Microsoft Bundles Office, Xbox, Skype for $199, Introduces Skype for Business
Microsoft is now letting you subscribe to all of its online services for a price of $199 a year. In addition, the company replaceds Lync with Skype for Business. Microsoft's new Work & Play Bundle includes one-year subscriptions to Office 365 Home, Xbox Live Gold, Xbox Music Pass, and Skype Unlimited World. The Office 365 subscription also entitles you to 1TB of OneDrive cloud storage, and the Skype deal lets you use Skype Wi-Fi hotspots.
However, the Work & Play Bundle can only be purchased from select Microsoft Stores. Also, the offer is valid only until January 4, 2015 "or while supplies last."
Microsoft is also retitring Lync and replaces it with Skype for Business.
Available from the first half of 2015, Skype for Business promising to offer a new client experience, new server release, and updates to the service in Office 365.
Skype for Business takes advantage of the strengths of both Skype and Lync. For example, Microsoft has adopted the familiar Skype icons for calling, adding video and ending a call. The company has also added the call monitor from Skype, which keeps an active call visible in a small window even when a user moves focus to another application.
At the same time, Skype for Business keeps all of the capabilities of Lync, including content sharing and telephony. It offers some improvements, too. For example, transferring a call now takes only one touch or click instead of three.
Microsoft is also making it easier to connect to people everywhere. Lync already offers instant messaging and audio calling with Skype users. Skype for Business adds video calling and the Skype user directory making it possible to call any Skype user on any device.
Current Lync Server customers will be able to take advantage of these capabilities simply by updating from Lync Server 2013 to the new Skype for Business Server in their datacenters. No new hardware is required. For Office 365 customers, Microsoft will do the required updates.