Well, we can’t say we saw this one coming, but Skype has just dropped a bombshell right in the middle of CES — it’s announced plans to acquire rival video calling company Qik . No terms of the deal have been disclosed, but Skype says that the transaction is expected to close this month. According to Skype, the two companies will “focus on providing a richer, more integrated experience that will allow people globally to share experiences in real-time video across different platforms,” and it notes that Qik’s “deep engineering capabilities and strong mobile relationships will be an impressive complementary fit with Skype.” Head on past the break for the official press release. Continue reading Skype announces plans to acquire Qik Skype announces plans to acquire Qik originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink