Microsoft released updates to two high-profile apps today on the Windows Phone marketplace. As promised previously, Microsoft released the final version of the Skype for Windows Phone app. In addition, Microsoft also bumped the version number of their SkyDrive for Windows Phone app to v2.0, which coincides nicely with their upcoming upgrades, said to bring us the SkyDrive for Windows and Mac clients apps as well as paid storage options. Below is a summary of what’s new in each of the app updates:
Skype
According to the official Skype blog, the Skype for Windows Phone “Gold version” (v1.0.0.62) includes the following improvements and bug fixes:
- Portrait mode video calling
- Support in 18 languages
- Add new contacts (Skype and phone contacts)
- Support for participating on audio conference calls
- Call-in-progress notification
- Ability to mark all messages as read
- Block/unblock/view blocked contacts
- Ability to call 1-800 toll free numbers without Skype credit
- Ability to place calls with a premium subscription (even with a zero Skype Credit balance)
- Resolved numerous crashes, performance issues, and navigation problems
Unfortunately, the Skype app did not bring background functionality (as expected), as such in order to receive calls, you’ll need to be in the app. Further, the app will also not work for devices with only 256 MB of RAM, such as the upcoming Nokia Lumia 610. To see the full change log, see it on the official Skype blog. You can also find it on the Windows Phone marketplace by clicking here.
SkyDrive
The official SkyDrive for Windows Phone app was also updates to version 2.0. While no official change log exist, we noticed quite a few improvements. These include:
- Ability to select multiple files at once to easily delete or move files to folders
- Directly manage permissions for folders and files
- Ability to share files with others via email, or copying the sharing link to clipboard to be shared on other social networks
- Folders for photo albums now contain the photo count
- General performance improvements
You can get the updated SkyDrive app on the Windows Phone marketplace by clicking here.