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Skype for Mac 5.4 beta adds Facebook integration (and ads!)

by Michael Grothaus Sep 15th 2011 at 2:30PM

Skype has released Skype for Mac 5.4 beta, which adds Facebook integration to the VOIP app. After downloading the beta, users have the option of linking their Facebook account to their Skype account. Once linked, all Facebook friends appear in a special "Facebook" section of your Skype contacts list. Moving your cursor over a contact's name allows you to select whatever phone number they have listed in their Facebook information and place a call to it from Skype. Double-clicking on the user's name instantly starts a Facebook chat.

The beta also features a version of your Facebook news feed right inside the Skype app. You can see the latest news in your news feed or post a status update all from within the app. Unfortunately this news feed functionality looks like it was designed for a poor man's Facebook mobile app, so many people will probably just opt to check their feeds on the website.

There's one more "feature" to Skype for Mac 5.4 beta: ads! Yes, for the first time Skype users will see ads in the app (thanks, Microsoft!). However you can get around the ads by buying a Skype Premium account or keeping a balance on your Skype credit account.

You can download the Skype for Mac 5.4 beta here.



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Skype has released Skype for Mac 5.4 beta, which adds Facebook integration to the VOIP app. After downloading the beta, users have the...
 

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14 Comments

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Michael A. Robson

Wow.. they are really ******* up Skype. Good job MS.. next i hear they're putting ads in the damn thing... God.. *vomit*... More reason to never ever update to the lastest version of Skype...

If you work at Skype (now MS) please shoot yourself

October 15 2011 at 6:15 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
scale1to100

I am a Skype user since the beginning of this service - as well I used a lot of paid services during all this years! And now "Ads"?!? "F**ck you Mic**saft! These are bad news for Skype! But these are good news for newcomers. I will be the first signing in on a new service! At the moment I am already on FaceTime which could be already the solution! Sorry, about my words.

September 20 2011 at 9:09 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
tabaloon

Buh-bye SKype!

September 16 2011 at 11:58 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Wintergreen

Any credit you put into Skype will eventually "expire". Coupled with the ridiculous attempts to turn the windows version of Skype into a social networking hub, I think it's time to look for an alternative. Any thoughts?

September 16 2011 at 4:40 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Michael Rygaard

Its amazing how Microsoft is able to **** up even the most simple things

September 16 2011 at 4:00 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Roberto

Microsoft proves once again… Given anything useful they will be able to ruin it…

September 16 2011 at 12:20 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Roberto's comment
pusta2

Once again, you do know the acquisition has not occurred yet, correct? Skype is still an independent company

September 16 2011 at 8:41 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Andrei Popov

Skype 5 for Mac is not a Mac application, it is a horrid port of Windows app. It is also quite crashy, when compared to old 2.8, hogs more CPU when idle and is simply not convenient.

I'd love to see iChat (or iMessage?) being interoperable with Skype network, rather than yet another social integration of an app…

September 16 2011 at 12:01 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
pusta2

You do know the Microsoft acquisition is still in approval phase, and thy have no input into development, right? Or are you just being "witty"?

September 15 2011 at 11:44 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
codeman38

And *still* no multiple-window mode.

I guess nobody ever text chats with more than one person at a time?

September 15 2011 at 7:11 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
DotComCTO

Unfortunately, Skype wants too much access in my FB account. Aside from basic information, they want:

Send me email
Post to my Wall
Access posts in my News Feed
Access my data any time (WHAT? WHY?)
Access my profile information
Access my photos
Access my videos
Access information people share with me

I get wanting to "Access Facebook Chat", but many of the other things they want access to are just unacceptable to me. I installed the beta, but refused to connect it to my FB account!

September 15 2011 at 4:43 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
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