advantage, bootstrapping on resources that as a small company they could otherwise not afford. That's been the successful software model for awhile - releasing beta versions and getting developers to build their own applications around it.
I see opportunities for new applications. If you are ready to release your Skype API application let me know.
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