Skype

Skype is a free internet telephony network, on which users can chat live or make phone calls through their internet connection (much like Vonage's VoIP service). Users may purchase different types of packages which allows them to use specific software, such as making phone calls or video chat. Skype was bought by eBay in 2005.http://www.pcworld.com/article/122516/ebay_buys_skype_for_26_billion.html

On April 14, 2009, eBay announced their intention to release Skype as a separate public entity with a planned release as an initial public offering during the first half of 2010. eBay reportedly made the decision following failed attempts at selling the company for a value they deemed acceptable and because of the current status of the market.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/technology/companies/15skype.html?hp

In addition to the free services that only allow Skype users to call each other there are several premium services available as well. These services include the ability to dial a standard land line and make international calls. Premium users can also accept incoming calls from any phone as part of the "Skype-In" package.http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/features/

Skype announced at CES 2009 that they were coming out with a Skype Lite version that would run on the Google Android operating system as well as other Java-enabled phones. A version of Skype Lite for Apple iPhone users was also said to be in the works.http://www.pcworld.com/article/156744/big_skype_update_coming_next_month.html

On March 31, 2009, Skype launched its mobile application for Apple's iPhone. Initially, the iPhone application did not offer users access to all the benefits of Skype mobile, mainly due to Apple's relationship with AT&T, now a direct competitor with Skype. The most noticeable drawback was that calls could be made unless there was wifi access in the area.http://blogs.usatoday.com/technologylive/2009/03/review-skype-fo.html

In December of 2010, widespread outages were reported across the United States with the Skype network. Skype took a few weeks to repair these outages. They discovered a bug in an old Windows client that caused the outages and affected over 20 percent of the service's users. To prevent future outages from happening, the service states that it will take a closer look at changing its recovery processes, as well as try to eliminate any remaining bugs in the program that may cause trouble in the future.http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fasterforward/2010/12/skype_outage_explained_now_how.html