Today was all Skype news from eBay.  eBay was up 57 cents to close at $30.74, a 1.89% gain.

Skype announced it is offering its U.S.-based users one hour of free international calling to landline phones in 30 countries around the world. The offer is good until June 30, 2006. SkypeOut is the product that allows Skype users to make calls from their PCs to external phone lines.  Some countries included in the offer are Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Skype plans to offer periods of free international calls to select countries throughout the year.

Skype is already offering free calls within the United States and Canada until the end of the year and this last is an attempt to "solidify" Skype's position in the market of Internet's voice communication.

I do hope this hook them first strategy will work in the long-run, making Skype poised to challenge competitors and ward-off new entrants.  For now at least, users can enjoy free calls.

Another press release came from Skype today, announcing Packard Bell's first "Skype Edition" Notebook.  The notebook includes a built-in webcam with a one-touch Skype calling button and preloaded Skype software among other features.

The EasyNote Skype Edition will be available in European retailers starting August for an estimated €899.

Last - Skype is also working with RadioShack and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.  The goal - to "provide U.S. service members and their families with Skype starter packs, so they can make voice calls at no charge from one Skype account to another, anywhere in the world where computers have broadband Internet connections."  And this is something I appreciate.