Facebook Messenger App transmits calls using your phone's broadband connection (3G, 4G or Wi-Fi)and it takes megabytes from your data plan instead of your monthly allotted voice minutes from your cellular carrier.
According to The Verge, many of the limitations are actually a fault of Windows Phone. Skype won’t work in the background because it simply can’t run in the background on Windows Phone.
On Android and iOS, Skype can keep part of the app running in the background so users can make or stay on calls while the app is in the foreground. Windows Phone 7.5 does not have that functionality. So that means that even when the app goes gold, which is said to be in April, Skype will still only work when the app is being displayed.
Windows Phone does support push notifications, which other VoIP apps do use, but Skype says it just takes too long process.
Skype doesn’t think it’d be practical to have the user wait for the push notification to come in, have the app open itself, and then set up the call. And that’s probably true, though there is an argument to be made for making it an option.
The last limitation isn’t as deal-breaking as the phone always having to be in the foreground. For the moment, Skype video calls can only be made when the phone is in landscape. This was just a decision that Skype made. It could change in the future, but for now it’s just landscape.
Skype also reiterated that it will continue making apps for other platforms, and not focus on just Microsoft ones. There was no confirmation that Skype would be built into Windows Phone 8, but there was no real denial, either. Skype said that it is “looking at that” and that “there are lots of options.”
Whether Skype is built into Windows Phone 8 or exists as a standalone app, the platform will hopefully have better multitasking support.
Having Skype is great, but it seems a bit useless if you have to have the app open every time you want to use it. It makes some sense for video chat, but it’d be nice to hold a voice chat or an IM conversation over Skype while doing other tasks on the phone at the same time.
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Facebook and Skype are working on a deal that would integrate Facebook Connect with Skype accounts, AllThingsD has learned citing sources familiar with the situation. ATD has managed to get a hold of a screenshot showing the new features in action: once you connect Skype with Facebook, you’d be able to SMS, chat with or call your Facebook friends directly from Skype. You should also be able to login into Skype with your Facebook credentials. The new features should go live in Skype 5.0 when the new version goes out of beta in a couple of weeks.  It’s a logical step for both companies. Facebook’s chat capabilities are somewhat limited compared to Google Talk, which is deeply integrated with Gmail, and offers voice and video chat capabilities. Enabling new ways to communicate with your Facebook friends is definitely one of Facebook’s goals. Skype, on the other hand, will be very happy to extend its user base with Facebook’s 500+ million users. If the rumor turns out to be true, it would be interesting to see whether Facebook will also integrate Skype features into its web interface, or perhaps its mobile application. |
| Dating Site Where Gamers Pay to Play with Girls Opens for Business Users of GameCrush have four basic options for making connections with PlayDates. The Arcade is for casual gaming, The Arena is for serious gaming, The Academy is for learning “tips and tricks” from PlayDates and The Edge is this service’s version of a red-light district. There is a catch, of course. PlayDates don’t crush their controllers for free; it costs $0.60 per minute to have a pretty girl sniping with (or at) you. The result is a growing list of paying users and PlayDates earning $20+ per hour playing video games with curious or lonesome guys. And before you ask, yes, you’ll find girls that are willing to do more than just play games if you ask nicely. Part of the reason for this is the service’s points system; Players are expected to tip points to PlayDates, who can then trade them to get real cash. Simply put, there’s a big incentive for PlayDates to “do more” to earn more points. As part of today’s launch, GameCrush has added support for a wide variety of online and console games, as well as advanced social features and profile tools. The company has raised $700,000 in angel funding from the likes of Anthem Venture Partners, Zivity founders Cyan and Scott Banister and angel investor Paige Craig.  |
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