Laridian is announcing our first “How Do You Use PocketBible” contest. (If you use MyBible or iPocketBible or Noah…feel free to enter as well, it’s just easier to say “PocketBible” instead of “PocketBible, MyBible, iPocketBible and/or Noah.”) It’s simple to enter and you can enter three different places (but you can only win once).
Each winner will receive PocketBible for Windows Gold Edition on a USB drive. That’s a $199.99 prize! You can enter at all three places, but you can only win once.
Blog site: Leave a comment right here on this blog post (we will not read any entries sent via email). Laridian staff will go through and pick our favorite as the winner. We will only read the first entry from each person, so it will not help you to post more than once…just make your first post really good!
Facebook: Our fans on Facebook can leave a comment on our wall. The winner on Facebook will be the person with the most “Like” clicks on their comment (so get your friends to vote for your post). This one will be more difficult than the blog site as there is a restriction to the number of characters you may use (Facebook restriction, not a Laridian restriction). Again…only the first comment will count (if you don’t like your comment, delete it and comment again). You will not win if there is more than one comment from your account.
Facebook is not letting up click “Like” when people post to the fan page. Laridian staff will pick the winner for Facebook as well as for Twitter and the blog. Sorry for the confusion.
Update (6May09): Facebook is now allowing you to click the “Like” link under the wall post on the PocketBible fan site, so…for now…we are going back to the original idea. You pick the winner on Facebook by telling us who’s post you like. Click away!
Twitter: This will be the most difficult. Be creative! Twitter PocketBible with your 140 character description of how you use PocketBible. Laridian staff will pick our favorite. And like the blog site and Facebook, we will only read the first Tweet from each person…so make it good.
We’re excited to see the different ways that people are using PocketBible. So join the fun! You could win $199.99 worth of Bible software on a USB drive!
Enter by May 22, 2009. We will announce the winners at the end of May.
When a co-worker asks me about my faith I use MyBible to give an answer in a timely manner. MyBible enables me to give a bible based answer with reference and not just a by memory reference that may be wrong.
Well, Pocket Bible is my on-the-go Bible study resource. I use it in church when I want to look up things in commentaries, I use the commentaries to help prepare my Bible Study lessons that I teach at church. I use it to read the Bible in bed, on planes, in the store – pretty much anywhere I don’t have access to my computer desktop. If I had to only put ONE program on my phone and PDA, Pocket Bible is the one I’d put. Nothing particularly creative, but PB is definitely something I have with me and use at all times.
Because looking up references in PocketBible is much faster than flipping through a paper Bible, I can get to the right verse quickly and be ready to pay full attention when the pastor is ready to continue. This also means I can always read every verse the pastor mentions even when he says “you don’t need to turn to this now, but…”.
I use PocketBible because of the easy access to Strong’s numbers and the Greek/Hebrew dictionary. Sometimes the original English translation isn’t totally clear, and sometimes it really helps to understand the deeper meaning of a word used by checking out the original language (and how it is used in other parts of scripture.)
I use MyBible for reading and study. Someone asks a question and I pop into MyBible to find a biblical answer. I love using it during the pastor’s sermon. I generally keep to translations (NIV and MSG) and the LAB, but it he uses a different translation it is at my fingertips. To say I use it more than once a day is no stretch.
I enjoy using PocketBible in my daily reading (Bible in a Year). Quick, easy, & small (I never forget to carry it with me either). Because I can have several bibles open at one time, I always have my daily reading available and I can also open another bible for small group or Sunday school and even make comparisons between different versions.
I use my PocketBible to follow the Bible Readings in church, and to follow the sermon, using the cross references to follow the reasoning, and looking up references that are also mentioned, and verifying the relevance, in my own mind. I also use it on the train and in the office for my quiet times, and the concordance assists me in understnading. I use it as a tool when discussing my faith, and when I want to make a point. I also use it when preparing for a Bible Study, so I am ready to expound the passage or section we are studying that night. I wouldn’t be without it.
First Ever “How Do You Use PocketBible” Contest
1. Since I have it with me all the time, I can quickly show someone a scripture that applies to their life.
2. With the searching facility, I regularly amaze people when they ask something like, “Where’s that scripture that says ….?” (I can usually find the answer in seconds.)
3. It replaced my analog (i.e. “paper-based”) Bible for looking up scripture during church services, morning quiet-times at the local coffee-house, and small-group studies. It’s faster to get to the desired passage, and I can easily copy the passage into my notes (which are also on the PDA). Plus, it is (of course) much lighter and less bulky to carry around.
4. Since I read a new translation whenever I finish the previous one, PocketBible makes it easy to compare the current one to all the rest.
Working for a Chaplain in the Navy I have been able to use it some of the most austere places on Earth, like Trebil or Waleed, Iraq. I have it on my laptop and iPaq and would use it to quickly locate scripture for sermons or devotions. I’ve even used it to read through the complete NIV bible in 90 days (actually 88) using the 90 day plan from http://www.thebiblein90days.com.
I have used it to memorize James, Ephesians, 1 & 2 Peter, Philippians, and am working on Galatians. I love having multiple translations with me wherever I go since I always have my PDA. It’s great if I have a few minutes to work on my review. I also like the integration with Memorize! when I have to make a list of memory verses for seminary.
I really like having the ESVSB and LAB notes with me wherever I go. Between the notes, the dictionaries, and the search feature I am never at a loss for a timely word when I need it.
I also like taking sermon and lecture notes in it. I just wish I had an easy way to sync those notes with my PC…
I have been using PocketBible on WinMobile since the its first version on WinCE days as my only bible and daily devotion QT. It has followed me through 5 changes of PDAs and Phones and it is still my most used application on my current HTC Touch HD!
PocketBible is my primary source for Bible study, due to its nice user-interface (best among WM software). Everything is where it should be, especially during Bible class where you need things quickly. Because PocketBible automatically links Laridian books with my own created books, I end up using PocketBible for a large amount of my detailed research (harmonies, hebrew/greek syntactic patterns, public-domain texts, and on and on). This is especially useful when I’m chatting with someone, who is questioning the validity of specific Bible text … I can quickly check it and see how likely the opposing theory is. I think PocketBible shows a lot of what future Bible study will be.
Out of five “bible programes” I have had on my Dell Axim 51v, Pocket bible is very definitly the best I have used in many ways. Every morning my wife and I have devotions with her reading from “hard copy” books and I follow along on PB. I,m enjoying reading FB meyers books at night with quick access to chapter and verses where required. The scrolling buttons are the best for any PPC programes. I also enjoy in-depth bible study with many books open on the screen at once plus it allows me to, with a press of a button, bring the chosen verse at full screen. Pocket Bible makes full use of My VGA screen also.
I keep thinking of all the things that it can do over Esword, Online Pocket Bible, Olive tree, etc. Scripture memorizing, wttnessing with it the list goes on. Im excited about what Laridan has in stiore for the rest of the year.
PocketBible has revolutionized my Bible study. I take the train to/from work each day and use the One Year Bible reading plan to keep me on track. If I have questions I can easily reference a commentary or bible dictionary to get quick answers. The shading of the daily text makes the reading easy to follow and marking off each day’s reading is motivational.
I also use PocketBible during sermons at church and our Mens Bible studies. I use the HTML notes feature to duplicate the notes in the bulletin right in the passage that we’re studying.
Best of all, when I’m at home or at work I can use my USB-based PocketBible for Windows to further study passages and the screen size makes longer studies a little easier visually. Laridian’s licensing model is amazing!
The reality is that I constantly have access to a multi-volume library that would be impractical (impossible!) to haul around with me. But since my PocketPC is also my phone (HTC Mogul) I have it with me all the time. It is awesome.
The product has so enhanced my spiritual walk that I have licensed PocketBible for my two oldest sons as well.
Wow, where do I start? I really love the PocketBible and all that I can do with it. I used to carry a one version new testament in my pocket at all times, but now I have the complete ESV study Bible, NKJV, NIV, NASB, Life application notes, maps, word studies, commentaries, etc…, all in my phone! WOW. In fact, I don’t think of it as a phone with a Bible as much as a Bible with a phone.
Having all this material in my pocket all the time allows me to very quickly dig deep into the Word of God and allows me to meditate in the Word much more frequently and effectively. I find myself reading the Word of God much more then I use to due to easy access and availability. But the power of the program does not just end in having so much available – I use many of the features of the PocketBible, for example:
NOTES: I have the PocketBible for Windows on my home computer also, so all my notes are synchronized. I find adding a note to a verse using PocketBible is more effective then jotting it down on the back of the church bulletin, into a notebook, or trying to squeeze it into the column of my paper Bible. And whether I am at my computer at home or using my mobile device I always have all my notes with me. This is awesome and this one feature alone results in PocketBible for Windows being my main Bible application on my home PC and on my mobile device.
HIGHLIGHTING: This is another way that I use PocketBible. The many highlighting options allow me to identify scriptures or portions of scriptures that have particular meaning to me. I will sometimes just read the highlighted verses in a particular book in order to get a quick scan of key verses in that book.
SEARCH: The search feature is another way that I use PocketBible. This feature allows me to search out scriptures very quickly and accurately. I might be thinking of a verse but don’t know where it is – well out comes the PocketBible and walla!. I also use the search for word studies – to find all the places in the Bible where a particular word is used.
MUTIPLE WINDOW SYNCRONIZATION: I also like to compare Bible versions using PocketBible and the program makes it very easy to do that. And not just multiple Bibles, but I also often have the ESV Bible Study Notes or another commentary window open at the same time as the Bible text window. The synchronization feature really makes this work nicely.
DAILY DEVOTIONAL: I have two daily devotionals installed and, although I may not use this every day, many days I do. I find using the calendar very helpful in selecting my daily reading.
MEMORIZE: Also from Laridian and highly integrated with PocketBible is a program called Memorize. Although a very useful memorization tool, I use this in a couple of “non standard” ways as well. One way is as a personal customized topical reference library. I have set up multiple collections that have topical names, such as peace, hope, forgiveness, praise, salvation, etc. As I am reading my PocketBible, whenever I come across a scripture that the Lord impresses upon me corresponding to a specific topic, I add it to the Memorize collection for that topic using the Memorize import feature. Later I can review all the scriptures that I have imported on a particular topic. This is great way to create a personalized topical Bible. The salvation topic helps with witnessing. The other way I will use Memorize and PocketBible is to set up collections corresponding to Bible Books. In these I place all my highlighted verses. This allows me to easily scan key verses in specific Bible books.
PocketBible has now become my primary Bible – mobile version when I am away from home, and PC version when I’m at my computer at home, and has taken my Bible study to a new level…..Thank you Laridian.
PocketBible has replaced my conventional printed Bible for several years now. I read it on my large VGA HP iPAQ screen. I use this Bible for all applications for which I would ordinarily carry a conventional printed Bible. If I had my PocketBible resources in paper, they might (or might not!) fit in a large catalog case. Instead, they fit in the palm of my hand in a pocket PC that weighs some 6 ounces and fits in my pocket. People many times will take curious glances at me as I “flip” through pages in my Bible on Sunday mornings or other times I am in Bible studies or fellowships, without the rustle of paper. Once in a while, curious onlookers will ask me about this Bible library that I can hold in the palm of one hand. Invariably, they are impressed at the technology and the immense usefulness of the electronic medium in which my PocketBible resides.
To date, I have written hundreds of notes attached to Bible passages. As a student of Greek, I love the ability to add Greek words and phrases using the Laridian Greek fonts into my notes, courtesy of the handy copy and paste features that enable me to copy Greek text and definitions from the Strong’s Greek dictionaries.
The ability to compare several Bible translations at a glance is of immense value, as well as looking up words in Bible dictionaries, looking up Scripture references in a variety of commentaries, and even comparing Bibles between English and Spanish, all on the fly. The latter will happen as soon as Laridian (hopefully) publishes the Reina Valera, which I will snatch up very fast(!)
PocketBible has been invaluable and is one of my most used and prized software programs. It is one of the best ways to learn and grow in God’s wonderful word!
I am a missionary that travels around Africa training pastors in remote areas where they don’t have access to Bible training working primarily in refugee camps. For the sake of not whipping out an expensive computer or phone in front of those who lives on pennies a day I don’t bring those out, but when I am asked questions and need to do further study, I pop into my hut, pull out my phone and do studies on the parts that I need further research on. I have been so blessed by the ability to take so many resources with me to such remote areas of the globe. I have a battery charger for it so it can last for a lot of usage while away from electricity for a couple weeks at a time. I have done this all over Africa and Asia and would never go out to teach without this Pocket Bible in my pocket.
First, when we were without a Pastor for a year, I used PocketBible and my commentaries and dictionaries to help research Scripture and quickly search out many cross references while preparing some sermons and lessons. I will “bookmark” and “highlight” and go back to those bookmarks later. Incredibly helpful tool – especially the new version that allows you to search ALL commentaries on a verse, or ALL dictionaries on a word or Strong’s number, or ALL Bible versions for a verse, etcetera. Wow, “sending” a personal research assistant to give you an excerpt from EVERY relevant text in your entire library – within seconds! A GREAT time saver – but way more than that … WHO could have possibly checked so many references so quickly prior to such a tool?
Second, as lay worship leader/song leader, the pastor’s wife would give me a list of the songs/hymns when I arrived for Sunday School, and then I could often give a Hymn History for one of the Hymns at the beginning of the next hour’s Worship service. I found out later that the Pastor and his wife thought I had them all memorized! Yes, I was honest … I told them that I looked them up on my PocketBible Hymns devotional book (though I’m really not sure if I told him that I sometimes was looking up the hymns under the table during his Sunday School lesson though)!
Third, I am stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army and can often enjoy a nice commute to work through the woods and hills — by train. What a wonderful time to read through the Bible in a year – and the new auto-scrolling text keeps me from day-dreaming too much out the window! Yet, I often find myself quite happy to stop the scrolling as I lift my head to talk to the Lord about what I’ve just read (no, not out loud while all the German folk are reading their papers, but just looking out the window and talking to God silently. What a blessing). There are also times I will pull out my actual paper “pocket” Bible as well, and it is interesting to see that people take notice. No comments or questions yet – we’ll see!
Fourth, though not strictly PocketBible, I will also sometimes use that train commute to review my Scripture memory verses with Memorize!
All in all, PocketBible 4 has gone way beyond the “Christian nerd” stage to truly be a sharp tool to get the Word of God in me, and washing through me, and ministering out of me. My Windows Mobile went “kaput” – and I went and bought another one JUST because of my desire to keep using PocketBible. Thanks so much Craig, Jim, Patty, and the entire team. God has truly used this tool you’ve provided in my life. And PRAISE to our Lord for the POWER in His word! May we each use PocketBible as a sharp tool to allow God to transform us by the renewing of our minds. – Jonathan
Well I have yet to be called to be a missionary or an evangelist, I am not a hotshot preacher. I am a hard working citizen of Christ. Everyone in my church knows me as the guy with the Bible on his cell phone. Having PocketBible and all the amazing features, like
* Maximize Windows – Open multiple windows/books. Maximize any window for full screen reading.
* Flick Gestures while Maximized – Swipe across the screen to switch to another open book (commentaries will stay synchronized with the Bible text). Swipe up or down in a book to go to the previous or next page.
* Auto-Scroll – Set a book to auto-scroll for easier reading. Increase or decrease the speed of scrolling to match your reading speed. Great for public or devotional reading.
* View in All – View a verse in all Bibles. View a reference in all commentaries. View a word in all dictionaries. Parallel study has never been easier!
* Enhanced Searching – Keep your last 20 searches and easily perform the search again. Find looks first for the exact word and then for words staring with your search entry. Search for words “near” other words.
* Customizable Toolbars – Sixty different functions available to be included on your toolbar. Put the features you use most, literally, at your fingertip. Choose “Large icons” never use the stylus again!
* Save/Restore Layouts – Keep different layouts always ready to go. One layout for your devotional reading, one for performing word studies, another for a study Bible. Any number of layouts customized for the ways that work best for you!
* Synchronize Notes, Bookmarks and Highlights with PocketBible for Windows (sold separately) – Make a note on the go. Flesh it out on your PC when you’re back home or in the office. Highlights and bookmarks keep track of themselves.
Copied from Laridian site
It just makes life a little easier. I have no excuse for not reading my bible daily. Thank you Laridian for your dedicated time and successful efforts in making The Word that much more accessible and affordable.
Wow, there are a lot of great ideas on this site. I have used Laridian for nearly a decade now, whether on a Pocket PC or now my Smartphone, and have to say, it is the best out there. My usage is simple, but it is a powerful tool for me.
*Church – I use it both at times during morning worship and sunday school to be able to do further study while others are teaching. Definately has the ability to magnify the passages in question.
*At Home – I use it for times of study and reading while kids are going down to bed as well as for family scripture memorization times.
*At Work – I use it for the start of my day for devotions, for times when discussions with individuals require clarification of theology and for general times of reading.
Being that it is always with me, I am never without the Word and God always is providing times to read and study it where ever. Having it mobile and with me allows me to study in the moments of life, as I am going about my day.