Arabic Skype.com updated; facts, figures in Arabic

Skype supported Arabic for years. This update lets you buy monthly subscriptions, buy Skype credit, and manage your Skype account. Here are some 2009q3 Skype facts and figures in Arabic - حقائق و معلومات عن سكايب.

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Hat tip to Skype's Peter Parkes.

tags: skype, arabic, localization, stats, statistics, charts, trends, presentations

Call me at +1-510-316-9773, Skype me, follow @skypejournal and @Phil Wolff.
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Back to School: Language Exchange Communities

Connecting with Native Speakers: Skype™ and Language Exchange Communities, a presentation by Jeremy Robinson (earthtofu on Skype) at the Bringing it Back: New Ideas for the Language Classroom conference at the Monterey Institute of International Studies on April 25, 2008.

Robinson says bringing classrooms together to study each others' language restores culture education, improving the quality of instruction. He demos Skype, shows how to find other classrooms through ePals, and offers a pedagogy.

Robinson suggests classroom language exchange:

• Raises cultural consciousness
• Is meaningful learning
• Contextualizes linguistic input/output
• Has intrinsic motivation
• Offers learner autonomy
• Builds communicative competence
• Integrates language skills

Robinson suggests iTalki among 19 online language learning communities.

He rightly ignores the sunk costs of computing and communications infrastructure. These new capabilities are free or nearly so, and ride atop previous investments.

tags: skype, education, language, training, communities, epals, italki

Call me at +1-510-455-4384, Skype me, follow @skypejournal and @Phil Wolff.
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Skype store sells third-party software

Four companies now sell their software in the US and UK Skype stores. All are Skype Certified and three have been Skype partners for years. Skype operates stores for many markets. 13 Skype "Extras" are available in all thirty of Skype's English language stores (Australia, Belarus, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Philippines,  Qatar, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, UAE, United Kingdom, United States).

Many of these stores aren't localized beyond currency and payment, operating in English instead of Eesti, Chinese, and the other languages people use. For now, UK and US customers are shopping in Euros instead of Pounds or dollars. US customers also pay UK value added taxes.

This is a bare bones start, but an important one. Skype is preparing to build a platform for programmers. An "app store" helps partners make money from their investment in your platform.

The "extras" department isn't seeing much traffic yet according to publishers. When it does, this distribution channel could encourage hundreds of existing developers to invest in Skype certification.

The first products in the store:

Company	Product	Description	Price
Cucku	Cucku Backup	Free remote backup to friends, family or a second PC.	Freeware
Scendix Software	Pamela Call Recorder	Pamela Call Recorder, play cool sounds and auto Chat Reply.	€17.79 incl. VAT
Scendix Software	Pamela for Skype - Business Edition	Includes easy integration with MS Outlook as well as call recording and other great features.	€29.95 plus VAT
Scendix Software	Pamela for Skype - Professional Edition	Pamela Professional allows you to record Skype calls of any duration as well other great features.	€19.95 plus VAT
Scendix Software	Pamela for Skype - Standard Edition	Pamela allows you to record Skype calls.	€12.95 plus VAT
Scendix Software	Pamela mcePhone for Skype	mcePhone for Skype allows you to seamlessly integrate Skype and Pamela in Windows Media Center 2005 and Vista.	€17.79 incl. VAT
Scendix Software	Pamela Rich Mood Editor	Create cool HTML formatted Skype Mood Messages	Freeware
Scendix Software	PamFax for Skype (Mac)	Send faxes to any fax number in the world.	FREE (pay per page)
PrettyMay Team	PrettyMay Call Center for Skype - Standard version	Skype PBX Phone System for Small Business.	$200 incl. VAT
PrettyMay Team	PrettyMay Call Recorder for Skype - Basic version	Record Skype calls FREE within 15 minutes.	Freeware
PrettyMay Team	PrettyMay Call Recorder for Skype - Business version	Record Skype Calls, Store voicemails, auto answering.	$29.95 incl. VAT
PrettyMay Team	PrettyMay Call Recorder for Skype - Pro version	Record Skype Calls, Store voicemails, auto answering.	$24.95 incl. VAT
Netralia Pty Ltd	Skylook - make more of MS Outlook with Skype	Recording contacts office outlook calling.	€99.95 incl. VAT

CORRECTION: The Pamela and PamFax software products are from Scendix Software, not PamConsult, their professional service firm.

tags: skype, devrels, store, pamconsult, pamela, pamfax, prettymay, netralia, skylook, cucku

Call me at +1-510-455-4384, Skype me, follow @skypejournal and @Phil Wolff.
Visit our Skype Journal private roundtable, one of the longest running public Skype chats.

Around The World with 80 Schools

Kids will learn geography, and maybe a little more about people, using Skype this year. Silvia Tolisano's Around The World with 80 Schools project will help her primary school visit briefly with other schools around the globe over Skype. Short calls to say hello and introduce yourselves. Your school can sign up on the Langwitches blog.

Such a great way to learn it's a big world, people are different and the same, it's a flat world with access only a click away, not everyone speaks English, languages are barriers you must overcome to be a part of the world, time zones matter in a flat world, and seasons differ.

Ms. Tolisano is also known for her great elementary school blogging curriculum.

tags: skype, florida, geography, language, langwitches, blogging, education, edutech

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Petr Silon: What Skype Means To Me

On the occasion of Skype's fifth birthday, Skype Journal will publish a series on "What Skype Means To Me." You are invited to email your essay or short thoughts to editor@SkypeJournal.com.

Petr Silon is Managing Director at xTel Ltd which runs Skype Hardware shop in the Czech Republic.

Opportunity. My Business. New friends. Everyday communication tool. Cool thing.

I use Skype daily nearly for five years. I started with Skype 0.8 beta version and shortly afterwards I first translated Skype's user interface into the Czech language. I became a volunteer translator for Skype for Windows. I’m helping people use Skype and I’m happy that the Skype family is growing. I started to sell Skype hardware and accessories also and this became my full-time job. I enjoy it.

Thank you Skype!

In Czech:

Petr Silon je ředitel společnosti xTel s.r.o., která provozuje obchod Skype Hardware shop v České Republice.

Příležitost. Moje podnikání. Noví známí. Každodenní prostředek komunikace. Bezva věc.

Skype používám skoro denně už 5 let. Začal jsem s verzí 0.8 beta a brzy jsem začal dělat český překlad Skype po Windows. Stal jsem se dobrovolným Skype překladatelem. Pomáhám lidem používat Skype a mám radost, že Skype používá čím dál více lidí. Začal jsem taky prodávat Skype techniku a příslušenství a stala se z toho moje práce na plný úvazek. Baví mě to.

Děkuji Ti Skype!

tags: skype, translation, localization, xtel, hardware, cz, czech, whatskypemeanstome

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Language Skypenomics: Myngle is a market for students and teachers

Myngle picked up €800k in first round funding last week. Language teachers offer their services through the site, students shop for teachers, they pay through Myngle, study through Skype. Co-founders include alumni of eBay, Berlitz, Razorfish and Proctor & Gamble.

Teachers set market prices, publish hours when they are available (Myngle takes care of time zone arithmetic). Students shop and sign up for lessons.

Myngle augments instruction. Teachers can use a whiteboard during a class. They can record podcasts for students to study before or after class. And they can design quizzes to warm up or reinforce a lesson.

Teachers can share curriculum and best practices within Myngle. A touch of community.

Language schools can also sign up, selling their service through Myngle. Sales and fees are administered through the school instead of the instructor.

It's not free. "Myngle charges 18% commission per lesson when you start teaching. This fee is charged for use of Myngle's platform and services, PayPal fees and includes VAT." Payment is immediate. Contrast this with Skype's Prime terms (30% commission, 15% VAT, 120 days to get paid, $30/hour minimum bill rate).

So, just to be clear, Myngle and the instructors are making the market, use free Skype to deliver service, and pay via PayPal. Skype is free.

Language and culture are the ultimate barriers to online communication. Solving those problems is a massive opportunity, with many competitors.

tags: skype, myngle, language, prime, elearning, learning, education, training, tutoring, school, schools, instruction, skypenomics

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