Windows 10: Microsoft’s new preview update improves Skype emoticons on all platforms

WinLatest · Nov 12, 2018

Emoticons are the universal language. A chat is incomplete without those little icons and now the emoticons are getting a whole new look with the Skype insider preview build (8.34.76.37) for Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

The latest update improves the Skype emotions picker and users will be able to choose different colors for creating a fully personalized unique theme and unlike the previous version, the new clear and detailed graphics will preserve all the details even in the dark mode.

On a touch-enabled device, inside the hand and person section, users can tap and hold on any emoticon to get a new pop up layout with six different skin tones. It can be done by pressing right click on desktop.

In a blog post, Microsoft said that this updated emoticons will be enabled on Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android and iOS platforms. This new version of Skype is rolling out to Insiders and it should be released to the general public soon.

The Skype improvements

Previously in August 2018, Microsoft narrowed the gap between Skype Classic and Skype 8 by rolling out a build with split view support which could be enabled by clicking on three dots menu.

It makes the recent conversations fit to be displayed in narrow windows which allows users to have multiple conversations simultaneously.

Besides Microsoft has also added read receipt feature which was available on almost every other chat platform but not in Skype. Skype money transfer feature was also added. It allows users to transfer money via PayPal.

Last month, we noticed that Skype was set to come to the Windows 10 system tray for giving more controls like sign in and out, unread message badge, option to directly jump into Skype settings etc. Though this feature is still not yet ready for testing.

Earlier this month, Microsoft discontinued support for old classic Skype app which is still being used by millions of customer.

Skype 8 is getting more and more updates to bring it on a par with the Skype Classic so that users won’t have to feel the baptism of fire.

Microsoft’s Skype Classic users are recommended to switch to the modern release as soon as possible and the company is gradually rolling out Skype 8 to more users.

The post Microsoft’s new preview update improves Skype emoticons on all platforms appeared first on Windows Latest

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Brink · Nov 12, 2018

New accessibility improvements now available for Skype

A few months ago, we provided an update on our continued commitment to making Skype accessible. We are very grateful for the feedback you’ve given us—it continues to be an essential and impactful part of our work. We listened and made changes to make Skype more accessible for everyone.

Below are just some of the recent accessibility improvements available in Skype version 8:

Improved navigation now makes the app easier to use. Navigation is smoother and takes a more natural left-to-right and top-to-bottom path.

Additional information about messages that are sent and received is now displayed. For example, we now announce when messages are sent and when messages you attempt to send have failed.

A number of new keyboard shortcuts make it easier to start a chat, answer a call, and navigate within Skype. Visit Skype support for a full list of shortcuts.

Accessibility functionality was rolled out across all platforms. Skype version 8 is available on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, and most recently iPad.

If you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to upgrade now—only Skype version 8 will be available after September 1, 2018.

We continually work to improve our technology to ensure it is accessible and empowers every person and every organization to achieve more. Please share your comments and feedback via Microsoft Accessibility UserVoice or contact the Disability Answer Desk for real-time support via phone, chat, or ASL videophone. If you are an early adopter and would like to participate in early preview releases, please consider joining the Skype Insider Community.
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Source: New accessibility improvements now available for Skype | Skype Blogs

Brink · Nov 12, 2018

Previewing our first platform updates for Microsoft Edge

Yesterday, we moved Microsoft Edge Dev out of beta, and we are now directing all traffic from status.modern.ie to our new Platform Status page, which has significant improvements to performance and clarity. Today, we are excited to give the first look at our initial wave of feature updates to the Microsoft Edge web platform, starting with the following new features now in development for EdgeHTML.

New Microsoft Edge platform features in development

CSS

CSS Mutability Pseudo-classes

:read-write

:read-only

CSS Range Pseudo-classes

:in-range

out-of-range

CSS initial keyword

CSS unset keyword

File APIs

a[download] attribute

Forms

input type=text selectionDirection

input type=time

input type=datetime-local

<meter> element

oninvalid event handler for the element document and window

Graphics

Canvas ellipse

Canvas blending modes

<picture> element

SVG external content

These features are in development now and will start to appear soon in preview builds for Windows Insiders prior to being released to the general public. In addition to these new features, several features we previously announced will start to appear in preview builds soon, including:

Extended srcset and sizes

<template> element

WebRTC – Object RTC API

Pointer Lock (Mouse Lock)

Our Platform Status page has been updated to reflect these announcements – we look forward to sharing preview implementations in the coming weeks!

New roadmap details on Platform Status

In addition to these updates, we’ve also made improvements to Platform Status to address feedback. One of the most common pieces of feedback we have received on Platform Status is that there’s a lack of clarity around items listed as “Under Consideration.” To address this, we are opening our roadmap up even more with new “backlog priority” labels for Status items. Here we will give some insight into where individual technologies fall on our backlog for future releases.

While we can’t always commit to a specific timeframe, you can think of our priority levels as corresponding to:

High – On deck; We hope to begin development in an upcoming iteration

Medium – On our backlog; Development is likely for a future release

Low – Investigating; We are still evaluating the technology. There may be significant spec stabilization, foundational work, or additional community input required before we can begin development

You can see a few examples today at on Platform Status, including:

Shadow DOM (High)

Custom Elements (Medium)

Web Notifications (Medium)

Over the coming weeks, we will be adding these priority labels to the existing set of technologies marked “Under Consideration” on Platform Status, to provide more insight into our plans. We hope that sharing these insights can help developers plan ahead and give a broad sense of when they can expect key technologies to be available in Microsoft Edge. Combined with other vendors’ release status (which we aggregate on Platform Status), this is useful to understand when technologies are or will be broadly interoperable on the web, and safe to build into your sites.

We are eager to hear your feedback on the features above, and encourage you to help us rank platform features by voting on the Microsoft Edge Developer UserVoice! If you have any questions or want to give feedback on these plans, we encourage you to reach out to @MSEdgeDev on Twitter or share your thoughts in the comments below.

– Kyle Pflug, Program Manager, Microsoft Edge
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Source: Previewing our first platform updates for Microsoft Edge | Microsoft Edge Dev Blog

Brink · Nov 12, 2018

Skype Universal Windows Platform app Preview for Windows 10 is coming

We’ve been listening, and we’ve heard you. In the coming weeks, we’ll release the first version of the Skype Universal Windows Platform Preview app to our Windows Insiders for testing. You may be wondering why, and what this means for the Skype experiences you are using on Windows 10. Since November, we’ve been collecting feedback on the Consumer Preview of Skype Integration for Windows 10. The integration enabled us to give people the fastest path to what they want to do with Skype. We took advantage of the mobile paradigm with one app per task, such as the Phone app, Maps app, and so on. With this in mind, we released built-in, task oriented apps. This approach worked well in research: people saw value in single mode apps that promised a lighter weight and speedier path from intent to completion.

But what we also learned from this feedback is that as the screen size gets bigger—large tablets, 2 in 1s and PCs for example—and you begin to use the apps, expectations shift and people want to limit app clutter. And like that, you once again want an app that lets you do anything you want within the comfort of one window. This is why we are introducing the Skype Universal Windows Platform app.

We wanted to learn from integration and improve on the current Skype app with new experiences. We’ve simplified the look and feel by removing duplicative and unnecessary menus to prevent confusion between them. The global menus are now in a new, single Settings menu, and you’ll see contextual menus appear in upcoming releases.

So, what’s in this version? It includes the following popular functionality:

Sign in with your Microsoft Account and link a Skype ID

Show and change your availability

See a list of your existing Skype contacts

Initiate a chat with anyone in your contact list

See that the other person is typing

Logout

Make one-to-one voice and video calls and send messages

Personalize your experience with emoticons and Mojis

Send photos

See notifications for incoming calls and messages outside of the app

Participate in existing group chats

What’s to come? More flexibility, sharing and group features will come in the next couple of releases, including:

Start a chat with anyone using Skype or not using Skype

Create a group and send group messages

Group voice and video calling

Share your screen, files and video messages

Manage notifications from individual chats

And much more…

You’ll also see us work a lot to ensure the app is responsive:

You’ll notice that you can still use the existing Skype app on Windows 10 PCs. Over time we will streamline all Skype for Windows 10 experiences into the Skype Universal Windows Platform app, but we’ll do this in stages—first ensuring we release a fully featured, high quality and lightweight application by gathering your feedback and monitoring its performance.

What about Windows 10 Mobile? We’ll first release on Windows 10 PCs and shortly, you’ll be able to use the same Universal Windows Platform app on your Windows 10 Mobile devices.

Give the Skype Universal Windows Platform Preview app a go if you’re an Insider. If you’re not a Windows Insider yet, you can sign up here. Please note this will be the first preview build so there a few smaller bugs we’re working through. Once you have the build, please give us feedback on your experience by going to the Windows Feedback app, searching for Skype and up-voting a trending topic or creating a new item.

Finally, if you have questions, you can peek at our list of top FAQs here.

Thank you for all the insight and feedback you’ve given us over this past year. We’re excited to hear your thoughts as you continue this journey with us. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to bring new features to the Skype Universal Windows Platform Preview app.
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Source: Skype Universal Windows Platform app Preview for Windows 10 is coming to Windows Insiders - Skype Blogs

Windows 10: Microsoft’s new preview update improves Skype emoticons on all platforms

Microsoft’s new preview update improves Skype emoticons on all platforms

Microsoft’s new preview update improves Skype emoticons on all platforms

Microsoft’s new preview update improves Skype emoticons on all platforms

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