Skype has released the Skype 4.0 Beta for Windows, focusing on better video calling and conversation management. The focus on video is driven by 28 percent of Skype calls in the first quarter of 2008 were video calls. The new version starts up a video call with a single click on a button with an IM conversation next to the video call can be generated with one click from one window. New “unified conversations capabilities” pull IM voice, video, file transfers, SMS and calls together to allow users to easily move in and out of conversations between single users or groups. There’s also additional ease of use features for installation, finding contacts, and adding new devices.

Beta for the new version is expected to span the entire summer, given the complexity of all the changes made; there are also some functionality holes in the current beta. No final release date has been set for the Windows version and no timeframes given for Mac and Linux versions of Skype 4.0.

Skype has been dogged because eBay hasn’t figured out how to make big money off the $3.1 billion purchase it made in 2005. However, Skype expects to make $500 million for 2008, at least boosting its value if it is sold off down the road.