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).

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.

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.

What Olive Tree is doing with their BibleReader 4 on the iPhone/iTouch is quite a feat. Holding one of these beautiful mobile devices and searching the original languages must be very impressive. I would love to have my own iTouch. For now, though, I have to be content with watching Olive Tree’s excellent videos (nice revamped site, by the way) and read reviews like that of Kevin Purcell.

I have just posted a new review of Accordance 8, an amazing piece of software that offers everything a student of the biblical texts may have hoped for, and all of it within the context of a superb user interface. Do check it out!

Accordance Bible Software is making available free podcasts from the iTunes Store. If you have iTunes installed on your computer, you can search for “Lighting the Lamp” and download the episode you want or subscribe to future podcasts. Alternatively, you can go directly to the podcast by clicking this link.

These podcasts will revisit the topics covered in the former webinars and add many more subjects in due course.

The different episodes are an excellent way to become acquainted with the many features offered by this sofware, and suitable for both current and potential users.

Update (June 26): Those with no access to iTunes can download the podcasts here.

Kevin Purcell, who runs the Christ-Tech blog, has written two reviews for Christian Computing Magazine this year. In January he dealt with QuickVerse 2009 (Deluxe Edition) — PDF download –, whereas this month he reviews BibleWorks 8 (PDF download). Do check it out.

If you are into Bible software for mobile devices, you may want to read two reviews of PocketBible 4 here and here, as well as a BibleReader 4 review (BlackBerry edition).

Over at Fostertribe, Jerry announces the completion of his round of Bible software reviews. What started as an overview of free and inexpensive applications became a series of 13 reviews of different packages and ended up with 3 more (already reported here) and now the remaining 4 (La Parola, Alkitab Bible Study, SwordBible and Bible Analyzer). All in all, quite a lot of work.

I’ve had some people ask me whether Jerry’s reviews are related in any way to BSR. The short answer is “No.” Despite the potentially misleading title of the page where his reviews are hosted (“Bible Software Review”), there is no relation whatsoever. I simply link to his reviews because I feel they can be of interest to readers of this site and weblog, but linking does not mean full endorsement. He has a different kind of readership in mind and – very important point – he only reviews Windows programs.

Obviously there is some overlap in our reviews, but you will soon find out that we aim at different things, and that our opinions differ on certain issues and ratings. Nevertheless, I appreciate his insights and think they are quite helpful. Anyone who takes upon themselves the task of reviewing Bible software has my respect. I know all too well what a difficult, challenging, and often thankless task this is!

There is now a new section available for reviewing shareware Bible programs. The first review I have posted deals with a little known gem: Workman’s Study Bible.

If you feel comfortable using a command line and keeping your fingers on the keyboard most of the time, appreciate a minimalist approach to user interfaces, and like a really powerful search engine, you will love this program.