Software Programs for use with Skype

Vitaly Repin of Ice Brains Software (Russia) has launched Bombino, a smart variation on a Skype call forwarding plug-in. With Bombino you connect your mobile to Skype and use it to call your buddies or even create conference calls. In some countries this strategy wil work well with a prepaid mobile account. Thus it has some similarities to what Jyve and iSkoot offer. However, Vitaly goes further in integrating it with SMS. He's creatively used the SMS Gateway from Connectotel. All you have to do is SMS Bombino to launch your call or conference. This will only works with GSM phones. Bombino is available for Windows and Linux. Bombino has a 10 day trial period. After that it is 10 Euros.

Further details are described in the Bombino Manual. Comands are simple and described there. Vitaly has also built in additional security measures so no one can hijack your Bombino. Who knows, this almost looks like a service opportunity.

Skype had a few bugs of the security kind, reported them, fixed them, and you should probably download a free update from Skype.com. Via Share Skype blog earlier today. Kudos to Skype for prompt and letter perfect customer care. Here's the original post in full...

Yesterday, Skype reacted to
reports of security vulnerabilities in its product by releasing
software updates and widely circulating information about how to
resolve the problem. Skype users may download the upgrade free of
charge from Skype’s website, http://www.skype.com.

Skype’s engineering team has worked hard to ensure our products are safe and reliable. The updates were needed in order to fix two software problems, one of which can render a user vulnerable to a malicious attack if the user is duped into following web hyperlinks that are specially crafted to cause unwanted software to run.

Skype proactively discloses and rates security issues when they arise so that its customers have the latest information about its software. In addition, Skype participates as a member in the international Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams, a global body that allows for rapid interchange of information among software vendors, government, business and network operators.

Skype uses industry-standard vulnerability notification schemes, such as the Common Vulnerability and Exposures (CVE) system (http://cve.mitre.org/) and voluntarily participates in the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) (http://www.first.org/cvss/) which helps users rate the seriousness of vulnerabilities reported by a vendor.

For more info about Skype security and for all Skype Security Bulletins, see Skype security resource center.

Hi, I'm Phil Wolff, Editor of Skype Journal.

We're spread thin covering the revolution. Can you help?

We're the romantics and the cynics, the engineers and the coolhunters. And we're building a publication with a large and loyal following. (681k pages served in September, and growing rapidly since we started in March 2005).

If you can find news and make sense of it, we need you.

If you can take the complex and make it seem obvious, we need you.

If you have a vision for the impact of Skype on technology, society, and business, we need you.

Specifically...

If these beats interest you, please email me: editor at skype journal dot com. Or Skype me at evanwolf.

• Skype Developer Guides - Help us top our famous Skype Journal Guide : Learning Skype’s Plug-In Architecture with updates, broader coverage of the Skype API and translations
  
• Skype product updates - latest releases and what they mean
  
• Skype business ecology - updates on companies building business on or with Skype
  
• Skype for mobile platforms - embedded, smartphones, wifi and other wireless environments
  
• The Skype APIs and anything affecting code warriors
  
• Regulatory affairs - especially now that Luxembourgian Skype is becoming owned by Californian eBay.
  
• Competitor watch - telecom, IM, and others
  
• Investor concerns - explain and uncover how Skype contributes to eBay's bottom line, or not
  
• Skype developer forums - buzz watch and advocate
  
• Ebay developer forums - buzz watch and advocate
  
• Skype software how-to's and tips - help users make the most of their Skype
  
• Skype/VoIP security beat - rigor is the login, public safety the password, and the public key is ... too long for this post
  
• Skype commerce/retailing - Dig up the best tools and techniques for selling more with better conversation
  
• Ebayification of Skype and the Skypification of Ebay - follow the changes to the products and companies as they continue to grow, to influence each other, and to create new kinds of value
  
• User stories - How people use Skype in the real world
  

Other roles:

• Editorial intern - Help us write a style guide, admin comments, and stay on top of our editorial calendar
  
• Newsletter editor - Round up each week's posts for our mailing list
  
• Foreign correspondents - Translate your blog posts into English for Skype Journal and Skype Journal posts into your language. Must have three correspondents to create a sister SJ site.
  
• Art/Design/Web director - Ongoing improvement to our designs and sites

Skype Gift Certificates came out of beta testing yesterday. You can use your Skype credits to pay for someone else's Skype products.

While they make fine holiday gifts, there are a few limits in this early release. Not everyone can buy a gift certificate: you must be a Skype user, your account must be in good standing (at least with Skype's credit department), you must have been using your Skype account for three months, and you must use Euros as your Skype money setting. You don't need your giftee's permission, but they do need a Skype account. [note to self: work on the London branch of the family to get on Skype.]

When you give a gift, you get a 3% rebate. This is enough of a margin that some people and companies will probably become resellers of Skype Gift Certificates, at least for people who trust them. At least one company is experimenting with this, so a new channel of distribution for Skype may be on the way.

This release of Skype Certificates and Skype Groups is an important milestone for Skype. It paves the way for elegant and rich business and technical architectures for commerce. Edge commerce (pay a dollar for my time or my file), reputation management, currency arbitrage, dispute resolution, identity services, and market making. All with web services and APIs for developers to build Skype's commerce into their own sites, software, and gadgets.

Short term, this could wind up booking purchases of Skype products to eBay's Fourth Quarter. Since they are prepaid services, I don't know if the money received goes on the books as revenue or debt. The SkypeOut TOS says Skype will refund money if asked. Does Skype get to keep unclaimed money? Or does Skype only get to reflect the revenue when a service is consumed or a prepaid account is abandoned?

See also:

• Skype's announcement
• Bill Campbell's first take on their announcement
• Skype Gift Certificate FAQ
• Skype Gift Certificate forum
• Skype Journal articles on commerce
• Skype Journal's translation of the SkypeOut Terms Of Service

Flash your smile around the globe. This WigiWigi is the best video application I have tested. Others agree.

"It's great... cool... this is awesome, I love it", commented Adnan Topuz President of AdoSoft INC in Toronto, Canada.

"This is amazing, this is amazing, this is great stuff". Charles Power, CEO of a web dating site Friendsation

This screenshot tells part of the story. It is my fellow tester Johnny in Denmark who was helping me test today.

last week I wrote that Wigi was not ready for prime time. Wait before downloading. Wait no more.

I wrote this User Quidebook to help you get going. Download here.

This amazing program is only 400 KB in size. That is less than half the size of Dialcom's Video4IM application. 10 seconds to download; 10 seconds to install and configure. And it works with any Instant Messaging Client from AOL to Yahoo.

The fluidity of the video is just outstanding. With speed set at 100 percent move your head back and forth like a pendulum. No tearing, no pixelation. The lip sync is perfect.

Look at this resolution of ten point type!

And look at this perfect colour!

Does it get better than this? Yup. Soon Ashod will have multi-party conferencing.

Skype released a major version of their software for Windows today, Version: 1.4.0.71. Download. Big features for users:

• Call forwarding
  
• Accessibility improvements to the contact list
  
• 26 new or updated language files (Swedish, Finnish, Danish, Norwegian, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese Brazilian, Hebrew, Russian, Polish, Spanish, Estonian, Japanese, Greek, Chinese Traditional, Chinese Simplified, Korean, Romanian, Turkish, Arabic, Korean, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Czech)
  

Features for programmers:

• API: data channel
  
• API: write to profile
  
• API: call forwarding controls
  
• API: expressive content (ringtones, avatars)
  

The Skype change log and official news release...

28.09.2005 version 1.4.0.71

* feature: Call Forwarding
* feature: Skype Test Call Service prepopulated to Contact List for new users
* feature: 21 new emoticons
* feature: My Pictures: possibility to choose pictures from Expressive Content
* feature: RingToneManager for Expressive Content of audio files
* feature: Contact List accessible by Microsoft Active Accessibility
* feature: API: application-to-application communication
* feature: API notifications for contactlist selection and focus
* feature: API: set profile information
* feature: API: call forwarding via API
* feature: API: support expressive content files SET RINGTONE and AVATAR
* feature: API: added OPEN [PROFILE | USERINFO | CONFERENCE | SEARCH | OPTIONS | CALLHISTORY | CONTACTS | DIALPAD | SENDCONTACTS | IMPORTCONTACTS | BLOCKEDUSERS | GETTINGSTARTED | AUTHORIZATION ] commands
* feature: multilingual EULA
* feature: advanced Skype links
* feature: number of friends displayed in Profile View form
* feature: possibility to set connecting sound from Options
* feature: added dynamic messages for help and tips
* feature: possibility to select and copy profile fields
* change: new layout for Getting Started Wizard
* change: Search window redesigned
* change: Add friend window redesigned
* Change: Import Contacts redesigned
* change: quicksearch on addressbar improved
* change: improved call related error messagas
* change: 'minimize' button minimizes Skype to taskbar
* change: warning dialaog added when calling to SkypeOut using callto: links
* change: option to disable authorization message popups
* change: MSN contact importer removed from Import Contacts
* change: upgrade prompt supressed if installer is launched with SILENT or VERYSILENT option
* change: removed latin spanish language
* change: option to view online release notes after installation removed
* change: option to create a Quick Launch icon removed from installer
* change: explanatory text in Profile View if user has not been online recently
* change: month names in Profile are translatable
* change: options dialog is changed to nonmodal
* change: Send Authorization dialog is changed to nonmodal
* change: main window minimum size changed
* change: new language files - Swedish (Anders Olsson), Finnish (Heino Keränen), Danish (Mathias Schwarz), Norwegian (Stig Auestad), German (Claudius Henrichs & Dick Schiferli), Dutch (Kees Koenders), French (Fabrice Imperial), Italian (Conte Daniele), Portuguese Brazilian(Anna Nyström ), Hebrew (Ronen Ben-Naftali), Russian (Viktoria Randalainen/Tatjana Kruti), Polish (Ewa Czekalska/Karol Szastok), Spanish - (David Reche), Estonian (Eve Loopere), Japanese (Tomo Suzumaru(Livedoor)/Mayu Shimizu), Greek (Panagiotis Sidiropoulos/Magenta LTD), Chinese Traditional (Morden Chen/PChome Online), Chinese Simplified (Leon Yang/TOM Online), Korean - (Daum Communications Corp), Romanian - (Paraschiv Ion & co), Turkish (Emin Dede) Arabic, Korean (Eriksen Translations Inc), Hungarian (Mark Bender), Bulgarian (Nikolina Filipova, Nikolay Filipov) Czech (Petr Silon)
* bugfix: shortcut to desktop - dropped always, despite preferences
* bugfix: changed sound channel usage,therefore improving the stability on older operating systems
* bugfix: improved Multi Chat behaviour on multiple monitors
* bugfix: authrequests do not pop up if your status is Do Not Disturb
* bugfix: optimized loading of user-language file
* bugfix: optimizations to have faster log-in
* bugfix: improved unicode handling on win98
* bugfix: status was incorrect in chat titlebar when disconnected
* bugfix: improved URL parsing in chat
* bugfix: addressbar search updated when new contact added
* bugfix: 'start skype when windows starts' option will revert to default
* bugfix: 'Enable All Sounds' option missed one checkbox in Options dialog
* bugfix: wrong folder created to Documents and Settings when changing avatar
* bugfix: toolbar texts not visible on clean install
* bugfix: improved error handling when selected sound file is too big
* bugfix: keybaord navigation in language editor
* bugfix: Ctrl+F in chat window shows non-active main window
* bugfix: toolbar buttons were not updated on some cases
* bugfix: API: Error is returned if OPEN ADDAFRIEND command has too many parameters
* bugfix: API: Using query id messed up replies to NAME and OPEN FILETRANSFER commands
* bugfix: API: During voicemail recording SEARCH ACTIVECALLS returned call id
* bugfix: API: When offline user tried to make a call with query id, error was returned without query id
* bugfix: API: Contactlist change notifications were sent when focused contact actually did not change
* bugfix: API: Other API messages were sent before “attach success” message

SKYPE EXTENDS LEADERSHIP POSITION WITH NEW MUST-HAVE RELEASE

New Features Encourage Callers to Upgrade to Move Beyond the PC,
Be More Sociable and Express Themselves in More Ways

(Luxembourg 29 September 2005) - Skype, the Global Internet Communications pioneer which makes it possible for anyone to make free, high-quality phone calls via the Internet to anyone worldwide, today extends its leadership position as the most innovative and fastest-growing Internet communications offering with the release of the latest version of its award-winning software. This announcement is significant both for Skype's existing callers who can now upgrade to new and powerful features and also for people new to Skype who can experience an even simpler way to start making phone calls for free.

The new Skype for Windows offers callers everything one would expect from an Internet phone and more, including increased mobility options, new ways for callers to personalise Skype with original ringtones, sounds and pictures, better than ever sound quality, as well as more ways to be sociable by making it easy to find and connect to their friends, family and colleagues online.

"Skype pioneered free Internet phone calls, and even with more than 56 million people already registered, we've recently seen our growth accelerate to over 170,000 new registrations a day," said Niklas Zennström, CEO and Co-founder of Skype. "We are passionate about really understanding what motivates people want to make Internet communications a part of their everyday lives, and listening to our callers about what they want from Skype allows us to stay ahead of the game. Today, we are thrilled to be delivering on this promise by offering a new version of Skype which both new and existing callers will find adds powerful and innovative new features like call forwarding and personalisation, as well as offering our best ever sound quality on our simplest product to install and use."

Skype recently embarked on a comprehensive global survey to deepen an understanding of how Internet communications is used by people around the world and what they expect from next-generation personal communications services. According to the independent study, Skype is used once or several times a day by 76% of its callers, far surpassing the usage levels of traditional IM-based voice calling services. Callers also recognized Skype's leadership in sound quality - 72% of Skype users consider call quality to be good to excellent. Skype callers are more international, with 85% communicating with people living abroad. Skype's broad base of early adopters are eager to embrace new features, with 79% interested or very interested in receiving calls from landlines, and 73% interested or very interested in adopting call forwarding, key innovations unique to Skype.

The new Skype for Windows Version 1.4, which was first available in beta in August, incorporates two new premium services requested by Skype callers, and fortifies Skype's role as a preferred complement to ordinary cell phones and landlines. It builds on Skype's already extensive product offering which allows people to instant message, set up group chats, make conference calls, transfer files, send and receive voicemails, call and be called from a traditional phone system, and access Skype over Wi-Fi for extremely low rates.

Skype's new Call Forwarding service will allow callers to forward incoming Skype calls to another Skype Name or up to three landline or mobile numbers when they're away from Skype, at no cost to the caller. Anyone using Skype may forward their calls to another Skype Name free of charge, or forward to traditional phone numbers at low SkypeOut rates. 83% of beta testers who have tried Call Forwarding have found it easy to use.

Skype's new Personalise Skype features also allow callers to easily express themselves with original pictures, sounds and ringtones for as little as 1 euro ($1.20). This new feature opens up a new and exciting market for content providers looking to deliver great applications to Skype's global callers and is initially offered in partnership with American Greetings, Qpass and Wee World. The global ringtone market is forecast to grow to $5.2 billion in 2006, and ringtones now account for over 10% of the $32.3 billion worldwide music market (Arc Group).

The new version of Skype makes it even easier for callers to extend their social network. It's simple for callers to search Skype's Global Directory, and import personal contacts from Outlook directly into their buddy lists. With the Skype Toolbars, users can make one-click calls to numbers and Skype Names from Internet Explorer and Outlook, adding tremendous value to popular desktop applications. Advanced Skype buttons allow webmasters and bloggers to create links that instantly initiate Skype actions, such as conference calls and chats.

It takes less then 3 minutes for new callers to get started with Skype, even if they are not Internet-savvy. A friendly 'Getting Started Wizard' means it's easy to begin enjoying the cost and quality benefits of the new Skype, available immediately for download at www.skype.com.

PowerGramo records your Skype calls automatically. I used an earlier version and it was easy and convenient. (any podcasters listening?) Apparently free, for now. CORRECTION: It is trialware: US$19.50 after a seven day trial.

Deal done. Retail VOIP in the offing? Views later.

eBay has agreed to acquire Luxembourg-based Skype Technologies SA, the global Internet communications company, for approximately $2.6 billion in up-front cash and eBay stock, plus potential performance-based consideration.

Skype generated approximately $7 million in revenues in 2004, and the company anticipates that it will generate an estimated $60 million in revenues in 2005 and more than $200 million in 2006. For Q4-05, eBay expects the acquisition to be dilutive to pro forma and GAAP earnings per share by $0.01 and $0.04 respectively. For the full year 2006, eBay expects the transaction to be dilutive to pro forma and GAAP earnings per share by $0.04 and $0.12 respectively, with breakeven on a pro forma basis expected in the fourth quarter of 2006. On a long-term basis, eBay expects Skype operating margins could be in the range of 20% to 25%.

The acquisition is subject to various closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2005.

eBay will host an investor conference call to discuss the announcement at 5 am Pacific Time today. A live webcast of the conference call can be accessed through the eBay's Investor Relations website at http://investor.eBay.com. An archive of the webcast will be accessible through the same link.

Full text of news release...

On Skype.com:

eBay to Acquire Skype

London, September 12, 2005 – eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY; www.eBay.com) has agreed to acquire Luxembourg-based Skype Technologies SA, the global Internet communications company, for approximately $2.6 billion in up-front cash and eBay stock, plus potential performance-based consideration. The acquisition will strengthen eBay’s global marketplace and payments platform, while opening several new lines of business and creating significant new monetization opportunities for the company. The deal also represents a major opportunity for Skype to advance its leadership in Internet voice communications and offer people worldwide new ways to communicate in a global online era. Skype, eBay and PayPal will create an unparalleled ecommerce and communications engine for buyers and sellers around the world.

“Communications is at the heart of ecommerce and community,” said Meg Whitman, President and Chief Executive Officer of eBay. “By combining the two leading ecommerce franchises, eBay and PayPal, with the leader in Internet voice communications, we will create an extraordinarily powerful environment for business on the Net.”

Founded in 2002 by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, Skype offers high-quality voice communications to anyone with an Internet connection anywhere in the world. The Skype software is easy to download and install, and enables free calls between Skype users online. Skype’s premium services provide low-cost connectivity to traditional fixed and mobile telephones. Skype’s software also offers a robust set of features, including voicemail, instant messaging, call forwarding and conference calling. Upcoming product innovations include Skype video, expressive content such as avatars, and customized toolbars for Outlook and Internet Explorer.

One of the fastest growing companies on the Internet, Skype already has 54 million members in 225 countries and territories. Skype is currently adding approximately 150,000 users a day and has created a thriving ecosystem of products, services, developers, and affiliates. Skype is considered the market leader in virtually all countries in which it does business. In North America alone, Skype has more users and serves more voice minutes than any other Internet voice communications provider.

“Our vision for Skype has always been to build the world’s largest communications business and revolutionize the ease with which people can communicate through the Internet,” said Niklas Zennström, Skype CEO and co-founder. “We can’t think of any better platform to fulfill this vision to become the voice of the Internet than with eBay and PayPal.”

“We’re great admirers of how eBay and PayPal have simplified global ecommerce and payments,” said Janus Friis, Skype co-founder and senior vice president, strategy. “Together we feel we can really change the way that people communicate, shop and do business online.”

Zennström and Friis will remain in their current positions. Zennström will report to eBay CEO Whitman and join eBay’s senior executive team.

A Powerful Ecommerce and Communications Engine

Online shopping depends on a number of factors to function well. Communications, like payments and shipping, is a critical part of this process. Skype will streamline and improve communications between buyers and sellers as it is integrated into the eBay marketplace. Buyers will gain an easy way to talk to sellers quickly and get the information they need to buy, and sellers can more easily build relationships with customers and close sales. As a result, Skype can increase the velocity of trade on eBay, especially in categories that require more involved communications such as used cars, business and industrial equipment, and high-end collectibles.

The acquisition also enables eBay and Skype to pursue entirely new lines of business. For example, in addition to eBay’s current transaction-based fees, ecommerce communications could be monetized on a pay-per-call basis through Skype. Pay-per-call communications opens up new categories of ecommerce, especially for those sectors that depend on a lead-generation model such as personal and business services, travel, new cars, and real estate. eBay’s other shopping websites — Shopping.com, Rent.com, Marktplaats.nl and Kijiji – can also benefit from the integration of Skype.

PayPal and Skype also make a powerful combination. For example, a PayPal wallet associated with each Skype account could make it much easier for users to pay for Skype fee-based services, adding to the number of PayPal accounts and increasing payment volume.

In addition, Skype can help expand the eBay and PayPal global footprint by providing buyers and sellers in emerging ecommerce markets, such as China, India, and Russia, with a more personal way to communicate online. And consumers in markets where eBay currently has a limited presence, such as Japan and Scandinavia, can learn about eBay and PayPal through Skype. Skype can also help streamline cross-border trading and communications.

With its rapidly expanding network of users, the Skype business complements the eBay and PayPal platforms. Each business is self-reinforcing, organically bringing greater returns with each new user or transaction. The three services can also reinforce and accelerate the growth of one another, thereby increasing the value of the combined businesses. Working together, they can create an unparalleled engine for ecommerce and communications around the world.

Transaction and Financial Information

eBay will acquire all of the outstanding shares of privately-held Skype for a total up-front consideration of approximately €2.1 billion, or approximately $2.6 billion, which is comprised of $1.3 billion in cash and the value of 32.4 million shares of eBay stock, which are subject to certain restrictions on resale.

The maximum amount potentially payable under the performance-based earn-out is approximately €1.2 billion, or approximately $1.5 billion, and would be payable in cash or eBay stock, at eBay’s discretion, with an expected payment date in 2008 or 2009. Skype shareholders were offered the choice between several consideration options for their shares. Shareholders representing approximately 40% of the Skype shares chose to receive a single payment in cash and eBay stock at the close of the transaction. Shareholders representing the remaining 60% of the Skype shares chose to receive a reduced up-front payment in cash and eBay stock at the close plus potential future earn-out payments which are based on performance-based goals for active users, gross profit and revenue.

The above-mentioned dollar and eBay share amounts are approximate, based on the Euro-Dollar exchange rate and eBay’s stock price as of September 9, 2005. The final value of the stock component of the consideration may vary significantly from this estimate based on the value of eBay stock at closing.

Skype generated approximately $7 million in revenues in 2004, and the company anticipates that it will generate an estimated $60 million in revenues in 2005 and more than $200 million in 2006. For Q4-05, eBay expects the acquisition to be dilutive to pro forma and GAAP earnings per share by $0.01 and $0.04 respectively. For the full year 2006, eBay expects the transaction to be dilutive to pro forma and GAAP earnings per share by $0.04 and $0.12 respectively, with breakeven on a pro forma basis expected in the fourth quarter of 2006. On a long-term basis, eBay expects Skype operating margins could be in the range of 20% to 25%.

The acquisition is subject to various closing conditions and is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2005.
About eBay Inc.

Founded in 1995, eBay pioneers communities built on commerce, sustained by trust, and inspired by opportunity. eBay enables ecommerce on a local, national and international basis with an array of websites – including the eBay Marketplace, PayPal, Kijiji, Rent.com and Shopping.com – that bring together millions of buyers and sellers every day.

About Skype Technologies SA

Skype, the Global Internet Communications Company™, allows people everywhere to make free, unlimited, superior quality voice calls via its award-winning innovative peer-to-peer software for Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, and Pocket PC platforms. Skype is available in 27 languages and is the fastest growing voice communications offering worldwide. Since its launch in August 2003, Skype has been downloaded more than 163 million times in 225 countries and territories. Fifty-four million people are registered to use Skype’s free services, with over 3 million simultaneous users on the network at any one time. Skype Technologies SA is headquartered in Luxembourg and is growing its offices in London and Estonia.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements regarding Skype and the expected impact of the acquisition of Skype on eBay’s financial results. Those statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results could differ materially from those discussed. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the timing of the closing of the transaction, the possibility that the transaction may not close, the reaction of the users of Skype’s services, the future growth of Skype’s user base and public acceptance of Internet voice communication services, rapid technological changes in the Internet voice communications sector, the reaction of competitors to the transaction, global developments in the regulation of Internet voice communication services including those provided by Skype, the possibility that integration of Skype’s offerings following the transaction may be more difficult than expected, and the possibility that entry by Skype and eBay into potential new lines of business will not be successful. More information about potential factors which could affect eBay’s business and financial results is included in eBay’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2004, the company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and current reports on Form 8-K. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to eBay on the date hereof, and eBay assumes no obligation to update such statements.

The eBay announcement:

***A New Way to Communicate***

I’m excited to let you know that eBay plans to acquire Skype, the leader in online voice communications.

Skype has set a new standard in online voice communications with
outstanding sound quality and unmatched ease of use. And like eBay,
Skype has a fast-growing community -- some 54 million Skype users
around the world already use their PCs to talk with one another.

And best of all, conversations between Skype users via PC are free. You
can get up and running on Skype in just a few minutes. Just go to http://www.skype.com/go/x.home to learn more and download the free Skype software application. Try it – it’s fun!

Over time, we intend to make voice communications a part of the eBay
marketplace – a huge step forward in making transactions faster and
easier, as well as bringing even more interactivity and humanity to the
eBay Community.

You can include your Skype ID in your About Me page. For now, however,
Skype links may not appear in View Item pages. We’ll be working with
you, our Community, over the next few weeks to thoughtfully work out
the details of how eBay and Skype will interact, including any policy
changes that may be required.

We expect this acquisition to be finalized soon. In the meantime, you can learn more about our Skype plans in the news release we issued just a few minutes ago.

Working together, eBay, PayPal and Skype will redefine online trade and
community. I hope you’ll join us in this exciting new chapter in eBay’s
history.

Sincerely,

Meg

7.2 MB. Version: 1.3.0.67. Release date: September 10, 2005. No change log, so no specifics on what's changed.

"When will Skype open access to their codecs?" Doc Searls asked me at the Always On picnic. It's not clear they will. If they do, the Jerk-O-Meter is an example of the kind of application you could build. A project of the MIT Media Lab, it analyzes voices during the call, telling users how much they are paying attention. Per their project page, "The current version of the application runs in Linux on the Zaurus VOIP phone. It uses Ron Caneel's code to extract the activity and stress levels in real-time."

The Skype API doesn't expose the audio stream; you must work through the operating system to get at it. The same is true of the upcoming Skype Video.

There's money in analyzing and transforming media streams, whether for call centers (like the Jerk-O-Meter), annotation services, call/video quality boosters, semantic content detectors, translators, relay services, or simple stress/lie detectors. The Skype API should safely expose the media streams, and provide mechanisms for user authorized manipulation and substitution of that media by a friendly application.

It won't be easy, but the market value is huge.

João Brogueira writes:

On 1 June 2004, Jean Mercier posted an article on SkypeJournal making an analysis of how many users are online at a certain our within a 24 hours period. This raises the question of how to register the values without being waked up during all night.

The same Jean Mercier as per request of Bill Campbell, of SkypeJournal, shows how to make a video to register the Skype window and the number of users online.

I was surfing the Web today and I found this very interesting post claiming to have miniSkype, a small program that can not only register these values but also export them directly to a database for later analysis.

In short:

1. Jirong Zhou posted a test program on his blog, likely written by others.
2. It logs in to the Skype network, without Skype.
3. It gets data from the Skype network, like the number of people online.

Let me describe the screenshot for you...

It is a Windows XP desktop and three windows are open.

Two stacked on the left are titled "miniSkype v0.0.0.01". They each have a Log In/Out dialog panel on the left, showing "shantou001" logged in with a five character password and a "Log Out" button. To the right of the dialog panel is a text box showing a log of miniSkype's activity.

The first window's log shows:

Login
listen on random port
connecting SkypeNet ...
SkypeNet connected

The status bar shows a "1", "3", "login success", and "305271 Online".

The second window's log shows:

Login
listen on random port
connecting SkypeNet ...
SkypeNet connected
Logout
SkypeNet not connected
Login
listen on random port
connecting SkypeNet ...

and then scrolls out of sight.

The second status bar is the same as the first except that the number of people online is 3047812.

The third window is an application, what appears to be a utility from Gunagzhou's http://www.sky.net.cn/, makers of personal firewall software. It shows open applications and their network connections. One of the instances of MiniSkype.exe (running on drive E:) is shown with both a TCP connection (open on port 1389?) and a UDP connection.

Accessing the Skype Cloud Without Skype?

So does this mean...

• Skype's access to the cloud can be reverse engineered? If so, we can write applications that can write and read to the cloud from servers or clients. So if Skype doesn't write a version for your platform (let's say the PalmOS, for example) you might write your own.
• Cloud data is posted in the clear? While conversations are encrypted, it isn't clear that profile data and presence status is. And, I'm assuming that MiniSkype didn't encrypt the login process beyond common https.
• The MiniSkype client successfully logged in through Skype's own admin servers? If so, can Skype be selective about which clients have access? Should Skype publish a Terms Of Service about touching the cloud? In other words, how should Skype sanction access to the cloud?
• Having accessed the cloud, what other data from the cloud is available? Everything described in the Skype APIs? More?
• Can MiniSkype ask questions about other people, the way the Skype client can see buddy list presence and profile information?
• Is this intensely cool? Widely important? Or dangerous?

For the last few days I've been trying out Skylook an Outlook integration that works with Skype. It's an effective integration, enabling easy chat and voice calling from Outlook while adding additional features not seen with other Outlook plugins for Skype. Eg Look2Skype, and Skype's own Outlook solution.

The benefits:

Archiving:
Skylook will automatically archive your chats into Outlook. It creates a folder Skype conversations and then records each session separately. I had hoped this would then be picked up by Google desktop search, however so far I've not been able to search them. Still the archiving feature is important. The downside - there are no real archiving controls. Topics, folders by person, etc. Additional work is also required for formatting.

Recording:
Skylook enables full recording and thus archiving of all conversations again into Outlook. The recording is effective and archived as an MP3. Skylook doesn't act as an answer machine, and while it provides warning when setting it to record all calls, you cannot control this on a record by record basis.

Message Forwarding:
Having the Skype records in Outlook makes forwarding a chat conversation or call easy. Simply forward as you would any email.

Presence:
Connecting to another Skyper is simple with click to call and chat options. Current online status is visible.

This product has not been Skype certified.

Overall an effective integration that goes further than others I've seen. Also a plus - it hasn't yet crashed my Outlook. On the reservations side I didn't like the privacy and profiling information that I viewed when I downloaded it. It said too much about cookies and gathering information for me to be comfortable. So while I've tested it, I'm uncomfortable about the data it said it may be collecting. So after testing it for one more day I'm going to restore my sytem to an earlier time. It doesn't yet have my trust. It will cost you money after 14 days.

iSkoot is a call forwarding product (like Jyve) designed to work with Skype and your mobile. It launched to plenty of press, with plenty of jargon for a simple product and a website that shows some money was spent. The problem is it didn't work for me and it feels over-hyped. Maybe that is just another signal of the opportunity to ride the Skype bandwagon.

1. Details on iSkoot
   
2. Skype Certification
   
3. PR & Marketing

1. iSkoot

   iSkoot connects to the Skype API and acts as a call forwarding device. iSkoot forwards Skype and SkypeIn calls to your mobile or another phone number. It does this by putting the inbound caller on hold and then creating a conference call with your mobile number. In principle it works the same way Jyve does. For iSkoot to work you must have an active SkypeOut account. I tested it on different PC's and it failed each time. So I wrote to iSkoot. This is what I received back.

   Dear Stuart, Thank you for trying out our beta product. It looks like we have a problem when Skype Voice mail is being used. We are working on fixing this and we will have a new version out soon. Once again thanks for your feedback. Regards, The iSkoot Support Team

   iSkoot also claim you will be able to initiate a call to your Skype buddy when you are away from your PC. This will be done via sending an SMS message to Skype which will then create a conference call. It's certainly possible. It may not be that convenient we will have to wait and see. This also is not working.

2. Skype Certification:

   The iSkoot homepage says "This product uses the Skype API but is not endorsed or certified by Skype™." and the quick test showed this product is not ready for prime time. Why there is a $9.95 price suggested after 30 days is anyone's guess.

   The message for others developing small software applications for Skype should be to take a look at the current Skype Certification program. If specs appropriate to your product aren't yet there then the opportunity potentially exists to write them and set the standards. Lastly, applications that simply don't work won't get passed.

3. PR & Marketing:

   I'm facinated by the amount of press this product has received. Google news has had a number of listings and all of a sudden iSkoot is all over the place. I also know that this means none of these journalists really checked the product to insure that it worked the way it was presented. My recommendation is to get some Skype forum testers, share it within the Skype community and make sure it works before jumping the gun.

Conclusion:
If you need an application to forward your Skype calls today then use Jyve. I'm certain call forwarding will be offered by Skype in the near future. Where iSkoot has the potential to differentiate is on redirecting your inbound calls and connecting you to the buddy of choice. This could also be done with a voice activated command system although that would be more complex. Similarly Skype could choose to forward calls at SkypeOut rates to anyone with an account registered by Skype. In that instance there would be no need for you to keep your Skype client or PC running.

That may be the reason for the premature launch of iSkoot. Plus, one day I may understand why an unfinished product is pressed big time by a PR firm out into the world. It would seem that there is more money than sense behind this product.

This new whitepaper The Skype Payment API from Connectotel should wake up everyone in Skypeland.

I found it on the Skype Forum.

Summary:

The proposed design for SkypePay would allow any Skype user to make use of his/her existing SkypeOut account to pay for goods and services. At the most basic level, the process of making a payment via SkypePay can be considered as a transfer of an amount
between one Skype user’s SkypeOut account and another.

This whitepaper is an epic. If implemented, and the rumour mill says that it will be, SkypePay has profound consequences for everyone: The Skype Developer Community, for the users of the Skype Global Network and Skype. As well, it opens up a whole new developer community ─ those engaged in producing content. From home movies, games and porn.

It is a show stopper for MSN and Yahoo.

Niklas Zenström has always talked about delivering “services”. SkypePay would make this easy for everyone, not just Skype to get paid for services: consulting on any topic, teaching languages, just let your mind wander.

What an awesome way to build a community.

Here is my pick of five SkypeAPI enabled products that can really change how Skype works for you. Better call answering, new call forwarding and video solutions. Plus enhanced collaborative desktop sharing and a way to silence your iTunes.

I apologize in advance to Mac users. This really is a Windows list.

Five Software Winners:

1. Pamela-Systems Pro

This is the Swiss Army Knife for Skype. From answer machine to call recorder and automatic podcasting this solution provides a range of ways to personalize how you answer callers, what messages people get when you are away, etc. It is a great complement to an always-on Skype PC. Even for just a few of the features you can hardly quibble about the price. Cost: Euro 17.50.

2. Video4IM

Spontania's solution, still in beta, hasn't yet always provided me with an unpixelated cam image. The most important aspect is how this program makes video calling easy. You can even set it so it connects as soon as a Skype call from another Spontania user comes in. Provide the personalization functionality like Pamela has and Id have auto video calls with my favorite buddies. At the moment no one makes it easier or faster to launch a video call. Thats going to be a behavior changer. Cost: Free

3. Jyve Web Tools

Two big things. Forward calls you don't want to miss (Skype is working on this now) and the solution for making all your directory listings come to life. Yep are you online or off-line. It the world in which wikis and blogs share your presence info. More importantly, Jyve's created a standard to enabling chat messages off any website. If you have Jyve installed then you can text them on Skype directly from their blog or profile on a dating site.

4. Jybe Collaboration Tool

I know it sounds like Jyve but they are completely different. Jybe enables sharing everything quick and easily. Share word documents, PowerPoint, hey simply share MS Office online. Thats cools that brings accelerated desktop sharing to work while in chat video and voice calls on Skype. I only have one reservation at the moment. The beta version is not encrypted. Thus use your head. I am sure an encrypted version is in the works. Cost: Free.

5. MiTunes

Who can Skype and not want automated muting of their iTunes? I know some would like it in the call to. Still when a call comes in muting iTunes helps when you do not have a separate USB headset or second sound card. Its just a simple program. Not very elegant when you first boot it. Then it runs in the background. If you like iTunes, and Skype you should get it. Cost: Free.

There are other software solutions and other options. Few integrate with the SkypeAPI like these do. It's not surprising that software solutions really begin to use and extend concepts for the API. However, Skype's original purpose was to create a range of "hardware" solutions and collect a royalty. Phone, handsets and devices that would plug-into Skype. The best executions of those are the Olympia Dualphone and CyberPhoneK. While devices like the Actiontec work, they don't really harness the power of the SkypeAPI.

These are the fruits of small developer teams that lead the way to Skype's future. They are the "software" offspring from the initial Skype API products not envisaged by Skype. They've helped generate discussion, user interest and have helped define Skype changing developer direction. Downloads range from a few thousand to 100's of thousands. For some to work, both you and your buddies must have them. So share the news and use them.

Ashod's WigiWigi Video application has moved to the beta stage.

The User Interface is still a bit crude for mom to use but the one-to-one video quality and fluidity is setting the bar higher for all contenders in this market.

I will be doing more testing during the week and keep you posted. Right now it is for geeks only. But I don't think it will be that way for long.

Ever press the dial pad numbers in Skype, but not have the tones work right? I wrote a tiny program that fixes it. Free. This is what it looks like:

You can download it here.

So the next time you call to order pizza, book movie tickets, or check your bank balance, I hope you'll use KhaosDial.

For more information or to leave some feedback, please see this post on the Skype forum.

By 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.