Posts Tagged ‘iPhone’

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Mobile App Holiday Giveaway: 1000 Church Apps from ROAR

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

ROAR App's Holiday Giveaway of 1000 Church appsWe are partnering with ROAR to let you know about an awesome opportunity to getting a mobile application built for your church/ministry. Here are the details as posted by ROAR CEO Matt McKee:

From November 29th – December 31, 2011, we are completely waiving the $750 per app setup fee for the first 1,000 churches, ministries, or 501c3 non-profits to sign up. You will still need to pay the monthly hosting fee, but we’ve even reduced that for this limited-time offer! You can choose either option: iPhone and iPad only or iPhone, iPad, and Android. You get a better value if you choose all three platforms, and for this limited time, we’ve also slashed the price if you go ahead and pay for a full year of hosting up front! Seriously, if your church is considering an app, you will not find a better deal than this.

Pricing is as follows:

  • iPhone/iPad app: $30/month or $300/year
  • Android app: $30/month or $300/year
  • iPhone/iPad AND Android apps: $50/month or $500/year
  • And NO setup cost.

So, if you’ve already gotten your ducks in a row concerning what it is that you want from a mobile application (see the recommended reading links below), you just need to step up towards ROAR’s invitation and get that applicaation built.

If you haven’t gotten your mobile app plans moving forward, and development was the sticky point, definitley take advantage of this offering and finish 2011/begin 2012 on a capable mobile foot.

Sign up now before the 1000 slots are taken up.

NOTE: You do need to pay for the 1st month’s hosting fees for the application in order to get the church/ministry application built for free. You can also choose to pay for the entire year, and the free application offer also applies.

About ROAR

Learn more about ROAR’s mobile app development, CMS solutions, their pricing models, and their FAQs at their website.

Recommended Readings
Do make sure to have these articles in your reading list as they will come in handy as you work with ROAR or any other mobile application developers/service providers. The better prepared that you are, they more effective your mobile solution will be.

Take advantage of this partnership between ROAR and MMM while this offer lasts.

 

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Posted in Devices and Software | No Comments »

Painfully Hopeful Compares Olive Tree Reader 5 and Accordance

Wednesday, January 12th, 2011

screenshot of Accordance for iPhoneWes Allen, who penned the post Technological Contemplatives, has written up an excellent comparison of Olive Tree and Accordance’s mobile applications. Here’s a snippet:

I’ve been an Olive Tree user since 2001 when I picked up an iPaq as a seminary graduation present. By the time I’d moved from Palm and on to iOS I had collected quite a library for my personal study. In fact, after Seminary I rarely carried a print Bible with me! When Olive Tree moved to iOS I became a beta tester and was instantly impressed, they also allowed me access to some resources I would have not been able to acquire otherwise – for which I’m grateful. I was so glad to see the progress that Olive Tree has made in version 5 of their iOS reader, that I purchased their $.99 version, rather than wait for the free edition to be released. Yes it’s only a dollar, but I wanted to show my support.

I’ve been an Accordance users for just about 2 years, and I’ve loved every minute of it. Their library and resources are a joy to use, and I’ve had a lot of fun incorporating many of their tools into my preaching and teaching. I’ve invested heavily in Accordance, and it’s not disappointed me.

Read the rest of this comparison review at Painfully Hopeful. And then download Olive Tree, Accordance, or any other Bible application to extend your ability to read and study nearly anywhere.

 

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Mobility in the Midwest~where are your files?

Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Mobility is not just about a grabbing a phone, maybe a laptop and leaving the house. Working from home used to be complicated with heavy brief cases, files and if one was lucky a portable hard drive to bring the files from the work computer home. That is no longer the case in 2010. I work from home with the ability to carry my netbook and at most my iPhone. I use the application Dropbox for keeping my files synced with all my computers and my phone. I am in the middle of writing a book and this application has proved to be immeasurably helpful to me. I can write, complete edits and upload to Dropbox ensuring I have everything in one spot.

I have been asked about this process by no less than twenty people this week.  I have shared ebooks, music and basically evangelized Dropbox like no other advertising company could to the Midwest in hopes of unburdening people’s briefcases. Sure there may be other services out there, but  Dropbox fits my needs perfectly and it is social. The more people you share it with, the more space you get to store your own files. What a great system.

My productivity on writing this book has gone out the roof, because as creative types know, thoughts don’t come at the most convenient time. I  type up drafts in the 20 minutes I am waiting in line to pick up my son, edit while waiting in line at the grocery store and come home and have my files waiting for me.  No more lost papers flying out the window, which has happened to me and caused tears. Ahem.

How is mobility defined in your life? Are you taking your files with you or are you burdened with wondering were that flash drive is? Lighten up and give Dropbox a try.

 

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Noticing Things with Bible Formats

Friday, November 19th, 2010

This should probably turn into a segment in our Future Trends series (Publishing, Software, Hardware), but I’ve got to do a bit more digging before making some more definitive positioning statements. One thing is for sure, there are some trends in regards to data formats that I see a bit clearer after doing some updates to our Mobile Bibles page, and it could end up being a win-win for a lot of folks – especially users.

A Short History of Files

Years ago, I got involved with the Palm Bible+ project as the webmaster and a user. As one of the few free Bible applications (at that time), Bible+ used to get all kinds of requests for Bibles in various languages. This was usually easy to do with a bit of programming on the part of the user, but you usually ended up with a Bible that would only work with that application.

In a similar fashion, there was the eSword application and Bibles created for it.  This application were also free to distribute  and worked across several desktop PC platforms. In the years since initially running into the eSword project, there’s been several updates to the file format, including the use of the STEP format, and the creating of a Windows Mobile client to also read these texts.

On the other side of the Bible+ project was the move to DRM texts. The original developer of the Palm Bible Reader made steps to create a version of the Bible reader that would accept copyrighted texts. The Bible+ project grew out of this, yet it was clear at this point that there would need to be two methods for handling Biblical text/media.

The Dollar Items

Of course, not everything can be for free, and as we’ve chatted about here several times, the issue of Bible formatting is a sensitive one for those publishers and developers involved.

There is a clear line though towards Bible formats and what becomes needed to be paid for. For example, there has always been numerous versions of the Bible available for free – but, it had not been until recently (past three years) that you’d be able to find some of the more modern translations available for free.  These were (rightly) tied to an application, and coded to work specifically with that body of text.

This works well when you are talking about the audience of readers whom are invested into reading the text – those people who are new to the faith, or who only see the Bible for a casual reading/reference work will place a different value to it, and therefore look at the cost of it to them differently.

Not everything can be free, and not everything will fly off the shelves priced too far away. There’s got to be some kind of answer to this issue, and maybe it is near the actual formats that are used in various Bible applications.

What I Noticed

When looking at the Mobile Bibles page, I noticed a few things. The Bible+ Project was originally just for one platform, and the Bibles created for it can now be read in PalmOS Classic, Symbian, BlackBerry OS, and Maemo/MeeGo. Bibles made for the eSword environment also are supported on several platforms (Windows/Mac/Linux, Maemo, Maemo/MeeGo, and some previous Windows Mobile devices).

And that’s the free stuff. When you get to the paid Bibles, there’s compatiability for everything from Java-based handsets, to iOS (iPad, iPhone), Android, Symbian, and BlackBerry mobile devices.

A newer approach is being taken on by Logos, with the Biblia API project. Here, its not so much the actual reading environment that is being pressed, but you are given content, and have the ability (through license agreement) to use that content in a manner that works best for you. So here, you are using both new and old texts, free and paid texts, in a connected space, over a browser, or a customized (for the platform) application. So far, other companies aren’t going this route, but I do postulate that this would be the eventual end of much of the content that we deal with Biblically when consistent connectivity (QoS) isn’t in question.

In effect, everything is covered by two approaches to Bible formats:

  • Leveraging the existing content, older translations, and multi-lingual needs created for platforms that still have a large user base, but the users may have moved to newer devices and don’t want to purchase their initial downloaded investments
  • Utilizing proprietary formats which are advantageous for newer translations, free and purchase systems, and leverage the exposed connectivity features of newer mobile platforms and/or wireless access levels of users

I think that we still need to get to a point of seeing one commonly used Bible format, with the sharing, purchasing, etc. components handled by device/user tokens. And we might get there. Looking at just what is available now, and how the needs of those looking for Bibles are being addressed, it looks like we might essentially get there – but with users needing to pay as much attention to the reading platform, as much as they do the text itself.

At least that’s what it looks like on our Mobile Bibles page. I’ll probably tweak this page even more later when more of these associations are noticed. Besides making it easier for you to find a reader, it might help you make better decisions about how to manage your digital Biblical assets before the next major change hits several more software/development companies in this space.

And to think, I’m not even touching (yet) audio Bibles ;)

 

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Posted in Commentary, Devices and Software, Future Trends | 5 Comments »

iPhone 4 and Biblical Reflections

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

It is a deliberate thing that reflections on the iPhone 4 announcement have taken a while to come together. While there is always some appreciation towards a new device and what it can mean for mobile from a technology-adoption standpoint, its always important to filter thoughts about the implications of mobile appropriately.

To be blunt, there’s nothing drastically new with this iPhone, and at the same time, there are some notables. The most spoken about features will be the battery life (if the iPad is an indication, should be outstanding to all but BlackBerry users) and the very high-resolution screen (at 326 dots-per-inch for a 3.5in screen, its better than anything out with a backlight, and will make paper look bad too). The other features are in or have been within other mobiles for a good amount of time. Apple’s attention to the user experience though will continue to set the iPhone as a (mental) bar for users, developers, and manufacturers alike.

All of this is ok. Yet, doesn’t really say why this reflection piece has taken so long to pen.

The announcement of the high-definition camera should start to change perceptions towards what’s possible from a mobile device. Yes, its not one of those professional grade approaches to recording and disseminating video, but its another call to a paradigm shift. That shift is simply that your IT resources (people, intellectual capacities, and strategies) would be better utilized training people to use this tool for the community’s benefit.

For example, instead of just having one team record a gathering, invite others to do so (use governance and appropriate direction in terms of bounds) and post the compiled footage on your community website. Use the capacities not just on the device, but within your IT teams to create avenues for the technical education programs that school districts are increasingly being asked to cut.

Then there’s the video calling feature – FaceTime. Now, let’s get this out there – this is not new. Its been done in several regions for a long time, and with varying degrees of success. This is of course announced with the Apple touch so there’s got to be something new right? No, not really. The calls are over Wi-Fi only at this point, which means that unless you are on a Wi-Fi train or plane, you will be sitting still in doing one of these calls. Other services such as Fring, Palringo, and Skype have this ability and over cellular connections as well as Wi-Fi. The debates of whether video calling is good or not will go on for sometime, but let’s concentrate on one specific implication of it – accountability.

Moreover, if they brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear [thee, then] take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And he he shall neglect to hear them, tell [it] unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

That’s from Matthew 18:15-17. Notice the loophole that someone could take with video calling instead of an interpersonal interaction?

Its not the tool that’s the issue either, its the behavior (maturity) of the persons involved. If someone has an issue, and chooses not to address it to a person directly, even with being able to see them versus just getting the text/audio of the person, will matters be resolved? That’s not to say that its always possible to resolve life’s situations in-person, but as usual, technology as it is given does speak to ways that we can miss out on the subtle and needed aspects of interpersonal relationships.

The other side of that is that one can use video calling (at least in terms of Apple’s FaceTime) to other Apple iPhone device users to keep in contact with one another over distances, saving on international rates and possibly even as a means to extend missional relationships once the physical presence time is no more.

And so, there are some of the reflections of the new iPhone 4 and what it looks like at this intersection. It’s not the total of opinions, and won’t be the last here or elsewhere. But, in light of what’s possible with a $199-$399 device (after contract) that has a ton of media attention, we shouldn’t just take the marketing terms and call it good. We should take into account the possibilities and accept that just because we can do it, doesn’t make it the best course of action (according to Galatians 6:1-10, this is our opportunity to do things just a bit different).

 

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