Great new looks
Even better than [tag]iChat[/tag], this program somehow packs a lot of [tag]functionality[/tag] into a very, very small interface. It’s so beautifully compact, I don’t feel like I’m wasting space keeping it out. Down with big call and hang up buttons you’re not even using!
Basically it now makes full use of [tag]OS X[/tag] visual elements, which are really, really pretty. There is a new row along the top which features four cells:
- Status
same as before, just a [tag]simple[/tag] [tag]drop-down box[/tag] but now it’s in a much clearer place. - Your name
Clicking on this will bring a little drop-down panel in which you can set your ‘emotional status’ (or whatever) and a button which allows you to edit your profile. It makes sense to me. - [tag]SkypeOut[/tag] credit remaining
While in-call it seems to update much more often, which is great. On click, a panel is displayed which shows which pay-for services are enabled and a button which takes you to your account page on Skype.com - History
They’ve realised that history isn’t such a big feature and, smartly enough, devoted less space to it. It’s now a tiny clock [tag]icon[/tag], which will open a little history window when you click.
Along the top there is also an [tag]iTunes[/tag]-style quick search spotlight field which, instantly, will narrow the contacts displayed down to those which display the characters in their name. This is great, because now I’m not afraid to add loads of numbers into the system!
Drag stuff and it works!
Adding people to calls it a lot easier now. I was having a conversation with my friend via a landline and when another friend came online, I just dragged her username from my contacts list into the new Call window box, and she was added properly, seamlessly! Amazing! I look forward to doing a lot more of this, it works brilliantly and sound quality is still pretty good.
Video!
Us [tag]Mac[/tag] users can now use our [tag]iSight[/tag]s to talk to people on [tag]Windows[/tag] with webcams… seamlessly. It works very nicely, although [tag]Skype[/tag] doesn’t compare to [tag]iChat[/tag] when it comes to frame rates. Quality is pretty decent, though, and you can even make video full-screen.
But, unlike [tag]iChat[/tag], you can choose if you want to turn on [tag]video[/tag], and so only one people can be transmitting [tag]video[/tag] if they want. This is really cool because not everyone has [tag]webcams[/tag], and so they get the added fun of seeing you on screen while you can just hear them. Perhaps that’s about having the lower hand, but it’s still pretty good. On [tag]iChat[/tag], however, you can preview your video before you start (and that is something I’ve found to be brilliant!!)
I haven’t really used Skype before but did have it installed and I was really pleased to see how much more ‘Mac’ this new version is over the older one.
As you mentioned, the interface is much more appealing and useful. It’ll be good to be able to video chat with people from Apple to Windows easily too.