Several months ago Microsoft allowed you to merge your Windows Live Messenger contacts into your Skype account as those two services began to come together with the intent of of providing one central messaging platform for your Microsoft related contacts.  Last month the official transition from Windows Live Messenger to Skype was started and now one more level of integration between your messaging contacts in Skype and your email contacts in Outlook.com is becoming a reality.

In a blog post at the official Outlook Blog David Pierce, the Group Program Manager for Microsoft’s Connected Services, announced that the new Skype – Outlook.com preview will begin with select accounts in the UK and then in the US.  Eventually it will roll out to all Outlook.com users as feedback on the merger is received and used to improve the user experience.

If you are not already using Skype have no fear because by virtue of having an Outlook.com account, which is a Microsoft Account, you have a Skype account so when the service becomes available to your Outlook.com account it will be simple to set things up.

This video gives a good idea of how the connections are made and received which appears to be very similar to how Messenger was accessible from the old Live.com/Hotmail.com site.