Skype to adopt 'Metro' design, says report
The next version of the Skype client may tap into the "Metro" design and let users send prerecorded video messages to each other, says The Verge.
Skype may be taking new look and feel cues from the Windows 8 interface formerly known as Metro.
New client versions of Skype are in the works with a few notable enhancements, The Verge reports. One such is a new UI that borrows from the Windows 8 interface. Skype is now testing this change, but could take it a few steps further in future releases, according to The Verge.
Also reportedly new to Skype: a video messaging feature that lets users send prerecorded videos, which their contacts can then view when they hop online.
In 2008, Microsoft beta tested a similar feature called Windows Live Video Messages. But the company pulled the plug on that application in 2010, and instead outfitted Windows Live Messenger with its own offline capabilities last year.
A Windows 8 version of Skype is also on the way, The Verge writes -- which will come complete with Outlook.com integration.
A Microsoft spokesperson told CNET that the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation.
Released last week, Skype's latest 5.11 beta version already ties in more closely with Microsoft. Users can log into Skype via their Microsoft account and access information from Live Messenger, Xbox, Hotmail, and Outlook.com.
Updated 9:30 a.m. PT with response from Microsoft.