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Forbes
06-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Farewell To Skype As Microsoft Pulls The Plug On Video Messaging Platform
Skype was finally killed off by Microsoft on May 5, 2025. It will be sadly missed by many. © 2020 Bloomberg Finance LP 'We are gathered here today to mourn the passing of a much-loved friend who was cruelly taken from us at the tender age of 21 and cut down in the prime of life by an uncaring stepparent…' I'm talking about Skype , possibly the most popular video messaging service when it was launched. Developed by Niklas Zennström, Janus Friis, along with four Estonian developers, in 2003, it was soon snapped up by eBay, before being sold off to venture capitalists and a Canadian pension fund. Finally, in 20011, Skype passed into the hands of Microsoft for $8.5bn as a replacement for Windows Live Messenger. Now Skype has been heartlessly euthanized by Microsoft. Over the years, Skype was responsible for a massive boost in long-distance communications. It ended the days of those anxious and horrendously expensive international phone calls on what were often poor-quality lines with unacceptable delays and more static than a nylon t-shirt in a thunderstorm. Skype enabled us to see and hear our loved ones clearly no matter where they were. Skype was the glue that held together many a long-distance romance. Skype was the glue that kept us in touch with elderly parents living on the other side of the planet. Skype was often the first time a newborn baby would be shown to their grandparents far away. Skype was often there to put the seal on many an international business deal. Search for Skype now and you see this message. The world's first widely usable video messaging ... More platform was loved by many. Mark Sparrow Since Skype came along there have been many competitors such as Facebook Messenger, Apple's FaceTime, Meta's WhatsApp and Viber. Although WhatsApp has achieved great success, especially with text messaging, few of these apps are as easy to use for video calls as Skype was. So why was it so cruelly taken from us? The answer is Microsoft Teams . The software giant says it wants to 'focus on Microsoft Teams' and to streamline its 'free consumer communication offerings.' Although Teams was in development for a long time, it was tested in the heat of the pandemic and found wanting by many people who had to use it and who realized its shortcomings. Despite gradual changes, Teams has all the elegance and usability of a drunk giraffe. It can be unwieldy to use and has an interface that looks as if it was designed by an accountant. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration but talk to anyone who uses Teams regularly and you won't hear much love for the software and its layout. It's just clunky and unpleasant to navigate. I've tried over the years to love Microsoft Teams but it always seems to make my life more difficult. Whether it's the way it routinely rejects my password or pretends I don't have a subscription, it always seems to conspire against me. Every time I receive an invitation to join a Teams meeting, usually from a large corporation, my heart sinks. I never know if it will work and I seem to have to spend so much time trying to fiddle with device settings which are always so hard to find. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (L) shakes hands with Skype CEO Tony Bates during a news conference on ... More May 10, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Microsoft agreed to buy Skype for $8.5 billion. (Photo by) Getty Images Until its shutdown, I was using Skype daily to chat with my older brother who lives 1o0 miles away. Whether he was working at his desk or out walking with his phone, it was easy to Skype him and chat for a few minutes or an hour. It was just so easy to use and felt like a comfortable old pair of house shoes. Teams doesn't notify live incoming calls on my Mac mini is the same way as Skype did, no matter how much I delve into notifications. In contrast, Zoom seems a little easier to use and usually seems to function without issues, although Zoom calls are limited unless you take out a subscription, whereas Skype never minded how long you wanted to talk. With Skype, it was just easy to call someone without the palaver of setting up meetings and schedules. So why has the plug been pulled on Skype? No doubt Microsoft wants to breathe life into the corpse of Teams and, in the process, force more of us to take out a subscription for it to access its 'advanced features,' wherever they may be hiding. Perhaps Microsoft hopes more people will take out a subscription for Office, or whatever it's called this week. Maybe Skype was simply too much competition for Teams. Whatever the real reason for Microsoft pulling the plug on Skype, it will be sadly missed by many of us. For as long as it was there, people refused to migrate to Teams. Microsoft had to give its users a giant nudge and save costs on running two platforms. And, to be fair, it was a largely a free service so we can't complain. I think the decision will backfire because more people will shift from Skype to WhatsApp, which is easier to use than Teams. One thing is for sure, Microsoft Teams is unlikely to ever be as well-loved as Skype was. Rest In Peace, old friend.
Wales Online
21-04-2025
- Wales Online
How a biometric passport works
How a biometric passport works The idea behind them is to make border control faster, smoother and more secure Border Force checking the passports of passengers arriving at the UK (Image: Getty Images ) You might have heard the term 'biometric passport' thrown around at the airport, especially if you have breezed through one of those e-Gates without having to chat to a single border officer. But what actually makes a passport biometric, and how does it all work? A biometric passport, which is sometimes called an e-passport, looks pretty much like a regular one from the outside apart from the small gold camera symbol on the cover which shows it's got a microchip embedded in it. That chip holds a digital version of your personal details - your name, date of birth, nationality, and passport number, as well as a digital copy of your passport photo, and in some countries, even facial recognition data or fingerprints. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here How does it work? A biometric passport looks pretty much like a regular one from the outside apart from the small gold camera symbol (Image: © 2018 Bloomberg Finance LP ) When you go through one of those automated passport gates, the scanner reads the chip inside your passport and matches the information to your physical appearance in real time, usually by comparing your face to the photo stored on the chip. Article continues below If everything matches up and your passport is valid, you're good to go. There's no need for a manual check, no stamp, just a quick green light and you're through. The whole idea behind biometric passports is to make border control faster, smoother and more secure, because it's much harder to forge the data on the chip than it is to fake a paper document or swap out a photo. The chip also has a security feature called 'digital signing' which ensures the data hasn't been tampered with, and most passports now use something called Basic Access Control. This means the chip can't be read without the machine first scanning the data on the passport's photo page. For travellers, it just means shorter queues and fewer questions at the border, provided your passport is in good condition and you haven't changed so much that the machine doesn't recognise you. That said, if your passport is cracked, damaged, or unreadable or if your facial features have changed quite a bit since your photo was taken, you might get directed to a manual check anyway. Most countries, including the UK and all EU nations, have fully switched to biometric passports now, and they're accepted at eGates in an increasing number of airports around the world. They are valid for the same amount of time as standard passports and cost the same, but they offer a much more streamlined experience, especially for frequent flyers. So while it might all feel a bit high-tech, it's really just a smarter version of the passport we've all been using for years, but now it knows your face as well as your name. Article continues below
Forbes
15-04-2025
- Forbes
Google Just Made Your Android Phone More Like An iPhone
Android suddenly gets new update © 2025 Bloomberg Finance LP April is proving an interesting month for Android. Google has warned new attacks are underway, releasing a critical update that was immediately included in monthly updates for Pixels, Samsungs and others. Meanwhile, Samsung has hit another major issue with its surprising pause in the One UI 7 upgrade. With all this news, what users will likely miss is Google's quiet update that makes your Android more like iPhone. While there's plenty of focus on Android OS upgrades and the monthly and quarterly security and feature updates, in the background Google's Play Services is also regularly updated and brings new features and critical security updates. In many ways, these updates are just as important as those generating more headlines and attention. The latest Play Services update brings a new security enhancement we had assumed would only turn up with Android 16. But it has now been included in April's Google Play services v25.14 (2025-04-14). And this update makes your phone much safer against the kind of attacks Google has been flagging for the last year. We're talking an 'inactivity reboot,' which is when your phone automatically restarts when it hasn't been used for three days. This returns your phone to its 'Before First Unlock (BFU)' state, which requires you to physically enter a code to start the device. Until you do so, many of the phone's functions — including wired and wireless data access are disabled, and data itself remains encrypted. This level of protection came to prominence when Apple added it to iPhones last year, reportedly frustrating law enforcement agencies which could not tap into phones retrieved from evidence lockers even with USB forensic toolkits. Many of the zero-day exploits flagged for iPhone and Android devices in the last year have emanated from the forensic exploit world, and so this update is deemed critical. That's the same reason Samsung has shored up such defenses in its One UI 7 wrap around Android 15. Google's release notes do not share any detail on the new feature. Under Security & Privacy, it simply says that 'with this feature, your device automatically restarts if locked for 3 consecutive days,' and that it applies to phones only. It's not clear if it's linked to any specific Android OS versions or requires any user settings changes. Google Play Services updates quietly in the background and can take some time to reach all devices. It will roll out over the next few weeks, and you can check your Play Services version to see what it has hit your device. Per Google's support documentation:
Forbes
03-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Small Business Lenders Have a Pop Quiz for Borrowers About Trump Tariffs
President Trump's new tariffs add another obstacle to getting a small business loan. Photographer: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA/Bloomberg © 2025 Bloomberg Finance LP To get a small business loan, borrowers typically answer questions about their cash flow, assets, business plans, and credit histories. But there's now a new question lenders are asking, one most business owners probably aren't ready to answer. Lenders want to know how President Trump's unpredictable, heavy-handed tariff strategy might impact a borrower's business, according to Bob Coleman, publisher of the Coleman Report, a trade publication for small business bankers and lenders. Coleman brought attention to the issue Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter. He shared a conversation with a chief credit officer who told Coleman that he's instructing underwriters to consider how tariffs will affect a borrower's future cash flow. The officer didn't specify exactly how that analysis would work, only that he wanted borrowers to share their perception of how it might. On Wednesday, President Trump announced sweeping new tariffs, including a 10% baseline levy on all imports and significantly higher rates on specific partners—34% on China and 20% on the EU. The announcement triggered immediate market mayhem: S&P 500 futures dropped 3%. The dollar weakened against major currencies, and Treasury yields fell to six-month lows as investors sought safe-haven assets. Since taking office again in January, Trump's tariff plans have shifted constantly. In February, he threatened a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, then walked it back. Tariffs on Chinese goods started at 10%, jumped higher in March, and now sit at 54% after the so-called 'Liberation Day' announcement on April 2nd. But details are vague, and it's not clear if this is the final plan or just another negotiating tactic. That unpredictability makes the new lending question particularly challenging. Small business owners can't predict future White House trade policy, yet lenders expect answers anyway. Ray Drew, managing director at Winston-Salem-based Truliant Federal Credit Union and host of The Art of SBA Lending podcast, says tariffs are already squeezing small businesses. He says that while some companies may benefit long-term if manufacturing returns to the U.S., but in the short term, many will struggle. That's because small businesses can't fully pass increased costs onto consumers, especially those with limited inventory flexibility. It's not a small problem, despite how Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler wants to spin it. In March, Loeffler tweeted the results of RedBallooon and PublicSquare's Freedom Economy Index, which showed that just 17% of small businesses were worried about tariffs. But as Drew points out 17% of five million businesses isn't anything to sniff at. 'That's a lot of businesses, and a lot of jobs that will be impacted in the short term from these tariffs,' says Drew. 'We are already seeing it in our portfolios, and therefore we need to be asking borrowers about this.' MORE FROM FORBES
