14 DAY TRIAL // The first beta of the upcoming Skype 5 for Windows is here to give you a taste of things to come. The headline feature in Skype 5 Beta 1 is the new group video-calling capability that enables up to five Skype users to chat at the same time with real-time video and audio. The call view was redesigned, laying more emphasis on the actual conversation and ‘fading’ everything else into the background. There are plenty of bug fixes over the previous preview releases, but, since this is still a beta, there’s also a huge list of known issues.
“Today we’re offering you a preview of our brand new version of Skype, which supports group video calling for up to 5 people,” Skype announced in a blog post. “With the latest version, you’ll be able to bring the whole family together for a chat, for lunch, or even for a birthday. You’ll be able to spend quality time with your best friends, planning a trip, or even hosting a book club. And you’ll be able to meet with colleagues from across the world without leaving your desk.”
Skype is labeling the new group video calling a ‘beta,’ so some problems are bound to pop up. However, in most cases, it should work fine and, if it sounds like something you may find useful, don’t miss out on the chance to try out the new feature while it’s still free.
The group video call is one of the premium features Skype will roll out this year. Skype hasn’t set a price on the premium version yet, but it’s clear that users will have to pay for group video chat. During the beta, though, the feature is free for everyone.
Other new features in the Skype 5 Beta 1 include a new cleaner call view, which allows users to focus on the conversation at hand without any other distractions. The release also features an improved video snapshot gallery and the browser plugins perform better on some sites. Skype 5 also drops support for Windows 2000.
Skype 5 Beta 1 is available for download here on Softpedia.
