Mobile Ministry Magazine

Do make sure that you check out the latest Carnival of the Mobilists at Fierce Wireless. As with previous carnivals, this one boasts some thought provoking articles as to where mobile devices, the mobile web, and people who relate to the world are going via their mobiles. Even if it is that you come here to MMM to get your mobile news and views, it is also good to hear what others who are more entrenched in the mobile industry have to say about issues and events.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:Blog

Many times we find that the discussion of those things tech and web flow towards the latest and greatest and those who don't have are usually left wondering if technology will ever be good enough for them on a slower modem connection, or with a phone that simply does voice and text.

The issue of the last mile (in digital terms) wss brought up in an article at Adaptive Path. And while I am right there with that author in wondering what do we gain by leaving those who cannot catch up to the pace of a few, I am encouraged in that there is something being done about it.

MMM is one side of things, bringing awareness to the purpose of (mobile) tech to change and enhance community. But another more hand on effort is being done by the folks at Geekcorps. One recent article of their's talked about how they are using available and low cost tech to improve the quality of life in Mali.

Sure, this is not the only example, but when trying to consider if tech is really effective, we have to look at those who would most benefit and from there equip, teach, and encourage tech usage that speaks well towards the Great Commission and lest towards a debt condition.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:Blog

Time to Reflect Some
I had been sitting on this one for some time now. When I left work tonite, more than 12 hrs after I got there, I had the thought that I should be over burdened with the task that is at hand. There I was at work, with a due date and me in the kind of physical pain that made sitting, standing, and walking all a bear.

So as I sat on the Metro on the way home, thinking about my plan for the next day, I gathered the right mind to open up Devotionals and get caught up with the devotionals that I have been neglecting.

There it was in my face and plain and simple. The man named Mordecai used what he had to make sure that the people of God were not forgotten, and also used his place in the court to elevate God's people (Esther 10:3). I read that and felt like I was and am not doing all that I should be. No, not concerning MMM (even though the room for improvement here could house a few elephants); but in my day job and day to day dealings. Was I really taking advantage of the places and opportunities that God has given me to show His people His glory? It left me thinking.

As it was, I did not have any news downloaded, and so I read Tuesday morning's devotional as well. That one pointed to the truthfulness of Gaius and how the truth was in him and he was known to be truthful. In the unpacking of the various parts of my heart towards making technology known to people, and showing God's hands in the mist of this, I was forced to ask myself if people could testify that the truth of God was in me and that I am living out of the truth of God.

Needless to say, it is a bit after 130am and I am still thinking about this. Sure, there is much in terms of tech news that I want to talk about. And maybe I will get to it. But right now, before I make my sleep and rest this sore body, I have to ask myself if whether I am in the right place to be an evangelist of God with tech, or if I am just a tinkling brass making only white noise to get people by.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:Blog

Probably one of the best things that has happened to me over the past year+ has been the addition (or addiction in the minds of some) to using email in almost any place. Whether I am just reading to catch up, cleaning out spam (way too often), or responding to various people and companies on various issues, mobile email has essentially become a vital part of my internet usage. And while it is that I did just fine without it, having email on the go is something that I would rather prefer.

To that end C|Net is offering a free course on using mobile email. From talking about understanding mobile email to the difference between email and instant messaging, this is a good workshop to get a hold of if you are looking at what getting email to a smartphone or wireless laptop can do for you and your ministry/organizational needs.

Course link at C|Net.

A couple of really good devices for mobile email are the recently released Palm Treo 680 and Blackberry Pearl. However, with a data card from your phone carrier, you can also get email and Internet on the go to your laptop or TabletPC.

Originally posted at Palm Addict.

Got an email earlier today about a post that we had in the forums about how to install programs onto Windows Mobile/PocketPC devices without a computer. And while it is that I was unable to get that post, there is a website that does lay things out step by step.

The entire how to from PocketPC Central.

The one question that PPCCentral doesn't answer is what you can and cannot install right from a website to your Windows Mobile/PocketPC device. In general rules, if you are downloading a program right onto your device (for example from the Internet to your Treo 700wx), then you will want to download the .CAB version of the file and from there use File Explorer to find the .CAB file and then click it to finish the installation.

The only downside to using this method is that if you download something that hoses your device, you will have to wait until you get to your host computer to do a restore. That is, unless you have a backup program (recommended for those with mobile devices).

This is what happens when I get a chance to sit and think and write on a Saturday afternoon. Here is an article published at my personal site that also fits in with what some of you have emailed MMM about in the past.

Mobile phone tech is something that I like. The ability to do almost anything anywhere is not only neat, but saves me a lot of time towards actually having time when away from work. However, I have noticed that there are three type of mobile users out there, and three types of phones that go with them.

Mobile as a voice point of contact or fashion statement:...

Read the rest.

Do you see this same "face" aspect happening in other areas of computing? What about across industries and other applications?

I know, its one of those questions that I personally tend to stay away from because of the largely "paper attached" culture in which I live. But after reading an interesting article at Golden Swamp speaking about laptops and textbooks, I wonder if one application where mobiles can really be effective is in ministry education?

Please note, when I say mobiles in this context, I am thinking of laptops and the Internet. I do not think that publishers nor the Internet can handle smartphones/PDAs/feature phones taking this kind of use for education (yet ;) )

As a followup to a previous article about my "new to me" Hitachi G1000 Windows Mobile 2002 Smartphone article, I started to think about what all these new devices mean for us...

In my way of thinking, it really doesn't mean much to you and I unless you are like me; too much money spent on Mobile Tech already and not enough reason to justify spending a bunch more!

So actually, with the recent craze of the Smartphone flood on the market just about anyone can get into this game...
Many of the new devices are actually quite affordable even if you are on a budget. This DOES have a hitch, your Service Provider. I am a Sprint user and have no plans to switch. The new devices they are offering are still around $500 without a new contract. If I didn't already have a couple of PDAs lying around, I might be able to justify something like this. Especially with all the research I have done on efficiency and creative uses of mobile technology on a budget (see my site www.coosbaytv.com). So since I don't want to duplicate or sell my existing devices, I chose the other route; buy a used device and let someone else pay the high initial cost. My G1000 is doing everything I need it to which is connect to the Internet as well as the combined benefit of some WM apps and the querty thumbboard. This combo for email, streaming audio quick checks of Internet articles and blog post is getting the job done.
It does have limitations that I covered in the post about the device but for $65, hey, I'm happy.

One reason I cannot justify a NEW DEVICE is that on the Oregon Coast, Sprint does not offer EVDO or Power Vision as they call it. So why pay for something that still won't really work here?

If your Service Provider is Verizon or Cingular, you can probably jump into a new device or Smartphone with a much more reasonable price tag. Maybe even $100 or so.

If you need to step up to more than just phone calls and text messaging, this is a good time to start looking. Most importantly, do your own research and ask questions before you buy. There are reasons that some of these new devices are the low price they are! Make a list of features you need and then look for a device accordingly...

Need some help with getting started? Someone here at MMM would be more than happy to help. Just post a comment to this post with your questions and one of us will get back to you.

Happy Hunting, Jay

With (hopefully) everyone having their fill of turkey and stuffing yesterday, I thought it was a good time to bring this up.

Many people in the business world ask me "why do you want to be accessible 24 hours a day?" The answer is simple, just because I am accessible doesn't mean I always answer or immediately respond! The point is, I have the option. This is great for not being tied to a physical location.

Now, the real reason for this article is the fact that of course this technology has brought me in touch with people; lots of people! These are people that I have more in common with than many of the people in my hometown. The world is getting to be an incredibly SMALL place thanks to the Internet! The mobile aspect just helps me to stay in touch with folks on the go. Some of you may know that I live on the Oregon Coast and am a video producer. There are not alot of folks here that I can rely on when it comes to an issue to address. Thanks to things like Forums and Users Groups, it is easy to find answers to questions that plague any of us.

So, at the risk of the obvious, besides family and friends I am thankful for the new friends I have been able to connect with in the past couple years as well as looking forward to making even more new friends in 2007!

Thanks be to God for all of you this Thanksgiving day. While it is that many of us are either on the road, about to get on the road (me), or at our destinations, God has made provision for all of us to be thankful to Him for Him and our families.

A few mobile phone notes:
- The Palm Treo 680 has been released on Cingular (to come on up to 30 world carriers really soon). I have done a write up at Brighthand on my first impressions with it.
- Cingular has also released the 8525 and Samsung BlackJack smartphones. Both of these hit at different aspects of mobile device usages. The 8525 is literally at the top of the heap in terms of being everything that laptops were only a few short years ago. The BlakcJack is sorta like a BlackBerry that changed clothes, lost some weight, and came to the holiday season with a bit more than just a smile. If you are in the market for a new device, these are two good ones out there.


Christian Mobile Tech has been cranking out some news the past days, and here are some snippets of what CMT has posted:
- Bible With You Bundle at PalmGear
- Mobible: The Holy Bible...unplugged
- Laridian's PocketBible for Pocket PC Updated
- GoBible Available

Remember, man does not live by bread (turkey, football, basketball, egg nog, and shopping) alone; but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God (Deut. 8:3). Please be sure that you not only get some eats for your body, but also for your soul this day.

Ok, maybe not that deep in that you are taking all the (good/evil) power of Google for your own benefits, but if you are looking to mobilize some of the aspects of your ministry/organization, a recently added feature to Google Pages might make for a neat option.

As talked about at Mobile Crunch:
Google’s official blog has another interesting article on their fairly recent Google Page Creator, web page design offering. The post, which is highlighting the power and simplicity of the tool drops a cool little tidbit down at the end that might just be the cart-tipping reason to use this application over a number of other web page development tools; when you create a page for the PC, the tool automatically creates a mobile-optimized version of the page at the same time...

What does this mean? Well, for some who are just starting out in a ministry endeavor and want to have the alternative means of attracting the mobile phone audience, Google Pages (a free service that allows one to create a webpage hosted by Google) makes for a neat and easy to manage solution. You don't have to hassle with developers (even though we are really nice people), nor the fun (sic) of domain registration and hosting contracts.

Of course, you have to already have a Google account. But other than that's what's stopping you from using that newfound power to change the world around you in Jesus' name?

Greetings all;
Hope that many of you are having a good and blessed go of things. Here at MMM, we have been one part busy in gearing up for the upcoming holiday, and in another part looking at the way we use mobile technology as a means to minister, and help others minister.

A (slightly) informal poll of the MMM team shows that many of use have a laptop as our main means of mobile tech. Some of us use smartphones, and a few of us have a combination of devices that we use to both communicate and facilitate communication. Because our usage patterns are so diverse, we look for those pieces of mobile technology that would be relevant to those uses. Sometimes that is smartphones (me, I am on one nearly all the time), other times that is software or a service that works online no matter what device that you have. The point is that we look to meet you where you are accessing tech, and want to give you tools to glorify God with it.

A rule of sorts then sounds like this:
"using technology is a matter of personal preference, but the fruit has to always be God glorying"

Sure, we can have music and data on our PDAs, but it's always more to the point of ministry to serve the community with those things.

So, do be thankful for MMM. I personally appreciate the MMM team and everyone of you who come here to read and learn something about mobile tech and ministry that you never thought of, or thought of but just found out that others think like you. But don't let things stop here. Take the Gospel to those who need it, and if tech is your gateway, make sure people meet Christ at the gate.

Regular daily reading of the Bible affords a panoramic sweep of the great themes of Scripture and helps foster a life of faith in God. In this article, you will learn how you can use your PDA to help you establish or enhance the life-changing practice of reading God’s word daily.

Two Views of Scripture

Flying in an aircraft presents a very different view of the Grand Canyon than hiking along the Colorado River’s banks in the canyon’s core. The hiker sees a dark corridor of steely cliffs, a thin patch of blue sky, an occasional huddle of prickly pears or a towering cottonwood, a scorpion scuttling out of harm’s way on the dusty trail ahead, and deep green pools interrupted by sudden shocking scenes of mud white water crashing against boulders. The flyer, by contrast, sees the whole blue dome of heaven beneath which roll wave after wave of brightly lit vermillion spires and purple battlements stretching beyond both horizons. Straight down, a quiet winding ribbon of emerald water adorns the deep heart of the Canyon’s silent majesty.

These two views of one natural wonder illustrate two views of a far greater wonder, the Bible. From one perspective, like the hiker, we can experience the depths of a small portion of God’s word by lingering over it, considering it, examining the details, touching it, even tasting it, like “honey out of the rock”(Psa.81:16). This kind of reading is devotional and concentrated. It involves personal interaction with God over a particular verse or passage of His word. It may involve careful consideration of words, phrases, and syntax. Most importantly, it fuels prayer.

From another perspective, our aim is to see the big picture. We reverently survey the entire awe-inspiring sweep of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, with its manifold themes, characters, and events—one great book at a time—as it reveals God’s plan of the ages, from eternity to eternity. We could never acquire the hands-on perspective of the hiker from the air, or the breath-taking perspective of the flyer from the ground, and both have tremendous value. To put a new twist on an old saying, we need to see both the forest and the trees.

While both experiences of God’s word are indispensable, in this article we will focus on the panoramic view of the Bible afforded by regular daily reading of chapters from both the Old and New Testaments and the Psalms and Proverbs.

(Read the rest of the article here...)

Evening all! Just wanted to make sure that you were all aware that Olive Tree (maker of some of the finest Palm software on the planet) has given their website a new look and compiled a list of their free software.

This new site looks great and having all the free downloads in one place, easily accessible from the front page, makes getting around their site a joy. And if you think that's a joy, what would you say to FREE copies of Confessions by Augustine, commentaries by Luther, Greek New Testaments, Calvin's Institutes, and about a million other freebies.

Get your SD cards out and "fill 'er up!"

soli Deo gloria

Olive Tree Goes to Symbian
A few places have recently reported tgat Nokia has shipped over 100 million Symbian smatphones. In addition, a Symbian licensee, Sony Ericssion, has recently purchased a major Symbian developer UIQ. This makes for a great deal of new folks with new mobile devices, and all of us can use tech to God's glory to study and share the Word.

Those news bits make it all that much more interesting the release of a beta version of the Olive Tree Bible reader.

Alradt a popular bible reader for PalmOS and Windows Mobile devices, this release will only help more people get a hold of the Word on their mobile devices.

Thanks to All About Symbian for thie notice.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:Blog

Was on my Treo a good deal yesterday after work and just relented to being mobile and enjoying some tea when I read two posts at Palm Addict that were pretty neat.

The first post was about Laridian's bible reader for iPods. Very neat. I have heard of a few missionaries using audio book bibles on their iPods, but I always find reading by eye much nicer to the heart.

The second post was about a person who was sick for the week and was able to use his Treo 650 to manage office affairs. Now, while many of you might be in the position of saying that a laptop is better for this (and to a large degree you are right), being able to do documents, manage a calendar, and other tasks on one's phone just says how far we have come with tech.

So as you gear up for this holiday weekend, don't limit your interaction with God. The time is here, and so is the technology, to make nearly anything possible.

~ sent from Treo via Mo:Blog

For being one who likes to go mobile, the idea of being able to use the browser to work from for some office related tasks seems like a great idea. Not only am I leveraging the wireless and nearly anywhere connectivity of the Internet, I am also doing it without having to install loads of software on my laptop, thereby making my laptop run more efficiently.

That's one reason that I like that Microsoft has thrown it's hat into the virtual (Internet-connected) office with its Office Live product. And with today's release, there is a chance that for some of you who might be in the market for an office solution that is MS Office, but not quite happy about licensing fees and support costs, Office Live could prove to be a cost effective means in keeping one mobile.

Office Live comes in three "flavors:"
- Basics
- Essentials
- Premium

Granted, if you are one who will spring for the Premium, you are probably looking down the wrong tree at this point in time (networks need more attention with the higher level services) unless you have a clear mobile/virtual office stragety. But it is a nice package nonetheless and one to look at if you are at the point of looking for office software updates for your office, and CDs and licensing has been a past issue.

The Gadget Pastor has also recently done a post on using Windows Live Writer (which carries some elements found in Office Live as I understand them). Check out his look thru and then investigate Office Live for yourself.

With my first real test of this new device being a weekend away, I can say that pretty much everything that I had need of was met. What were some of the things that I was able to do? Well, all of the usual Smartphone tricks. Of course, the two biggest noticable differences are having the qwerty keyboard as well as the screen being easily four times larger than my flip phone... click to read full article

Thanks, Jay

Reading the Bible on your PDA is the fundamental yet profound focus of our current article. You will learn about the inestimable value of enjoying God’s word and about the ease with which you can do it on your PDA.
"Blessed is He Who Reads"

The Bible is the only book I know that heartily and repeatedly recommends itself, promising manifold blessings to its readers.

“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near” (Rev. 1:3—NIV). “Receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21—KJV). “My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God” (Prov.2:1-5—NKJV)

People of renown in the Bible were characterized by their love of the scriptures. Notice how David describes the law, statutes, and judgments of the Lord:

“More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than the honey and the droppings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is thy servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward” (Psa.19:10-11)

The prophet Jeremiah exuded his love for God’s word when he wrote,

“Your words were found, and I ate them; and Your words were to me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart…” (Jer.15:16—Amplified Bible)

The patriarch Job declared,

“I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food” (Job 23:12—KJV)

and the Lord Jesus resisted the devil’s temptation to change stones into bread by quoting Deuteronomy,

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’ ” (Mat.4:4—NKJV)

How very strong indeed is the Bible’s own recommendation of itself!

From these verses alone, we see that salvation, understanding, discernment, the fear of the Lord, the knowledge of God, a joyful heart, life, and victory are among the innumerable blessings that accrue to a person who spends time in the word of God.

(Read the rest of the article from Olive Tree's site here)...

Where Social Networking Can Meet at the Well
One of those things about mobile technology that one soon realizes when they start reseaching either the hardware (phones, laptops, etc.) or software (blogs, moblogging, virtual offices, etc.) is that community quickly becomes a central theme around many prducts want you to interact. Whether they plug you into an existing service, or create something totally different to interact with, the big pull is to realize the human community and find out how best to get the most of us to participate.

One of those stories of Jesus that has always been chock full of community is the story of the Samaritian woman Jesus meets at the well in John 4:1-29. Sure, we know this story of how two races of people interacted, and how it was made plain that Jesus is for more than just the traditional Jew. But the aspect I want to bring out is where they met. They had a common meeting area where it was both accepted and expected that people would me. In fact, despite that Jew would not interact with a Samaritian, they both considered Jacob's well as a meeting place.

Ok great, so you tell me (Antoine) that social networking is like the well in this story? It can be. Using the hardware and software of our times, we can (and should) create places where people can come and be refreshed (by Jesus).

So what does this well look like? Depends on who you ask, but here is one well that I think of already existing and doing well: LifeChurch.TV. Here you have a place where you can watch and listen to the Word, and find refreshing. And if you stick around there long enough, you just might me the Great Refresher.

When considering the impact of your ministry, it is not always a question of it being mobile, but whether those who have been too mobile can find a place of rest and refreshing if they were to stop by your well.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:Blog

Here are some notable items for this Monday:

The 53rd Carnival of the Mobilists is now underway at C. Enrique Ortiz Mobility Weblog. One story of particular interest was the story highlighting the impact of mobile phones on landlines. A very interesting read, as are the other highlights.

Church Tech Matter's recent posting titled Freely Get, Freely Give was a really neat look at two sites who are offering alternative content and giving it away for free. I won't spoil the links so you need to visit Church Tech Matters and read the posting :)

Speaking of social networking-like websites (when you click the link above you will see what I mean), there is a new site for those of you who have a BlackBerry and wanting to get more news and information. Weirdly enough, I have not found many streams of information relating to BB use in the church. BBSocial may be a way to find out if there is anything going on with BBs in the Body. See BBhub for the original post.

There is always more going on when it comes to mobile devices and the tech that we use to connect them. Provided I get a minute to collect my thoughts, I will share a few things tonite that will open the door on things to consider as the web and our workplaces get more mobile, and what that means for sharing the Gospel. Till then, stay blessed and minister mobile.

We have been talking a good bit about how mobile computing can lend itself to being more effective in ministry and missions. This is of particular interest to many pastors and missionaries because of the mobile nature of their weekly work, and the fact that sometimes, its better to get out and be amongst people, instead of in between the pew and the kneeler.

Here are some of the links to posts on this subject over the past week plus:
- Taking the Ministry on the Road
- Mobile Security at 1src
- Speaking of Mobile Offices
- More of the Mobile Office, MMM Tweaking
- Girls Gone Mobile Continues A Tale of Two Offices

So where does that leave us in our discussion and where can we go from here? For one, we have to consider the thought again of whether we are called to simply use technology just to make integrating with culture and life easier for us, or if in using this technology, we are called to take out a significant piece of our use and empower others who (regardless of tech or not) need a dosage of community and healing that the People of God have been called to bring to them.

And then what when we bring it to them? Where do we go with this Gospel once tech has enabled us to preach to every man, woman, and child? When we have been able to do reach from our pocketbooks and share finances and enablement to the disenfranchised? I would think that it puts us in that place of the church that Jesus is coming back for. In effect, we go tech because its another means to share with those who don't have the least, that there is Life available for them.

We have been highlighting some aspects of the mobile office in the past week here at MMM, and its great to hear and see that other websites have also jumped into the fray.

Girls Gone Mobile has just published another edition in their series about the mobile office called A Tale of Two Offices. While being a user-centered review of a laptop versus a smartphone as the mobile office setup (the author compares the two based on her usages), it is a revealing look at what is gained and lost in the respective mobile choices.

While the ideal solution would probably be something in the middle of a smartphone and laptop (maybe a UMPC that has cellular access and acceptable battery life), what is able to be done now is quite incredible given where computing was just 10 years ago.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:Blog
Edit: fixed link and added picture

Where Does MMM Sit
I was just reading my RSS feeds, I know its late and I should be in bed resting my sick body, and I saw a few of the mobile sites out there mentioning a new site by the W3C (the folks who do web standards like HTML, wht browsers should read, etc.) called Planet Mobile. And while I am quite happy that the major standards body has gone out to make an effort to bring together a ton of the mobile content around the web, I sit and wonder if MMM really fits into their mobile of what the mobile web is about.

MMM is one part mobile tech, yes. Here we talk aboutu variious issues relating to using mobile devices to solve problems that relate to ministry and mission. To that end, one can argue that we are very much mobile. However, I don't see MMM in the same class as those other sites. Whereas many of the mobile sites that I have read are about mobile tech, they speak about it from a tech-first perspective. Meaning, they talk about the tech and then how to fit life within it. At MMM we try to talk about life and tech and how the two fit together within the context of tech being an enabler, not a progenor. Somewhat weird view I know, but think of it like this: some people prefer peanut butter and jelly served just with creamy and grape. MMM is like the straberry and crunchy cut into four squares version. Still mobile tech, but cut differently (becasue of Christ).

That's the other major difference. I haven't seen so much mobile tech and mobile web address issues relating to actually solving problems faced in various arenas. If I am in the UK, I don't want to just hear that mobile tech means I get a better browser, I want to hear that a better browser means that I can surf safer becasuse banks are going to mobile payment systems. If I am in the US, I am not just wanting to hear about ringtones, but I want to hear how to share them without using a computer or semi-expensive portal system. MMM seeks to address the problem of relating to community because community has no touch to the outside world. By using mobile tech, we not just connect with the outside world, but have a chance to educated and share it with others. Meeting their needs (education, food etc.) and thereby showing them Christ.

So yea, we are on this mobile planet, just walking at a different pace while speaking the same message that mobile is here, but adding that mobile with Christ will change more than what we communicate, it will change how we love each other in the mist of that communicating.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:Vlog

I have been involved with mobile tech since the late summer of 2000, and I have seen a good deal of stores come and go, but I haven't seen so much as anyone really reach out to the Christian community on merchandise that fits into life and faith. Sure, there are some stores that have religious and spiritual sections, but I just haven't seen one who is soley Christ-focued. That is, until today.

Enter ChristianPDA.Biz. Here is a snippet from their About page:
ChristianPDA.biz specializes in quality Christian handheld device software (Bible, Bible study, devotional, Christian reference,
Christian audio books, and Christian e-Books) and accessories to edify the Body of Christ. We are an authorized retailer for all
our products.

What really impressed me about this store was the focus on quality software at some very reasonable prices. So if you know someone with a PDA and is looking for some software, do let them know about ChristianPDA.Biz; they just might find a great bargain to go along with a great heart for enabling God's people.
~ sent from Treo via Mo:Vlog

One of the reasons why I first got a PDA was to help me while in college. While it was that I knew the work, I was terribly unorganized and my GPA and attitude suffered. In August of 2000, I purchased my first PDA, a Palm IIIxe, and proceeded to use PDAs not just for enhancing my own education, but using it as a tool to teach others how accessible the world is (literally in the palm of your hand) and what their dreams can really reach out towards. For those times, PDAs have really been effective as not just tools, but also entry points. And its that effectiveness that encourages me to believe that education is one area where mobile tech can really serve the greater community.

There are two aspects of PDAs that show their effectiveness: software and implementation. A program that I was recently emailed about seeks to be the software key to helping educators meet the needs of students in a computing and interactive manner. Leading Step's Constructor is a PalmOS grammar teaching game that helps students to get a better hold of various aspects of the English language. And while it is that here in the US, Constructor has been put to some great use; it is also a program that can lend itself well to English camps overseas.

...The emerging influence of mobile technologies in the classroom offers opportunities to stimulate young minds and engage students at a cost-per-student that is much lower than traditional desktop or laptop computers. At the same time, teachers are afforded a more efficient means of doing their jobs. The basic functions of handhelds have been useful for entering text in the Memo Pad, learning time and time zones, staying organized, etc., but to increase their capability as a powerful teaching tool they need to be equipped with software programs specifically designed for enhancing a student’s education...
From one of Lending Step's case studies.

It is in the second aspect of using a PDA (implementation) where one really sees this shine. Through the aforementioned case study, and countless others, when mobile devices are used in concert with an educational paradigm/system that is less "by the book" and more "by the person," one can really maximize the mobile platform as the aspect of computing that is truly personal.

For more information about Constructor and other educational PDA software, visit Lending Step's website.

A few weeks ago, we posted about the Fierce Favorites, a poll to find out what the top wireless industry blogs are. And while MMM didn't make the top 20 list, the collection of mobile sites on this list are at the top of the game in content, trends, and user opinion.

View the entire listing.

Of course, this means that there is still room for MMM to grow; which makes the challenge of making sure that MMM is relevant spiritually and technologically all that much more fun.

Thanks to M-Trends for the news.

I couldn't help myself, I told myself that I should be in the bed, but I am here tweaking MMM and posting about another who is writing about their mobile device lifestyle.

This one comes from the ladies at Girls Gone Mobile. Here is a snippet:
...With any of these mobile devices, the key to their usefulness is how well you integrate them into your daily life. My first of these devices was a glorified calculator with an address book and a large screen you could draw on. From there I moved on to a Newton, a Palm V, then a series of Jornadas, iPaqs, and the like. And now I use an Acer n311...

Read the rest of this posting.

MMM Tweaking
You will notice that when you mouse-over links now that you get either a thumbnail of the homepage of the link or a queue message that the link is being cached for being made into a thumbnail. The feature is called link thumbnail, and is just a little something that I hope will help you out as you read MMM and our ability to go link crazy from time to time.

If there are any other site features, or news, or general comments about MMM, feel free to drop us a line via our contact form (no messy email programs if all you need to do is submit a form IMO) and if usable and accessible, it will probably get done.

Last week, I brought up the subject of mobile offices. And while I intend to look at the software side of things, it is a good thing many times to get a picture of what a mobile office setup can look like in practice.

A popular mobile tech website, jkOnTheRun, has recently published an article speaking about a day in the life of the Samsung Q1 UMPC (ultra-mobile PC). Besides this picture (which really impressed me from a sheer gadget perspective), the way that the Samsung is used in concert with other mobile devices, online and offline applications, and general working discipline makes it possible to see this kind of setup being adaptable for minister/missionaries who are looking to "take their show on the road."

One note about the setup talked about at jk, it is NOT CHEAP, to do what he is doing. The costs of the UMPC, data connections, and specialized applications are in general more than what many people have a budget for, let alone want to pay. This is not to discount cost as being a reason for not taking the office mobile though. Making the decision to go mobile is one part knowing what is available, but then also having a plan of action as to how one can best use mobile resources for productivity and personal usages.

While most people don’t carry a Bible on there person daily, most people do carry their cell phones with them. I happen to personally carry a Windows Mobile smartphone, the Audiovox SMT 5600 from Cingular. I wanted to carry a bible (or two) on it and that is where the subject of our review begins. This is a basic user review of PocketBible by Laridian, Inc.

Specs

While Laridian does make bibles for several types of mobile devices, this review will focus solely on the version for the Windows Mobile smartphone. There are two components to this product a reader software and a bible file. I am currently using book reader engine 1.057 by Laridian. This bible reader software is supposed to the designed for Windows Mobile 2002 and following. My device is running Windows Mobile 2003, so that works for this software. I am currently using two bible files NIV and NASB. I use both in the hard copy so I thought it would be a good scenario for this review.

How Usable Is It

There is a trial version of the reader software and free bible files so you can try out this software before you invest any money in it. That is what I did and I recommend the same for you. Once you buy the software, you can download it as many times as you need to from the Laridian website. They also recently rewrote their end user license agreement (EULA) so that if you like to use multiple devices, you can load your purchased software on multiple devices as long as you are not using more that your total number of licenses purchased concurrently. You can even change platforms and not have to purchase the same bible again. See their press release for all the details.

Installation is done by downloading the software to your desktop and perform a sync with your device. The software loading wizard is easy for anyone to use. Once the reader software is loaded you can load multiple bibles on your device. The reader software uses the two soft keys that are familiar to Windows Mobile smartphone users. The left button normally offer the ability to choose, Old or New Testament, Book, Chapter and Verse. The right button is normally reserved for detailed menus about the screen you are on. Press the right soft key and you will have the ability to choose a bible to use, Find feature, Bookmarks, Options (Appearance, Navigation Miscellaneous, Debug).

I loaded two versions of the bible and use the feature of book selection to read the same verse that I have selected in multiple versions, one at a time. I also like to use the Find feature. It is like using a concordance that is clickable. Great feature for study or lesson preparation. The Bookmark feature is nice for marking verses for memorization, favorites, etc. In the Bookmark feature you can create multiple categories, so you can classify your verses accord to their use for you. The only feature missing in the bookmark is the ability to mark multiple verses. I asked the company about it and they are considering it in future reader revisions. The Options feature allows you to adjust the font size, select Christ’s words in red, select indent poetry and select footnotes. I have not used the debug tool and that is a good thing. I am glad to see that the developers of this software care enough about the quality of their product to build in tools to debug, just in case.

I have really been blessed to carry two versions of the bible without have to keep up with two hard copies. Instead I now carry them on my smartphone, which is with me most of the waking day. It has been a great tool and I recommend it to any Windows Mobile smartphone user.

I just picked up a used Blackberry 7280 and might try to load their version of a bible reader on it soon to give all of you Blackberry users a review to look forward to. Remember, with the new EULA, I only have to purchase the new bible reader software for the new platform. How sweet is that!

An article at PalmAddict today let us all know that Olive Tree has updated their Bible Reader Beta (v.366build123). From first impressions it looks like a great one. Some simple fixes are there for card searches and for eBook notes. There are several other helpful fixes mentioned. But, according to Olive Tree there is more new under the hood than just fixes. Two new features and some mystery have me eager to get back to my cradle at the office and get this build on my T3.

The first feature is an early Christmas present for those of you who are avid personal note users. Some of the new bells & whistles you'll be hearing will be: added "edit" & "delete" hyperlinks that are used from the main screen. This will surely save us tons of extra taps to get into the note editing. If you want to remove a note from the main screen, simply tap it goodbye! Also for note users, when you are in the edit screen, you will see a new title bar that will help you remember what you're noting in the first place. Awesome.

Second, they've incorporated some extras into the shortcut menu including a highlight shortcut. If you have used highlighting in the past, you'll be thankful for a quicker way to get at that now.

When speaking with Olive Tree about this reader, they mentioned that there are some features that will be utilized as new products come out. That has me waiting to see what they're not telling us is in this release! Exciting stuff!

For now, we'll have to wait for the new releases. Just start making your Christmas list now...

OliveTree.com has long been one of the leading software for personal, Bible study. They have a range of tools ranging from Bibles, devotionals, movies and much more. I want to encourage everyone to stop by OliveTree.com and take a look at their new site and their vast selection of tools for the novice Christian or the seasoned veteran.

Over the next few days, I'll be posting articles from their site that aid students of the Bible with inspiration and insight. I'm sure the articles will encourage and challenge your heart and soul as they did mine.

-Kevin Agot



Using only your handheld PDA and Olive Tree Bible Software,you'll quickly and easily uncover life-changing treasures from God's word. As always, Olive Tree’s goal is to bring you the very best in Bible Study Software for your handheld PDA.

I Love the Bible, but Do I Really Want a PDA?

Awhile back I was getting ready to fly from Washington State to a Christian retreat in Pennsylvania. As usual, I stood in front of my library of Bibles, Bible study resources, and related books, wondering what to carry with me this time. I like to travel light, with a laptop and a few books, but there always seems to be at least one more book I wish I could take with me. When a friend of mine who uses his Pocket PC for Bible study encouraged me to buy one, I stalled, not realizing this wallet-sized digital gadget could handle more Bibles and study tools than I could imagine, using a storage card the size of a quarter.

After some consideration, I decided to take my friend’s advice and went out to purchase a Hewlett Packard iPAQ®, one of a number of Pocket PC devices that would serve the purpose. It took a few days to get used to tapping on a screen instead of turning pages to get where I wanted to go, but very soon I found that I was using this little Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) for much of my Bible study needs, and thoroughly enjoying it. When it came time for the trip, I didn’t even have to check a laptop through airport security.

A Complete Library of the Best Bible Reference Works


More and more people are discovering the amazing efficiency and convenience of using a PDA for Bible reading and Bible study, both personally and in groups. When I say PDA, I’m talking about the Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld devices (iPaq®, Axim, Toshiba, Treo, Tungsten, and LifeDrive, among others) that many business people use for maintaining calendars, storing lists of contacts, and accessing their email.

Did you know that today’s PDA’s can store dozens of Bible versions, dictionaries,
multi-volume Bible commentaries, daily devotionals, and eBooks? Although the screen is no bigger than a baseball card, the storage capacity on today’s SD Cards behind the screen is astounding. Through Olive Tree’s BibleReader™ application, all the resources and features are available to enable you to search for words, look up the meaning of a word, delve into the original languages behind the English translations, read the Bible in a foreign language, and investigate what Bible scholars have to say about a passage you are studying. You can even watch multi-media presentations about Bible times and places. (Click here for the rest of the article)

If you're pressed for time, I'll make this short: Get Devotions for Palm. Seriously. I have not been this excited over a piece of spriritual-based software in a long time.

For those of you who need a bit more persuasion (I'm not pointing fingers here, being that I am recently reformed amalgam of Jonah and Thomas myself), do read on.

Another challenge to our efficacy as mobile ministers is preparation. Not just the physical stuff... I mean real nitty-gritty stuff, like spiritual fortification. We know we have to bathe ourselves in the Word; we need to have that close relationship that can only be fostered by serious "quiet" time, devotion that truly allows us to talk... and listen.

The only problem is we sometimes allow life to become an excuse. Family, work, socials, Monday Night Football, heck, even church functions can get "in the way" of devotion time. One excuse that should be harder to use now is forgetting your devotional materials at home, thanks to Devotions for the Palm Pilot by (the aptly named) Devotions.

Devotions (the program) grew out of a simple need. It was created when it's founder could not get regular updates for his PDA from his usual source. So, instead of bemoaning his fate (as I probably would have; programming is far from a strength of mine), he asked around, and then got to work.

Devotions is an excellent devotional reader. For folks like myself, who depend almost entirely on electronic Bibles, it is a true blessing. In conjuction with the devotional books available at the site it assists in making that time easier to achieve.

I tried the Devotions with two titles, Streams in the Desert and Moments Together for Couples. The program itself acted in much the way most e-book readers do, in that you select which book you want, and tap that to open. It then navigated to current date in the year, and I was able to read the devotion for that day.

To further compound its worth, it is compatible with three popular Bible software titles: Bible+, MyBible and BibleWithYou. This means that if the devotion you are studying has linked verses, you can click on the link and it will open the veres in the Bible program you use automatically. Tapping on "OK" in the verse page takes you back to the current devotion seamlessly.

I also loved the idea of the Reading Log. This noted what day's devotions you have read.

As noted before, there are plenty of free titles, from Charles Spurgeon and aBible reading plans as well. There are also wonderful titles to purchase, such as the ever-popular My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers, By Faith Alone by Martin Luther and even Time To Get Serious by Dr Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Fellowship (all books can be purchased for $9.99 each from the site).

All in all, this is an example of useful software that is well thought too. For example, a lot of the devotionals and reading plans can be downloaded in increments to save on space on your handheld. With a litt