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Language Learning Community Babbel announced three new features today: its first mobile phone app for iPhones, iPods and iPads, a desktop client for PCs and Macs called Babbel Refresh and the possibility to adapt the learning material.

In a side note we learn that Babbel now has over 700.000 users in more than 200 countries.

This launch is the direct result of the short strategy announcement after Babbel received funding from the European union:

[...] we have plans to expand  through 2011 in technology and content. This means new and improved vocabulary packages, Beginners’ Courses, grammar lessons and an even better learning experience.

And then again in Markus Witte’s post about the change of Babbel 2.0 to premium only:

Our idea is to create a new kind of online learning system that adjusts itself to the needs of the learner and makes it easy to comprehend new subject matter without too much effort. [...]

To significantly improve our service and to approach that user-centered learning environment we’re dreaming of, we’ve put together an extensive team of professionals from different disciplines. Software developers and internet specialists work side by side with more than 20 teachers and language experts. Simultaneously, we are striving to make this complex application easy to use andmore or less imperceptible behind the content.

And it looks like they are now a big step closer to the company goal.

The Babbel iPhone apps were developed in cooperation with the German software company Aspirement and are available in any of the seven languages Babbel is currently offering. The app is free for subscribed users and there is also a free trial for those who aren’t susbcribed to the service yet.
The app automatically synchronizes with the user’s online account but there is also the possibility to purchase the app as standalone version for 5,99 Euro including up to 3000 words and phrases for any of the seven languages of the platform.

The new Babbel desktop client runs on Adobe Air which means it is compatible to PC and Mac systems alike. The client will help learners to stay on track and to regularly review the vocabulary. It’s basically an automatic reminder that calculates according to the progress of the learner which parts should be reviewed when. The learner can also adjust the reminder according to its work routine so that those messages appear in a time frame when the learner actually has the time to take a short review.

Last but not least learners can now adjust the system to personal preferences and can print out their personal vocabulary. This was a popular demand by the users of Babbel and is already a very successful feature on the CoboCards platform. Hence it seems that there is still a need for many people to have something physical in their hands which could lead to a whole new blog post .

As a last note Babbel gives a short overview on its growth saying that with the recent addition on Portuguese and Swedish to the languages offered on the platform the market entry to Portugal, Brazil and Sweden has started, pushing the number of members over the 700.000 mark.

As I said you can clearly see that Babbel sticks to its masterplan which they laid out briefly in the past months. The additions are very useful for language learners of the platform and even offer enough value in themselves to sign up for the service. This truly raises the bar for Livemocha and Busuu and I think it won’t take that long for them to announce something similar.

Read the Babbel Press Release.