Skype is coming to Alexa devices, bringing another Microsoft service to Amazon's hardware

Last year, we concluded that Microsoft's only competitive advantage in the deal that saw Cortana coming to Alexa, and vice versa, was Skype. Now, Microsoft has said that it will offer Skype to Alexa devices, too. Later this year, according to Microsoft, Alexa-powered devices will be able to tap into Skype to place Skype audio and video calls to other devices, accept calls, and even place calls via Skype to landline and cellular phones. Microsoft called this the next step in the collaboration between the two companies, which included the original partnership, as well as the first implementations of the Cortana skill on Alexa devices, and the ability to use Alexa on Windows in August. Alexa can now be used on the Xbox, as well.