back to article Microsoft lobs out first Skype for Windows Phone

Microsoft has delivered the first version of Skype for Windows Phone. Available through the Windows Phone Marketplace, the free app eats up 6MB of space and works on devices from version 7.5 and higher. Since releasing the beta in February, Microsoft has added the ability to make video calls in portrait mode along with friend …

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  1. Shagbag
    Paris Hilton

    Skype or Shyte?

    Marketplace says it was release 25/2/2012. What gives El Reg?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Skype or Shyte?

      From TFA "Since releasing the beta in February"

  2. IT specialist
    FAIL

    Windows Phone is a disaster

    What wasn't mentioned in the Reg article, or the Microsoft press release, is that Skype on Windows Phone doesn't run in the background.

    Windows Phone doesn't have proper multitasking. Instead, it has half-baked app tombstoning, which usually fails and causes apps to freeze.

    Because Skype on Windows Phone can't run in the background, it's useless. If you're doing anything else with your phone, you will not be notified of an incoming Skype call.

    So now, everybody. Won't you agree that Windows Phone is a complete and utter joke. To add insult to injury, current Windows Phones won't get any upgrade to Windows Phone 8.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Windows Phone is a disaster

      Except of course, Microsoft can choose which applications can run inn the background and favour it's own software, just as apple did (or still does(?)) on the iPhone.

      Many current Android phones don't get updates and Apple will EOL models - not sure what your point is there.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Windows Phone is a disaster

        @AC 11:44 - Shhhhhh! You should know better than to let facts get in the way of a therapeutic, ill-informed rant!

    2. dogged

      Re: Windows Phone is a disaster

      Tango does it just fine, including receiving calls when as a background app or when the phone is locked. Why Skype think this is beyond them is a mystery.

      And no, I won't agree that it's a joke. Mine is fine. It fails to annoy me, it doesn't crash and it does everything that I want from my phone. Are there fewer fart apps? Yes. Is this a bad thing? If you're an "IT^ specialist" who likes fart apps, probably. Not for me, though.

    3. DrXym

      Re: Windows Phone is a disaster

      I don't know why you've been marked down because it's an observable limitation of Skype on Windows Phone. The app runs quite nicely in the foreground but it is utterly useless if you intend to receive calls.

      Windows Phone doesn't permit multitasking for standard applications so when Skype is not in the foreground it is suspended. The closest thing WP has to multitasking is periodic background agents and these only run once every 30 minutes rendering them completely useless for Skype.

      The sad part is that Microsoft don't see in a hurry to change this stupid restriction either. There was a recent Windows 8 blog entry stating that Metro apps in Windows 8 would suffer the same limitation. I can understand why default they might enforce this behaviour but there should be a way for apps that wish to override it to do so even if the user must grant the app special permission.

      Compare and contrast to Android where not only can you run apps in the background if you like but VOIP apps such as Viber can even override the default dialler so the VOIP is integrated seamlessly into the phone experience.

    4. This post has been deleted by its author

  3. Wize

    How long till Skype...

    ...gets a mention on Hawaii 5-O?

    1. Silverburn

      Re: How long till Skype...

      Given they finished filming 30 years ago, never.

      I refuse to acknowledge the existance of the new one. Their suits, shades and haircuts are simply not outrageous enough for a start.

  4. zaax
    FAIL

    M$ is very late in getting into the smartphone market, and M$ are not even putting in any effort & with computer getting cheaper and cheap (how long before you get one free with The Sunday Times?) they are missing the boat.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      M$

      that's so funny. how did you think of it? You should do stand up comedy.

    2. Audrey S. Thackeray

      @zax

      "M$ is very late in getting into the smartphone market"

      Microsoft was making smartphone software half a decade before Apple - around the same time as Palm and RIM first put smartphone products out.

      They may not be doing well in this market but they were not too late in joining in.

      1. Miek
        Linux

        Re: @zax

        Phones running Windows CE 6.5 and lower were not exactly "smart", therefore they are quite new to the "smart"-phone market.

        Anyway, who wants a smartphone when you can have a SuperPhone?

        1. Giles Jones Gold badge

          Re: @zax

          The "smart" part is not about UI design or any other interface design. Smart basically referred to the ability to install extra native software or extend the functionality of the device through software.

          Dumbphones have a limited feature set that can't be improved through third party software.

          Window Mobile came out of PocketPC which was providing a pocketable version of Windows in the mid 1990s. All Microsoft did was add a phone at a later date.

          1. Miek

            Re: @zax

            Yawn, it was still a pile of crap.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    How The Mobile Telecos Love Skype

    Don't be surprised if it gets shoved to the back of the QOS que and your calls are crap.

    1. Silverburn
      Happy

      Re: How The Mobile Telecos Love Skype

      I don't think it needs any QOS demotion for calls to get crap. It can achieve that perfectly well on its own, thanks very much.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Facepalm

    Hey! MS!!

    Let's make existing version work properly before releasing new products that don't work properly.

    Yes, I'm talking about the linux version that's been in purpetual beta for I-don't-know-how-many-years.

    1. dogged

      Re: Hey! MS!!

      > thinks MS will spend money on a linux version

      mfw

    2. mrfill
      Linux

      Re: Hey! MS!!

      I use Skype on linux. I can make and receive calls (with or without video) perfectly well. I can send text messages, call PSTN phones, make conference calls and use it anywhere in the world I can get a net connection.

      So what doesnt work properly? The windoze version may have more bling and lots of useless flim-flam to impress the 'I want shiny things' crowd but is also more resource greedy and bloated - rather like MSN. At least the linux version is stable.

    3. Andrew 63
      FAIL

      Re: Hey! MS!!

      Also how about they unbreak the android version they so glamorously managed to break in their most recent update.

      My cameras are now not supported again by skype, but eventually were before M$ got its grubby mits all over it!

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Hi, I'm going to skype you..."

    "...so turn the app on then hang up this phone call"

    1. dogged

      Re: "Hi, I'm going to skype you..."

      free texts work for that. In fact, they're useful for Skyping my girlfriend's iPhone too since Skype eats a LOT of data if just left running. Text her with "switch Skype on", call. Easy.

      1. mrfill
        Paris Hilton

        Re: "Hi, I'm going to skype you..."

        an easier solution is to dump the girlfriend. If she's got an iPhone she will be after your money.

        Paris, because she has an iPhone

        1. h4rm0ny

          Re: "Hi, I'm going to skype you..."

          Or maybe she has her own money... Or maybe Dogged unlike yourself, has experience with being wanted by women for things other than money? Just, you know, considering the options here...

    2. Keep Refrigerated
      Coffee/keyboard

      Re: "Hi, I'm going to skype you..."

      LOL. Sounds like when I need to Skype my mum - and she's on the computer client..!

  8. JDX Gold badge

    Skyping non-phones?

    FaceTime is restricted in you can only contact Apple devices, and only over WiFi, IIRC. How does that compare with Skype on WP? A phone OS with a default soft-phone and video-calling feature could score a lot of points.

    1. dogged

      Re: Skyping non-phones?

      It's the "People" model, therefore you Skype a person, not a device. Anything they're logged into Skype on receives the call.

      I think the Skype apps for Android and iOS work exactly the same way.

      1. JDX Gold badge

        Re: Skyping non-phones?

        Does it require WiFi or will it try any connection you've got?

        1. dogged

          Re: Skyping non-phones?

          No, it doesn't require WiFi.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Devil

    Improving the user experience?

    An important part of Microsoft's development model is to integrate its software and services under the pretext of simplifying the user experience and therefore making using third party apps a jolting experience.

  10. Paul Shirley

    needs more than just better multitasking support

    Wonder how long it will take Microsoft to realise they can safely build Skype into the core software stack. As a minority market share holder there's no risk of ending up in court answering competition charges.

    Until they do that Skype will be too expensive on battery and too unreliable at accepting incoming calls to use, even if Microsoft let it run as a service with enhanced execution privileges. Before Android started adding specific support VOIP apps were pretty flaky and power draining. Better multitasking wasn't enough.

    Now that native SIP has migrated right into the core Android OS the power penalty is acceptable (and having an open choice of SIP provider is pretty nice too). Skype on WP still has a long way to go to catch up.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: needs more than just better multitasking support

      Johnny Homeuser doesn't know what SIP is.

      1. Paul Shirley

        Re: needs more than just better multitasking support

        Johnny Homeuser doesn't need to. The app his provider supplies will talk to the SipManager API for him and it will just work well. End users don't need to know that SIP's integrated to gain the performance benefits. Whereas no depth of knowledge will help them make Skype work better on WP7.

        Slightly smarter users might notice they can just enter the account details without installing anything and it will probably work better than the shoddy excuses for SIP software I've tried ;)

  11. Piloti
    Linux

    Two points I want to make......

    1 : I have a Nokia N9. Have to say, it is excellent. Same basic hardware as a Lumina / WP thing, but, Meego / Harmatten just bloody works. And skype works wonderfully well, foregruond or background, as does SIP.

    2 : Skype in a browser ? Nice idea when you are not using your won machine, but for those of us on Linux it does feel....well, pointless.

    P,

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