Skype has provided a download for their new beta version, which has a bunch of changes and new features, most notably:

• Call forwarding, i.e. you can forward calls on to mobiles, landlines and other Skype Names, although I am guessing that this will cost you.
• Customisation of ring tones, sounds & personal pictures so you can modify it to your teeny-bopper-heart’s delight
• API Changes: Notifies on contact list selection/focus & you can now send voice mail to yourself through the API
• Bunch of bug fixes & other minor adjustments

Nothing overly amazing there. The customisations will appeal to a number of people, so that’s a good marketing decision, and the call forwarding is a useful feature. I think the send voice mail to yourself through the API feature has some cool possibilities. You could easily tie this into something like Basecamp or some other project management tool so that you could send yourself reminders automatically.

Really, I’m not sure this small set of changes warrants a public beta version. Surely the bug fixes could have just been rolled out as standard updates and the new features added incrementally?