This update includes the following changes:
- Improved performance
- Fixed file upload for multiple files
- Added dashboard page in portal
- Improved website
- Optimized transmission reports
- Added “only send notification if an error occurs” setting to notification options
- Fixed relogin issue after sending a fax from Portal
- Group notification checked by default if more then one recipient
- Startup hint “unsent faxes” shows count of faxes, not recipients
- Improved “set password” dialog on first start
- “sent” time is only shown when fax was sent, not while it’s processed
- Improved Facebook and Salesforce.com plugin. i.e. now also show faxes from inbox

There are many minor changes and bugfixes included in this update “under the hood” which just improve PamFax in many small areas. I.e. it is now easier to find information on the website about the rates, the Salesforce.com and Facebook plugins are much better now and the PamFax application is much faster now.

I want to emphasis one new feature that this update brings: the new dashboard page in the portal. Whenever you open your PamFax Portal now, you will see the new dashboard page:

On the dashboard page, you will get a very nice overview over your settings (like PamFax username, language, currency, date format, personal fax number, …) and your latest faxes (sent and received) and you are also able to change all these settings very easily by direct links into the settings of the application. Many of you have been asking for a one page overview of your account and settings – so here you go.

As this is an update on the server side there is no need for you to re-download the PamFax application. Just start PamFax and you will be using the new features!

What do you think? What needs to be added to the dashboard page? Comments welcome!

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!

Thanks to all users for using PamFax as their faxing solution and stay tuned for more exciting news around PamFax in the future!

In Facebook, you can now see your fax history with status of your latest faxes and even start a new fax very easy. If you want to see if a fax was delivered, it’s now only one click away:

In Salesforce.com, the integration goes much further: You not only have the fax history embedded in Salesforce, but you also have the ability to start a fax from any Contact, Account, User or Lead! So no more copy&paste to send a fax to one of your contacts, as PamFax starts with name and fax number prefilled and you only have to select what you want to fax and then send the fax.

And another integration is currently in development: A Windows Vista sidebar gadget. With this gadget, you have your latest faxes and fax status right on your desktop so you can check their status very easily. As with the other integraton tools, you can simply access your PamFax Portal or start a new fax with a single click. This will be available shortly.

Enjoy this new faxing comfort and please let us know what you think.

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!

We see the user base growing as well as the number of processed fax jobs/sent pages.

We are constantly monitoring the system and customer feedback and apply the learnings to new releases. We have done a lot to provide better and clearer feedback to PamFax users regarding error situations and how to resolve them. This results in higher success rates and a better customer experience. To be able to provide easier feedback, we have started a poll section of the forum where you are able to easily provide feedback to some thoughts we have. Help us improve PamFax here.

Another topic for us is integration. We think that PamFax users will want to have access to PamFax from other applications as well. So currently development is working on integrating PamFax in Facebook, Salesforce.com and in the Vista Sidebar. The integration will focus on providing information currently available in the Portal in other platforms. This will enable a PamFax user to have an overview of his fax account from multiple locations. Stay tuned for more information.