Microsoft has now officially confirmed their acquisition of Skype, in a deal which is said to be worth $8.5 billion. The big M announced the deal on their website and they say that the deal is worth $8.5 billion in cash, and that includes taking on Skype’s debts. The deal was approved by both the board of Microsoft and the board of Skype.

Does this mean that we should start calling them MicroSkype or Skypesoft? The rumor had been that Google and Facebook were looking to buy Skype, but it seems like no one guessed that Microsoft would be acquiring them.

When the HTC Thunderbolt was announced, one of the most interesting aspects was its ability to support Skype video calls. But as release drew closer, Verizon said that Skype wouldn’t be ready in time for launch. Now, the phone is officially announced to arrive tomorrow and Skype is unavailable on the Android phone. Not only that, but it looks like it might never be released at all.

All the web pages on HTC’s and Verizon’s sites have removed all mention of the Skype feature as if it never existed. Poof. Just gone. Scrubbed clean. Droid-Life investigated and now it is starting to look like a conspiracy. There was no explanation of why it was removed. We thought about calling Muldar and Scully for comment, but the cigarette smoking man shrouded in darkness just laughed at us and told us to drop it. And that guy is creepy.

Panasonic has just announced that their new VIERA Cast Blu-ray players will have the ability to make voice and video calls over Skype. Just press the dedicated Skype button on the remote control to launch Skype. That’s it. Video and voice calls will require a supported webcam of course, one that works with the VIERA Cast Blu-ray player.

Using Skype on the VIERA Cast will also give you access to Standby Mode which you can personalize with different ring tones, Answering Message so you can record a personalized message to answer your calls when you’re away and the ability to record messages left on an SD card.

CES is in full swing and another of the cool things unveiled is that Panasonic and Skype have announced a partnership that will allow Skype voice and video calling on any 2011 Panasonic VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc Player. So you can either pop in a Blu-Ray disc or spend some time with your loved ones face to face.

Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls are free. Calls to landline or mobile rates use Skype’s low rates with other options like: receiving inbound calls, voicemail, and conference calls with up to 24 other parties. All you need is a VIERA CAST-enabled Blu-ray Disc Player, HDTV and a Skype compatible web camera and an Internet connection.

Android users have been waiting for this for a long time and now Skype is finally offering Skype for a wide range of Android phones. Android users just need to go to skype.com/m and follow the instructions there.

You can make Skype-to-Skype calls of course, and users will be able to send and receive IMs as, one-to-one, or in a group chat. You can also call phones using Skype Credit over Wi-Fi or 3G. If you are already a Skype user, you’ll see your full contact list when you sign into your account on your Android phone.

Odd as it seems, the Department of Telecom in India could ban BlackBerry devices, Skype and even Gmail services if those services won’t comply with the government’s request to ensure that data going through their networks will be made available to security agencies in a readable format. Good luck with that.

The powers that be in that part of the world have also decided to amend the IT laws, making it compulsory for foreign companies, as those that do not require a local license, to provide all the data required by Indian law enforcement agencies.

Ahh, look at that. Skype has made another grandma happy as yet another child tries to move slowly away and escape. Well, Skype is about to get even better. Next week, they will be rolling out a public beta of Group Video Calling that will connect you with up to four friends, for free. Get ready for some long distance partying. And some extra boring business while looking at some extra co-workers

The feature will be available only to Windows PC users initially, but a Mac version will arrive later this year. By that time it may no longer be free, but we will see. Skype does say that it plans to charge for the feature within the next three or four months.

Anger over the high price of Samsung 3D glasses aside, the firm makes some cool products. Samsung and Skype have announced that the Samsung LED 7000 and 8000 HDTVs are getting a new feature.

Skype video and voice calling has been added to the feature list in Korea already and will come to other parts of the world in the first half of 2010. To make video calls you will need the ISS FREETALK TV camera.

FaceVsion, along with dropping the “i” from it’s name is now introducing its first Skype HD-ready TouchCam N1 webcam. It comes packing an embedded H.264 video compression chip to help with 720p video streaming, and it also includes dual unidirectional mics to make sure that the video has some quality audio to go along with it.

It may not be the most stylish design, but you can expect this one to be available next month for just $99. Don’t need a mic? Then it will only cost you $69.

Skype has some interesting news: Looks like they are all about better video quality, with new HD webcams and software support. Even bigger news is that they’re teaming up with LG and Panasonic for Skype-enabled HDTVs. Yes skype will now be starring on HDTVs.

Skype 4.2 beta can achieve video quality of 1280 x 720 resolution at 30fps. There’s also a line of HD webcams with video encoding and processing onboard. There are two versions from each manufacturer: FaceVision has one with and one without a microphone for $100 and $70. In Store has the Freetalk Pro for $120 and the Freetalk Pro Plus for $140.

Skype meets Star Trek(Sort of) with this communicator from Polycom. The device lets you talk hands-free. The C100S USB Speakerphone for Skype features two high-quality microphones that will give you excellent range in group conversations and eliminates pesky echoes and feedback.

It connects via USB and does double duty as a speaker if you want to listen to music. You can even pick up or hangup without using a mouse. So free your hands! They have been enslaved long enough.

Skype has been around for a while and started out as a PC application that allowed users to call each other for free over the Internet. Later Skype gained the ability to call landline and mobile numbers for a per minute rate. Yesterday we mentioned that Skype was coming to the iPhone today.

Skype officially announced this morning that the application is now on the App Store for download. The app adds all of the features that users of the desktop application know and love including free Skype-to-Skype calls, the ability to call landlines and mobile numbers for a fee, IM, and a personal Skype number.

Looks like Skype is coming to the iPhone on Tuesday, and to BlackBerry devices in May. There have been plenty of Skype-capable apps for the iPhone, but the quality can’t beat the official Skype App that doesn’t require the extra audio transcoding workaround required by the unofficial apps.

The Skype app only works over WiFi (not over EDGE or 3G) and supports calls to SkypeOut contacts, plus it features many of the other features from the desktop client. iPod touch owners will need earphones with an embedded mic for talking.

It’s no coincidence that there’s a new Trek movie just as Dream Cheeky will be releasing a USB VoIP/Skype phone in the form of geek gold: A replica of the communicators used on the original Star Trek TV series.

The phone is compatible with XP, Vista and OS X Tiger or greater, and you’ll get speakerphone, mute and volume control functions, plus the usual Star Trek sounds. Stuff like, “Transporter room ready to beam up”. It’s due out in April, but we don’t have any pricing info yet. Should be affordable though.

Skype was among the first free software products to allow users to make and receive free phone calls over the Internet from other Skype users. As the product matured, it added the ability to be able to make calls to non-Skype users at low per minute charges compared to cellular or long distance plans.

Skype announced this week that its latest software version 4.0 is now available for download. The new version offers face-to-face video calling that makes it easier to start video calls and allows calls to be viewed full screen.