Mobile Ministry Magazine (MMM)

Posts Tagged ‘iPod Touch’

Tablet App Ideas

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

Not Everything on the iPad is An Easy Drink - Share on OviAm writing this as I am preparing a presentation on tablet computers in ministry for the Mobile Ministry Forum. Some application ideas have come to mind as I’ve looked at the sad state of things in this niche of persona/mobile computing:

Choose Your Biblical Adventure
In the mode of the Choose Your Adventure books of my youth, wouldn’t it be suitable to create an interactive ebook which takes a selection of Bible stories and allows a person to insert themselves into the story. When they choose a route that follows the chronology of literal reading of the text, the person is shown the reference to the text. Such an application would be built with the in-app purchases tech so that stories can be added over time instead of getting the entire text at once.

Color Me A World
A coloring book which draws solely on Genesis 1. As each “day” is colored, additional items appear in the screen to be detailed/colored. Maybe add something like a canvas/palette enhancement where you might only get a few colors to start with, but by the time you get to the 6th day, you have the complete color wheel. Limited use, but invites the artist to join into the understanding of what God went through when creating the world.

Life of a Disciple
Given that there’s little known about most of the disciples, a comic that uses art, text, and video to expand the story of following Christ through that perspective. Something like a cross between Operation AJAX and The Jesus Film Project’s My Last Day.

Scout Out the Land
Using Google Maps/Earth, create a photo book which encourages a person to see the lands talked about in the Bible as if they were walking through it. Here, they’d choose the century/kingdom, and then be pulled down ground-level to the land and its up to them to explore and collect facts. After a certain amount of facts are collected, the maps zoom out and the Scriptures along with other data are given to fill in the blanks about the stories.

Beatitudes Devotional
A 30 day devotional based on the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12, Luke 6:20-26) in which a person is invited to write, record (audio/video), or link to a demonstration of that beatitude. 

Seriously, all that I’m seeing in the app store is variations on Bible/devotionals. How about we take things a considerable step forward and actually using the tablet space to instigate maturity in the faith, but making applications that compel us to want to share the outcomes of our steps in Christ?

 

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.

 

Palm Addict: Memorizing Bible Verses via iPod Touch

Friday, December 10th, 2010

PocketSwordBy Nic Carter, via Apple iTunesPalm Addicts with a user talking about how they are using their iPod Touch and using applications to memorize and track Scripture reading. Here’s a snippet:

On my Tapwave Zodiac and my Palm TX, I used a free app called Memorize! to, you guessed it, memorize verses from the Bible. Memorize! was quick and offered easy flexibility for using various translations and languages (as long as the appropriate language was loaded on the Palm). I could also add whole sections of Scripture and not just single verses. It could also import verses from Laridian’s MyBible program. On the iPod Touch, I have found two alternatives to Memorize…

Read the rest over at Palm Addicts.

 

More Than a Bible in My Pocket

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

When I started with mobile devices a few years ago, I had a few uses in mind. My primary desire was to keep up with my calendar & tasks, but I also wanted to always keep a Bible in my pocket per se. At that time, I thought it was cool to carry around a Bible or two & a devotion with me at all times in my mobile.

Fast forward a few years and I can now say that I have more than just a Bible in my pocket. These days I’m carrying around an entire theological library, all under the guise of a mobile phone (and iPod Touch). With an unlimited data plan & Wi-Fi, I now have at my fingertips just as much information as I have sitting at my laptop or desktop computer. So, a few years ago when I thought it was nice to just read the Bible on my mobile, I’m now able to interact with the text of the Bible and put together a full blown study right from my mobile device. I never would have thought that such a thing would be possible from such a light piece of hardware (in weight & processing power).

Apple iPod Touch, via Apple WebsiteNow, I can freely travel with just my phone, leaving my laptop at home, and not feel like I’m leaving anything behind. I’ve got my calendar, tasks, contacts, and my 2,000+ volume digital theological library right there with me. How awesome is that?! I can only imagine what I’ll be doing a few years from now on my mobile!

Editor Note: This posting also appeared at Palm Addict.

 

ESV iPhone App from Crossway

Monday, April 5th, 2010

Looks like there’s a new mobile bible out there for those of you with iPhone and iPod Touch devices. Crossway has released an ESV iPhone App which offers the ability to read, search, note, and highlight verses and passages.

This is a free application and can be downloaded by going to http://mobile.esv.org/ or theiTunes App Store.

 

Mobile and Offerings

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

We’ve talked about the use of SMS to send money to one another and various places before. But, what about using your mobile device in a physical manner?

Given that many churches use the option of electronic payments from their websites, would it be a stretch to take that to a mobile device? So, instead of there just being a bucket in front of the church, there would be someone holding an iPhone/iPod Touch (owned and tracked by the church) and then using the updated PayPal application, collecting tithes/offerings from those who’d like to transfer funds that way

Sure that might make for a slightly longer time in the offering line, but would be a neat way to use mobile in a context that people recognize, and in many ways exercises more stewardship than checks and credit cards (PayPal won’t let you transfer money you don’t have).

I like the idea and think it has very far-reaching implications if someone/company/church were innovative enough. But for now, I would love to know if anyone is doing it (or now planning to). Your thoughts?

 

OliveTree, Maemo 5, and Logos iPhone News

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

There has a been a number of happenings in the area of mobile bible applications. Here are the highlights of what’s come in the past week+:

OliveTree Releases Symbian S60v5 Beta and updated BlackBerry and Android applications

The folks over at OliveTree have been kicking it into high gear with mobile application updates. They’ve released an early beta of their OliveTree Reader for Symbian S60v5 devices (Nokia 5800XM and N97, Samsung i8910, and Sony Ericsson Saito). Testing is happening in this very public beta to get feedback before making this official. So jump in by downloading the reader and giving your feedback in the OliveTree forums.

There has also been an update to the BlackBerry and Android versions of the OliveTree application. Those too can be downloaded from the mobile-enabled download page.

Image: Screenshot of early development version of Katana for Mameo 5 devices, via Talk.Maemo.org

Maemo 5 Bible App (Katana) Development Moving Forward

The topic of a new Bible application for Nokia’s Mameo5 platform has continued with some really solid success. Already, there has been some movement by a number of developers to port the existing Rapier application to Maemo5 (testing on a live device only remains there). And then for the newer application – tentitvely named Katana – there’s some work being done in a basic UI, and discussions about a plug-in approach that would enable the use of paid Bibles from folks such as OliveTree, in addition to the already planned for support for Sword and Palm Bible+ bibles.

If you’d like to learn more or join the development efforts, throw your eyes and prayers into the discussion.

Logos’ Bible Software App for the iPhone

Logos has also jumped into the mobile application world with its Bible software application for the iPhone. This is a free application which allows its users to read, search, cross reference, compare versions, and even set up reading plans, all from an iPhone or iPod Touch device. As with many mobile Bible applications, this one requires a wireless connection as it connects to the Bibles featured at bible.logos.com. There’s tap-and-hold functionality for viewing Hebrew/Greek, verse/text comparison, and linked cross references.

Image: Logos for iPhone, via Logos website

If you are looking at a Bible app to compliement your Logos library, this would probably be your best bet. For more information, visit Logos’ iPhone software webpage or iTunes.

Got News?

Got news about a Bible application – new application, text, or public beta programs, shoot us a note about it so that we can help you spread the word.

 

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