The company’s new mass-conference calling service, called Skypecasts, are live conversations moderated by an appointed host who can mute, eject or pass the virtual microphone to participants wanting to speak.
Skype said Skypecasts would be a free service, for hosts and participants. All live Skypecasts can be found on Skype’s web site, said the company.
New features for its latest Skype 2.5 service include short message service, or SMS, messaging to mobile phones and easy dialing, with a country code dropdown menu. Users also can view and click to call their Outlook contacts in Skype and set up shared contact groups.
Additionally, Skype 2.5 has built-in payment options, automatic updates, call-quality management and streamlined registration.
eBay-owned Skype also now flashes a conference callers picture on screen when they begin to speak.
