Thought I should better make a post about it because I personally am a regular user of Skype and can get a little excited when a new (and overdue) version is out bringing some new features and some old features back to life.

Some hours ago, Skype released its 4.2 Beta version which is more like an update to the previous version as it seems to have fixed certain bugs and brought these features:

Skype Access – (Pay-per-minute WiFi Access)

This particularly comes handy when you are out somewhere and need an internet connection badly. You can use the Skype’s credit to access WiFi hotspots (just in case you don’t have your login details handy). And yes, it has a pulse rate of a minute.

Go to ‘Tools’ > ‘Skype Access…’

Transfer calls – (…to one of your contacts)

This is a no brainer. Using this feature, you can transfer a call to someone else on your contact list. You are an executive in a company and a client calls you up. You can transfer the call to your boss’s computer or landline or even his mobile.

Optimized for Windows 7

Skype 4.2 Beta is improvised to work seamlessly with Windows 7 with jump-lists and some tweaks to the functionality in the notification area.

Misc. improvements:

I have experienced some good improvements in the overall quality of the voice and video calls and it’s ability to slightly deteriorate the video quality when some other application uses the internet connection also seems to have tweaked for good.

Even though it’s still in a Beta, I think you should try it out. There are some introductory videos you might want to have a look.

Download Skype 4.2 Beta