Skype has officially announced through its official blog site on Monday that it will be releasing the newest version of its app on October 26th, Friday, which is the same day as the Windows 8 launch.

The new version appears as a ‘live tile’ on the Start screen which features a sleek and modern design. It has a true Metro/tiled look and feel to it that ties in nicely with Microsoft’s Windows 8 user interface. The dial pad has been tweaked to show your remaining Skype Credit balance together with active subscriptions and recent calls.

The headline feature in Skype for Windows 8 is ‘always on’, which means that Skype can run side-by-side with another app and continue running in the background in a low-power-consumption but always-on mode, making the user reachable at all times.

“On Windows 8, you can be always available and reachable whether you are using a desktop, laptop, tablet or convertible PC with Skype running seamlessly in the background without draining your battery,” says Mark Gillet, Skype’s Chief Development and Operations Officer, in the blog post, also adding, “You’ll be able to receive voice and video calls and chats even if you’ve navigated away to another app or to the desktop, enabling you to stay more connected with your contacts whatever you’re doing.”

Check out the new Skype’s introductory video below:

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