Skype beta for Mac OS X available for download
by Chris Dawson
Skype have introduced a ton of innovations for users this year, but the Betas have all been for Windows and now it’s the turn of Mac users to get an upgrade. Skype 2.8 Beta for Mac OS X is available for download from the Skype website.
It’s not often I regret not having a Mac, but this is one of those times as the Skype Mac Beta has a couple of really cool features. The first is the ability to share your screen with whoever you’re chatting to. This has so many uses from training to showing technical problems and just demonstrating software, I can’t wait for this to appear in the Windows version of Skype.
The second feature is the ability to use WiFi hotspots and to pay for them using your Skype balance. Skype have partnered with Boingo and even better, you don’t have to pay for a day’s WiFi useage, you can pay by the minute so if you just want to check you’re email while waiting for a plane it’s not going to cost you a fortune (In fact it’ll cost just £0.13/minute).
In related news Skype will be available on the iPhone though the Truphone app from January 12th this year.
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Some nice touches for us MAC users
Just tested the share screen function with a fellow MAC user and a PC user and in both instances it appears that the recipient can’t see the other person’s mouse move around the screen when sharing. Not sure if this is deliberate or a bug?
Pity – as that is a function we might use a lot here.
Ohh – can you share Mac to PC? I was thinking it’d have to be Mac to Mac only.
That’s almost a reason for having a Mac laying around (if I knew how to use one!
)
FLAMING RELIGION
At the moment, Mac users can share their screens with PC and Linux users, but not vice-versa.
@ Jamie – I’m investigating with the Mac team at the moment, and will let you know.
Quick update for Jamie – our engineers are aware of the problem, and I hope we’ll be able to fix it in a future version.
Thanks Peter, next question of course is when can we have screen sharing for the PC version
@ # 1
I suspect it is the way the mouse is rendered on a desktop that is causing the problem. Have you noticed when you take a screenshot you don’t see the mouse? VNC tends to get around this issue by rendering its own cursor. Skype will have to do the same.