Facebook and Skype deepen integration

To do that, Skype users need to install version 5.4 Beta for Mac or version 5.7 Beta for Windows of the Skype client software, Skype said on Thursday.

Logical at once step

A logical at once step would be to introduce the ability for Facebook users to participate in video chats with multiple friends, not just on one-on-one sessions. This would put Facebook on par with the Hangouts feature on rival social networking site Google+.

In addition to the deeper Facebook integration, the upgraded versions of Skype as well feature improved video rendering for Mac users and the ability for Windows users to show what's on their computer screen to multiple friends, a feature called "group screen sharing."

Juan Carlos Perez covers search, social media, online advertising, e-commerce, Web application development, enterprise Cloud collaboration suites and general research breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Juan on Twitter at @JuanCPerezIDG.