Skype is reportedly getting ready to add a new feature to its internet calling client that will let up to five people participate in a video conference at the same time. The new service will let it counter business-oriented offerings from the likes of Cisco Systems and Logitech-owned LifeSize Communications, and will initially be free when it launches next week. The company expects start charging for it once it passes beyond its testing stage.
The feature is aimed at companies
looking to increase productivity while reducing expenses. Video conferencing enables just that by facilitating face-to-face communication with employees, customers and partners from home or the office. In its announcement, Neil Stevens, Skype's general manager of the consumer business segment said group video chat will first be available to those who use Skype on Windows PCs, with a Mac version coming out later this year.
The company also announced new subscription packages that range from 60-minute to unlimited packages in 1-, 3- and 12-month intervals. Prices now start as low as $1.09 per month and include calls to both cell phones and landlines in more than 170 countries.
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Google to launch digital book store this summer
Google is reportedly gearing up to compete against Amazon and Apple in the emerging digital book marketplace. The announcement came in the form of a comment during a panel discussion with Google's manager for strategic-partner development, Chris Palma, at the Book Industry Study Group in New York. According to the Wall Street Journal, who was there at the event, the new e-book store will be called Google Editions and should launch in late June or July.
The new service will let users buy digital copies of books they discover through its book-search service. Google will allow third-parties to sell Google Editions on their own sites and "keep the bulk of the revenue." Furthermore, the Internet giant hopes to distinguish itself from competitors by allowing users to access books from a wider range of devices.
Google has yet to release details about pricing and which publishers are expected to participate. So far the company has only offered public-domain books for free in the ePub format. It's important to note that Google is also still trying to close a controversial settlement to distribute out-of-print copyright-protected books, but the sweeping agreement that would give Google the rights to do so is still caught up in various legal challenges.
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