Skype has released a preview version (not even a Beta) of the Skype VOIP client. From the Skype Beta blog:

“The main change in this version, and the main reason for calling it a preview, is that we made some pretty significant changes in the audio handling part of Skype”

New features include:

New Sound Audio Lirary
Voice access API
Internet Explorer and Firefox plugins integrated (phone number recognition on web pages)
Clickable links in mood messages
Avatars clickable in chat windows
Added “Clear all missed events” in events panel rightclick menu

Skype Preview and the changelog here