Bible Software Review Weblog

In case you have been wondering, I will have a major announcement to make concerning Bible Software Review soon. It so happens that I cannot tell you what it is just yet, so please be patient ;-)

Those blessed souls who own an iPhone and/or an iPod Touch will want to check out this new release from Laridian.

The June 2007 issue of the Biblical Studies Bulletin includes a "review" (read "extremely short kind of review") of New International Greek Testament Commentaries released in Accordance Bible Software format. At one point, the reviewer (Michael B. Thompson?) says,

In addition to English text you can search for Greek and Hebrew words across the set, as well as for manuscripts (e.g. p46) and of course, biblical references. The biblical reference search casts a wide net; looking for Mark 3.5 brings up its occurrences within a range (e.g. Mark 2.1-3.6).

In fact there is a tip I learned a long time ago that allows users to find the exact biblical reference. So, if we wanted to locate Mark 3.5 only, we could use the following search syntax: Mark 3:5 ⟨NOT⟩ ⟨WITHIN 1 Words⟩ (Mark 3:4 ⟨OR⟩ Mark 3:6). This will prevent Accordance from finding any instances where Mark 3:5 is part of a range.

Hope this helps!

Users of OliveTree's BibleReader software will be glad to know that they can now access a Learning Center that allows them to acquaint themselves with the program at a deeper level. This learning "hub" contains video tours, article on available resources and features, user's manuals and selected blog entries that focus on the use of the program. As one would expect, the stated purpose is to learn how to get the most out of BibleReader.

I should also mention that on top of the regular study collections currently available, OliveTree is now offering the possibility of putting together a customized software bundle, adapted to the users' particular needs, at a discounted price.

As a follow-up to my previous entry, I can now announce that PocketBible for Windows is already available. See full press release here.

Synchronization of notes, bookmarks and highlights between the desktop edition and the different mobile versions (PocketBible for Pocket PC/Smartphone and MyBible for Palm OS) will be possible shortly, as soon as the PDA-based programs are updated.