Skype for Windows Phone leaves beta

INTERNET PHONE AND CHAT OUTFIT Skype has finally arrived on Windows Phone without its beta label, as Microsoft has released version 1.0 into the Windows Phone Marketplace.

The update sees a number of new features coming to the Skype app, including the abilities to call landline phone numbers over 3G and WiFi and search for and add contacts. There's also the option to call in portrait mode, support for joining audio conference calls, call-in-progress notifications, the ability to block and unblock contacts and a bunch of general bug fixes.

Skype for Windows Phone is also now available in 18 languages: English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, European Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, and Traditional Chinese.

Unfortunately though, there's still no background functionality in the app, which means to receive a Skype call you'll need to have the app open first.

Skype is promising that this is "the first of many releases to come for Windows Phone", adding that it will "continue to invest over time to enable experiences unmatched by any other app in the market". µ