Skype have just relased their Office Toolbar which allows you to:

Place calls and send the file you are currently working on via Skype. The toolbar recognizes phone numbers within your document and lets you call them using SkypeOut or send SMS messages.

I’m a little surprised that Skype developed this themselves and didn’t leave it for one of their developer partners to create. Microsoft has a history of “stealing oxygen” from their partners by moving things that would have been add-ons into the operating system. Is Skype going the same way?