Skype, which was acquired by Microsoft back in June of this year, is planning deep integration of its voice and video internet messaging service with Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, Microsoft’s Lync office software, and Xbox consoles. Skype also shared a roadmap for what to expect with the company in the future.
Skype, which currently has applications for Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, plans on offering something unique just for Microsoft. With its own division at Microsoft, Skype will be able to have a better integration into Windows Phone, compared to Android or iOS. Why? Well, the restrictions on third party access to a phone’s video processor or address book information does not apply to Skype at Microsoft, so this means better utilization of hardware for tighter integration.
According to Neil Stevens, Skype’s Vice President, Skype needs to move beyond an application. In fact, Skype needs to be tightly integrated just like how Safari is with Apple.
Skype plans on having greater integration efforts with Facebook to ensure a hip new video chat functionality is achieved. We expect to see a larger rollout of the Skype/Facebook chat feature in the coming weeks, as only a select few have access to it now.
Skype won’t be able to start any type of integration until terms of the company’s sale to Microsoft is completed by the European regulators.
