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.
Matt Miller wrote on his initial experiences using the LifeChurch.tv Bible HD and Logos Bible applications on the Apple iPad (which became available for purchase this weekend. Here’s a snippet of what should prove to be an interesting device and perspective towards how mobile has jumped even more into everyday doings:
…My friend Dan Cohen, from Gear Diary, and I were talking a couple of months ago and after that one of my motivations for buying an iPad was to enhance my daily Bible reading and study experience. I have the Bible loaded on my smartphones and the software I use is quite good with the only real issue being the size of the display and now the iPad brings something bigger. I doubt Moses ever dreamed he would see tablets like the iPad, but I believe this new device can offer a compelling Bible reading and study experience so check out a couple applications available now and pack your iPad [electronic tablet] to church this Easter morning…
Check out the rest of the article by Matt, along with his other iPad impressions. And download LifeChurch.tv Bible HD, Logos, and several other iPad applications from iTunes.
Beginning the recaps of the time at the 2010 BibleTech Conference, I’d like to start with talking some about the first presentation: Mobile in the Next 10yrs (The Churchy Version).
One of the reasons for doing this presentation was to set some of the (needed) perspective to what is clearly in the mind and code snippets of many in the software and publishing industries. This year, there was a lot of talk about mobile (and the iPad) and what it has meant as there’s clearly a change in what’s possible when not just data is available, but it needs to be constructed to fit contextual situations as well.
For MMM’s presentation, these were these five speaking points:
Aside from a technical glitch (red and yellow are different colors, doh), I believe that it set the stage very well towards what will be better understood not just in respect to Bible software and studies, but how the Body responds to the context of people who get, learn, and assume that information is a commodity.
The last two bullets are better understood in the context of the change of generations and economics. Those who are leaders in spirit and business within the Body need to not just understand these changes, but also (in some cases) adapt to the reality that language, innovation, education, and even enterprise will not start with the former leaders, but those who learned from previous generations/leaders.
The hope was that presentation would set the ground also for the second – and main – presentation. As this was demo night, there was only 10 minutes to present what MMM knows best (Proverbs 4:7-8). I only wish that I had not rushed it – demonstrating any kind of knowledge needs to keep room open for conversation – of which there was a lot of at BibleTech. You can bet that I learned a quick lesson that night, and at the same time gained some insight towards what some in the Body are looking towards mobile for. Suffice to say, there’s a lot out there, and excitement of all kinds.
Stay tuned for part two of the MMM BibleTech Recap where some of these meetings and conversations will be talked about. And after that, we’ll talk about the main presentation, and some of the changes that it will cause for MMM.
View the presentation: The 5 Areas Where Mobile and the Church Intersect/Mobile in the Next 10 Years (The Churchy Version)
There’s some additional conversation about these points over at the Visual Story Network’s Mobile Ministry forums.
Just wanted to post a quick update on the Maemo/MeeGo open source Bible reader named Katana. At this point, its in an early alpha phase and is getting still some of the core functionality within it.
Right now, Katana supports the ability to use Bible modules from Sword (user needs to already have them installed on their device), uses the volume control buttons to page up/down, and the initiation of the search feature by simply sliding open the keyboard and beginning to type. Navigating to another Bible is done in the same way search is.
The next features include the ability to download texts from the web (Sword-only, I have put in a request to use Logos’ Biblia API which was announced at BibleTech).
You can follow updates towards the development of Katana by following this thread at Talk.Maemo. The project is in need of more (Qt) developers, testers, and any other Bible software companies who are utilizing web services to serve their Biblical content.
As a note: one of the features planned for Katana is to allow users the ability to download a module which would enable the use of a publishers/software service’s APIs in a manner that keeps licenses and ethics intact. Consider using Katana as a test bed for this method of delivering your content and encourage a strong open source development community in the process. There’s a lot of good that can come to publishers and developers who contribute to this effort, its essentially changing the way users get and use Bible software.
Very important note: to download and use Katana, you would need to enable the extras-devel repository. This repository is for very alpha software and may cause unintended effects to other applications or your device as a whole. The use of the repository is for the testing of applications before they enter the testing repository and undergo more formal testing. Use Katana and this repository at your own risks.
Woah, didn’t know that this was posted. Here’s the presentation that I did last September at the Visual Story Network’s Leadership Conference (The 4th Screen Reinvents the 1st Chance). As of this writing, I’ve not seen the video, but yea, am digging the person who’s giving it.
Check it out via Vimeo and VSN.
Ok, so “ramblings” might not be the best of words. But, it is about where things sit with MMM at this point. And for good reason, this week is the BibleTech Conference and another one of those changing moments for MMM.
First BibleTech, as you know, MMM will be present there. I (Antoine) will be giving a presentation titled Mobile’s Christ-Led Encounters. I cannot tell you how man times in the past two months that this presentation has/could have been rewritten – and outright thrown away – but I think that what’s been given will be a good step in the right direction towards this intersection of life and mobile/web. There’s always a story before, during, and after the intersection.
Logistically, MMM was supposed to be on a new content management system (CMS) by this point – or at least in the testing phase towards a new one. Google has given until May 1st to either go to a custom domain or another host. We’ll be going to another CMS, just not quite yet. There’s some more homework to be done, but I can say this much – simplicity needs to stand out front.
In terms of needs, MMM is in need of the following items:
Those are needs, not wants. Its been nearly 5 years of MMM being a primarily one-person show. And that’s great, but the faith that we have is manifested best when we are working as one Body.
At the 5 year anniversary (at the end of April), the vision for MMM will be restated. And hopefully that focus and intent for this little place on the web will be clearer to those of you who have been visiting here for sometime.
Personally, I’ve been going through a ton of pruning and resetting. There’s absolutely nothing normal about some of what’s happen. I’m questioning everything and being challenged in the very core aspects of my life. Its not fun, its been pretty painful actually, but my life has been served this time… pruning and purging is happening in spades. I believe that much will happen personally, spiritually, and professionally after this week. I’ve had that feeling for many months now, and well, by faith I’ll watch God do what He does best.
Its a bit of rambling I know, but you (the reader) needs to know where we (MMM) are. I covet your prayers for me (Antoine) and MMM. Stay tuned to more of God’s doings, there will be more to this story.
As a programming note: there will be no more posts until after I return from Cali. Until then, stay tuned to Twitter for MMM-styled updates. See ya there, or in the mist of the biggest wedding party eternity has ever seen 😉
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?
Given the rise in the understanding how how to use SMS for fund raising, many organizations are now looking at what the impact of SMS activities for non-profits looks like. Thankfully, we’ve got access to the metrics put together in the first-ever Nonprofit Text Messaging Benchmark Study (sponsored by Mobile Commons and mGive). Composed by Michael Amoruso and Jessica Bosanko of M+R Strategic Services and Katrin Verclas ofMobileActive.org, the report “provides benchmarks and metrics by which nonprofit organizations can measure their success with text messaging and illustrate the various ways in which organizations are using text messages.” For example:
…According to the Mobile Benchmark study, there are currently over 276 million wireless users in the U.S. and during the first half of 2009, users sent about 740 billion text messages. The report breaks down not only how non-profits can use SMS to interact with supporters, but also releases statistics on how specific organizations fared with their SMS campaigns..
Download the Mobile Benchmarks 2010 and learn more at the Mobile Benchmarks website.
Via Mobile Active
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.
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.