- Skype — free software with closed code, providing encrypted voice communication over the Internet between computers (VoIP), as well as paid services for calls to mobile and landline phones.
The program also allows you to make conference calls (up to 25 voice users, including the initiator), video calls (including video calls with up to 10 users), and provides text messaging (chat) and file transfer.
There is an opportunity instead of an image from a web camera to transmit the image from the monitor screen.
- The company Skype was founded by two entrepreneurs — Swede Nicklas zennstremom (Niklas Zennström) and the Dane Janus Friis (Janus Friis).
The authors of the software were the Estonians Ahti Heinla, Priit Kasesalu and Jaan Tallinn — the same people who participated in the creation of programs for file-sharing with Kazaa.
First release of the program and the site appeared in September 2003.
- In October 2005 the company was bought by eBay for approximately $ 2.6 billion. (it was later refunded another $500 million), although annual turnover was less than $100 million.
In April 2009, eBay executives announced that in the first half of 2010, Skype will be sold on the stock exchange, as the activity of the company is difficult to reconcile with the business of online auction.
In November 2009 eBay sold a majority stake in Skype transaction, which gave the company the sum of $2.75 billion dollars.
In may 2011, Microsoft agreed to purchase Skype Technologies for $8.5 billion.
The headquarters of Skype is located in Luxembourg and branches in London, Prague, and Tallinn.
The Skype client can be installed on compatible phone or PDA, this gives significant cost savings due to low tariff system.
However, mobile operators do not want to lose revenue and otherwise slow down the process.Paid Skype services:
SkypeOut (calls to phones)
Allows you to make outgoing calls to landline and mobile phones in most countries of the world. Pay per minute, differentiated. Calls to free numbers (such as +1 800 in the US) is free, and can use them even users not to pay for the SkypeOut service.
Also made via SkypeOut incoming Skype calls to phone c mobile app Skype Lite. 180 days after the last call SkypeOut balance expires.
SkypeIn (online number)
Allows you to receive telephone calls from users of traditional telephone networks. In this case, the participant receives a phone number in one of the following countries: Australia, Brazil, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, France, UK, USA, Japan and Hong Kong (China).
All incoming calls to this number will be sent to your Skype account, and if a positive score is possible to forward calls to any phone number.
As a bonus to the phone number Skype provides free Voicemail for all time use numbers. Russian online number for Skype is provided by some operators, IP-telephony.
Skype Voicemail (voice mail)
Allows you to record incoming messages when the user is not in the network, and works as an answering machine.
Skype To Go Number
This is a special access number that you can call from any phone (landline or mobile) in order to associate with another room at great rates, the money is deducted from your Skype credit.
Sending SMS
The ability to send SMS messages from Skype to mobile phones.
- Skype produces and sells various products for Skype. For example, cordless phone RTX Dualphone 3088 for calls without a computer.
This phone allows you to make and receive calls as using Skype or regular telephone network without a computer.
In addition, Skype releases Freetalk Wireless headset is a wireless headset with USB transmitter for wireless communication by Skype, the equipment for video calls (Freetalk Buddy Pack) and a webcam (Freetalk Connect 2).
One user can have more than one account.
Broadcaster British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB), 40% of which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, is going to challenge in court the legality of the use of the trademark Skype, as it is consonant with BSkyB and sociological studies show that consumers often perceive them as one brand.
Microsoft may 10, 2011 bought Skype for $ 8.5 billion In that time, Skype was put up for sale, the company received offers from Cisco, Google and Facebook.
Microsoft will integrate Skype with many of its existing products and services. The company also plans to develop and support Skype clients on Mac OS and Linux.
In 2005 Skype was bought by the guys from Ebay for $ 2.6 billion, but in 2009 they sold their stake to a consortium of investors for 1.9 billion.
Skype 170 million active users and past year users said 207 000 000 000 minutes, including video calls.
The Californians Samuel Kim and Helen Oh got married on Skype. Online wedding had to spend due to the fact that on the day, which was the date of the wedding, 27-year-old groom was in the hospital and could not personally present in the Church.
According to Kim, he intended to persuade his fiancée to postpone the wedding, but she insisted on holding the celebration, and in the end, the lovers agreed to marry via Skype.
Witness conference with the bride and groom became 500 guests gathered in the Church during the celebration were Helen O.
- Firm Joltid, which is owned by Zennstrom and Friis is the owner of intellectual property rights on software Skype, have accused eBay of violating the license agreement, and announced the intention to break it.
eBay filed a lawsuit demanding to recognize the revocation of the license is illegal, that Joltid filed a counterclaim. The hearing was scheduled for June 2010. In case of defeat in court eBay would have to develop own software from scratch, it could cost tens of millions of dollars.
16 Sep 2009 Zennstrom and Friis filed a lawsuit, now to eBay, the new owners of Skype, and former Joost CEO Mike Volpi to ban Skype, to repair the damage caused by copyright infringement, and to convey to the plaintiffs the income from unlicensed use of the Global Index technology underlying Skype.
The amount of damages specified in the statement of claim, increased daily for 75 million dollars.
November 6, 2009, a settlement was reached under which Joltid, Zennstrom and Friis in exchange for waiver of claims and licensing them belonging to the intellectual property received a 14% stake in Skype.
- Little-known features of Skype:
— The sequential clamping of 3 or more buttons on the keyboard, when typesetting the text in the window, the caller will see not writing pencil, and cat paws.
— When you press the buttons in a chaotic manner you can see the hands that break a pencil into two parts.
— In addition to the built-in emoticons, Skype contains several "secret". Here they are:
(smoking) or (ci) — Smoking smiley
(bug) — beetle
(poolparty) — pool party
(bandit) — bandit
(drunk) — drunken smile
(headbang) — beating my head against the wall
(mooning) — Demonstration of the buttocks
(rock) — rock
(finger) — shows the middle finger
(toivo) — a girl with a dog
(fubar) — pokes a finger
(heidy) squirrel
(swear) — foul language
(tmi) — closes face with hands
(myspace) the social network MySpace
(flag:"2 letter state"), such as the Russian flag — (flag:ru)
In the chat when writing /admin identifies all of the possible commands.
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