Acknowledging the importance of real-time collaboration, Microsoft has recently released web based Skype that will allow its users to make calls and chats even without installing the application.
The Washington based company, announced the new Skype for Web will be up for test period, thus, its availability will not be mainstream yet. The new version of the well-known app will be tried first on to a "small number of existing users" before its global release soon.
"It's perfect if you prefer using the web rather than an app: perhaps you're sitting at a computer that doesn't already have Skype downloaded," Microsoft said in its statement. The U.S. software giant also said, "Or maybe you're on the go and using an Internet cafe or hotel computer whilst on vacation where you can't download Skype at all."
Skype, acquired by Microsoft in 2011 at $8.5 million price tag, is one of the well-known free call and messaging application. The company said Skype users make more than two billion of voice and video calling on the Internet every day.
This new feature will also allow Office Word and Powerpoint online user's to initiate chat in the work area itself. Like the existing features of online Google docs' apps, Microsoft is set to add document chat to its office software's web-based versions.
Document chat 'may make even more sense in that environment, since will enable easier real-time collaboration when it rolls out in the coming weeks'. For now, this new feature will be soon available for Word and Powerpoint only along with the Outlook.com and OneDrive.com.
Online users who would like to collaborate real time with their colleagues can just click the Chat button which is located in the upper right of the window. By clicking the small icon, they will then be able to chat through Skype.
After starting a Skype chat conversation, a chat panel will then appear and that is where the user's conversation can occur. "Since this is Skype, you can continue the conversation outside the browser since it will be available in the Skype app on your smart phones, tablets and other devices."
