The development team behind immensely popular instant messaging and VoIP client Skype has announced that its Mac version has reached an important milestone in its development process. The Skype 5.0 that was released as a Beta back in November 2010 has graduated out of Beta and is now available for download as a final, stable version.
“We’ve just released a new version of Skype for Mac, removing the beta label and introducing group video calling as part of our Premium package, as well as a number of user interface and other improvements,” announced Product Manager for Skype for Mac, Krishna Panicker.
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If you would like to get Skype 5.0 for Mac OS X, you can download the software straight from Skype here. Before you do that, perhaps you would like to know what new bits and pieces version 5.0 has to offer. Here’s what you can expect to get from this latest release:
Group video calling – a feature available in the Premium package, it allows you to chat with several people at the same time. Group video calling works only if the people you want to talk to are on the latest Mac or Windows version of Skype. You can use group video calling free of charge for a trial period 0f 7 days. After that you can get a monthly subscription or a day pass. More compact – the minimum window size is smaller, pixels have been trimmed, the contact list has been tightened up, the amount of white space in the sidebar has been reduced, and even the amount of white space you see when you get instant messages has been tweaked.. As a result Skype 5.0 for Mac is more compact. New control bar – you can perform various tasks from a mini Skype toolbar that sits on top of any web page, document or photo. Search chat content – this feature lets you navigate past conversations. Offline IM – you can send messages to offline recipients, and you can receive instant messages even if you are offline. Personalize contacts – you can personalize your contacts via user profiles. Dropped calls – you can quickly rejoin calls if your internet connection goes down for a moment. Contacts monitor – the contacts monitor, which displays online contacts and contact groups, is in the Window menu. Full screen mode in video calls – this feature has been brought back because numerous users asked for it.
Skype has posted a video to YouTube in which it presents the new features you can enjoy in Skype 5.0 for Mac. Check it out below.
The development team behind immensely popular instant messaging and VoIP client Skype has announced that its Mac version has reached an important milestone in its development process. The Skype 5.0 that was released as a Beta back in November 2010 has graduated out of Beta and is now available for download as a final, stable version. 
