Watch it here: http://shop.skype.com/know-how/videos/extras

Now Skype have completed the renovation and put the new catalogue live. There are now a total of four application categories:

• Business Extras
• Collaboration Extras
• Expression Extras
• Productivity Extras

Of our products the following are listed:

• Business: PamFax (Windows & Mac)
• Productivity: Pamela for Skype (currently not yet all editions)
• Expression: RichMoodEditor for Skype

Link to the page: http://shop.skype.com/extras

But this shut-down also includes the Skype Credit payment, which will be switched off shortly. No third-party software will then be able to accept Skype Credit payments.

So how does this affect Scendix/PamConsult products? The simple answer is: not very much.

Let’s take a look at all our products we have for Skype:

Pamela: Pamela only uses the Skype Public API and not the Skype Extras system. So this will not affect Pamela at all.

PamFax: With our upgrade to Pamfax 2.0 including a complete new architecture back in april this year, we are now completely independent from Skype’s Extras system. Current version of PamFax runs on any Windows or Mac machine even if Skype is not installed at all. What we loose in PamFax will be the possibility to buy PamFax Credits with Skype Credits and the entry in Skype’s “Extras” menu (once it will be removed by Skype; “later”). We are already investigating in other payment methods to use PamFax pay-as-you-go for some time now, as we heard from our users that only Skype Credit payment (which was not available on Mac or Linux at all) is not enough. So this is a very good time to add some more payment flexibility to PamFax.
As the fax-sending process is done by our own datacenters all around the world and not by the Skype network, PamFax will even work if they shut off Skype completely. Sometimes, independence is something very nice

Pamela Call Recorder: The Pamela Call Recorder can be seen as a small version of Pamela. So it will work even after this change in Skype. More then a year ago we built a “stand alone” version of the Pamela Call Recorder which can be downloaded from www.pamcorder.com. This version will work even if the user has a Skype version without the Extras Manager system. Just like PamFax you can just keep using the product.

mcePhone, Skype for Salesforce and others: Do not use the Skype Extras system at all. As the public Skype API will live on, there will be no change in these products.

We are still thinking about why Skype goes into this direction: the latest history has shown that opening up a product as a platform and to allow third-party software to connect and to enhance the core products can turn into a real self-runner making the platform and therefore the core product itself much, much more valuable. Think about what these products would be without any third-party software, plugins, addons or whatever they are called for each product: WinAmp, eBay, Apple iPhone, FireFox and thousands of other software products more that are good because there are good plugins for this product.

Could you imagine using an iPhone without any third party software installed on it? What if there would not be a possibility to buy iPhone apps as easy as it is right now? Would you enter your credit card data into a shop system you never saw before from a company that you have never heard before to buy a fun app for USD 1.99 just to try it out? Apple has shown that a very well done “Extras system” with a safe, easy and WORKING payment possibility can boost sales of the apps and the core product.

If Skype did not believe in their Extras System 1.0, perhaps it was because it had so many problems and was not extended for at least 2 years now. It was developed once and then there was no progress at all. Some major things that made the Skype Extras system a flop in our eyes: a) only on windows, not available on Mac or Linux, b) horrible client-only Skype payments implementation, c) very unflexible (games as developer-examples shows the focus when it was developed…), and loads more.
But why it’s so hard for a multi-billion-dollar company to hire some people with the according knowledge and make it better? Skype Extras System 2.0? Just shutting down the whole thing is just a decision at the round table, but standing up for a product platform and fight to make it better than it was before to make it a success is a hard and long road to go.

We believe that some changes are always a good chance to make something much better than it was before. For us, this means finding more ways to market our software and the opportunity to change the pay-as-you-go payment process in PamFax will be a great step forward in making our products even better.

So: R.I.P. Skype Extras System. Let’s find something better out there!

• Support (finally) for Macintosh
• Fax-In as part of the new Pro Plan covering 27 countries
• Complete redesigned PamFax application user interface for easier fax submission and managment
• New portal design
• Multi document sending
• Also works without Skype Extras Manager (Skype Credit then not supported)
• Country upgrades to cheaper zones
• Significant page price drop

We are on track for a tentative lauch on April 27.

For existing users it is important to know that we will allow existing PamFax Pro subscribers to upgrade to the new plan which includes a fax-in number from one of the 27 countries. As soon as we release PamFax 2.0 all 1.0 users will be upgraded automatically at next application start. Obviously the new page rates will apply to existing credit balances.

Attached two screenshots of what the new application looks like.

In Pamela several things were fixed like a bug when recording conference calls which resulted in the recording stopping when you added a person to the conference. We also fixed the call transfer feature which was broken in 4.5.0.96. A potential crash situation after finishing a call recording was also implemented.

In addition we decided to auto upgrade the entire Pamela user base to the new version. So all users who are still using an older Pamela version  will receive an automatic update notification when they start Pamela.

In Pamela Call Recorder we also fixed the conference call bug and an issue related to settings not being saved as well as some minor things. The released version is 4.5.0.50 and is available from www.pamcorder.com. The new version has an improved installation routine which now will also allow starting the call recorder from the Skype Tools, Do More menu (requirement is that Skype Extras Manager is installed).

We activated the auto update for Pamela Call Recorder as well as we think the new version has several important fixes. People starting Pamela Call Recorder with an olderversion number then 4.5.0.49 will receive an automatic update notification.

Based on users feedback we have added two new fax plans. Next to “Pay As You Go” we intorduced “PamFax Professional Plan” and pre-paid packs.

The new plan “PamFax Professional Plan” provides a 35% discount on the standard rates for only €2,95 per month. Ideal for companies sending faxes regularly and who want to save significantly. The page price starts at €0,09 for zone1.

Packs are pre-paid and start at €30 up to €1.000. The discount on the standard page price starts with 5% when buying €30 credit and goes up to 40% when buying €1.000 credit. Ideal when you need to send a bulk fax or plan to send many faxes at once or in a short timeframe. Note that, unlike with our competitors, purchased packs do not expire within a month.

The plan and packs can be purchased at the new PamFax shop located at www.pamfax.biz/shop.

With the three fax sending options (Pay As You Go, PamFax Professional Plan and the packs), everyone can save substantially when using PamFax. Start with “Pay As You Go” and then you may consider to purchase the plan or a pack. In any case we want to offer the best and easiest faxing platform and the most attractive rates.

Please send in any feedback regarding above plans and how we can help you be more efficient and productive.

In the light of the above new offers we released a new server and client update. The big change in the new client is the improved startup speed. We had some complaints from users where the startup time of the PamFax application was very long, too long. So we changed that and the new .34 client build will startup a lot faster.

Until Skype release the new version in the extras gallery the update needs to be done manually by downloading and running the setup from www.pamfax.biz. Once Skype have published the new version the update will be automatic when you next start the PamFax application.

We hope you enjoy using our service and as always appreciate your feedback. Stay tuned for more cool stuff soon!

Changelog of 1.0.51.33 (.51=Server, .33=Client)
- Client: Implemented workaround where on some systems PamFax registry settings where missing
- Client: Updated scanner driver
- Client: Scanned documents are now saved as PDF instead of TIFF
- Server: International numbers are corrected if PamFax notices that they are obviously wrong (i.e. a “0″ after +49 for German numbers is removed automatically)
- Server: Show warning if fax is higher priced because it is a slow number, mobile or a service number
- Server: Updated cover templates and added a blank one so you can also just send a written text as fax
- Server: PamFax shows “Recommend to a friend” page automatically
- Client+Server: Improved starting/connecting behaviour

If you want to update the PamFax client because you have regular connection timeouts on first start (Skype bug) or want better scanner support just download PamFax build 33 and run the installer which will update your PamFax to the latest version.

Stay tuned for more cool stuff enhancing your PamFax experience soon. We are super happy with PamFax performance and the feedback we receive from users is exceptionally good. So keep the feedback coming!

The highlights of the update are:

1. Redesigned first page in PamFax application for easier start.
2. Resend fax option added to portal. This is nice as it allows you to resend failed faxes easily.
3. Added more conversion server power.
4. If a document can not be converted to PDF due to issues in the document, there is now a gracious refund process.
5. Fixed a Vista UAC issue when Skype is started by PamFax after installing PamFax.

Besides the above we also did the normal set of minor bug fixing and improvements here and there.

Some screenshots:

Your PamFax application will be auto-updated once Skype have released the new version to the Skype Extras Gallery.

Very soon we will be posting about another cool new function we will be adding. This time it will be about integration of PamFax in Facebook, Salesforce.com and in the Vista SideBar. Stay tuned!

In addition the latest PamFax version increases the number of ways you can submit a fax. In the past this was only possible in the client directly and via Microsoft Office. Now you can also print your document to PamFax from any application.

Our next step is to get PamFax officially Skype certified and get it listed as Skype Premium Extra. This means that PamFax will be much more easily accessable from the Skype menu Tools, Do More.

Two things people ask for most are Fax-In capability and Mac version. We are looking at how to offer Fax-In as a subscription and will post an update here as soon as there is some news. A Mac version would be really cool, but the main limitation here is that the Skype Extras Manager subsystem which hosts PamFax is not available on Mac. This is the module that also does the payment with Skype Credit. We are looking at alternative ways.

Please keep the feedback coming and should you have issues please take a look at the forum (which has had a major overhaul): www.pamfax.biz/forum.

Just download the updated installer from pamfax.biz. The download from the Skype Extras Gallery will be updated in the next days by Skype.