So far i must say im loving the Skype for Business Preview heres a few of the new things to come. The preview client is an update to the Lync 2013 client which is still using the Lync 2013 Server backend so not all the new features are visible yet such as Skype directory in the client and call via work but there’s loads of good stuff now.

New UI Look and Feel

Skype Sounds

The Lync sounds are replacing with new Skype for business sounds missed the Lync sounds at first but very much getting used to Skype4B now 🙂

Picture bubbles with smaller presence icons

New out of office icon

  took me a while to get this one.

Meetings UI

Flatter menus and fewer options no hovering like Lync 2013

Whiteboarding and polling and Q and A are found under more….

Call Monitor

Always on top over opened apps with hangup and mute.

No more racing to find the mute and hang up button.

and VIDEO !

Hover for call controls with video

New Alerting Options

Select different display and Position for toast 🙂 the little things make a big difference !

Animated Emoji’s

can be turned off

Call Controls

Meaning quicker transfers in 2 clicks 🙂

Always one i hear about with Lync 2013 from users is slow transfers.

Tabbed Conversations

Have Message count and message preview which is nice to have