New Look Windows 8 Skype Has A Metro Feel

A Windows 8 Skype version has surfaced on the net, and is impressing people with its “Metro” look and feel.

The next version of Skype could be bundled with Windows 8, as new owner Microsoft gets its teeth into integrating the Internet phone application with its other products, so how it looks and how it works is going to matter.  News site Neowin got its hands on a preview of the forthcoming version of Skype designed for Windows 8, and found it is already very reliable, and has a strikingly different look – which fits nicely into Microsoft’s ‘Metro’ design.

Skype takes the Metro

“We conducted several calls with one and multi-person chats with little issue,” said Neowin’s Brad Sams. “The UI is fluid and dare we say fast too.”

The site found the application did not crash, and allowed users to switch easily between voice and text chat.

Since Microsoft bought Skype in 2011 for $8.5 billion (£5.5bn), it has treated it gently, although it has been expected to integrate it more closely with other Microsoft products including Windows and Internet Explorer. The introduction of a “modern” look and feel brings Skype very much in line with the look and feel of the forthcoming Windows 8 version – which is nearing delivery as the RTM (release to manufacturing version) is now available for developers.

Microsoft has also been expected to look for new ways to make money from the loss-making VoIP service. However, its move to place adverts in Skype calls has been greeted with dismay. This being a preview version, the implementation of adverts in the new Skype can’t be seen yet, and remains a point of some concern.

“Considering how well polished this application is, we fully expect that it will be released by Microsoft in the very near future,” concludes Sams.

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