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Posts Tagged Bible

How Fast Is Your Bible App

Feb 23

Posted by Kevin Purcell in Bible Software, Bible Study, Digital Bible Study, Technology, iphone | No Comments

Speed is everything. Well, not always. In fact I don’t really think that how fast a Bible app opens on the iPhone or iPod Touch is that big a factor in judging the quality of a Bible app so long as it opens in a decent amount of time (less than 6-10 seconds) and does actually open. However, with the recent upgrade of OliveTree, the speed at which the app opens has become a bragging point. OliveTree says they cut the time it takes to open the app in half. So I got curious and tested my four favorites (Laridian PocketBible, Logos, MantisBible and OliveTree)  plus YouVersion since it is so popular. Just a note, the only reason I don’t count YouVersion as one of my favorites is that it really is only a Bible reading app. There are no commentaries or other recourses in it. Just so you can try it out, what I did was open each app cold – which is to say that I had not opened it previously. Apps will open faster if they were open before since the iPhone OS leaves some programs in memory. So to ensure this, I actually rebooted my iPhone by pressing and holding the power button on the top and the home botton just below the screen. It gives you a red slider and you slide it into position and the phone shuts down.  Press and hold the power button on the top of the device to start it back up after about a minute. Then I made sure that it was fully started and began by first opening the each Bible app first cold (never opened before) and then I closed it by pressing the home button and reopened it.  I timed just counting 1-1,000, 2-1,000. I know it is not that scientific but its good enough for this kind of test.

Here are my results.

PocketBible opened up to HCSB cold in 7 seconds. It reopened in less than 3 seconds.

OliveTree opened up to ESV cold in 4 seconds. It reopened in less than 2 seconds.

Logos opened to the Home screen (cannot open directly to a Bible) in less than 5 seconds. There was no difference when reopening. This is probably due to the fact that it must contact the Logos server.  I was testing using Wi-Fi.

MantisBible opened to the ESV cold in just under 5seconds.  It reopened in just over 3 seconds.

YouVersion opened to NET cold in 4 seconds. It reopened in 5 seconds. I downloaded the translation so that I’d be opening an offline version.

My conclusion is that while OliveTree is one of the fastest, it is not so much faster that it should be a factor in app quality. In fact, unless I notice a program taking a very long time to open, I would never even mention this in future reviews of Bible apps for the iPhone. Finally, since Logos has to contact the Logos server except when you have your phone in airplane mode, it will take longer if you have a slower connection. Most of the time Wi-Fi will be the fastests with 3G next followed by Edge. Sometimes when I am on Edge, Logos’ app is very slow to open. The iPhone OS gives an app 30 seconds to open. If it fails to open in that amount of time, then it will kill the app making it look like it is crashing. Sadly, on Edge this as caused problems when opening Logos’ app. It MantisBible used to have this problem, but they fixed it. I’ve never had this problem with OliveTree or PocketBible. And YouVersion will always need an Internet connection to be used effectively.

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iPad and Bible Study

Jan 30

Posted by Kevin Purcell in Bible Software, Bible Study, Digital Bible Study, Sermons, Technology, ipad, iphone | 2 Comments

I was one of those Geeks that watched and wondered as Steve Jobs announced the new Apple iPad (worst name of what looks to be a nice product ever). I am an early adopter Tech geek. So I will be wanting one of these devices as soon as they are released.

As I watched, the first thought that I had was what a valuable tool for Bible study out and around this will be. Currently, I have a very heavy HP laptop. It has a huge 12 cell batter which allows me to sit in a coffee shop or the bread place near me for five or more areas not tethered to the power company. It is nice, but also heavy. I’d love to go lighter and though about a netbook. But those tiny keyboards are horrible for a ham fisted guy like me. But an iPad (ugh! – I hate that name) might do the trick. I don’t know yet.

But while my favorite Bible study apps will run on it out of the box, there are going to have to be some improvements to allow me to do full-time Bible study on it. Maybe these will never take place. But here is what I see as the most important improvements needed.

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Logos iPhone App Running in Ipad

  1. Since there is no multi-tasking (the ability to switch from the Bible study app to a word processor and back without closing one to open the other) there needs to be two things. First, there needs to be a good word processor in the app. I’m not talk MS Word quality but MS Works quality or even less. Maybe something as good as Notes with formatting and styles and footnoting.  I won’t likely leave my content there, but I want to be able to write my sermon or Bible study in the app. When I am done, I can export it or copy/paste it into something like Docs To Go or the word processor Apple has created for the iPad. Second, there must be the option to open the app exactly as I left it. This is not a big deal for most of the current Bible study apps for iPhone/iPod Touch. But one or two do not remember your lost location. The Logos iPhone app always loads to what I call there ad page. It contains your Reading Plan as well as announcements from the company. But if I am studying in a commentary and have to exit Logos to write in my word processor, I want to quickly go back to that spot I was studying before.
  2. Split Screen view at least. With more screen real estate to work with, there is no good reason not to have a split screen view with one book open in one half and the other open in the other half. This is already possible in some apps, but not many.

I would love to hear other ideas. I will add good ones to this list.

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Nice iPhone App Comparison

Jan 12

Posted by Kevin Purcell in Bible Software, Bible Study, Digital Bible Study, Technology, iphone | No Comments

Dave Dunkin, a developer of the Logos iPhone app, created a very nice and very fair comparison chart of all the major iPhone Bible apps. The reason this is significant is that he is extremely honest and fair when judging his own app. He don’t just glow about the Logos app. The extensive chart compares Logos, BibleReader from OliveTree, PocketBible from Laridian, YouVersion, Paul Avery Bible and Mantis.

Check it out at Dave’s Blog over at the rabble.rule blog.

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Creating Content for iPhone Bible Apps

Jan 5

Posted by Kevin Purcell in Bible Software, Bible Study, Digital Bible Study, Technology, iphone | No Comments

In a recent post I commented that PocketSword was the only app that I knew of that would allow you to create books for your use in an iPhone Bible app. That is sort of true, but not entirely accurate. Let me explain.

PocketSword lets you create books and then install them using special instructions on their web site. That really distinguishes it from the other major iPod Bible vendors. One of our readers reminded me that Laridian has a program called Book Builder that lets you create your own books. The $29 version will let you create books for some platforms, but not for the iPhone. However, their Pro version for $99, does let you create books that you can then submit to Laridian and have them host the book on their servers, making them available to whomever you choose. So, for example, I could create a book of all my sermons and let them host it and make it available for free to anyone who has the iPhone app from Laridian. So, this does make it possible although not for free. The hosting is free but you have to buy the Book Builder. Not sure how hard this is, but at least it is possible.

If you know of another iPhone Bible app that allows you to create books or translations of the Bible for use on their app, I would love to know about it and will pass it on to our readers.

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PocketSword for iPhone

Dec 31

Posted by Kevin Purcell in Bible Software, Bible Study, Digital Bible Study, Technology, iphone | 4 Comments

PocketSword is a recently released iPhone and iPod touch Bible app sponsored by the CrossWire Bible Society. It is great for those who only want public domain books. It is also the only iPhone app I know of that allows a user to create his or her own module using the format sponsored by CrossWire’s SWORD Project. The project’s purpose is to produce Bible software for as many platforms as possible using a “common technology.” The iPhone app is now available in v. 1.0 in the App Store.

The app is free and has a lot of free content available for download. It comes with the KJV (with Strong’s, but at this point the Strong’s info is not displayed) and Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary installed. But you can add other Bibles and commentaries as well from within the app.

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The interface, as you can see is very simple. You open the app and across the bottom there are five navigational buttons. Each takes you to a different part of the program. You can read the currently open Bible, the currently open commentary, or tap the module button to open a different Bible or commentary.  Currently, that is all that PS has available – Bibles and Commentaries. Other Bible apps let you read books, look up words in dictionaries, etc. The number of modules available is extensive if all you want are free, public domain books. The only modern translations available were the English Standard Version and the New English Translation. The rest are public domain books. Users of the other CrossWire Sword Project applications for Linux, Windows, MAC or other PDA will be happy. Also if you are an e-Sword (unrelated to the SWORD Project) user, then you will likely not miss the modern works. I do so PocketSword will never be more than just a curiosity to me.

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Navigating through the Bible is simple. You can either tap the arrow buttons on the top to take you from chapter to chapter. Or you can tap the reference button which reveals the very unique iPhone scrolling selector. I personally prefer a bingo style Book, Chapter, Verse selector as is available in many of the other iPhone apps. But the scrolling style selector works.

As I mentioned above, there are many available resources. To get them you will have to download and install them. This is a simple process from within the app. Select More on the bottom right and then Downloads. There will be a list of CrossWire sites available (likely two at this point) with a list of all the available modules. Try the first one and you will see Biblical Texts and Commentaries. Tap one and you will see a long list. There are dozens of Bibles in languages I never new existed. I found the Ancient Greek section and downloaded Westcott and Hort’s Greek text of the NT. And then went into the English texts to find ESV, NET, and a couple of others. Downloading takes just a short time on a fast connection. When it is finished and installed you can then open that text to read offline.  I then got a couple of commentaries including JFB, Barnes, the NET Notes and others. Make sure you check out the second CrossWire server too. There were a few different works there not available on the first.

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The preferences in PS are simple. You can change the Font Size and Style. You can also switch to a night mode with dark background and light text. The app has a lock to keep it from going into landscape mode when reading in bed. You can display text in a verse per line mode or paragraph mode. You can also show words of Christ in red letter in some translations.

There are few frills like notes, devotional tracking, syncing, dual pane view. But you can add bookmarks.

The PocketSword app is a nice Bible and commentary reader. It is not much more. Unless you are looking for public domain books, I would look at one of the more advanced tools available. But due give it a download and test since it is free.

One thing that PS has that no one else does right now is the give you the ability to create and load your own content.  To do so you will have to jump through a lot of hoops. See the PocketSword web site for instructions. The process does not look like a minor affair. You have to create a specially formatted Zip file in the CrossWire format. You then load it on your device through a WebKit enabled browser. Safari and Chrome work but the site says that Firefox does not and they have not tried it on IE. You connect your device via wifi and go through your browser and then open the app on the device and go into a special mode from within the preferences called Module Maintainer Mode.

UPDATE: Just to clarify, when I say that no one else lets you create resources for their app, I am talking about on the iPhone. Laridian does have a book builder that is available for $99.00. According to Craig Rairdin of Laridian, they will let you host your books if you use the Pro version to create it. So, Laridian does give you an option to create and load books on the iPhone.

If you want to use the app and get help, not only check out the site but also the user forum. The are not very active yet, but if the app takes off I am sure they will be.

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How Much Should Bible Software Cost

Dec 8

Posted by Kevin Purcell in Bible Software, Bible Study, Digital Bible Study, Technology | No Comments

Nothing!

Next question…

Now let’s wake up and return to reality. There are some great, free Bible software solutions. The most popular is e-Sword. But if you want modern translations, then you likely will have to pay even with e-Sword. So how much should you have to pay if you want more than just public domain Bible study tools?

The more commercial products range from $30-$90 for a very basic product. Yet, you can also pay thousands of dollars for extensive, scholarly libraries from companies like Logos or WordSearch. These are very good applications that will help the average Christian read, study, and learn about the Bible and its message while offering Bible scholars the advanced tools they need. If you get one of the inexpensive collections of these programs you may later want to add some books to help further you study. To do so you will usually have to pay.

So, how much should Bible software cost? Or more accurately, how much should publishers charge for their books in electronic format?

I have an Amazon Kindle. Typically, books are cheaper on the Kindle than in hard copy format – or as I like to call it, dead tree edition (not because I am a big environmentalist extremist, but because it’s just funnier). I think this is fair since it costs Amazon far less to store, ship and distribute electronic books than it does dead tree editions. Shouldn’t all ebooks be cheaper than the dead tree editions?

Digital editions of Bibles and Biblical resources is not as simple as sending a Word file, text document or PDF of the books over the Internet. In Bible software they have to tag it, add hyperlinks to Bible references, among other things. This can be labor intensive. Some are just text. But the better Bible software engines do more to the book than they do to a dead tree edition.  So it takes extra effort to make a Bible software copy of a book and it has added functionality. So why not make it cost more? Digits do not cost any money to reproduce after the original file has been produced. With a book, there is a cost with every copy of that book that is sold. The cost is tied up in the actual paper and ink, the storage while the book is waiting to be sent to the customer or the store, and the cost of the sending.  With an ebook you simple copy it to a new location.  As the cost of storage plummets, we are talking pennies or fractions of a penny. The Bible software company only has to have enough copies on a hard drive somewhere to ensure it is backed up safely. Every time a consumer buys that book, they just make a copy and either send it across the Internet or put it on a cheap storage medium, like a DVD or flash drive.  Each copy of the Bible software and the dozens or thousands of books costs pennies to dollars in raw material.  Add a little bit for the cost of the person who is taking the order (if there is such a person) and the other overhead of supporting that program, and you have a minimal cost compared to dead tree books. So, instead of costing them more because of the extra work on the front end, the ebook actually costs much less to produce. Therefore, instead of being more or even equal in price, the ebook should be cheaper than the dead tree book.

There is another issue to consider. With ebooks there is a far greater risk than there is with dead tree books. What if the company goes out of business or stops distributing the program. I have Zondervan’s Pradis version of Expositor’s Bible Commentary. After this year, they won’t be selling it. And soon they will not be supporting it. The argument could be made that I can always use that program and the books contain in it. But what if the next version of Windows is incompatible with the current program? I will be stuck either maintaining a current generation Windows PC just to use that program or I will lose it. Of course Zondervan can help alleviate my fears and those of others by giving us a free copy of the Logos versions. But that is unlikely given their track record.

For two reasons stated above – the added risk of ebooks and lower cost of producing them – Bible software companies should sell their Bibles and resources at a reduced rate.  The good news, most do. But the point is all should.

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Logos 4 Review in Christian Computing Magazine

Nov 23

Posted by Kevin Purcell in Bible Software, Bible Study, Digital Bible Study, Technology, Writing, iphone | No Comments

Here is my review of Logos 4 in the Christian Computing Magazine. It is a free electronic magazine for Christian computer users.

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Notes are Coming!

Oct 30

Posted by Kevin Purcell in Bible Software, Bible Study, Digital Bible Study, Technology, iphone | No Comments

I get excited about some very boring things sometimes, but today I read about this about an upcoming Laridian PocketBible for iPhone update:

The major new feature is notes. You can associate notes with any Bible verse. Notes are independent of the Bible you’re reading. So a note on John 3:16 in the KJV also shows up on John 3:16 in the NIV.

Notes are indicated by a “Note” link at the start of the verse. Tap the link to view the note, or simply tap-and-hold anywhere on the verse to open the context menu and from there, choose to view or create a note.

Any references to Bible verses in your notes will be automatically linked. While viewing a note, just tap the reference to view the Bible verse. Notes are happy to be just plain text, but if you’re comfortable with HTML you can use most HTML tags in your notes. We provide a menu of HTML tags you can easily insert, and bold and italics are available from a toolbar in the note editor. So select the word you want to italicize, then use the <i> button to italicize it. No advanced HTML tagging knowledge required.

The note editor supports undo and redo. Few iPhone apps do, and for good reason. The current state of the text editing features on the iPhone is pretty primitive. It’s difficult to get access to everything you need to support undo/redo.

That will be great.  Of course their competitors at Olive Tree are doing some really exciting things with notes and syncing with Evernote.  Also Mantis Bible has some form of note syncing and their web site.  Both are still very much in “beta”.

The update to Laridian’s software will be coming in a few weeks.  When it does it will also add rotation lock, copy/paste of passages and verses to other apps, and some bug fixes.

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An Illustration Bible

Oct 27

Posted by Kevin Purcell in Bible Software, Bible Study, Digital Bible Study, Ministry, Preaching, Technology | No Comments

Do you use Bible software to study for preaching and teaching? I do. One of my programs of choice is Logos. Morris Proctor is THE Logos guru and does training as well as sends out a newsletter with great tips and info on Logos.  In the most recent email newsletter he had a wonderful tip that I will likely employ for collecting illustrations.  It is below:

 

I recently received an e-mail with this question:

Preachers are always in search of the perfect illustration. I’ve been collecting stuff from various sources and dumping them into my notes.  
My question is:  Can I make my own customized "Illustration Bible" with my collected illustrations embedded into the various texts?

Excellent idea and question! Here’s what to do:

  • Create a new note file at File>New>Note File
  • Name the file something like Illustration Bible
  • Open any Bible to a verse for which you have an illustration
  • Right click on any word in the verse
  • From the right menu select Add a Note > Add a Note to Illustration Bible > Add a Note to "the verse"
  • This creates a note in the note file and adds a note indicator in the Bible
  • Paste the illustration in the note file
  • Click the Note Color icon on the note file toolbar and select a color for the note indicator in the Bible (use the same color for all illustrations and pick something other than the yellow default color)

Now when you open any Bible to that verse and see that color note indicator next to the verse, you know you have an illustration for it! Just click the indicator to jump straight to the illustration.

 

Get Morris Proctor’s info at his helpful site.

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