Skype 1.4 Released for Mac -- Skype decided to release the final Mac version of their flagship voice and instant messaging program just as Macworld Expo started, ensuring that new features such as call forwarding and iTunes pause/resume would be lost in the shuffle. The new forwarding feature means that someone can call your Skype account and you can forward that call off to a real phone number, such as a cell phone. The incoming call can be made either from another copy of Skype to your Skype account name, or, if you have paid separately for this feature, to a SkypeIn number, which maps a real telephone number to your Skype account. Forwarding costs a few cents a minute to most landlines worldwide and to many cell phone systems in the U.S. and abroad. It's not unified messaging, but it's another step in having your calls follow you (when you want them to). Skype's Mac version has lagged the Windows version's feature and releases, and version 1.4 lacks the video conferencing that's available on that other platform, although that video support has been generally criticized as being less than state of the art. [GF]

<http://www.skype.com/>