Integration on the march

If there is any common thread to the the Microsoft and Google forays into voice, it would appear to be closer integration of IM/voice with existing email/calendar functions (as Andy has rightly highlighted). Today Skype and TOM.com take their relationship one step further with an equity JV (Skype a minority partner at 49%) geared toward marketing a slim-line version of Skype to China, with closer integration with TOM.com's portal content.