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Posts Tagged Logos

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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It’s a Pleasure Doing Business With You

Feb 20

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

In a world where customer service is pitiful in most industries, it is nice that one industry in which I am a frequent customer has great customer service. I’m talking about the Bible Software industry.

From PC applications to iPhone apps, I have installed software from about 10 different companies.  And nearly every one of them does a really good job of supporting their products. I was thinking about this so I thought I’d give out some kudos via my blog.

1. Phone Support – A hold time is not unusual in software support. Hold times over an hour are often common. But I’ve never been on hold more than about 10-15 minutes. This is my least used method of support, but nearly every time I have had to call a company for support they have been friendly and helpful, often bending over backwards to do a good job. Recently I called Logos about an account issue. They’ve had some struggles with very fast growth and as a result less than ideal phone support (long hold times). But my experience was very good. A few months ago I was installing Bibleworks and had to call about a very unusual problem that 99% of the population would not face. But they handled it quickly and were more than friendly/helpful. Over the years I’ve talked on the phone with others and never been disappointed.

2. Email Support – If you don’t hear back in less than 24 hours on weekdays and by the end of Business Monday, then you are getting bad support. I’ve never had to wait longer than that except in rare  circumstances. Usually it has been a person instead of just an automatic response with canned FAQ answers. When it has been a canned response it was just to say, “We got your email and will handle it soon.” Then within a few hours I did.

3. Online Support – A good company will have online support with updates to the software (if updating is not built in), FAQs so I can help myself quickly, and a Forum where users or company people can help. When they do have Forums they will be busy with lots of people helping and answering questions quickly.  There are only a couple of Bible software companies that I have used that don’t have good online support. Some of them have such great forums that I go daily and have even developed online friends via these support forums.

4. Social Media Support – It is cool that I can send a Tweet via Twitter or a message via Facebook and someone from the company will get back to me. Also, the best companies will Tweet suggested tips, new resources, and will offer discounts to Twitter and Facebook users.

5. Training – Some Bible programs are so advanced that a simple Help menu or manual is not enough. Good companies offer online videos and maybe even training sessions in your area. This is the least likely area of support for Bible software companies. But many are doing a good job of this.

In a future Christian Computing Magazine article, I might just test some of the most popular programs and apps in these five areas and see how they stack up. From my personal experience, I expect to be very pleased.

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Camp Logos

Feb 12

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

I just got back from my first Camp Logos, a seminary to help users of Logos Bible Software learn how to use this powerful program. First, let me say that Morris Proctor is a very good teacher. A seminar of this kind might seem like a long boring thing to sit through. Two full days of watching some guy point out how to use a Bible study program? Ugh!! But it was anything but boring even though about half of the content was not new to me at all. I was a beta image tester of the program which means that I have been using it for longer than most (six months) and it is hard to learn something new about a program after using it almost every day for that long. Despite this, Moe (Proctor’s self identified nickname) does a great job of making the seminary move quickly. Attendees are not only informed but even entertained by his keen sense of humor. Moe is also very personable with a humble attitude. When he says, “Email me with any questions” you believe he will likely respond himself. We will see if he does. He is a former pastor and preacher who started teaching fellow pastors how to use the program years ago. He did such a good job of it that Logos made him the “Authorized Logos Trainer” for the company.

Second, even intermediate (which is likely where I would fit) users will learn. He does a good job of showing lots of undocumented tricks and keystrokes. The way he has you follow along on your own computer (or a borrowed one if you don’t have a laptop to bring) forces you to learn the time saving keyboard shortcuts. I will always use them saving me lots of time.

Finally, if all you did was customize the way he suggests, it would likely be worth the fee. He shows you how to do some time saving customization. I also ordered the advanced manuals and his self published book about sermon preparation. I look forward to learning more. I really hope that I will get to hear him preach some time as I am sure it would be a great experience.

If you want to attend a Camp Logos, you can do so for $225. The schedule of upcoming camps is on the MP Seminars site. When you go, you will have two days of training. You will get a seminar syllabus with information about what you are learning. Bring your laptop or rent one of theirs for $15.  The Camp Logos I is an overview of the program and how to use the basic and a look at some of the advanced features. Camp Logos II delves deeper into the advanced features including language study. While there you will hear what Moe suggests as some of the best Logos books to buy and even gives discounts.

I hope to be able to go to a Camp Logos II sometime soon. I wouldn’t mind doing the Camp Logos Cruise to Alaska in June. Sadly, I cannot.

Finally, let me say a big thanks to Central Baptist Church in Henderson, NC the host of the seminar. They provided lunch for a reasonable fee as well as drinks and snacks for the break times each day.

Here is a quick video from Moe on Camp Logos

Camp Promo from MP Seminars on Vimeo.

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Community Bible Study iPad Style

Feb 4

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

Social networking and Bible study should go together. The iPad may help us in this venture.  I read about some interesting key points (thanks to Gizmodo) that Apple wants developers to keep in mind as they prep iPhone and Touch apps for the iPad coming sometime in the next two months. One of the points said:

They’re super into the sharing thing: "Think of ways people might want to use your application with others. Expand your thinking to include both the physical sharing of a single device and the virtual sharing of data."

image 

As I read that I thought again about the thing I am most excited about when it comes to using the new iPad – Bible study.  How could developers of Bible study apps incorporate more “sharing” so that we could take advantage of the “application with others”? Already there is some social network built into a few of my favorite Bible apps on iPhone/Touch. YouVersion is probably the best at this with their community based app that can be used by people together in church or together commenting and sharing about the app. My problem is I don’t like the YouVersion’s selection of content or the interface. I also really don’t like only being able to use it online, although you can now download a number of Bibles. While it may be the most downloaded app, it is not more favorite and I don’t have it installed.

Of my favorite Bible apps, Logos can post to Facebook and Twitter from within the app. You can also email verses from within Logos. But there is no two way interaction. Olive Tree syncs notes with Evernote, so I guess there could be some do it yourself interaction there.  Neither Laridian PocketBible nor MantisBible have any social interaction at all.

Imagine, if someone would really jump on this with some really useful social interactivity. I could imagine a Bible app that …

  • Let’s people share reading plans by marking them to be shared between devices and posted to social networking sights
  • Highlighting and other mark-up that is shared in real time. A pastor or Bible study leader wants everyone to look at the word “perish” in John 3:16 so in social networking mode, everyone’s Bible app would sync to the same place (John 3:16) and the word “perish” would be highlighted. Then a note he had already added the word would pop up on everyone’s device with the same content saying “perish means to destroy yourself. God is not responsible for our perishing; we are.” I could then tap a spot in the pop up to save it to my mark-ups or just let it go away once the social networking session is finished.
  • What if I had a book on my device that I wanted others to see while we are studying together – like TWOT as we look up an Old Testament Hebrew word. They might have access to TWOT, but for this session they can see it temporarily during the study. There would also be a link somewhere on the other person’s screen giving him/her the opportunity to purchase this book either now or later. This would be a good way to legally share content either temporarily or permanently and would give a revenue stream to the software maker.
  • Like YouVersion, it would be nice to have a “wall” where we could post comments or sermon notes so that anyone searching that version could access the public content. There could also be a collaborative way to create content together from within the program that is later searchable.

These are just a few ideas. What would you like to see in this kind of app. I know that some of the Bible app producers read this sight so you can speak to them via this post and comments.

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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.

image 
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.

logos_iphone

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Logos iPhone App More Content Available

Dec 15

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

The Logos iPhone app is decent. One of the limitations I complained about in my review was the lack of content you have in the PC app available on the iPhone. This is not the fault of Logos, but still a limitation. However, things got better today as more of my content showed up. I am reading (or have read through) John MacAurthur’s The Glory of Heaven in the desktop app. But it had not be available on the iPhone app. But it is now. Frustratingly, as far as I can tell, there is no list of available content anywhere. Would be interested in knowing if I am wrong and where such a list is.

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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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Zondervan for Logos Discount

Dec 7

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

If you have owned Zondervan’s Pradis Bible software you may be interested that the company is discontinuing that program and supporting Logos. They will be making it available next year some time. A comment posted on my previous post about this claims the discount will only be 35%.

The comment says:

Hey guys, I just found out from a sales rep today that the discount will be a measley 35% off

I cannot speak to the veracity of this post. But if that is true, I would be a little disappointed.

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Logos 4 Much Faster in Beta 2 of 4.0a

Dec 5

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

I have been very critical in the Logos forums and in my review of Logos when it was first released due to the speed. The primary place this showed up for me was …

  1. When searching in certain ways it was not as fast as they claimed
  2. Moving between tabs was very slow
  3. Scrolling was not smooth – and still is not as smooth as it should be
  4. Typing notes at first seemed fast but if you type more than about 6-8 words it would slow down so far that you could not use the notes feature.

But now that I am using the 2nd beta of Logos 4.0a (available here) and it is much faster in most of those situations.  Here is a screen shot of a basic search for the phrase “two walk together”.

search

The reason I used that phrase to test it was that some in the Logos forums were noticing that this search took as much as 6 seconds to perform. But mine as you can see is less than a quarter of a second.

Moving between tabs and scrolling is much faster. Now it is not instant as it is in Logos 3, but they are taking steps in the right direction.

Sadly, the notes problem is still there. So, hopefully that will be fixed soon. And another annoyance I have is the black title bar as seen below:

titlebar

Notice there are no icons for minimize, maximize, or close in the upper right corner.  Here is how it should look:

titlebar2

The first screen grab is taken when the window is maximized. It looks like this almost all the time. I say almost because once I saw it display correctly in a maximized state. But the window looks normal when it is open but not to full screen maximization.

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