Mark Barnes has posted an excellent review comparing OliveTree BibleReader and Logos for the iPhone/iPod Touch. This is one of the most exciting areas right now for Bible software, and I’m sure it will be even more so when the new iPad is launched. It’s definitely worth a read.
I have finally been able to complete my review of BibleWorks 8. As I say in my concluding remarks,
BibleWorks is a must-have tool for original language exegesis and Bible translation. It is an affordable package, offering solid tools and excellent features. In my estimation there is no doubt that this is the best Bible software product of its kind for Windows.
To get the full context you will need to read the whole piece, but one of the keys is that BW has stayed true to itself, while offering the ability to work in close synergy with other programs that focus on areas BW has decided to not go into (e.g., digital libraries).
Yes, I know I’m late to the party and this will be old hat to most of you. When Zondervan announced that they would be discontinuing their Pradis software, there were good news and bad news. Good news because Zondervan products were already available for the Mac (Accordance) and would be coming to Logos (thus no need to have yet another proprietary software just for a few titles). Bad news because Pradis 6 was a good piece of software and current users would be left in the cold.
In my review of the previous version of Pradis I already hinted at the problem of backwards compatibility and the cost of upgrading resources that had already been paid for. Now, Logos has announced a deep discount of 40% for previous users of Pradis who decide to get Zondervan’s titles in Logos format.
John Fidel has posted some interesting thoughts on this whole issue, and I tend to agree with what he says. David Lang interacts with it here. As for me, being a Pradis user myself I can feel the disappointment (fortunately I have Zondervan’s products in Accordance), and agree that even with Logos offer, to buy –yet again!– those books to be able to run them under Windows is a bit too much.
To be honest, I don’t know what I’ll do. This would be the third time I would have to pay for EBC, NIDNETT, NIDOTTE and so on (Zondervan Reference Software, Pradis and, now, Logos). This situation is far from ideal, and I would love to see Zondervan go the extra mile to ensure that faithful Pradis users are duly taken care of with more of a nominal upgrade price.
My review of WORDsearch 9 is now online. Great program for pastors and teachers, but needs some work in the area of searching. Nevertheless, it offers excellent resources and a nicely integrated working environment. Good option for those who teach the Scriptures on a regular basis.
As you all probably know by now, Apple announced a new gadget yesterday morning. The much hyped “tablet” goes by the name of iPad, and, as is usually the case with Apple products, it has left very few people indifferent. Quite a feat when you consider that it will not be released until late March or early April.
I followed Steve Jobs’ presentation and then managed to watch the whole event earlier this morning. I have also read a number of comments for and against this new media device, written by people who actually got to see and try one. But my real concern right now doesn’t have to do with what the iPad can or cannot do, or what it has and what it lacks. Rather, I’m interested to know what impact it will have on Bible software, if any.
I use the word “know” because that is one of the key aspects, in my opinion. As a recent iPod Touch user I do not have to imagine what studying the Bible on the iPad will feel like; I have a fairly precise idea. Many of us, iPhone and iTouch users, have been blessed with some excellent Bible software (reviews will be forthcoming, God willing) for this platform (iPhone OS). We know how amazing it is to use such devices, how good these Bible apps are, and how awesome they would become … if they just had some more room.
It seems to me that the new iPad is much more than a “glorified” iPhone, and while I regret the fact that it will not be able to do multitasking (just yet!), I’m sure that it will be able to offer an ever better user experience in the field of Biblical studies.
Those who already have Bible apps for the iPhone have a clear advantage, but they better realize that “porting” their products to the iPad is not good enough. Not for Mac users, anyway. More is needed and, what’s best, more is possible.
I think Apple has shown the way with their iWork suite for the iPad. As I see it, and of course I could be wrong, the company who manages to release a Bible software program a la Apple will be the first one to cross the fine line that separates good from outstanding. So, please developers use the new SDK and surprise us with something truly amazing!
So, what do you think? Do you see iPad’s potential having any impact on Bible study software?
One of the highlights of 2009 was my trip to Israel. It was such a great experience that I sure hope I can go back soon. Meanwhile, I keep looking at the many pictures I took. I can’t tell you how excited I am when I review those places and reread my personal travel journal.
I have always enjoyed photos, and since I had recently come back from Israel I thought it would be a good idea to review The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection. This 2-DVD set, containing more than 4,000 carefully chosen pictures of biblical lands from the 1900s, is available from Life in the Holy Land and was produced by Todd Bolen, who runs BibePlaces.com. It really is a superb arsenal of teaching aids that should come in handy to anyone studying or teaching the Bible.
I have come to appreciate Todd’s contributions in this area, and can say that his work is of a consistently high standard. Do check out Todd’s excellent posts on this blog, many of which have recently dealt with different aspects of The American Colony and Eric Matson Collection.
I haven’t had much time to blog lately, one of the reasons being that OakTree Software asked me to write a guest post on the recently released Biblioteca Hispana de Accordance for the Accordance Blog. Here is the blog article.
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Últimamente no he tenido mucho tiempo para escribir en el blog. Una de las razones es que OakTree Software me pidió que escribiera un artículo sobre la Biblioteca Hispana de Accordance para el Accordance Blog. Aquí está el artículo.
Logos Bible Software has a large collection of videos introducing the new features of the recently released Logos 4 software. More tutorials and videos are also available at Logos Bible Software YouTube channel.
Alongside the official screencasts, here are two more sources that I consider to be extremely helpful:
Mark Barnes, from the ephesians 4:14 blog, has posted some excellent and very informative videos which I highly recommend. They can be found on his blog, but you may prefer to check out his Vimeo page.
John Fidel, who runs the Bible Software Newsletter and Comments blog, has also contributed some great tutorials with lots of practical tips and ideas. Again, they are available on his blog or, if you like, check them out on YouTube.
Bible Software Review is all about sharing, so I thought it would be good to try to make things easier for those of you who make use of different social networks. From now on you will find a number of icons at the bottom of each post. These will allow you to share the information you find here in some of the most commonly used online social networks. There are also buttons to email the link to the post and print or save as PDF the post itself.
On the right hand side column, under Social Network, you’ll find a new button that will take you to my Twitter page. There I share news that not always make it to the blog, as well as some personal thoughts here and there. It’s a good way to keep updated on the latest developments in the Bible software scene and interact with other users and developers.
I hope you find these little enhancements useful. As always, I’m open to your suggestions and very much value your feedback. Thanks!
The proof of the cake is in the eating, right? Right. Similarly, Bible software is certainly at its best when one can actually see its many practical applications. Here are some samples you may want to look at.
Mike Heiser explains some of the kinds of searches that can be performed with Logos’ syntactical databases. A few of the examples are geared towards scholars, while others are suited for more general uses. There are also short videos on how the searches were carried out.
David Lang points to a practical use of the INFER command in Accordance. He includes a download link to Robert Marineau’s paper presented at the past ETS meeting held in New Orleans, LA.
Rick Bennet, talks about how to use Accordance to search for nomina sacra in early papyri, and Tommy Wasserman, over at the Evangelical Textual Criticism blog, shares his own experience in conducting searches like these.
Glenn Weaver, in one of his excellent Classroom Tips, shows how to search for Hebrew weak verbs with BibleWorks. You may recall that this was one of the challenges posed at the SBL Bible software shootout session.
