• The Next Web, Friday, October 14, 2011 12 AM

Well, that didn’t take long. This week, just hours after Skype officially joined the Microsoft family, the VoIP provider removed Google Toolbar from its installer package for Windows. “The release notes for Skype 5.6 confirm the change in an update that also contains ‘attribution of used third party software’ (perhaps another Microsoft-related change) and bug fixes,” The Next Web reports.

Google offers incentives to developers who bundle its toolbar with their products. Now that Skype is part of Microsoft, however, such a deal would be “awkward to say the least,” as Next Web puts it. “And it won’t need the revenue provided from such a deal anyway.” As has been previously reported, Skype is expected to continue offering its products on multiple, non-Microsoft platforms.

CEO Tony Bates, meanwhile, has assumed the title of president of the Skype Division of Microsoft, reporting directly to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. “Expect Skype to be integrated into Microsoft products in coming months,” Next Web adds -- and, we think it’s safe to say, for Google to pick up its voice game.

Read the whole story at The Next Web »