Microsoft: Skype and Messenger Coming Together

Mary Jo Foley has already seen and now used the new Windows 8 Skype client. She has heard there's a Windows Phone 8 Skype client coming - though it's still not in the Windows Phone Store and Skype reps are not sharing more on when it will be. Yesterday, the Skype team provided more information about its recently stated plans to ultimately replace Windows Live Messenger with Skype. According to a new Skype blog post, the planned cutover date is Q1 2013.

In late October, Skype officials said that Skype would most likely will replace Messenger some day, but declined to provide a public timetable. However, in October, Skype began testing new Windows and Mac beta releases that allowed users to sign in using their Windows Live ID (Microsoft Account) so they could send and receive instant messages and see presence information from those using Messenger.