Skype for Modern Windows Updated for Keyboard, Mouse

Like Windows 8.1 before it, Skype for Modern Windows (as Microsoft painfully calls it) for Windows 8.1 has been updated so that it is easier and more natural to use with a mouse and keyboard. This means that as the app matures it will be more suitable for use on traditional PCs, and not just touch-based tablets and other mobile devices.

"We've been focused on making the application easier to use," Microsoft's Aga Guzik writes in a post to the Skype Garage & Updates blog. "The modern Skype is designed for touch but we know a lot of our users have mouse and keyboard devices."

In the newly released version 2.8 of the app, the firm has made the following changes:

Improved hub user experience. The main application hub has been tightened up so that onscreen elements are easier to access with a mouse and keyboard.

Performance improvements. Microsoft made some changes to how Skype works so that it now loads more quickly.

More reliable favorites syncing. Your Skype favorites now sync more reliably between your devices. Which, if I understand this correctly, really means that your Skype favorites now sync between your devices.

This update apparently applies only to Windows 8.1. If you don't have Skype for Windows 8.1 yet for some reason—it is included with Windows 8.1—you can download the latest version from the Windows Store.