Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Skype 4.1 Beta Adds Screen Sharing and Other New Features [Downloads]

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/bgn2J2P95mo/skype-41-beta-adds-screen-sharing-and-other-new-features

Windows only: Popular video and voice chat application Skype has just released a new beta version for Windows users featuring several cool new features, most notably the addition of a screen sharing feature that allows you to share your desktop with any contact.

In addition to the screen sharing, Skype 4.1 beta adds contact sharing, birthday reminders, call and video quality improvements, and more; you can find the full release notes here (PDF alert!). As Download Squad points out, new features generally hit the Windows version of Skype before the Mac version, but in this case, Macs have had Skype screen sharing since January.

To share your screen, just fire up a chat with a contact and then hit the Share button. After that, you can choose whether you want to share your entire screen or Skype may just become the new family helpdesk support app of choice. Note: The user you're chatting with must also be running Skype 4.1.

Skype 4.1 beta is a free download, Windows only.