Microsoft is clearly determined to sew up some of the best content for the Xbox One: it just revealed a special, multi-year partnership with the NFL. The two are working on an optimized experience that better integrates fantasy football, including score displays, onscreen updates and Skype. They also promise exclusive content, naturally, including a lock on translating many of these experiences to tablets. The partnership will extend to the real arenas, too -- among other technologies, Microsoft will bring Surface tablets to coaches and players to improve their communication and play calling. There aren't many more details so far, but it's evident that Microsoft wants to cater to football fans with a lot more than just its existing ESPN app.

Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft

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It may have taken two years and a new console generation, but Microsoft is finally making good on an old promise: Skype is coming to Xbox. Microsoft has been planning to port the internet telephony service to its home console since it purchased Skype back in 2011, but it never surfaced on the Xbox 360. Now, the service is poised to make the most of the next generation, leveraging the refreshed Kinect and voice enhancements for a higher-quality experience than its predecessor was capable of. Gamers can receive calls even while watching movies, and they can open them up side by side other apps and games in Snap Mode. Naturally, Skype can be controlled via voice, with commands to shut off the mic or camera, end calls and go full screen. Group video chat was given a mention, but it's still not clear just how many folks can be looped in.

Gallery: Skype on Xbox One

Alexis Santos contributed to this post.

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Well, Comcast's idea to charge users $10 a month for set-top Skype hardware went as well as you could have expected. If DSLReports' sources are correct, the offering will be quietly retired on June 1st due to, surprise surprise, "low adoption." If you were one of the few triple-play customers who ponied up for the gear, fear not, as the leaked internal e-mail says that existing users will continue to be supported. Given that you can snag subscription-free gear from Logitech, Biscotti and others, it's no surprise to see Skype on Xfinity joining Cisco's Umi on the island of misfit telepresence devices.

Filed under: Cameras, Internet

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Source: DSLReports

Windows 7 users have been able to sneak a peek at Skype's new Video Messaging feature since earlier in the week, but now the referenced Windows 8 version is available as well. The new tool, the service's version of video voicemail, is still "in its early release," so you may run into a bug or two. To that end, the team invites testers to reach out with feedback through a handful of channels. It's all outlined at the source link below.

Filed under: Internet, Software

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Source: Skype

You'd think that with Skype firmly under Microsoft's control, the service would roll out new features to Windows first. Bizarrely, though, that's not the case. Skype's video voicemail feature, which previously soft launched on Android, iOS and OS X, is now coming to Windows 7 and up (a Windows 8 version should be forthcoming), hitting the company's end of April promise. The feature, still labeled a preview, works exactly as advertised, letting users record short video clips that can be sent to and viewed by any contact regardless of their OS. There's one caveat though: you'll need to install Skype 6.5 beta for Windows desktop and Flash to test it out. It's just a risk your vainglorious self will have to take for modernity.

Filed under: Desktops, Microsoft

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Source: Skype

Outlook.com's 60 million-plus users will have another feature to take advantage of soon, as Skype is previewing built-in web access to its service. Currently available in the UK (headed to the US and Germany in "coming weeks," -- worldwide this summer) it lets users make calls directly from their inbox via a browser plugin available for Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox. Users with existing Skype accounts will also need to link their account to the website which will allow their contacts to be merged, with the idea of having more choices of how to reach out to close contacts. Gmail's added easy access to hangouts and even Facebook has integrated Skype-connected video into its messaging so we suppose it's necessary for feature parity, with the added bonus of Skype's large install base. There are two demo videos embedded after the break, or you can head to Skype's blog for more details.

Filed under: Internet, Microsoft

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Source: Skype Blog, Outlook Blog