Microsoft subsidiary company Skype will be integrating their VoIP software into Windows Phone. Skype VP of products, Rick Osterloh said that the Skype division is “working on a Windows Phone product that will be coming out soon,” during an interview at CES 2012. The actual acquisition of the company was completed this past October so it is not surprising that we did not see the integration take place in 2011. Maybe we’ll see the integration at Mobile World Congress in February. [The Verge]

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) subsidiary Skype has updated their applications for Windows and OS X so that you can now make Facebook-to-Facebook video calls. You can do this by linking your Skype and Facebook accounts. When you link Skype and Facebook, your Skype friends list is automatically updated with your Facebook friends list. You will be able to share screens with your chat partners too. Check out the demo video below:

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has officially closed the acquisition of Skype Global S.à r.l for $8.5 billion. The board of directors at Microsoft and Skype previously approved the acquisition.

Skype has launched a new app cloud directory that allows users to access third-party Skype apps for businesses and consumers to purchase. These apps are built on top of Skype’s APIs.  Skype sorted the apps into groups by its genre and by the type of download it is like paid top downloaded free apps and top paid. Skype provides a landing page for each app, which shows the release date, screenshots, features, star ratings, etc.

At the Tech Ed conference in New Zealand, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) had confirmed front-facing cameras officially coming to the Mango update, which is expected soon. In the photo above, you will notice the icon for the front-facing camera feature is circled. A Microsoft staff member had confirmed that the front-facing cameras in the Windows Phone 7.5 operating system would support Skype integration soon. However it is unknown whether this will be through an app or a built-in operating system update. [Neowin]

Skype has acquired mobile messaging service GroupMe. The companies have declined to reveal the terms of the acquisition, but AllThingsD reports that Skype is rumored to have paid $85 million for the company. Meanwhile, Skype is in the process of being acquired by Microsoft, and Skype also acquired video service Qik earlier this year. The GroupMe blog reports that the team will stay in New York and work on their standalone app for now.

Skype just introduced a game-changer to the world of Wi-Fi: an iOS app that finds hotspots and lets users pay for them per-minute with Skype Credit. Instead of buying a block of time that might be more than you need, the app helps you pay for the time you use. TechCrunch reports that Skype WiFi supports more than a million hotspots around the world.

Skype has announced version 5.3 with Apple Mac OS X Lion support. Skype added a number of fixes and improvements to the user interface. Skype 5.3 features support for HD video calls as well. Skype 5.3 for Mac OS X is also compatible with past versions of OS X going all the way back to Leopard. To use the HD video feature, you will need to use the Mac’s built-in HD webcam or choose cameras from the Skype Shop such as the Logitech C910. To make clear HD video calls on your Mac, Skype recommends an upload/download speed of 1.5Mbps. [Skype Blog]