Skype Video calls between PCs and Macs!
By Staff reporters
The world’s most popular Internet phone call software, Skype, have released a new beta 2.0 version for Mac users which finally supports video!
While there was a ’secret’ preview version of Skype 1.5 for Mac that could handle video, the new 2.0 version benefits from the extensive testing of the preview version, meaning this version, despite the beta status, should ‘just work’ as Skype famously does. Skype gained this status because before Skype, programs such as MSN Messenger (now Windows Live Messenger), Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, others, most of which developed audio and video chat features over the past few years, couldn’t always deliver a reliable connection – or wouldn’t connect properly at all. Sometimes you’d have smooth video, other times ‘web cam’ video which was stuttery. Sometimes you could talk easily, other times not.
Of course, this has all changed nowadays, with all the aforementioned instant messaging/Internet phone call/video call programs working far more reliably than ever before, with even Google offering Google Talk to the masses and integrating it with Gmail. More people have microphone/headsets, webcams and broadband, and some are evening using cordless or Wi-Fi Skype phones to make calls around the house or office, without needing to be anchored to the PC with a wired headset!
After recently having great success with the Skype 1.5 Video Preview version and Skype 2.5 for PCs, it’s great to see that a general availability 2.0 version with video support has arrived at last. Compatible with Apple’s ‘iSight’ camera (be it the external or inbuilt versions), it also works with the Philips SPC900NC and the Logitech QuickCam Pro 400 on the Mac. Drivers for the Philips and Logitech webcams can be easily downloaded if you need them.
Otherwise, your Mac needs to have a G4 800 Mhz processor or faster, you’ll need Mac OS X v10.3.9 Panther or newer, 512 MB RAM, 40 MB free disk space on your hard drive and a microphone (or a microphone/headset).
A broadband connection will always give you the best results!
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on Friday, September 15th, 2006 at 8:04 pm
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