The official Skype for Windows Phone app made its debut this weekend, which will provide access to free voice and video calling on Microsoft-based devices.
The beta version of the app was released in February at Mobile World Congress. Since then, developers have released a few bug fixes, as well as added support for 18 languages and a few other add-ons, Microsoft said in a blog post.
Those upgrades include: portrait mode video calling; support for joining audio conference calls; call-in-progress notifications; and the ability to block and unblock contacts, as well as add new contacts.
The Windows Phone Skype app requires phones running Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango" or above. Skype said it tested and certified seven specific phones for ultimate performance: Nokia Lumia 710, Lumia 800, Nokia Lumia 900; the HTC Titan and Radar; and the Samsung Focus S and Focus Flash.
"This is the first of many releases to come for Windows Phone, so stay tuned for even more capabilities in the future," Derek Snyder, head of mobile product marketing at Skype, wrote in a separate blog post. "We believe in the great potential of the Windows Phone platform and will continue to invest over time to enable experiences unmatched by any other app in the market."
The app supports English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, and Traditional Chinese.
Download it now from the Windows Phone Marketplace.
Microsoft announced plans to acquire Skype in May 2011 for $8.5 billion. It received approval in the U.S. from the Federal Trade Commission in June and from European officials several months later. By October, Skype was officially a part of Microsoft.