Skype announced today the release of Skype 2.1 for Android, which enables a greater number of smartphones that officially support using Skype video calling with Android devices, as well as minor improvements to the app.

New devices include HTC’s Desire (Android 2.2), Desire HD, Incredible S, Sensation and the HTC Flyer. Additionally, Samsung’s Galaxy S, Galaxy S 2 and Galaxy Tab are amongst the phones that are newly supported.

The company noted that, on smartphones with Android 2.2 (Froyo), only the back camera of the device will work for video calling, even if the device has a front facing camera. Users were further advised that they could enable and disable video calling within Skype settings on their device.

However, if smartphones were running Android 2.2 or greater, supported Neon instruction set, and had at least one camera that was able to provide two-way communication, the option would not be preselected.
If the device was running Android 2.3 or greater, supported Neon instruction set, and had at least one camera that was able to provide two-way communication, there would be no enable video setting as video calling would be on by default.

The update comes less than a month after Skype announced video calling would be available on Android, and after releasing a hotfix for version 2.0 of its app, which was providing installation problems for some users. On its blog, Skype urged users to upgrade via the Android Market or by navigating to Skype.com/m using their Android device's browser.

In recent news, Google announced the expansion of Gmail calling to include international users, a direct challenge to Skype’s internet calling infamy.  


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