Skype

Technically speaking, Skype is a licensed software application and voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. But to me and probably most people, Skype is a video chatting service that allows us to see friends that are miles away, lets us interview face-to-face with companies that are based across the country or even the world, and generally maintain ties with people that are far away. It offers webcam, microphone, and text chatting features and allows video conferencing, audio conferencing, and calls to and from landlines.

Skype was founded and released in 2003 by Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström. The actual software was created by Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu, and Jaan Tallinn. The founders and engineers were also behind the peer-to-peer file sharing software, Kazaa. After two years, Skype was acquired by eBay Inc. on September 12, 2005 for about $2.6 billion in cash and eBay stock. And after another six years, Skype was bought again, this time by Microsoft Corporation on May 10, 2011 for about $8.5 billion dollars. Skype is still a division of Microsoft Corporation today.

                Under Microsoft, Skype currently offers customers a Skype account, video and voice calls to any other Skype user, and instant messaging and file sharing, all free of charge. Users must pay for services such as calls to mobile phones and landlines, text messaging, and group video calls with up to 10 people. Those are the basic features of Skype, but there are many twists on them. For example, Skype can be used not only on a computer, but also on a mobile device, a tablet, a TV, and a landline.

                With so many features, Skype is implemented both privately and professionally on various systems by people worldwide, from social calls to Skype interviews. The percentage of international calling that is driven by Skype has jumped from 2.9% in 2005 to 13% in 2010, showing that the relevance of Skype has been increasing. Skype is also available on a range of platforms and released its own mobile phone in October of 2007 called 3 Skypephone. The versatility of platforms Skype is compatible with allows almost everyone with an internet connection to use Skype. Skype only works online though, so its growing popularity in the world of calling seems to forecast a movement from plain voice calling towards more video chatting and interacting across the World Wide Web.  Just recently in 2011, Skype partnered with Comcast to give customers the opportunity to video chat using their HDTVs.

Skype’s rise will allow people to stay more connected but also brings up the possibility of security and privacy issues. Skype claims to be securely encrypted but a third party investigation of Skype’s security and methodology in 2006 revealed several security issues in their current security model. And since then, there have been various challenges to Skype’s claims of being a secure communication. 

Despite security controversy, Skype continues to become more and more popular and widely used. It allows people to stay connected regardless of distance and promises to be important in the future of communication and in the future of the World Wide Web.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skype

              http://beta.skype.com/en/