[ad#ad-1]Microsoft is baking in Skype into Outlook.com, taking a cue from Google, who has Google hang-out intergrated into Gmail. This is good news to hear. Starting today, Microsoft is rolling out a preview version of Skype for Outlook.com, bringing two great communication experiences together — all in one place! As part of our commitment to bring you the very best ways to communicate, this Skype fo rOutlook.com preview is beginning to roll out in the United Kingdom and will be made available in the United States and Germany in the coming weeks. In the coming months, audio and video calling powered by Skype will be available in every Outlook.com inbox. By adding Skype conversations to your modern email, Microsoft is creating yet another way for you to connect to the people you care about most.The service is being introduced to users in the UK, with the US and Germany following “in the coming weeks”, with Microsoft promising that it will be available to all Outlook.com users worldwide “in the coming months”. Skype for Outlook.com will provide the full range of Skype services: voice calls, video calls and messaging.Once a user links their Outlook.com account with Skype, they will be prompted to install a plug-in for Internet Explorer, Chrome or Firefox which enables the integration. Announcing the tie-in, Microsoft explains that — as the old BT adverts used to say — ‘it’s good to talk’, and the new service is designed because a call is very often preferable to an email:
“Even with the best email service, sometimes text isn’t enough. We all face those situations where it’s just easier to jump on a call to talk something through. Sometimes that quick call can accomplish more than a long email reply. That’s why we are bringing Skype audio and video calling to your Outlook.com inbox.”
