Goodbye Windows Live Messenger. Hello Skype.
Microsoft is dumping its instant message chat tool and replacing it with Skype.
The software giant bought Skype for $8.5 billion last year.
Microsoft announced via its Skype blog that Windows Live Messenger (WLM) would be disabled globally, except in China, by March 2013.
“Our goal remains to deliver the best communications experience for
everyone, everywhere,” writes Skype CEO Tony Bates. “We want to focus
our efforts on making things simpler for our users while continuously
improving the overall experience.”
Microsoft will offer a tool to ease the transition for WLM messenger
users to Skype — WLM users can sign in to Skype and bring over their
contacts.
“This effort started with the release of Skype 6.0 for Mac and Windows
a few weeks ago, which allows you to sign into Skype using a Microsoft
account,” writes Bates. “Now Messenger users just need to update to the latest version of Skype, sign in using a Microsoft account, and their Messenger contacts will be there.”
According to the blog, by updating to Skype, users can expect:
• Broader device support for all platforms, including iPad and Android tablets.
• Instant messaging, video calling, and calling landlines and mobiles all in one place.
• Sharing screens.
• Video calling on mobile phones.
• Video calling with Facebook friends.
• Group video calling.
Microsoft also announced a new Skype for Windows 8 late last month.
The company billed the new version as “simpler, faster and easier to
use” because it takes advantage of some of the new features offered by
Windows 8.
People Hub, ability to pin favorite contacts as a tile for easy
access and the Skype Live Tile that displays messages and notifications
on the start screen are all new features.
