Skype, the popular call-making program, has been re-engineered by experts at Microsoft in order to reduce its energy usage ahead of the launch of Windows 8, the eagerly-awaited new operating system. The new application helps to ensure the computer's central processing unit (CPU) remains working when it is left to run in the background.
While the changes may seem relatively trivial, to those consumers who use Skype on their laptops quite often, it may make a significant difference to their purchasing habits. Microsoft's long-term hope is that Skype, which it acquired for $8.5 billion in 2011, can start to compete more strongly with the likes of Google Talk in this field.
Microsoft explained that the new software kicks into action when a user's activity on a Windows 8 application is suspended, with the battery-saving mode coming into effect as soon as this happens. Piero Sierra, Skype's Director of Program Management, confirmed that the impressive new function would first be made available to Windows 8 tablet and laptop users first. In time, however, the technology will migrate to other platforms, including the Windows Phone 8 smartphone system.
"Skype evolved on the desktop as a large application that maintains a connection with all of your peers," he explained to the BBC.
"This architecture was designed in a world where cloud services were not readily available, and it scales very well on desktops. But as our users are more and more connected to other mobile devices, battery life becomes a top consideration, and thus a service-based architecture like the one we are introducing makes a lot of sense."
But owing to the fact that other software developers will be able to access the Connected Standby feature, the expectation within the industry will be that Microsoft's advantage will not last long.
Meanwhile, Stuart Miles, the Editor of the Pocket-lint tech site, told the news provider that this may encourage larger devices to follow suit. "People don't want inefficient apps in the same way as they don't want an inefficient boiler in their house," he said. "The idea that they have created an app that uses 0 percent of the CPU will make users more inclined to use it in the background."