Microsoft has finally released Skype for Windows Phone. The absence of Skype had been a glaring hole in Windows Phone's relatively small arsenal of apps, but it actually was less meaningful than it seemed. Until recently, there were no Windows Phones with front-facing cameras, removing half the point of the service. The real embarrassment comes from the fact that Microsoft owns Skype, which supports just about every other platform out there.

InformationWeek's Eric Zeman installed the program on his Nokia Lumia 800 to give it a spin. He was impressed with some things, such as the call quality, but there are obvious weaknesses in the program. Overall, the product feels like a placeholder waiting for their real effort.

Click here to read Eric Zeman's hands-on evaluation of Skype for Windows Phone.

Microsoft added more points about the new product in this blog post, such as the fact that they have tested and certified it on these phones:

• Nokia Lumia 710
• Nokia Lumia 800
• Nokia Lumia 900
• HTC Titan
• HTC Radar
• Samsung Focus S
• Samsung Focus Flash

No real company of any size would use Skype as a telephony service. In fact, it's common for network administrators to chase Skype off their networks. Click here to read Larry Seltzer's analysis of Skype use in the enterprise..