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Skype Rolling Out PayPal Service By Barry Levine March 21, 2007 8:50AM     Skype's new PayPal payment option, appropriately called Send Money, will allow a PayPal user, who is also a Skype user, to log on and choose an amount to send to another Skype user. Although no launch date was named for Skype's new Send Money service, a company spokesperson said it would be made available in about a month.   Related Topics Skype PayPal eBay VoIP E-Commerce Latest News Plasma-TV Ban Could Be Costly Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed Flat PC Shipments Hurt Dell's Stock Ballmer Says Windows 7 Sales Good New Pogoplug 'Cloud' Gets Social Skype announced Tuesday that the popular Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service would soon allow PayPal payments, further opening the service for business transactions. Niklas Zennstrom, Skype CEO and cofounder, speaking at a communications conference in San Jose, California, said that the service will allow users to send PayPal payments to other Skype users. There were 171 million registered Skype users by the end of last year. PayPal is already used as the most popular way for Skype users to pay for its premium services, such as calls to regular phones. Currently, Skype's phone service is free if made from computer-to-computer, but there are several other premium, add-on services available. The payment option, appropriately called Send Money, allows a PayPal user, who is also a Skype user, to log on and choose an amount to send to another Skype user. Although Zennstrom didn't name a launch date, a company spokesperson said the service would be made available in about a month. Skype Find, Skype Prime Other Skype business services have been announced recently. Skype Find offers a way to find local business listings that have been offered and rated within the Skype community. Skype Prime, currently in beta, allows users to offer and sell services, such as advice or answers, to other Skype users. Third-party developers are being encouraged by the company to see Skype as more of a multifaceted service in which voice is only one feature. Skype Extras, recently launched, provides an arena for such outside products and services. For example, the KiskKisk Lie Detector, available as a free download, offers "a tool to detect the stress level of the person" with whom you are talking. Founded in 2002 by Zennstrom and Janus Friis, Skype was purchased in 2005 by eBay for about $2.6 billion in cash and company stock. "The acquisition will strengthen eBay's global marketplace and payments platform," the company said in a statement at the time. "Skype, eBay, and PayPal will create an unparalleled e-commerce and communications engine for buyers and sellers around the world." Voice-Based Trading Next? This kind of integration with PayPal is hardly surprising, according to Will Stofega, research manager at technology research firm IDC. When the merger with eBay took place, he recalled, "closer ties with PayPal and other parts of the corporate family were specifically mentioned as reasons why it made sense." PayPal is the primary way to make payments on eBay, he said, and this might be the "first step toward voice-based trading on eBay." Some trials and testing for this have already taken place, he noted. A big, "unlocked value" for Skype, he said, "is how to attack the enterprise market. It could have a big impact if they could only say, 'Ok, Mr. Enterprise, Skype can add all kinds of services for pennies,' and package an enterprise version." Skype plays in its own space, he said, and that space is beginning to fill up with a variety of added services.   Advertisement  E-Commerce 1.   Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed 2.   AOL Offers Voluntary Resignations 3.   Senators Blast Web Sites for Fraud 4.   Virtual Wallets Enter Money Evolution 5.   Bing's Market Share Nears 10 Percent The 800-Pound Call Center Gorilla Broadsoft innovates, rolls out products. Average Rating: Barnes & Noble Nook Is Delayed Orders will arrive after Christmas. Average Rating: AOL Offers Voluntary Resignations Goal is to eliminate 2,500 positions. Average Rating:

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Network Security Spotlight

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Enterprise Hardware Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   New Pogoplug 'Personal Cloud' Does Social Networking Cloud Engines has released its newest version of the Pogoplug, a small "multimedia sharing device" that connects hard drives to the Internet and allows a user to access the files remotely.   Apple Tablet Rumored Delayed as Publisher Gears Up There have been so many rumors of an Apple tablet that it has taken on legendary status. But now the legend is being revised with reports of a delay and that a major publisher is getting ready.

Enterprise Technology Spotlight

Flat Shipments Hurt Dell Despite Increased Earnings Dell's earnings are up and expectations are solid, but the company's stock still took a hit after analysts signaled the company isn't playing a key role in the PC market recovery.   Smartphones: A Bigger Target for Security Threats Smartphones are increasingly prevalent and adept at handling more tasks, including trading stocks, paying bills, and buying stuff online. That makes them attractive to thieves and hackers.   FBI Says Hackers Targeting Law Firms, PR Companies Hackers are targeting law firms and public relations companies with a sophisticated e-mail scheme that breaks into their computer networks to steal sensitive data, often linked to large corporate clients.

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