Mobile Ministry Magazine

Mobile Access to Bible Stories in 8 Languages for N. India

2010-03-14T10:00:00.001-04:00

Came across this at the Visual Story Network site the other day: Mobile Access to Bible Stories in 8 Languages for Northern India. Essentially, this is a publishing of Bible stories by the New India Evangelistic Association in a format made for those who'd like to read in non-English languages and on their mobile devices.

In India, there are over 1 billion people, with more than half of them using a mobile device. For many, the mobile is their only PC/radio/TV/media device, and therefore, many companies and initiatives work over SMS, MMS, WAP, and (lately) mobile web so that these people aren't missed. These stories are sure to accrue a nice sized following.

To check out these stories, point your browser to http://www.niea.mobi.

The Network Effects of Bible Software

2010-03-12T10:00:00.000-05:00

Wish that MMM could take credit for this line of thought, but really, this is where mobile and web are going. The idea is that the effects of mature networks and platforms are going to turn traditional models of software ownership on its head. Those companies who lead or adapt quickly to this trend will find the business side of the connected economy easier to deal with. Those who wish to lock people into the former model will have a harder time growing marketshare, and might find their content - while the same as a network/platform - diminished in value because it cannot be extended by the user or user communities to draw even more relevance and value from it.

Get your networks/platforms/apps ready, things are changing.

Excerpt from SMS Uprising: Mobile Activism in Africa

2010-03-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

Another great look at mobile use in Africa, this time from the side of mobile enabling social change. Here's a snippet:

Technology in itself does not lead to social change. For change to take place technology needs to be appropriate and rooted in local knowledge. People decide why and how a particular technology will be used and, depending on the political and socio-economic environment in which they live, adapt it accordingly. As we shall see from the case studies in this book, there are considerable local innovations and non-instrumental uses of the phone – using phones in ways not intended, that step outside their technological aspects and which attempt to bypass traditional power structures. Firoze Manji describes this process as ordinary people taking control of their destiny rather than technology driving the change: 'Social change is actually driven not by technologies but by ordinary people being able to exert an authority over their own experience and, through common actions, developing the courage to determine their own destiny.'

Read the rest of the excerpted chapter of SMS Uprising: Mobile Activism in Africa and order the entire book from Pambazuka Press.

Technology, Rising Middle Class, and the Future of Evangelism in Africa

2010-03-08T10:00:00.001-05:00

This is worth the time it would take to read. Not just because of the perspective - and how much it will snap reality into the Western-side of the Body, but in the explanation of Technology, Rising Middle Class, and the Future of Evangelism in Africa in Africa, we can see even more why the mobile lens is so important to understand for its abilities and it implications. Here's a snippet:

...Utilize Africa’s New PC to Preach the Gospel...Rather African Christians had better utilize their "New Mobile Phone PCs" to effectively evangelize and mobilize for the Gospel. I recall a New Testament Teaching Seminar I helped organize in Uganda, Africa about three years ago; much of the mobilization was through Text Messages to the many Phone numbers given to us. Interestingly, we did not need to put up radio advertisements and posters, rather we wrote a few letters inviting Pastors and relied on SMS Text messages to the many individuals who then passed over that information to others...

Read the rest of Technology, Rising Middle Class, and the Future of Evangelism in Africa at Yesu Mulungi.

Histories of One Mobilist

2010-03-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Given the energy around the recent post about moving MMM to Google Wave, I thought it good to link to a post at my personal site which gives a bit of the history behind me (Antoine) and the technology that's penned a good deal of my life. Key thing to keep in mind, this is just my story, the Body has to enable folks to see this and tell their story and the story of the Gospel within whatever lens is appropriate. How MMM does this is something to be further opened as we get closer to BibleTech.

Discussing the Implications (Part 2)

2010-03-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

Continuing the discussion on the implications of mobile/web technology. Here are some more questions to spark the discussion. Remember, you can answer here or over at Twitter.

How does the globalization of mobile/web effect the perception of community?
Does it matter on a local level where the affluence of mobile/web isn't as felt?
What are the negatives of mobile/web? How do we adjust?
What legislation has helped or hindered the Body's ability to respond to these negative issues, and what are the future challenges?

Ok, that's all that I'll throw out there for now. Let's open the box and come to terms with what is the now of this intersection of faith and mobile tech. And start talking about how we'll address these items.

Discussing the Implications (Part 1)

2010-03-02T10:00:00.002-05:00

After the last post about moving to Google Wave, I thought that it would be good to open the box a bit more as ask the open question about the implications of mobile/web in the Body. I'll throw out a few questions now, and a few more in the next post. Its an open sounding board, so fee free to respond here or via Twitter.

What are some of the implications from the perspective of simply being connected?
What are the good and bad points?
What are the implications on family and social structures? How does the Bible assist in addressing this?
Or, is this something where we'd need to become more knowledgeable in cross-disciplines such as psychology, sociology, etc. so that Bible application is done in light of Biblical truth, not just guesswork?

CCM: Exciting Times for Digital Bible Study

2010-02-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

Great article over at Christian Computing Magazine (CCM) talking about Digital Bible Studying and how its evolved with now a near-digital/mobile-native approach that's able to be taken towards Bible studying. Here's a snippet:

...It is truly a great time to be a student of God's word. If you use a computer, smart phone, or book reader, then you have more tools available for studying the Word of God then at any time in history. And I think the best thing this does for us is not cut the time it takes to do our studying, but rather it helps us go much deeper. If your primary goal for doing Bible study on any of these platforms is to cut minutes or hours off your time in the Word, then you are missing the greatest benefit. Instead your goal should be to go deeper in the same amount of time...

Read of the rest of Digital Bible Study Is Breaking the Banks of the Personal Computer at Christian Computing Magazine (CCM).

In terms of a comment from MMM's perspective, I'll repeat a question that was stated in a post a few weeks ago:

So what does it mean to have believers who have instant access to multiple resource and communities, who seek answers to the questions of faith and life, evaluating sources in real-time through online and offline relationships, instead of waiting for a sermon or preacher to smooth the message.

If you will, we've got the ease in getting to the resource now. So what does the Body do in terms of teaching those analytical and spatial-search skills that will enable believers and non-believers alike to engage the Bible, and the people of the Bible, in God-edifying ways? Yes, these are indeed exciting times, but the implications of being able to do digital Bible studies means that we've also got to tweak our methods of teaching and living with one another. Are we up for the challenge, because, its for these implications that these times are exciting too.

A Move to Google Wave?

2010-02-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

One of the items on the plate is a change of content management system for MMM. Due to a change that's happening with Blogger - effective near the end of March - FTP publishing will not be doable. This takes away something that has been a solid feature and advantage for MMM. And while this change is understood, it does mean a change.

So besides looking at content management systems like WordPress, TypePad, and Drupal, one of the thoughts that has kind of come back around is the idea of using Google Wave as the landing place for MMM. One, the ability to instantly allow people to embrace the discussion here would be much easier. There would also be a much easier route towards not just finding content, but also people that connect with it.

The downsides are that Google Wave currently sits as a Google-served product - so without a Google account there's a problem. Also, until I can become a bit clearer about running an MMM specific Wave server, I'm not sure that there's enough time in the day to play admin to something that would be cool, but would also have its share of issues.

So I'm kind of putting this out here - and on Twitter, and on Wave - to hear from you. What would you think of MMM going to Google Wave? Or, if there's an open source solution that's similar (and won't get bought out in the next 5min), what would you recommend and why?

A Technologist Living Outside of the Silos

2010-02-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

This is a piece that was written for the BibleTech Conference blog: A Technologist Living Outside of the Silos. Its a thinking piece - or a motivational one - you'd have to come to BibleTech to hear this one ;)

Making Holes, Not Drills

2010-02-22T10:00:00.000-05:00

Caught this over at the Digital Evangelism Issues blog the other day. Suffice to say, MMM definitely sits in the group of culture that thinks differently. Here;s a snippet of what I mean:

Lateral thinking is so often a key to success. For instance, food-processing engineers were trying to create a machine that could crack nuts. Problem was, to adjust the squeeze according to the exact size of the nut and the strength of its shell. Unless they could precisely calibrate the exact pressure needed for each nut, many were damaged. As so often, the answer was completely different: put the nuts in a vaccum and the shells would just burst off with zero damage or loss.

Read the rest of Making Holes, Not Drills and consider your strategies and approaches and whether you are thinking outside of the box enough to see the solution clearer.

Reminder to Join Us at BibleTech 2010

2010-02-20T10:00:00.002-05:00

Just a reminder that you can meet up with Mobile Ministry Magazine (MMM) and many other bloggers, ministers, teachers, and organizations from all over the world at this year's BibleTech Conference. There are tons of topics being covered over the two day event, and if anything like last year the backchat (Twitter, Facebook, and in the hallways) will be just as engaging.

This year, MMM's topic will be Mobile's Christ-Led Encounters (last year's was called Mobile Technology and Connecting Communities) . Here's the presentation abstract/summary:

Mobile has now taken hold as a main fixture within the regular consciousness of most mainstream technical thought. From sociology to psychology, transportation to entertainment, Facebook to the Good Book, mobile is now at the tip of every tongue in being that next great area of opportunity, engagement, division, and law. Still a new media, mobile suffers from the same growing pains centering around the question: "what's its relevance?" Through the Body of Christ, we can point to some examples of mobile taking root in engagement, evangelistic, and opportunistic measures. We will look at some of these areas as a means to describe what has happened, but also in light of what can still be explored with mobile. It is from this lens that we can engage audiences towards utilizing their mobiles-in-hand as a handshake to open the door for an engaging Christ-encounter.

Hopefully, that has you a bit excited towards what's to come - and not just from MMM. Be sure to register and get your hotel reserved as soon as possible. There's a conference discount for the room, and you don't need to worry about food. It will be in San Jose this year, and so we might get more than the 20min of sun we saw last year ;)

Looking forward to reconnecting with many of you, and seeing some others for the first time in person. But, don't let conferences be the only time you choose to connect with MMM. We are on Twitter, engage the local Charlotte, NC community with Digital Disciples, and are available for other presentations and engagements through Inner-Linked. Suffice to say, we're mobile - and at BibleTech, you'll hear more about this mobile lens and how you can respond to it. See you there!

Wisely Stewarding the Mobile Web Experience

2010-02-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

In the last post we talked about being engaged or enslaved to tech, here's an example of taking control of your tech, using it wisely, and being quite productive with it:

...When you look at it from this perspective, it’s pretty easy to understand how always-connected handsets that provide a full-web experience are struggling to take off in emerging markets, and why Opera Mini has 46.3 Million users worldwide. Honestly, what good is a full-web experience when I can only open 10 full websites a month without going over my monthly allowance, and when I have to stare at my screen for 15 minutes before one page completely loads on my snail-speed connection?...

I can't say enough about what Rita has done except to say that even here in the USA, we need to look harder at the solutions and opportunities we propose, and really meet where its appropriate use given the conditions, instead of reaching for something that isn't a good - nor wallet-filling - experience. Read the rest of Rita's post at Symbian Guru and let us know some ways you've taken the bite out of the costs of your mobile use, while staying or increasing in productivity/ministry.

Enabled or Enslaved by Technology

2010-02-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

Wish that I could take credit for the title, but this belonged to someone else. And their post on the subject is of the kind of thinking and assessment that we must do often. Here's a snippet:

The reason is quite simple and something I did not quite realize until my friend pointed it out to me. People are increasingly using technology not out of choice but out of pressure. And there are a lot of people who are simply addicted to it, they need to check their Twitter feed, Facebook profile and mailboxes every few minutes and see what is happening, because it's the "in thing" and also because of the constant pressure of being available 'online'.

Read the rest of Enabled or Enslaved by Technology at Aditya Singhvi's Phones blog.

I'd also like to call attention to my comment as it directs this post towards this blog a bit more appropriately:

...my faith is the filter that I use. Its the discipline towards being a Christian that I use as the main filter for determining the value of the technology, its connective need/want, and the implication. Can’t say that I’m always perfect in my application, but like living the rest of life through a faith-based filter, there’s a lot of walking forward, backward, repenting, and relearning.

Assess, but also use your filter.

VSN: Videos and Engagement

2010-02-14T10:00:00.001-05:00

Was over at the Visual Story Network (VSN) website checking in on things and reconnecting and came across some new videos that have been published. And while some of these aren't (yet) mobile, they do bridge that part of the conversation that says that no matter what the digital tool that we use, that it has to point to engaging people with the reality of the hope of the Gospel. Here's one that I enjoyed:

Charlie from 36 Parables on Vimeo. And here are links to a few others:

Check out these and other videos at the VSN website

Literacy and Tech (Are We Teaching the Next Skills)

2010-02-12T10:00:00.002-05:00

In some ways, this piece is framed as a part 2 to the post titled "Responding to the Pope's Message." Think of it as a call-to-action before action is needed kind of post.

In the summers of 2002, 2003, and 2004, I taught a few summer classes for the Upward Bound program at Millersville University. One class was about using PDAs as a function of time management, the other was a multimedia and web design class. In the last summer of my teaching, the PDA class was swapped out for teaching a class on developing and learning how to navigate the Internet. In this class, I walked the students how to do things such as evaluate web sources when they are doing research, how to use keywords for searching, how to setup and investigate domain names, and how to create simple web sites.

Now, I started teaching the classes because I wanted to see the potential of mobile in education. What happened though is that I began to understand what it was that students were getting in respect to the technological side of their education. And to be honest, I'm largely self-taught when it comes to tech; so knowing what they were getting would better prepare me for those whom I'd encounter in the world outside of me.

What I saw in that last summer is that students were ill-prepared to deal with the realities of a connected culture. The university library was still teaching - yes in 2004 - that you only knew a veritable web resource because it had a .org or .edu name on the URL. There was little to no understanding at all towards this sphere at all. And that was very scary.

Coming into MMM, one of the statements that gets thrown this way is the idea that learning and applying the Bible will continue in the same ways that it always has. That despite the technology, that there will be the same core skills. And to some extent that's correct and incorrect at the same time.

In this piece at the Britannica blog the question is asked if technology is going to evolve to the point where the written language will become obsolete? And if it does render the written language as such, what are the skillsets that would have to be understood - not only in education, but all of life - towards maneuvering this ultra-connected space?

A few items from this piece jumped out, but this one really nailed things:

...It's not enough for new devices, systems, and gizmos to simply be more expedient than what they are replacing... We owe it to posterity to demand proof that people’s communications will be more intelligent, persuasive, and constructive when they occur over digital media." When confronted by the statistic that fewer than 50% of high-school seniors could differentiate between an objective Web site and a biased source, Norvig replied that he did perceive it as a problem, and astonishingly suggested that the solution was to get rid of reading instruction altogether. "We’re used to teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic; now we should be teaching these evaluation skills in school," Norvig told me. "Some of it could be just-in-time. Education, search engines themselves should be providing clues for this...

Framed in the spirit of this site's mission (the intersection of faith and mobile technology), we could say (as framed in the reflective post some days ago):

So what does it mean to have believers who have instant access to multiple resource and communities, who seek answers to the questions of faith and life, evaluating sources in real-time through online and offline relationships, instead of waiting for a sermon or preacher to smooth the message.

I'm speaking of this connected space where the conversation is just as important as the reading itself. What are we doing to prepare religion/faith for that kind of transformation? Or rather, should be we preparing for that kind of transformation?

The Word of God - the Bible - is the probably most consistent piece of oral/written/digital communication used by Westernized nations. Its literally the thread that holds spiritual, moral, legal, and sociological bonds (am not debating whether a person is a Christian or not, only that the Christian influence has been that pervasive). When the fabric of how we transmit the message of the Gospel is purely digital (text, audio, and video) and native to the generation that is using it, does the way that we teach also get a new pair of clothes?

Let me be clear, I'm not advocating that we change the Bible, traditions of the faith, nor the tenants of local and para-churches. I'm asking - as I sat in a class with kids who are now graduates of college in many cases today - are we teaching Biblical literacy in light of the abilities of the generation, or holding fast to something older, and not so effective, because of some fear of irrelevance?

And if we are on-point in teaching Biblical points and principles correctly for this generation and the one(s) to come, should we be asking the same of the institutions and culture in which we live whom may not have adapted such?

The post quoted here is from Britannica's Leaning & Literacy in the Digital Age blog series. There's a lot more that can be said given the depth of materials posted in this series, but I leave it to you the reader to intersect with the entirety of this content.

1GOAL

2010-02-10T10:00:00.004-05:00

Was pointed to this via the Communities Dominate Brands blog. It would be a worthwhile endeavor for ministries/orgs to engage in as another missional exchange using mobile tech and education:

What is 1GOAL?
1GOAL is a new campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup to ensure that every child worldwide has the opportunity to go to school and learn. 1GOAL is collecting names and support from the public, footballers and celebrities to make a united plea to all governments to meet their target on 'Education for All'.

What is 'Education for All'?
'Education for All' is the international commitment that world leaders have signed up to - to provide a good quality public education to all children and adults by 2015. The commitment includes prioritising those who are currently missing out on an education, getting them into school, and making sure when they're in school they get the chance to learn, with qualified teachers. They goals include giving adults who missed out on school, the chance to learn to read and write.

For more information and to link up with this initiative, visit the 1GOAL website.

Other education initiatives, such as Handschooling are also picking up steam as a means of closing the educational gaps in various regions. If you are engaged within other initiatives which promote education, community engagement/development, and the use of mobile tech to help facilitate these aims, drop us a line so that we can draw some awareness to your initiatives.

ONE Conference: Racial Reconciliation in the Gospel

2010-02-09T10:00:00.002-05:00

A conference coming up in a few weeks - ONE Conference: Racial Reconciliation in the Gospel - features some solid teachers and perspective towards one of the issues that bug the church in the USA - racism and the faith. Here's a snippet from the site:

Decades after the civil rights movement, Sunday remains the most segregated day of the week. To effectively preach the Gospel, we must address the cultural and racial divides that still exist in our society. At this 2-day event, we'll examine the scriptural basis for racial reconciliation, explore how to embrace differences in race and culture while maintaining a Gospel-centered identity, and investigate how to create and sustain a multiracial church. Speakers include Eric Mason, Chris Atwell, Dwayne Bond, and Derek Mondeau.

Check out the site, and register for the conference (February 25th and 26th).

5 Lies We Tell Ourselves Developing for Need

2010-02-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

In light of all that I read and get thrown my way in terms of software/process opportunities, it was a nice heart-check, ego-stomp, and reevaluation of priorities this article that put be back in front of the Father appropriately.

RomansRoad eTract by Laridian

2010-02-05T10:00:00.002-05:00

Caught up with this neat piece of news from Laridian the other day.

...our RomansRoad eTract is now available for the iPhone. RomansRoad eTract is a Scripture-based discussion guide to help you share your Christian faith. Based upon the familiar "Romans Road" series of verses from the book of Romans, this witnessing tool uses a unique question and answer format to provide a framework to help you share your faith. As each new key verse is presented, probing questions and explanatory answers are also provided to help you both explain the Scripture and answer common questions that arise.

Pretty cool idea for software, though I will caution that its not enough to just get people on the road to salvation, you also need to take up the mantle of teaching/disciplining them through this walk.

Download the RomansRoad eTract from the iTunes Store. Note, it doesn't require PocketBible to use, but it does help the discussion if you have a Bible app of some kind handy when walking down the road with others with this.

Just A (Reflective) Question

2010-02-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

This post is simply a reflective question. But, its something that has been sitting on my mind and heart for sometime, and a recent post at GigaOm concerning President Obama pretty much lead to this point.

Here's the piece in the article which sparked things:

So what does it mean to have a U.S. president who is comfortable (or even familiar) with that new multi-directional, distributed reality, who seeks out his own sources of information wherever they might be, and makes connections directly and in real time, rather than always waiting for a report to be delivered or for a chief of staff to smooth the way?

And here's the question that has permenated my thoughts daily/hourly for the past months:

So what does it mean to have believers who have instant access to multiple resource and communities, who seek answers to the questions of faith and life, evaluating sources in real-time through online and offline relationships, instead of waiting for a sermon or preacher to smooth the message

Have we adjusted to the change in how we live this Gospel?

MMM @ the BBC UPDATED

2010-02-02T10:03:00.004-05:00

My best friend keeps telling me that it only takes one phone call, and I think he was (again) spot-on with this.

Last week, MMM was contacted by Jamillah Knowles who is part of the team that does the BBC's Pods and Blogs. This week's topic is Religion, Art, Time, and Space and I (Antoine) was interviewed to talk about Mobile Ministry Magazine.

Suffice to say, it was fun being interviewed, and even more to get a bit more word-of-mouth-and-mobile out about the site. MMM comes in at about the 12min mark, but you really don't want to skip as the two others profiled before MMM have some great approaches of their own.

Here's the direct link (MP3) to the podcast. Check it out and let me know what you think.

UPDATED: The direct MP3 link now points to the file here at MMM. You'd have to download and listen since we aren't doing streaming media here (yet?).

Skirting the Weather with Mobile and Web

2010-02-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

It the last weekend in January - when a number of churches on the East Cost of the USA have canceled services due to snow and ice that has blanketed the region. What follows are my thoughts on getting around the weather to continue the fellowship in the respect to biblical models and traditions.

Sitting on Twitter, I saw that my former church had canceled service due to the snow/icy conditions that hit Charlotte. This makes a lot of sense, and I'm pretty sure that many churches are doing the same, since the conditions don't make it pleasant to drive safely.

However, I did have a question in respect to the sermon. Many people attend church for the sermon and the fellowship. Missing one of these for a Sunday usually isn't a problem, but both of those present a bit of a challenge for many believers. And so I ended up tweeting the following (two messages):

Given the state of mobile/web, weather shouldn't impact the ability to preach a message (tweet)? But weather can and does impact the ability to fellowship; how does the church create/use virtual ties when impacts happen (tweet)?

Now, Wellspring's pastor did say that he would be recording and posting the sermon - and this is good. But the second question remains, how can we skillfully and appropriately use mobile/web technology in order to keep the ties of fellowship when weather or other conditions dictate otherwise?

I've got a few ideas:

Skype or other type of video/conference call
Sharing an iTunes/Pandora/last.fm/Spotfy/last.fm/etc. playlist at a certain time for "praise and worship," - adding the element of an accompanying blog post on the church blog for those who'd like to post their prayers, "amens," etc.
(Nearly)-Live streaming of the small groups who are able to meet in the home for worship, fellowship, and prayer

Do any of you employ these methods when weather or some other circumstance interrupts the usual flow of fellowship/worship? And if so, what have been some of the positives and negatives of doing this?

Weather is indeed a limitation of fellowship in the traditional face-to-face sense. But, is the traditional means of fellowship strong enough to deny the versatility of the technology that's now at our fingertips?

Note: I'm not specifically asking about a full internet church experience or internet church campus. I am speaking specifically towards using the mobile and web arenas when normal fellowship and worship methods are interrupted. When we speak on an internet church, we can start talking the fun stuff like location-displacement of elements of the fellowship - which is a good bit different when it happens on a continual basis.

Responding to the Pope's Message

2010-01-30T11:25:00.005-05:00

Apologies for the post out of sync with the usual posting schedule, but after reading the Washington Posts' views on the Pope's message, I figured that a response from MMM would be most appropriate.

To those who have been following Mobile Ministry Magazine, you know that we've always advocated the use of technology (mobile and web computing) when it intersects with the daily interactions that we have with life around us. Whether that daily interaction is person-to-person, person(s)-to-community, or personal devotions, there's a response to the intersection of faith and technology that's demanded as part of the context of the times that we live in. There doesn't need to be an official statement from anyone on it - this is the DNA of walking in this Christian faith.

That being said, the challenge is to walk not in the ways of others when it comes to the use of this technology. We are defined by our intense love for God and one another - therefore we model our use of this technology after that, not in light of what others are doing.

Personally, I think that its great that others in the Body are coming around to understanding mobile and web technology. However, to just understand it now, and then dive in without understanding of its implications is foolhardy. There's nothing worse than when the Body of Christ puts on something and it looks like a bad copy of what someone else has already done. And then cannot account for the consequences of that display or presentation. We've got to model not just contextual use, but continual maturity.

I'd like to believe that pastors/layleaders have the shared spiritual and technical understanding to use this tech - but history present and past dictates that not being the case. Those are who enabled in the Body to teach spiritual truths need to come up beside those who are technically able to use the tools of this age and together build on our faith. Sorry, we can't wait for a generation of pastors to come forth who have this shared knowledge - it will be too late.

The voice of Christ will remain constant and truthful in every generation that earnestly seeks Him and His Kingdom. On this site, we've espoused this in our asking of you to take a look at your lives at the intersections of faith and mobile technology. We've already responded to the call and demonstrated the ability He's endowed us with. The next steps are to enable others to preach, teach, and live this Gospel. Anything short of that is just a bad attempt at secular marketing.

Note:
This post is based on the message recently shared by Pope Benedict XVI at the 44th World Communications Day event and the resulting article at the Washington Post (via Smart Mobs).

Apple iPad Thoughts

2010-01-30T10:00:00.001-05:00

I'm writing this on the day the Apple iPad was announced. Meaning that I've probably come back to this post a few times to clarify and to rethink sections - and at the same time, it might just stay very raw.

First off, a blanket opinion - this is a device purely for affluent audiences. Its not addressing a need to anyone except those who've already got mobile solutions, and the wallets to enable them. That's not to say its a bad thing. In light of my first thoughts to any device or service - does it meet a need or a want - its clearly something in the want category for many, and therefore illusions about what it would enable have to be filtered accordingly.*

That being said, its a good idea, and one that has been talked about here before. The tablet does present itself as an interesting, albeit more content-laden solution for those who would like a reader-style device, but would like some measure of productivity with it. The included iWork and iTunes suites make sense here, especially since its meant to consume and lightly annotate, content. The need for adapters hearkens back to the age of PDAs and accessories as the driver for specialized needs - this could have been handled better, but Apple is making a play for a broad range of profit generation here.

I mentioned to one person that this would be a great device for preachers (being semantically specific with the term here). Paired with a wireless network, the preacher would essentially have the slides, notes, text, and ability to control what is on-screen right in front of them. Yes, this can be done with any PDA/smartphone/netbook/laptop (and as been) - the form factor of a slate/tablet device works well here. And the size is nearly that of an A4 envelope which keeps it mobile for preachers who move much.

The other neat audience is of course education. And while Apple specifically spoke towards this area in its announcement, the price is a big bite. A student in the market would have to choose the tablet, and the dock-keyboard accessory in order to make this work. That says nothing for the lack of an expansion card to backup papers/content (hello online services). The prepaid aspect works very well here as an incentive towards working in order to be connected - though WiFi use would most likely reign in this setting.

Thinking from my own point of view: well, I use a smartphone. My N97 plugs into my TV (w/Apple Wireless keyboard) for major tasks at home. On the road, I plug it into projectors for presentations (hint, hint), write a few articles, listen to music, etc. In other words, aside from the larger screen - which would be helpful for the amount of books I read - its not worth the cost to me as I'd need to purchase several accessories in order to meet the basic functionality (and I lose the voice calling aspect). Its a nice device, and similar to many. I would have preferred to see an interface like the Mag+ Concept or 10/GUI Concept, or further ahead like the hardware+interface of the Microsoft Courier Concept. The iPad isn't far enough in the user interface design to significantly enhance/change how I do computing. It may be different for others, and I'd love to hear how as that perspective is needed.

I am looking forward to seeing what Bible publishers will do with iPhone apps that use the larger user interface. Ideally, they would not just copy what a 3.5in screen is doing on this 9.7in one. It would be good to see some richer interactions with content, as well as finger-based interactions that are physically not as efficient on the iPhone/iPod Touch.

But, that's just my thoughts on things. What about you? What are your thoughts? Is it going to be a purchase for you or a friend/family member. What areas do you see as great, and what needs work? And lastly, how did you manage covetousness before/during/after the announcement?