Skype Won't be Coming to Windows Phone 7

From DailyTech: Microsoft's upcoming Windows Phone 7 operating system is by equal measures compelling and frustrating. On the one hand the OS looks to offer the gaming acumen of the Xbox 360 and the slick music player design of the Zune coupled with a stylish phone OS to boot. On the other hand, it's missing a multitude of key features -- namely multitasking, copy and paste, and according to some reports, support for memory card expansion.

With Google and Apple both set to debut strong, multitasking-ready, high-end smartphones this spring and summer, Microsoft is taking a risky gamble in its decision to omit these features at launch, trying to perfect their implementation. Now there's more bad news for prospective Windows Phone 7 buyers -- Skype will not be available for the platform.

In a talk with reporters Dan Neary, the Skype Vice President for the Asia Pacific region, commented, "[Skype is] not developing software for the new Windows Mobile software due later this year."

While Neary would not reveal why his wildly popular VoIP service is not being developed for the OS, rumor is that Microsoft is doing a poor job providing its partners with sufficient APIs. Unlike Apple and Google, Microsoft currently offers no native development kit.

Though such a kit is eventually expected, Mozilla similarly bailed on developing a mobile version of Firefox in late March. Mozilla said it will be focusing on other platforms (like Android and iPhone OS X) instead.

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