Skype Game Channel

eBay owned VoIP mammoth Skype has revealed their plans for launching a Gaming Channel. The Channel developed by Easybits is intended to cater to Skype’s casual gamer community and will offer technical support in converting games to the GameXN framework and free SDK tools that are currently available.

Third party developers will also benefit with access to Skype’s user base of almost 2 million registered users.

Paul Amery, director of the Skype Developer Program, said, “Skype users are doing more than just placing voice calls and we are constantly looking for new ways to enhance their overall internet communications experience.” Amery added, “People are increasingly using Skype to interact with one another, with many choosing to play simple games like checkers or backgammon. However, the tremendous size of Skype’s user-base makes it an ideal environment for multi-player and community-based games in which people can play against or collaborate with one another.”

“We hope the Skype Game Channel becomes a popular entertainment destination within the Skype community. Our goal is to make it as easy and profitable as possible for the developers, while keeping it simple and fun for consumers to use,” he continued.

Skype Mac 2.6 Plus Call Transfer

Today saw the release of Skype for Mac 2.6. The software has been in beta for some time now but is now officially available for download.

Apart from it improving the stability and quality of calls from your Mac, it now also includes a new Call Transfer feature that allows you to transfer a call to other Skype users on your contact list. This is the first time a new feature is being made available to mac-afarian’s before windows users.

Carter Adamson, General manager of desktop products said that Mac users have very high expectations so they take the time to get things right and that their decision to deploy on Mac first demonstrates their commitment to this fast-growing segment of Skype users.

Apart form the new call-transfer feature, Skype for Mac 2.6 now also offers features that were previously only available on other platforms. features like join public chats, chat typing indicator, Skype Prime, automatic updates and auto answer tones are now standard in v 2.6
to download Skype Mac 2.6 go to www.skype.com.

Skype & Wal-Mart Connect

The deal between these two giants will see Skype Certified Hardware and Pre-Paid Cards on the shelfs of 1800 Wal-Mart stores across the US.

This move will allow Skype to better meet the growing demand and popularity for VoIP services in the US by making its products and services more accessible for consumers looking for affordable calling options. This will also see the first Pre-Paid cards being launched by Skype.

The Telecommunications Industry Association estimates that 9.9% of all landlines in the U.S. were VoIP lines in 2006, and this will rise to 34.1% by 2010.

Don Albert, vice president and general manager of Skype North America said they applaud Wal-Mart for recognizing the popularity of Skype and making it more accessible to Wal-Mart shoppers.

With more than 196 million registered users around the world Skype is already the largest VoIP provider in the US and will likely continue their strong growth, reaching a larger segment of the masses with the Wal-Mart roll out.

“We have taken a sharp focus to launch the products and brands that consumers are moving toward at the most affordable prices,” said Kevin O’Connor, vice president and general merchandise manager, Wal-Mart Electronics. “The Skype hardware and pre-paid cards are a great fit with Wal-Mart because they offer long-term money-saving solutions at the right time for many customers: parents, grandparents, college students and military families.”

Wal-Mart will be the first retailer in the U.S. to offer Skype’s pre-paid cards. These cards include a $20 pre-paid card redeemable for Skype credit to make cheap international calls and a three-month subscription to the Skype Unlimited Calling Plan Cards for just $8.85 that gives consumers three months of unlimited Skype calls to any landline or cell phone number in the U.S. and Canada.