Facebook integrates the functionality of Skype

Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, confirmed Wednesday, July 6 System Integration of telephone and video conferencing directly from Skype in its social network. "We use the best technology on the best social network," said Mr Zuckerberg.

Skype, which claims more than 700 million users worldwide, was acquired May 10 by Microsoft for $ 8.5 billion. Microsoft also has a little less than 2% of Facebook. Facebook users need to install an add-on application within the social network in order to make video calls.

Mark Zuckerberg also announced the creation of cats for groups, and a graphic redesign of its service. The functionality is far from new - MSN and Google have long proposed to discuss in video conferencing - but setting it up for 750 million Facebook users worldwide is an important development.

Against Google

According to the American press, the deployment of this feature was to be announced by the social network later this year. The launch of Google + social network that aims to compete directly with Facebook, has changed all that. + Google offers video chat, in fact, and a multi-user chat.

Launched a week ago and by invitation only, Google's social network is still very far to compete with Facebook by its users. However, the search engine, which relies on a streamlined interface and a more extensive contacts, represents a serious threat to Facebook.

The two companies have engaged in recent months in a battle for access to books contact with their respective users. An application to import contacts directly into Google + Facebook, created by an independent developer a week ago, was blocked by Facebook.