Since studying German at the Goethe-Institut in Berlin last Spring I have been remiss in my German-learning. I spent the last 2 weeks in Berlin and realize that my German is falling apart.

As you know, I am a proud member of Rosetta Stone’s TOTALe language-learning solution — and also a former Rosetta Stone blogger.  Last night I wanted to refresh my German since I had an hour.

I didn’t feel like getting my laptop out and was on my Apple iPad so I searched the Apple iTunes App store for maybe a flashcard app or something that has recently come out.  Well, on a lark, I searched for “Rosetta” and up popped the TOTALe Companion for iPhone.  Though not ideal, I downloaded it.

I dusted off my TOTALe login and password and before I knew it not only was I refreshing and practicing the vocabulary I learned at Goethe-Institut Berlin, Hartnackschule Sprachschule, and on Rosetta Stone TOTALe but the TOTALe Companion is even better than that!  Why?

Well, it tests your pronunciation!  Yes, the language drills on TOTALe Companion are as sophisticated as they are on the proper website.  After they read you each work or phrase and show you a relevant supporting photo, there’s a “ping” and the application awaits your voice.

If you’re on an iPod Touch, you’ll need a headset but on the Apple iPad or the iPhone, you can just talk.  Just say the German word or phrase and you’ll either nail it, part of it, or you’ll fail to pass.  If you fail to pass a few times, it just pops you to the next one.  And you can do this all the way through all of the vocab in the entire course.

What’s even better is that you can download each lesson to your device so you can probably download lots and lots of vocab to your local device well in advance of studying, which means you don’t even need to be online to practice, do your drills, memorize, and also practice your speech and pronunciation.

Mind you, I have been reading the comments and reviews in the Apple Store and some have been pretty bad and here’s why: people want everything for free and the full TOTALe course costs about a thousand dollars a year and the TOTALe Companion requires, ultimately, that you become a member of the Rosetta Stone TOTALe system — become a subscriber.

If you’re not a subscriber, I think you’ll be able to get three months free; however, this isn’t a stand alone app — you need to login with the credentials you’re given when you join the Rosetta Stone TOTALe language-learning system.

I do own an Apple iPod Touch so it’ll be perfect on there, though I have been using it on the iPad.  Since this app is a native iPhone and iPod Touch app, when you install it onto the iPad, it’s not built for the iPad.

So, you’ll have to deal with app being a small little emulated iPhone app in the middle of the iPad screen or you can click the “2x” and have a passable iPad experience.

The gorgeous photography that Rosetta Stone is known for looks great on the iPad so once you get going, you won’t even care that you’re using an iPhone and iPod Touch-only app because it just looks great.  But I can’t wait to use it on my iPod Touch — honestly, I really need to just get myself an iPhone.

I have not tried it out yet, but I believe the app has also has a hand-free mode so maybe you can use the app just passively to be able to just listen to the words while you’re doing something else, like at the gym.

The TOTALe Companion is what I have been waiting for.  It is a little bit of a pain needing to do everything on my laptop with a headset.

Rosetta Stone TOTALe Companion on iTunes App Store

This exclusive application is for Rosetta Stone Version 4 TOTALe™ customers only. To purchase Version 4 TOTALe™ or upgrade from Rosetta Stone Version 3 visit RosettaStone.com.

Continue your Rosetta Stone TOTALe™ experience away from your computer with Rosetta Stone TOTALe Mobile Companion™, exclusively for Rosetta Stone TOTALe customers. This unique application enhances language learning with Rosetta Stone TOTALe by incorporating our innovative speech-recognition technology, so you can practice your speaking skills wherever you take your iPhone® or iPod Touch® mobile device.

About Rosetta Stone TOTALe

Start discovering a new language with Rosetta Stone Version 4 TOTALe. TOTALe pairs everything that’s made Rosetta Stone the language-learning leader worldwide with an entirely new experience online. With TOTALe, you learn using our award-winning software, practice online with native-speaking tutors, and connect with others in our exclusive online community filled with games and other activities.

When you are away from your computer, you can continue your exploration of language with Mobile Companion™. Mobile Companion works seamlessly with the other Rosetta Stone TOTALe features to help you progress in your language-learning journey.

With Rosetta Stone TOTALe Mobile Companion, you’ll be able to:

- Practice your speaking, pronunciation, and vocabulary skills anytime, anywhere.
- Refine your skills with material from Rosetta Course™.
- Learn using either the touchscreen or hands-free mode.

Everything works together in Rosetta Stone TOTALe to move you towards real-world conversational ability.

This application is only usable by TOTALe customers. Speech-recognition technology requires a headset microphone on iPod Touch devices. Find out more at RosettaStone.com.

Start learning a new language today with solutions from Rosetta Stone.

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