Facebook to launch an in-browser video chat service powered by Skype

[ibnanv]

facebook is planning some kind of mayhem for Wednesday, July 6. In an announcement, they have informed us that they will hold a special event on the 6th in which they will announce "something awesome", according to Facebook's own Mark Zuckerberg. This "awesome" thing is supposedly a video chat service built right into Facebook’s website. The chat service will be powered by Skype. We believe that additional software will be needed, but the end result will be an in-browser experience. The additional software will be needed to power the service, including setting up the camera and microphone. It is unclear whether Skype is included in the required software. This new service isn’t too much of a surprise. Facebook and Skype have quite a history with each other, such as integrating Facebook into the Skype desktop client. Facebook and Microsoft, who may acquire Skype, also have ties in share holding.This new feature is a great move for Skype, who currently only has 170 million active users. Facebook has 750 million active users, leaving Skype’s potential extremely high, especially compared to other video chat services.
Some speculate that this move by Facebook is a result of Google+, a potential competitor to Facebook. Google+ is currently in beta stages and open upon invitation only. Although many Facebook users will not use Google+ as their main social network, Google+ could be a good thing to Facebook lovers. The competition will force Facebook to continually add features to the already-popular social service. Facebook may feel pressured now, but things are looking upward