Mobile Ministry Magazine

One of the difficulties that people have with mobile devices is that idea of managing the resources. Speaking just of books right now, its pretty easy to manage a print library. You see colors and text and then organize how you feel. On an electronic device, its a bit harder because they all are in the same place and the organization is usually the department of the developer towards what ways would work best.

But I'm mobile and like to give books away, so that presents yet another issue. Some ways I am thinking about better managing my print and digital assets actually include using bar codes (or QR codes) and a bit of fun with the digital camera.

First I would take a picture of all of my books as they sit on their shelf. Ideally, taking a picture of the binding in this way would also give me a view of the bar code or QR code that is on the book. My camera would then read that information and ask if I want to save it into my digital library (think bookmarks in the browser). Depending on the license, that digital library would indicate if there is an electronic version of that book for download (free or reduced purchase).

For those books that are completely digital, these also appear in that digital library, incdicated with an icon that it is digital only. Like the print books, there would be a link to the physical version, purchasable at a reduced price as well.

After that I would manage thing via that digital picture that I took. Physical assets would sit on that bookshelf, and the digital ones would be shown overlayed on an additional "shelf." By moving the device up/down/in/out I would be able to view books zoomed in on a level that makes it easy to see what I want to read next, or what was lent out. Finally, I would be given a prompt every time a new book is added digitally to update my bookcase picture.

Given the breadth of books that many have, and most will not go completely digital for a while, this would seem an idea means to not only keep track of books, but also integrate our mobile devices for a more organic book experience. For all of you who are teachers and pastors, with shelves and shelves of books (some of which not seeing an eye in years), how does a solution for managing your collections in a manner like this work for you? And to others, how could you see solutions like Logos, Laridian, Olive Tree, etc. working in something like this to make it easier to read more and share what you've read?

Labels: Bible, camera, Laridian, Logos, mobiles, Olivetree, print, reading, tech

While its great to talk about recently announced products, its always better to get some impressions of actual use. And since I don't have an iPhone, hearing about how others are using Olive Tree's Bible Reader for iPhone will definitely have to do. Here is a snippet from a review at This Lamp

...Regardless of these early snags, Olive Tree’s venture into the iPhone platform looks very promising. I am hopeful I can eventually reproduce the same functionality with Bible texts on my iPhone that I had previously experienced on my Treo. Since useful iPhone Bible functionality is something I am genuinely seeking, expect to see more on This Lamp about the subject as new developments arise.

Read the rest of this very through review at This Lamp.

Thanks for the headsup on this one DB, The Foolish Galatian.

Labels: Apple, Bible, community, iPhone, iPod Touch, Olivetree, reading, resources, software

A day late with the news because of our posting schedule, but nonetheless wanting to highlight another solid Bible reader application that has made it to the iPhone/iPod Touch world. Olive Tree has released its Bible Reader application for the iPhone.

As reported on the Olive Tree blog, "This version has a three tap verse chooser, continuous scrolling, and the books are store locally on your iPhone so that you don't need an internet connection to read them."

There are two versions of Olive Tree's new reader, both available from Apple's App Store: BibleReader (free) and the ESV Study Bundle for BibleReader ($24.99)

Here are some very important notes about this version of Bible Reader:

• Downlad and installation of BibleReader for iPhone and purchase of iPhone-compatible Olive Tree resources can only take place through the Apple iTunes store at this time. iPhone BibleReader and iPhone resources are not presently available through Olive Tree's online store. Go to Apple iTunes to find resources for your iPhone or iPod Touch.
• iTunes sells resources in bundles. To use different books together (looking up a verse in two different Bible translations without exiting the program, for example), books must be purchased in the same bundle. Individual titles cannot be added to or subtracted from a bundle. Olive Tree will offer periodic updates to the bundles sold on iTunes. If we update a bundle you have purchased, you can download the update for free at iTunes.
• BibleReader for iPhone is a completely new program. Items in your Personal Library purchased for other platforms (like BlackBerry or Palm) will not transfer to iPhone. Olive Tree resources for iPhone are only available through Apple iTunes.

That all being said, there are some neat things to look forward to with Olive Tree's new Bible Reader. This is from the list featured on Olive Tree's iPhone page:

• Greek and Hebrew Bible translations, lexicons, reference works, and fonts
• More commentaries, study tools, and Christian eBooks—Olive Tree plans to release over 500 titles for iPhone
• Phrase Search
• Bookmarks
• Auto-Scrolling
• Hyperlinked Table of Contents for eBooks
• Personal Notes
• Support for Images
• Highlighting
• Split-Screen, to view multiple documents at once
• Notes and Cross-References

For more information, visit Olive Tree's iPhone page; to download/purchase, visit the App Store via iTunes or on the iPhone/iPod Touch devices.

Labels: Bible, commentary, eBook, iPhone, iPod Touch, mobiles, mobility, Olivetree, reading, smartphone, software, tech

Hope that most of you are having a good weekend and summer. I want to continue a bit on the subject of creating an ideal Bible reader by taking a look at a concept user interface (UI) that I created some days ago.

What you see here is a wireframe design of a UI for a touchscreen (PDA or Internet Tablet) or large screen (think laptop/desktop) computer. The the basic premise is that most of the time, we just want to read. But there are levels of interaction with the content that we'd like to explore, and thankfully, many in the Bible software and open source software communities have made available. This is just a more functional (and given some graphics, prettier) UI than what anything else offers that I've seen personally.

I got the idea of this from watching part two of Adaptive Path's series on the Aurora Concept. The Aurora Concept is a vision of UI and user experience (UX) web design that's projected for 5-7 years out. This takes into consideration only that the web is more ingrained into our lives, and that software works together with the live world around us to offer more compelling interactions with content and with one another. Simply speaking, I saw the video and it clicked.

My reasons are putting it out here (meaning the Internet) are many-fold. For one, I'd like to get some feedback for this kind of interface for a Bible reader. Many of you who read MMM are publishers, developers, and content creators/editors in the Christian space and therefore your input towards what might be missing or not clearly stated in these wireframes is very important.

To those of you who are academics, pastor-teachers, or just laypersons who like to read and study the Word electronically; this is an opportunity for your opinions to be heard given this skeleton of a mock up.

It is my hope that this can encourage us as a Body to start looking at the greater impact that the Internet has and will continue to have in the lives of those who utilize a much more connected and mobile paradigm of living than what humanity has had before. Yes, we can preach moderation and appropriate use, but we can also model usability that doesn't take away the older concepts of living, listening, and enjoying those quiet moments when we just need God and His Word.

Its not explicitly my hope for this to turn into an application. However, I have presented this to a few people and the response has been quiet encouraging that this is in line with what people are looking for. Having not the time to learn how to develop this, I'd probably be looking to the developer communities of various device operating systems to see if this can be turned into something that makes possible what I last spoke on - a common user experience framework, but designed within the scope of the system and the device.

The last thing that I'd like to state is this: this is by no means a project that a commerical entity should not be interested in. The feedback given on this Bible Reader Concept should be a help towards developing a more fluid system of reading and studying the Word given publisher and device constraints. After all, we are in this to help people read the Word more and see Christ interlaced into their lives. Demonstrating this literally in mobile software would be an excellent witness, wouldn't you agree?

Labels: Bible, community, Hardware, internet tablet, mobility, open source, reading, software, teaching, UI, UX

These days, one doesn't have to find an old and crusty library in order to get the best in tools and resources to study the Bible. One can even argue that doing a full term at a seminary might not even be needed to gain some measure of usable understanding. That's the thing about technology these days, its really freed up the acquisiton of knowledge (not wisdom and understanding though - they need relationship, experience, and accountability to be usable with knowledge).

When it comes to Bible study resources, there are several ways to go about looking for something solid. Biblical Studies and Technological Tools has started a series of posts on the subject and the latest one gives some basic principles on how to go about searching for the right resources and tools. Here is a snippet:

...I am making the following assumptions about those who would be most interested in such tools:

- You are likely a lay person who does not know Greek or Hebrew (though you wouldn't mind at least understanding a bit of what is going on in the original Greek or Hebrew).

- You don't really have the time or the means to accumulate a large, scholarly library of resources. What you really want is accessible, reliable, and understandable information regarding basic questions that arise as you read the Bible.

- You may be willing to spend some money to get good resources, but FREE is good!
You are interested in physical (i.e., real books) AND / OR digital (i.e., software or online) resources...

Read the rest of this post at Biblical Studies and Technological Tools

Labels: Bible, reading, software, study, tools

This is a pretty neat thing to do to any mobile device. Granted, I think it would be more helpful if you kept some pages and then used it as a bit of ink-based reminder system, but I guess this works too.

..That's fine, but the little iPod gets uncomfortable to hold after a while, and it lacks the presence of a real book. Imagine seeing an attractive girl (or boy) sitting outside a pavement cafe, drinking an espresso, smoking a Gauloise and reading a tatty paperback. It's a romantic image which is shattered when you swap the book for a PDA. I decided to disguise my iPod as a book, and if that wasn't pretentious enough, I put it in a modded Moleskine, the notebook of choice for fops and dandies the world over. Follow along to see how it turned out...

Read the entire article at Wired Magazine

~ via MobileRead

Labels: iPod Touch, Moleskin, reading

A bit late on mentioning this, but it should still hopefully catch you in a good mood. Laridian has released PocketBible 4. This is a major update to the PocketBible franchise and includes several improvements in performance and user interface and a host of new features. Here's a rundown on what's new:

• Open multiple windows/books then maximize any window for full screen reading.
• Flick Gestures while Maximized
• Auto-Scroll Reading
• View a verse in all Bibles.
• Enhanced Searching (with last 20 searches saved)
• Customizable Toolbars
• Save/Restore Layouts
• Synchronize Notes, Bookmarks and Highlights with PocketBible for Windows (sold separately) /li>

In addition, there are a few news features for Windows Mobile 6 Standard (non-touchscreen) users such as the ability to view Commentaries, Dictionaries, Devotionals, and other titles; create and edit notes/highlighting; and synchronize Notes, Bookmarks and Highlights with PocketBible for Windows (sold separately).

How to Get PocketBible 4

Quoting this from the Laridian website:

PocketBible 3 owners can upgrade to PocketBible 4 for a limited time for only $7. Check your email for a special offer from Laridian. When placing your order enter the priority code from the email to receive 30% off PocketBible 4, plus 20% off of any additional Bibles or books you order at the same time.

PocketBible 4 is available via several bundles from Laridian. Since you need to have some Bibles and other resources in order to use it, this would a good thing to take advantage of. See this page for a list of Bibles and bundles for use with PocketBible 4.

PocketBible 4 Review

Ed Hansberry has been a popular user and reviewer for PocketBible in the past and has already done a full and detailed review of the new PocketBible 4 application. Here is a snippet:

...There are other nice features like the ability to save and restore preferred layouts if you have different screen layout preferences for reading versus studying, etc. The Find feature has also been beefed up a bit including a "NEAR" search term, allowing you to find two words within so many versus of each other. For example, if the Near setting is at 3, searching for Moses NEAR Aaron will yield 409 results. This new search parameter can be combined with the existing AND, OR, XOR and NOT to make some pretty complex searches. The NEAR term only works in bibles, not other books...

Read the rest of Ed Hansberry's PocketBible 4 Review.

There's Already Been An Update

And if that isn't enough, Laridian has already released an update to PocketBible 4. This update just fixes some issues with syncing highlights and restoring history from a previous session. More details on this update are stated on the Laridian Blog.

So...

We've already recommended Laridian's PocketBible software as a sold investment for your mobile reading needs. Just jump on over to Laridian's website and see for yourself. There's a trial version available, but I can say that many of you will be very convinced that it would be worth the purchase.

Labels: annotating, Bible, Laridian, mobile, reading, review, software, updates

There have been a few items sitting starred in Google Reader that I've been meaning to post. Sharing some of those, and hopig to spark something that will get you and I to think a bit more as the week goes on the place of mobile and tech in faith.

• ESV and NJKV for MS One Note (Bible Studies nad Technological Tools)
• When Should Parents Purchase a Mobile for their Children (Just Another Mobile Phone Blog)
• Research and Note Taking Tools, and the follow-up article Bonus Items for Research and Note Taking (Bible Studies and Technological Tools)
• Mission Field Money Crisis (Chruch Relevance, Charlotte Observer)
• Blogging Ministries (Church Communications Pro)

Got any news that would be of value to the Mobile Ministry Magazine community? Use our Contact page to send it to us.

Labels: annotating, Bible, church, device, education, mission, reading, review, software

Was at Mobile Read a bit ago and they have an interesting (lively) discussion going on speaking on a quote from Steve Jobs (via the NYT) where he says:

It doesn't matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don't read anymore," he said. "Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don't read anymore.

Jobs was speaking on the Amazon Kindle eBook reader and its goal of being the "iPod of books." But the comment does bring to light something that many of us in tech have to assess often?

Does using electronic reading devices (eBook, laptop, PDA, smartphone, etc.) help or hinder your Bible reading?

Labels: Apple, Bible, community, reading

Having gotten back into using the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, I have wanted to move into one of the main reasons that I have for getting it - to invogorate how I read, study, and journal the Bible. That being said, there has not been a lot done in this area on the Internet Tablet, and part of it is probably because no-one really knows what to do.

Let's start with a few simple situations, and then go from there:

- You are at a cafe on a nice day, and would like to read the Bible. There is wifi and so using it would be preferred. Services such as iPocketBible, eBible, and YouVersion are available, and so you read and do. While they are different in what they offer, the key thing here is that you have the ability to read while online, and do a few things on top of that.

- You are in the car as a passenger, and would like to continue your reading that you started at the cafe. Being that you are not near a hotspot, the only options for connecting online would be through your mobile phone. However, that could get expensive quickly. So you decide to fire up a bible reader and go from there. And yes, that works too, but the notes are a seperate application, and you just lost your place that you had in the online version you were reading.

- You are at home, away from the fuss of a day and want to dig in a bit deeper to the passages you were reading before. So you fireup the browser, the bible reader, and the notes application. And then have at your side a few additional references that you use when studying. This only lasts for a few minutes though before you decide to move completely to paper and pen because of the constant switching that has to happen.

In looking at the situations described above, one can see the benefits and the disadvantages of reading a Bible on an electronic device. When the Bible is so seperated from the tasks of reading, studying, and sharing, what should be a convience becomes a chore.

So my proposal/question is to make a better Bible reader for mobile devices that takes these situations into account. One part of this is the Bibles, another part of this notes, and yet another part is the user interface of it all.

I see a good platform on my Internet Tablet in terms of the Notes application. But I am not yet sure if it is something that can be extended by the way of plugins to other programs. Because being able to plug in the Notes app to the browser would make for an easy way to bookmark and annotate passages.

Then I also see the good stuff in terms of web applications for reading the Bible, but there has to be a way to save content on the device (even if for a short time) so that one could read when there is no Internet connection.

When I think about reading effectively on mobile devices, motivation to read is one part. But having a tool that works effecitvely is another that is usually the stumbling block.

Labels: Bible, community, internet tablet, N800, Nokia, reading, tech, usablity

One of the hardest things to do these days it seems is to keep up with the amount and breadth of what's going on in technology now. It gets a bit easier when you can focus on one or two specific areas, but even then it can be a bit much to keep up with what is going on.

A few news items I've read recently gave me two different, yet appropriate viewpoints on technology and our response to it. The first item was found at a site that I visit pretty regularly, GigaOm. The question being would less frequent posting and more thought-provoking posting lead to "more chances for interesting ideas and useful analysis to emerge."

Considering the stance that I've taken here at MMM towards posting less frequently, this would seem to be correct. I've found that posting less has enabled me to think more on the ramifications of various aspects of technology. And at the same time, address specific issues that would require some measure of analysis, not just consumption.

That being said, would you prefer to hear news and thought faster here, or is the pace of things just right for you?

The second item comes from another news/blog site, Techcrunch. It was at this site that I learned that News Corp/Fox (Twentieth Century Fox, MySpace, The Wall Street Journal, Fox Network, Zondervan, HarperOne, Harper Collins, Fox Faith, and the National Geographic Channel among many of their assests) has acquired the faith-based site Beliefnet.

In reading the comments of those responding in their community towards the news, I have mixed reactions. On one end, I totally agree with some of them that association with such a volitile company such as News Corp can call a few things into question. At the same time, it could be part of Beliefnet's mission to getting into major media and allowing for those resources and influence to push them into a better position of leadership and focus.

As the acquisition is new there is going to be a interesting time of change. But for many, this acquisition was just a sign of the times. The speed and amount of change that happens is something kinda fierce. And at the same time, we were not called to touch a world that would remain the same. At the intersection of faith and technology there might also be a new speed limit sign, as well as the stop and yield signs. Whatsoever that speed though, we should carefully consider where we are going next.

Labels: community, mission, reading, tech

I was forwarded a link to this post at the Lampmode Records blog and just wanted to share it here. While the context of this is towards those doing holy-hip-hop (HHH), the principals spoken here are vital and sound for nearly anyone in any field where they are calling themselves doing a ministry. Reading it has me doing several inward looks and will cause some more changes on my end. I hope it too is edifying for you as well. Here's a snippet:

...This is by far the most important distinction in the phrase Aspiring Christian Artist. If you need to focus on one of the three, let it be this one. Many aspiring artists end up in hell. Does your Christianity scream as loudly if not louder than your aspirations and your artistry? Can Christians who know nothing about your hip-hop music easily identify you as belonging to the household of faith? Before anything else, we are Christians. That is, we have been born again into a new relationship with God through faith in the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ (Titus 3:4-6, 1 Peter 1:3). As a result of this new relationship, we have turned from our old life of sin and embraced a new life characterized by increasing holiness and love for the people of God, or the church (Romans 6:17-18, 1 John 3:10). This may seem obvious to some, but it must be said...

Read the rest of this posting.

Labels: devotion, Devotions, mission, reading, worship

ChristianMobile, creators of VirtualBible, have created and announced a mobile phone Bible download service in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Snippets from the two press releases:

For the UK:

the whole Good News Translation (GNT) and the Contemporary English Version (CEV) of the Bible, Old and New Testaments from Genesis to Revelation - are available for download via a text message request in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Mobile phone users can download the Bible by sending the words GNTOT or CEVOT for the Old Testament or GNTNT or CEVNT for the New Testament to 60999 at a cost of 6 GBP per Testament.

The service enables pre-paid and contract mobile phone subscribers across all mobile networks in the United Kingdom to purchase the Bible via text message and download the full Bible by sending the words GNTOT or CEVOT for the Old Testament or GNTNT or CEVNT for the New Testament to 60999 at a cost of 6 GBP per Testament. Welsh, Afrikaans, Spanish, Russian, Brazilian-Portugese, and the Catholic apocryphal books are also available for download at www.christianmobileuk.com as well as a number of Christian ringtones, Christian wallpapers and daily Christian inspirational text messages such as prayers, devotions, Bible verses and Christian quotations.

For Australia:

...the whole Good News Translation (GNT) and the Contemporary English Version (CEV) of the Bible, Old and New Testaments from Genesis to Revelation - are available for download via a text message request in Australia. Mobile phone users can download the Bible by sending the words GNTBIBLE or CEVBIBLE to 19724253 or 197BIBLE at a cost of £ 20 perBible...

...The service enables pre-paid and contract mobile phone subscribers across all mobile networks in Australia to purchase the Bible via text message and download the full Bible via a text message request in Australia. Mobile phone users can download the Bible by sending the words GNTBIBLE or CEVBIBLE to 19724253 or 197BIBLE at a cost of £ 20 per Bible. A number of other Bible Versions are also available for download at www.christianmobileau.com as a number of daily Christian inspirational text messages services such as prayers,devotions, Bible verses and Christian quotations...

Pretty good news for those in Austrialia who don't want a smartphone but need the Word with them. For more information about Christian Mobile go to www.christianmobile.co.za; www.christianmobileuk.com; www.christianmobilerussia.com; www.christianmobileusa.com; www.christianmobileau.com or wapbibles.com on your mobile browser.

I really encourage those of you whom are pastors and missionaries to make this option known to people as well. Sure, we'd like for them to have a bound copy in hand when we are teaching/preaching, but in the case that this is not available, let them know that there are other options out there that are suitable for reading and studying.

Labels: Bible, ChristianMobile, mobile, reading

Far be it from me to keep everything a secret here for long, but I am working with one of MMM's partners on a task that will change MMM's backend from being Blogger-based to using Movable Type. Of course in this kind of change, doing a redesign was also a part of the equasion and I even found a website whom I wanted to emulate their design (it was just that clean and effective).

I've decided not to use their design, however, in speaking with that site's owner, I was given an idea for a segment here at MMM that would really be effective in helping all of us do a bit more with our mobiles and time as it relates to living the Gospel around us. So call this part one of a (hopefully) five-part series where we will be covering two items (software, hardware, and/or services) and how they can help you be more effective in sharing and living out the Gospel. So with that all said, let's get into the first two items:

Software: Laridian's MyBible Bible Reader software for PalmOS, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, Windows desktops, and (soon) iPhone.
Sharing and growing more intimate with God is the name of the game with Laridian's offerings. From being able to read the Word anywhere, to doing comparative studies of difficult passages, Laridian has some of the most comprehensive offerings out there. Download at the Laridian website (www.laridian.com).

Service: Email. Short of talking face to face, email is the most ubquious aspect of a service that we use to connect with one another. From Google, Hotmail, and Yahoo, to smaller offerings, to Exchange hosed offerings, email is a big mover of the Internet, and using email effectively can bolster relationships with those you might not have face time with. I do caution, there is nothing worse than sending a ton of forwards and never a personal note; keeping items personal, to the point, and withou excess fluff makes email a more usable and less a burden to the reader.

Ok, so that is part one of our look at software/hardware and services that help better share the Gospel. In part two we'll take a look at two more items.

If you have software, hardware, or a service that would be effective in talking about in this series, please use our contact form to let us know. In the meantime, get out there and share Christ with someone.

Labels: Bible, Laridian, mobiles, reading, tech

I get a lot of email. Sometimes, I get too much email. Between work email, Brighthand email, personal email, newsletters, sales brochures, and forwards from everywhere -- not to mention spam -- there's a lot of information that come thru my eyes on any given day. In addition, I read 30+ websites a day keeping up with news from tons of subject areas. If you will, there is a ton of information around me and I have had some successes and failures in managing it all.

One of the reasons for using a smartphone was to help stem the tide of all of this info. So that instead of getting it in all at once at the end of a busy day, I am getting it in bits and pieces throughout. While its help me manage it, there's still a large amount of information. I've spent the better part of this summer looking at all of this information, and how to better navigate with it while maintaining some sense of balance in my life. And though I fee successful in some parts, there is never less information, always more, and the old stuff grows along with the new.

Mike Rohde pointed to a webpage which talks about this information overload, termed infomania, and why its such an important and neglected issue. Rather than get into the overall effects of this, I'd like to ask: how do those of you in information-centric fields deal with the deluge of information, and how do you keep it from becoming too overbearing (if you are able to keep it from being overbearing)?

Labels: reading, tech, usablity

From Palm Addict:

I recently discovered a program to read the Bible in 90 days. At first I thought it was nuts!

After all, I know a lot of people who try to read the Bible in a year and give up. 90 days seemed impossible!

But the more I looked at the program, the more I realized that it was entirely possible.

The website explains that the amount you have to read per day is about 3.5 pages of The Wall Street Journal or 4 pages of USA Today. For me, I looked at the amount of text and realized it was far less than what I might read via email or RSS. (If you buy their Bible they say it’s merely 12 pages a day, but you can follow the plan using any Bible.)

It just looks like a lot because it’s all in one place. But to me, this was something important enough that I wanted to do it.

I started to think about where I do most of my reading. I realized that I read a lot more than I think about either on my laptop or Treo, or listening to audio books in the car. So I wanted to come up with a way to do all those things either on my laptop, or on my Treo, or in the car.

The good news (no pun intended!) is that you can do this for exactly $0 if you want. I have put together a free list of the Bible in 90 Days (aka “BIND”) readings, linked to an online copy of the NIV Bible. Feel free to bookmark that page or save it to your Treo or computer. You can use that to read your daily readings. (If you just want a plain list of the readings you can also get that in PDB, PDF, or MS Word format).

Read the rest of this post at Palm Addict, and get to reading :)

Labels: Bible, community, devotion, mobile, reading