Microsoft is pretty well known for its “Scroogled” campaign which pokes at Google’s potential privacy concerns. In the latest ‘leaked’ video Microsoft even directly parodied Google’s own commercials to show how Google allegedly tracks you everywhere (video posted below).

The big question is, how innocent is Microsoft here? According to Ars Technica and security researcher Ashkan Soltani, they are possibly guilty of similar privacy concerns with Skype. Apparently Skype messages are sent through a server before reaching the person you are talking to – in other words, they could potentially be read or scanned by Microsoft.

We can’t say for sure if Microsoft is really scanning/reading messages or if they are, whether it is just for security (checking for links with malware, etc) – but accoring to Professor Matt Green at John Hopkins the problem is about perception.

“The problem right now is that there’s a mismatch between the privacy people expect and what Microsoft is actually delivering. Even if Microsoft is only scanning links for ‘good’ purposes, say detecting malicious URLs, this indicates that they can intercept some of your text messages. And that means they could potentially intercept a lot more of them.”

The idea is that Microsoft should be clearer of their own privacy policies, though again we can’t confirm or deny that Microsoft really is scanning/reading said messages.

Personally, I don’t like the idea of being spied on through the net, but I’ve come to realize that privacy online is more of an illusion than anything and I wouldn’t put it past any company to ‘spy’ on our messages, emails, and browsing history – at the very least to serve us ads.

What do you think, would it surprise you if Microsoft is scanning Skype messages? Does it concern you? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

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Skype for Android received a nice update today that will help to complement your tablet’s screen. More specifically, the app is now designed to support video calling in portrait view on your Android tablet. Also in the update, Skype for Android now supports Portuguese, Norwegian and English (UK). Finally, the update brings a few bug fixes and performance boosts.

On a side note, Skype was purchased by Microsoft in May of 2011 for $8.5 billion. This price is now estimated to be 32 times more than Skype’s overall operating profit. However, Skype still leads the world in video chatting and has only grown stronger since they expanded into Facebook.

Overall, the application is very well designed and fits almost every type of screen. Not to mention the fact that the app is pretty much bug-free. In my use of Skype over the past few years, I have never experienced a single problem and the call quality is always great.

Be sure to download the Skype official version of the app. The Skype and Verizon version of the app has not been updated since July of 2011.

What is your favorite video chatting service? Do you think that Skype is a good replacement for a lack of face time in modern society? Let us know in the comments below.

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Do you still regularly utilize Windows Live Messenger? You might want to consider moving to Skype now. It seems that Microsoft is planning to retire WLM very soon, according to sources close to the Redmon-based company.

With Skype having many more advanced features (including land-line calling abilities) and better brand recognition, this isn’t that surprising. Windows Live Messenger just isn’t necessary for Microsoft going forward. Recently Skype added on to its list of supported log-in methods by allowing Microsoft and Facebook account users to log-in without needing a traditional Skype ID.

What about your existing WLM ID? More than likely you will still be able to use it directly from Skype on your mobile and desktop/laptop devices without a problem. With Windows Phone 8 using the same core as Windows 8 (NT) and Xbox 360 getting a makeover that makes it look similar to Windows devices, it isn’t surprising to see that Microsoft is continuing to combine its software and services wherever it can.

Does anyone reading this still use Windows Live Messenger or do you prefer another chat client, perhaps Skype?

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One of the new features is called “ability to move own video preview,” which I assume would mean that you can move around that video preview window when you’re about to engage in a video chat. The developers also promise increased accessibility, improved stability, a new sign-in screen, some “minor” UI improvements, and a series of bug fixes. The app has now also been coded to auto-restart if it unexpectedly crashes.

As before, the Skype iOS app is available as a free download through iTunes.

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One new app that could potentially be a game-changer is the new Skype app that is heading to the mobile gaming unit. Using the power of 3G or Wi-Fi, you can make and receive phone calls, making this device even more like a cellphone than ever before. For those with the 3G model, this pretty much means you can make and take calls anywhere, which is very good news for fans of the platform. Will the PS Vita be a success or will it have more modest results in the market, like the PSP? It’s hard to call at this point, but the hardware and potential capabilities are certainly impressive in the Vita, to say the least.

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Not too long ago Microsoft acquired Skype, a move that many hoped meant good things for its mobile platform, Windows Phone. Unfortunately, Microsoft has yet to deliver a great Skype experience on its own mobile OS, and in fact it seems to pale in comparison to the iOS and Android versions.

So what limitations set back the Skype Beta on Windows Phone? The most significant limitation is that the app doesn’t work in the background. While WP 7.5 does have limited multitasking capabilities, apparently there is a limitation in Windows Phone Mango/Tango that prevents Skype from playing nice. This is likely a problem that will continue even when the guild build is released in April.

Other apps also play nice with Window’s built-in push notifications, yet apparently it runs much too slowly in Skype so the feature was excluded. As it stands, Skype’s limitations mean that it likely isn’t of much value to most Microsoft Windows Phone users. Do you have Windows Phone Beta for Skype? What do you think of it so far?

We can hope, at least, that Windows Phone Apollo finally does arrive, an improved Skype app comes with it.

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On Thursday, December 1st, 2011 WikiLeaks began publishing The Spy Files, thousands of pages and other materials exposing the global mass surveillance industry. Sure it’s a stale news, the whole Wikileaks story is slowly getting under radar of media these days. Then again, it’s Christmas time, who needs more gory revelations about Internet (or SkyNet) watching you? Instead of recent cozy and Christmasy assurances that majority of Carrier IQ privacy invaders stopped their nefarious practice voluntarily? Which they might not even consider seriously as a threat.

Wikileaks have released another installment of the Spy Files, allegedly showing how a person can be stripped of any vestiges of his or her privacy with the click of a mouse. Or just without. For those who do not believe they live in a Big Brother land, here’s the sources:

List of documents > by Release Date

Links above give access to documetation for techniques in IT intrusion and spying. Some of these links tagged as “Video”  in Document Type column give simple demonstrations in the form of 3D animations for the  content and functioning of the intrusion kit. Together with a presentation of personnel traing in spying methods, use of WiFi in the hotel lobbies, of USB or Firewire dongles with the intrusion software suite on unattended target computer, etc.

FINSPY MOBILE is a tool used by sending a false update to a Blackberry user which then gives full access of the “target” to the sender of the update.  Similarly, an iTunes update did the same on a Mac OS desktop target.

In principle, the techniques themselves are nothing new, and they are widely used by security specialists to check robustness of information systems when security measures are deployed for an organization, or business. What might be new is the presumed spread of such spying techniques beyond natural and legal customers, such as recognized and certified security firms and agencies. Now, it doesn’t really matter, do you believe this new installment of Spy Files in Wikileaks, or not. The possibility of somebody else than your correspondent on Skype  is watching you is here. Recent Carrier IQ debacle was just a tip of an iceberg.

Orwell was a genius with many present day followers. But if you’re not a terrorist, or a conspirology adept, it’s perfectly nothing to be scared about. Have a nice Christmas! And yes, Santa Claus is watching you.

The post Wikileaks Spy Files: WiFi Snooping, Skype Monitoring All In A Days Work appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

For this holiday season, starting on Deceber 21st and ending on December 27th, Skype is giving away one free hour of WiFi access at more than 50 major airports in US. Holiday travelers may bide their time with their WiFi-capable devices within these airports, be it just a casual checking of emails, or browsing latest news at MobileMag. This being a gift from Skype naturally suggests these customers are also invited to use it for Skype calls and messaging, and probably participate in some type of data mining exercise.

Airports are usually quite crowded on holiday seasons, and this year holidays are certainly not an exception. There might be delayed flights due to bad weather condition or over bookings. People get simply stuck at the airports for hours on end. Servicing these crowds with free Skype video calls might become quite problematic for third party WiFi access airport vendors because of sudden avalanche of requests for connections.

Still, it’s nice to have a free present from Santa Skype even if its just a measly hour of online time.

[Ubergizmo via Skype]

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These include everything from the Acer A5 and HTC Desire HD to the HTC Thunderbolt and Samsung Galaxy Tab. Also included in the list of 17 are such devices as the HTC Flyer, LG Revolution, Samsung Galaxy S II, and Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY. All of these phones and tablets have video chat support too.

You can get the updated Skype 2.1 app for Android either through Android Market or by pointing your mobile browser to Skype.com/m. Even if you’re using Froyo, you should be able to enable video calling by going through the Skype settings in the app itself. The catch is that Froyo folks can only use the back camera, which isn’t nearly as good for video chats unless you’re in the bathroom.

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Despite some increased competition, Skype remains as the de facto VoIP and video-chat platform. The app for the iPad was released and pulled a while ago, but now it’s back in the App Store and ready to let you chat it up with your friends around the world again.

There’s already a Skype app for iOS, but this version has been optimization for the iPad’s specs and dimensions. The extra screen space certainly helps for two-way video calling, for instance, but it’s also handy for all the instant messaging and such. And unlike FaceTime, Skype for iPad can legitimately do video chat over 3G without any modification.

As always, Skype for iPad is free on iTunes. You just have to pay for the services as you normally would when using Skype on any other platform. And also unlike FaceTime, your chat buddies don’t have to a part of the iCrew to talk with you over Skype.

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