Microsoft's longstanding Lync 2013 application has been about to be transitioned into 'Skype for Business' for ages and it seems that this has now happened, at least for anyone running Windows Phone 8.1 and above. There has been a bit of a facelift, plus some improvements, including the availability of emoticons. (Smileys in business? Whatever next?....)

Here's the quoted changelog for the transition:

• Lync 2013 is now Skype for Business (both in name and logo)
• New Look and feel & Emoticons
• At-rest Data Encryption (Requires Re-install)
• Server Side Conversation History Support (Requires Skype for Business Server)

Here's Skype for Business in action:

Now renamed in the Store, using the same ID etc.; core to Skype for Business are groups of contacts, i.e. teams, and handy here to see their individual status, assuming they all keep this up to date(!)

Scheduling is integrated with your Microsoft account; (right) watching a remote 'Skype for Business' presentation...

The features of 'Skype for Business' are essentially identical to Lync 2013

• View shared content during a meeting, on your mobile device
• Initiate a group conversation (IM or video) or invite additional participants
• Join, rejoin, and initiate a Skype for Business Meeting to communicate and collaborate amazing ideas
• Control the meeting (mute or remove attendees)
• Transfer your calls to another phone number or another contact
• Pick up your conversations from the point where you ended them last
• Join (and enjoy) a Skype for Business Meeting even if you don’t have a Skype for Business account
• Enhanced security with Skype for Business certificate and passive authentication

The Skype branding, so familiar to the mass market, makes a lot of sense, since it instantly gets over what the application is for. Whereas 'Lync' was often met with blank looks. Moreover, Lync v5.x was often felt to be slow and clunky. We'll have to see how the new v6.x fares in the rightly picky enterprise market.

You can grab it here in the Windows Phone Store - note that the entry still says 'Lync 2013' for compatibility with older Windows Phone 8.0 handsets, but try installing or going via the QR code and you will get Skype for Business (as shown in the first screenshot above). Mind you, there's enough of a chance that your very use of this product will mean that you'll have an IT guy around to set it up for you anyway, so....(!)