Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 Billion

That is some serious money but I can see the value in it.

I use skype a lot and it makes travelling abroad a breeze. Calls to clients are cheap,even phoning to cellphones and topping up your account is easy and the credits never expire.
 
So we should expect a new firmware update for 360 that integrates skype
 
Wow that is a ton of cash! I wonder if Windows Live will continue to be on its own or if it will be slowly merged with Skype.
 
There is a trend I am missing here. VoIP has been around for a while so why buy Skype. Is MS buying it for the customer base, tech ip or something else?
 
creeper said:
There is a trend I am missing here. VoIP has been around for a while so why buy Skype. Is MS buying it for the customer base, tech ip or something else?
Click to expand...

To get rid of the competition. That's always been Microsoft's MO. They have a name for it, but I can't remember it now... Something like divide & conquer, shock and awe, one of those x and y things.
 
ave said:
lets see- forced upgrades that are incompatible with previous versions
"home" versions with missing features, such as no voice, text or video.
add a couple of security flaws
Click to expand...

+1 and don't forget:

Integration with Games For Windows Live, the worst pile of poo shat out by Microsoft since Windows ME.

And we can't have this "free' nonsense. R900 for the "home" or "starter" version, and about R3000 for a version that you can actually do something with sounds more like it.
 
that's a lot of Moola...all i need is 7.5K for an iPad 2
 
ave said:
lets see- forced upgrades that are incompatible with previous versions
"home" versions with missing features, such as no voice, text or video.
add a couple of security flaws
Click to expand...

For sure! lol. You took the words right out of my mouth. Skype starter, basic, home, home premium, professional, ultimate, enterprise, ad-supported, ad-free (paid), black version, version that doesn't support voice (for emerging markets, lol, lol, lol,...
 
Should they start to charge for skype then I'm off to google talk/other free IM protocols.

Pity as Skype IM is really handy in low-bandwidth situations.
 
eBay currently owns 30 percent of VOIP provider Skype, and company founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom own 14 percent. The remaining 56 percent is owned by Silver Lake Partners and other investors including JoltID Ltd., Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Andreessen Horowitz

Read more: Who owns Skype? | Answerbag http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/2020718#ixzz1LvfO6a2g
 
WOW big pay out, hope Microsoft maintains service levels and does not move things around too much , integration with xbox would be nice though or maybe a cross platform call type system in pipe line?
 
Hopefully they change nothing to it but integrate it with Windows. Would also be great if they open the technology and allow more manufacturers to build Skype phones or allow more platforms with Skype clients (BlackBerry, I'm looking at you!)
 
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