Skype Translator is now available for everyone

Microsoft is giving us a glimpse of the future of video chatting with Skype Translator. It’s been available via invite for a while but now they’ve opened the floodgates for everyone. You can now try the service with live translating for English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Italian. Of course, it isn’t as fluid as natively speaking the language, but programs like these are bringing us closer to that reality.

Source: Skype | Via: Gizmodo

Offline photo sharing now available for Skype on Android

In case it’s been bothering you that you can’t send someone photos on Skype when they were offline, now you can do so with the update for the Android app. Skype also now supports picture-in-picture view for phones on Android, meaning you can leave the app and still see the person you’re chatting with. This feature has been available on Android tablets for a while already so it’s good to see that it’s making its way to the smartphones.

Source: The Next Web | Download: Google Play Store (Free)

Microsoft integrates Skype into Office Online

If you’re working on a report in Microsoft’s Office Online, it is now easier to collaborate with others. They have integrated Skype into the online productivity suite. You don’t need to fire up a separate app or a new browser window. The Skype chat window will appear alongside the docs you’re working on.

Source: Microsoft Skype | Via: Engadget

Video calls between Microsoft Skype and Lync are now possible

Microsoft announced plans last year to let enterprise-focused Lync and consumer product Skype interoperate. Now, they have rolled out video integration between the two services. In short, you can now call Lync contacts while on Skype and vice versa. Video calls, however, only work with an updated Lync 2013 client  on Android, iOS, or Windows and Skype for Windows desktop. Skype is still working to bring the functionality to iOS, Android, and other platforms. The video support uses “high quality, scalable video using the industry standard H.264 SVC codec” and calls make use of SILK audio codec. There are plans to develop interoperability further as Microsoft plans to rebrand Lync as “Skype for Business” in the coming year.  

Source: TechCrunch