Skype boosts Android support, with Windows Phone on the way

Skype has no intention of letting its droves of video chat users migrate to Facetime, Fring or Qik, as they transition from chatting on desktops to mobiles.

On Thursday it announced that its Skype 2.1 for Android — the inaugural version of which played nice with only four phones — is now compatible with an additional 17 smartphones. The full list is available on Skype's Big Blog and includes 7 HTC devices, such as the Evo 4G, Evo 3D, and Verizon Thunderbolt, as well as the Samsung Galaxy S II and LG Revolution.

"We are really excited that video calling with Skype for Android with video calling is now available on the majority of Android handsets, so you can easily share moments wherever you are with the people that matter most to you," Skype's Mark Douglas blogged.

Microsoft fans also won't be left out for long. WPCentral picked up on an ad Microsoft posted for a software engineer to join its Skype Video Development Team — which should come as little surprise, given that Microsoft now owns Skype (CP: Microsoft buys Skype for $8.5 billion) and Mango is said to support front-facing cameras.

The engineer, the ad reads, will be responsible for "building and optimizing the Skype Video Engine solution for Microsoft Windows and Windows Phone platforms [and working to] deliver a new release of the Video Engine ever 2 months."

With Facetime limited to iPhone 4 owners and Fring and Qik requiring new users to download and register for their services, the already-familiar Skype (its iPhone app also allows video calls over Wi-Fi or 3G, unlike the Wi-Fi-only Facetime) has a major advantage. Surely Microsoft is counting on exactly this, given the tough time it's had attracting consumers to its mobile platform and all that it and Nokia have riding on their new partnership.