Peer-to-peer VoIP provider Skype today launched the beta version of its 2.0 software, which includes video calling and is designed to be easier to use. The company also announced partnerships with Webcam makers Logitech and Creative and Weblog software and services company Six Apart.

"At Skype, we want to make talking over the Internet the most natural, simple thing for people all over the world to do,” said Niklas Zennstrom, CEO of Skype, in a prepared statement. “With the release of our new software, it's never been easier for people to talk to one another for free, and now they can see each other with video as well."

Skype, which was acquired by eBay for $2.6 billion last summer, is late to the video game--AOL, Yahoo and others have been offering video calling for some time--but said it intends to make video more ubiquitous. Skype-certified Webcams will be available from Logitech online and from Creative in Europe through retailers, the company said.

The partnership with Six Apart will enable bloggers to integrate Skype-based calls into their Weblogs and enable readers to automatically initiate calls.

The new software includes Skype Video, which allows users to see the person with whom they are speaking and a window of what they are sending out. The company says the user interface is simpler and features a one-click access menu to key features and options, as well as a time-zone guide for contacts so users can see what time it before placing a call. Skype 2.0 allows users to customize their Skype identity with avatars and custom ring tones and to group contacts for easier conference calling. It also enables real-time searching for contacts.

In addition, Skype 2.0 features a toolbar to enable one-click calling to contacts listed in a Microsoft Outlook address book.