I’ve got two Skype items for you this month…
Skype 3.0 was released out of beta mid-December and while it’s generally been a smooth upgrade, I noticed a few quirks. One was the alignment/layout of certain elements seemed slightly out of whack, another was duplicate time-delayed text messages, and finally this week I experienced a spectacular implosion of hundreds of rapid fire Windows access errors before Skype committed hara-kiri. Honestly, I can’t say I’ve seen a crash like that in Windows production (as in non-beta) software in years — Fortunately, Skype didn’t take down my OS with it. Hopefully I have some good news: Version 3.0.0.205 is out (replacing 3.0.0.190). Skype Journal has itemized the bug fixes and linked to the download. FYI A current 3.0.0.xxx client will not recognize this incremental upgrade and the Check for Update option will indicate your are current. So, you’ll need to download the complete package and overwrite your existing install.
Secondly, free calls to the US and Canada (from the US) expired 12/31/06. Current rates are 2.1 cents a minute, or you can buy a year of SkypeOut access for a flat rate of $29.95. However, Skype is running a promotion through the end of the month to get onboard for $14.95. Depending how one uses Skype, this could be quite a bargain. I’m considering joining in, though I wish I could figure out how to apply my existing $13+ SkypeOut credit to the cause… it won’t be used much if I were to subscribe.