voip

Skype announced Monday that its video-messaging service, which allows users to send a video of three minutes or less to their Skype contacts, is now out of beta and free to all users.

Microsoft is rolling Skype in with its free Outlook.com email service, giving customers the ability to fire up VoIP calls directly from their mail inbox.

Registered operators must provide emergency calling service and lawful intercept capabilities.

Microsoft is launching new capabilities in its Lync communication platform that ties Lync and Skype together to enable audio call and Instant Messaging interoperability as well as shared presence.

Facebook added a new feature to its Messenger apps for Android and iOS via an update on Friday: Voice messages and chat. Instead of typing messages or sending photos and smiley faces, now you can record and send quick voice messages.

Longtime users of Ubuntu Linux may already be familiar with open source Ekiga, which used to be the default Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) client in that popular Linux distribution, but late last month the telephony software got a major update.

Skype is so popular that in some circles people use the name of the service as a verb. Yet most people use Skype only for making free voice calls, and for conducting occasional video chats between far-flung relatives. That's a shame, because Skype is a powerful business tool. A Skype-powered videoconference can take the place of a business trip, saving you money on airfare, hotel, and car rental. And let’s not forget the free Skype-to-Skype calls you can make to overseas suppliers, clients, and other contacts.

New versions of Skype for Windows and OS X were released Wednesday by Microsoft. These latest versions add support for signing in through Facebook and Microsoft accounts.

Microsoft today said that a free Windows 8 and Windows RT Skype app will be ready for downloading from the Windows Store on Friday, Oct. 26.

The cord-cutting movement isn't limited to consumer cable and Netflix. As Voice over Internet Protocol communication matures and as high-speed Internet becomes cheap and ubiquitous, an increasing number of businesses are ditching conventional landlines and jumping to VoIP.

You probably can't turn a corner in the office without hearing about Voice over IP--a popular, cheap, and effective way to provide telephony to businesses. The premise is simple: Instead of using the existing telephone lines in your building, or having new ones installed, you push all of your voice, teleconferencing, and video traffic through the Internet.