Popular VoIP provider Skype announced at a MacWorld event last night the new 2.8 Beta for Mac OS X.

The new version will be available today from the Skype website.

Perhaps the most notable feature of the release is Skype Access, a service that lets users connect to any of the 100,000 Boingo WiFi hotspots using Skype. When Skype users connect, they will pay on a per-minute basis, and the fee (roughly 20 cents per minute) is deducted from their Skype Credit. No Boingo monthly fee and no hourly or daily fees either.

Another interesting feature is screen sharing. Users can share their entire screen or just one part of their screen with another Skype user. Now, a Mac Skype user can share their screen with Windows and Linux users - sweet.

Other features of the 2.8 realease include chat prioritization, notes on contacts, quick add, a new set of icons, mood message chat, larger avatars and hidden avatars.