BW for PDA?

[mlanglois]

I would love to see a PDA version of BW! Even without advanced search functions and so on, it would be great to have our preferred Bible versions and lexicons at hand.

I know that there are PDA Bible software, but I don't want to pay again for Bibles and lexicons I have already bought for my computer!
I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to design a simple PDA interface that would display BW version files. Could this be a new feature of BW 7?

[Ben Spackman]

This has been brought up several times before, and the BW Powers that Be have never been too encouraging. There's been no hint of it in the few tidbits of BW 7 they've mentioned. There should be a few threads on it somewhere in the archives if you run a search.

[mlanglois]

I'm not surprised that this has been brought up several times in the past. But as the number of PDA users keeps increasing, I believe that BW creators should take this suggestion seriously.
While searching the web I found out that Gramcord is already providing a PDA version of their Bibles, called "Gramcord Lite": http://www.gramcord.org/gramlite.htm

Instead of developping their own software, they're using OliveTree BibleReader. They offer Masoretic text with parsing and BDB, Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament with parsing and UBS lexicon, Rahlf's LXX with parsing, and so on.

Now the big plus: if you buy their PC software (Ultimate Bundle, $235), then you get the PDA software for FREE! That's exactly what I would expect from Bibleworks.

[jdarlack]

The texts that you would be getting from Olive Tree are virtually the same as that which you would be getting if BibleWorks were to make a Palm edition. So, BibleWorks would be putting a lot of time and effort into developing a program that would be in competition with an already established program. BibleWorks is a small company with only a handful of programmers. I'd rather that they continue focusing on the PC program and making it the fastest, most powerful Bible Software available.

That being said, I am an avid Palm user. I've been using PalmBible+ for over a year now, and I must say that I am very pleased with it. It is a free program and there are quite a few "power users" out there who have made their own versions and posted them for others to use. There are also programs available that can be used to convert BibleWorks texts into PalmBible+ texts. The searching and parsing functions may not be exactly the same as BibleWorks, but frankly I typically only need the text on my Palm on a Sunday morning or when I want to quickly look up a reference without dragging out my laptop.

Take a look at the program, it's well worth what you'll pay for it!

http://palmbibleplus.sourceforge.net/

[Joe Fleener]

Jim's comments are right on the money. There are other groups out there who are providing quality PDA Bible Software. It would not be the best stewardship for BibleWorks to try to do what others are already doing well, since that would mean that what they already do well (the best) would suffer.

Yes, you can get PDA versions for free when purchasing other PC Bible software, but you get an inferior PC program - not a good trade off.

Another issue is the future of the PDA. With PCs getting smaller and smaller - now the size of handhelds and prices coming down, it will not be long before I will be able to carry a fully functional PC with a full BW install in my pocket.

[jdarlack]

With PCs getting smaller and smaller - now the size of handhelds and prices coming down, it will not be long before I will be able to carry a fully functional PC with a full BW install in my pocket.

I haven't been paid for this advertisement, but if you have money to spend, you can already have BibleWorks in a full-WinXP "palm sized" PC:

From the website:

a full-featured Windows XP computer
The OQO model 01+ ultra personal computer (uPC) is a fully-functional Windows XP computer. The OQO has a 1GHz processor, a 30GB hard drive, 512MB of RAM, a color transflective display, and integrated wireless, as well as FireWire and USB ports.

fits in your pocket
Just 4.9 inches long, 3.4 inches wide, 0.9 inches thin, and weighing only 14 ounces, the model 01+ can fit in a pocket or purse and go with you anywhere. For easy typing and cursor control it has a complete thumb keyboard with TrackStik and mouse buttons as well as digital pen and thumbwheel.

I'm willing to benchmark test this baby with BibleWorks, if anyone wants to buy me one!

http://www.oqo.com

[Joshua Luna]

An other "thumbs up" for PalmBible+. It is free, has quite a few Bible versions, and for those interested in having Greek and Hebrew on the run you can get pointed and accented Hebrew and Greek + some basic tools (e.g. with the Hebrew if you double tap a work it can open up BDict or RoadLingua and go to the correspinding BDB entry!). With TSN, basic search features, and "parallel" mode where you can have one version on top and another version below you cannot ask for much more of a mobile electronic Bible!

Did I mention it was free?

Another issue is the future of the PDA. With PCs getting smaller and smaller - now the size of handhelds and prices coming down, it will not be long before I will be able to carry a fully functional PC with a full BW install in my pocket.

This actually a significant concern in the industry itself. Non Cell phone PDA like devices (i.e. your Palm Pilots and Pocket PC devices from Dell, HP, etc) have experienced declining sales every quarter for over a year. With the introduction of more robust Cell phones, Smart Phones, multi-function MP3 players, and gaming devices (like the PSP and NDS) there is a lot more competition in the mobile space. PDAs have been slow in regards to video media and audio and to get a model that has excellent wireless access with good battery life and enough features to justify the cost--but enough battery life to preserve the core features and functionality one requires of a personal assistance--well, they have been hard pressed to keep up in the mainstream consumer market.

Recently the Palm OS was purchased by another company who does a lot of Unix work so Palm is now in a position where it will most likely have to transition to Windows Pocket PC OS or take a look at Simbian or some other option.

With declining sales and a fairly rocky forcast until things get sorted out I can understand why the BW team would steer clear, especially when there is free software with a robust featureset. I love BW and even asked if BW would go mobile (hehehe) but with PalmBible+ I don't see an immediate need.

As the mobile Smart phone market grows and becomes more feature rich/stable and/or when Intel introduces their "Palm Top" line of personal computers maybe BW can relook at the issue. Until then I want my BW7

[mlanglois]

I agree that the BW developers have no time to develop their own PDA software. But the example of Gramcord is interesting: they didn't develop their own software; they used an existing one -- BibleReader!

I didn't know it was already possible to convert BW databases into a free PalmOS software; unfortunately, I'm a WindowsMobile user... Now, the (not-free!) Laridian PocketBible software does offer a "BookBuilder", which could easily be used to import BW files; this is the option I will have to choose if BW does not "officially" provide a PDA version of their databases.

Now, as for the decline of "traditional" PDAs, I agree with what was said. But don't think that they will be replaced by small PCs like the OQO: I don't see myself answering a phone call with it! However, I am using a mobile phone, and I believe that I will continue to use one for quite a number of years... If you look at such phones as Qtek S100 or Qtek 9100 (built by HTC and sold under various brands throughout the world), you will understand why PDAs will remain for a long time! And the demand for PDA Bible software will no doubt continue to increase over the years.

In fact, PDA-Bibles will probably outnumber PC-Bibles faster than you think! Why open a laptop to look up a verse or a word in HALOT when it's all in your phone?!

Anyway, I guess I'll have to wait for "PocketBibleWorks" then...