Verdict: The app looks nice, explains exactly what it does, and does it well. I don't think this will be a hugely popular app, though, because the one trick it does could easily be built into other Twitter-based apps--like TwitR.me, for example.

Busuu

Reader felbero09 says: "Was just wondering where are the social networks for learning new languages? I am user of , and it helps me a lot to improve my Spanish! For sure this is going to be a big trend in 2009!" Okay! Thank you! I agree!

The idea of using Web 2.0 tools to make learning new languages less boring and more social is far from new. Many other sites, like the well-known and have employed social networking features. A large number of smaller e-learning sites, like , have popped up in the last few years, as well. So Busuu isn't doing anything new, and it has a lot of competition. Perhaps the highlight of Busuu is its proprietary video chat application, which you can use to talk to "native speakers" in other countries.

Verdict: I like this site. It's well-designed and easy to use. But the e-learning market isn't so big that it can support the many sites that already exist. I did a Google search for "I want to learn Spanish" and Busuu finally showed up on page eleven of the search results, after ten pages full of competing sites. Is Busuu's approach sufficiently different (and eye-catching) that it can emerge from the crowd in 2009? Answer: I'm not seeing it.