We’re at one week since submitting the app to the App Store and I want to answer a few questions that have come up in email and in the comments.
- We will not get any feedback from Apple until/unless the app is approved. The current status is “In Review” and that’s all we’ll know until they actually either approve or decline it. If they decline it, they’ll tell us why and tell us what to do to fix it. We don’t have any reason to believe they won’t approve it, or if they find problems, that they won’t approve it eventually.
- We appreciate your offers to give us donations to cover the cost of development. We’ve thought about formalizing that process but at the same time you can “donate” by simply not using our discount codes when you place an order for add-on books. We’re embarrassed to even suggest such a thing and are humbled by your generosity.
- We will be having some kind of site-wide sale once the new product is approved on the App Store. We’ll send an email out to current customers and probably post something here in the blog. If you’re interested in building your library, that will be a good time to do it.
- You will have access to all your current Bibles and reference books from inside PocketBible for iPhone. I’m not sure how to make this more clear. Take a look at the first video here. All I’m doing is logging into my existing account using my customer ID and password (you can also use your email address instead of customer ID if you don’t know it). Once I’m logged in, I see a list of everything I’ve previously purchased for any platform. I can download any of those titles to the iPhone.
- Memorize!, DailyReader for Palm OS, and the old PrayerPartner for Palm OS are programs, not reference books, and won’t be included in the titles you can download for iPhone. We have not announced our plans for a version of Memorize! or PrayerPartner for the iPhone. The features of DailyReader are built into PocketBible and will be enhanced in future releases of PocketBible for iPhone.
- MyBible users will probably have the biggest transition to make. As you might know, MyBible was written by an outside developer who was a Palm employee at the time. We marketed it on his behalf. At the same time, we developed PocketBible for Windows Mobile in-house. It was the original product that Jeff Wheeler and I wrote starting back in 1998 and which motivated us to leave Parsons Technology in late 1998/early 1999 together with Jim VanDuzer to start Laridian. PocketBible for iPhone is based on the Windows Mobile code base and overall philosophy of operation. The differences are subtle but you may notice them. For example, MyBible lets you highlight a single letter in a word. PocketBible highlights entire verses.
- Remember, this is version 1.0.0. Other versions are coming. If you don’t see a favorite feature, tell us about it, then wait. We’ll be constantly working on updates for the next few months. Those of you who got involved in iPocketBible.com in the very early stages remember that we issued updates every couple of weeks for a few months as we rounded out the feature list. We’ll be doing the same thing with PocketBible for iPhone.
- If you can find it in your hearts, give us a nice review. Early reviews are important. If you can do us the favor of complaining to us directly by email instead of through your reviews on the App Store, that would be great. We’re going to do everything we can to be responsive and make sure PocketBible for iPhone is everything you want it to be. If people express their complaints through App Store reviews instead of directly to us, the product could fail before we have the opportunity to finish it.
- We haven’t forgotten Windows Mobile. There will be a new release of WM next year and we currently plan to revisit PocketBible for Windows Mobile sometime before then and release an update. Nothing firm yet.
That’s it for now. I just checked and there’s no change in the status of the app as of this morning. I’m sure one of you will probably spot it before I do. 
PocketBible is written in C++ (plus some Objective-C++ on the iPhone). Android is not a “port” it’s a “start over”.
i am also hoping for some clarity concerning android -a start over maybe, but still some posted direction from laridian concerning any plans -or even decision not to pursue plans would be nice. thanks!
Our policy is not to comment on products that may or may not be under development. That policy applies to any work we may or may not be doing and any plans we may or may not have for Android. I have commented on the platform itself and the challenges we would/are face/facing if/when/while we are developing for it, but won’t make any announcement of specific plans until/unless we actually ship a product for Android. It couldn’t be clearer.
I am also putting my vote in for android. I have been using this software for many years and would like to continue. Android is about to explode with an estimated 50+ different models available next year so I hope it is in your immediate plans. And actually Android has supported C++ since June: http://developer.android.com/sdk/ndk/1.5_r1/index.html.
I like using PocketBible, and love the fact that all the Bibles, commentaries, etc. that I purchased for the Palm platform (MyBible) are available for PocketBible.
However, I do miss Memorize and hope you will be able to offer it soon for iPhone/iPod touch, even if it’s not a free app–as long as it can pull verses from PocketBible, like Memorize did from MyBible.
Thank you for your attention to iPhone apps!! I’m so grateful! I do miss Memorize! May I just put in my vote for this app for iPhone? I’ve noticed my verse recall has significantly decreased since I lost this program and my ability to continuously review my verses when I moved to iPhone. Any idea when, if ever, we will have this application?
Craig, Will the iPhone application for PB, have the ability to ‘flick’ through resources as you can in WM PocketBible. I love this, and use it EVERYDAY.
Ken:
http://blog.laridian.com/?p=183
I also would like to put in my vote for Android. The 3 top mobile phone OS’s in sales are Blackberry, Iphone, and Android. Windows is going to fall farther and farther behind and I expect Android to overtake Iphone yet this year. I would love to have my Laridian Bible on the Android platform. Just casting my vote.
Hello, i recently got my self an HTC Evo 4G. Very awesome phone which is withing the Android operating system. I have seen your apps for PocketBible and i believe it is a blessing and a wonderful tool for someone who wants to share the Word of God with no limitations(carrying all kinds of books and the Bible itself). Not to mention that it is also an amazing tool for a Pastor. I cast my vote also for you guys to create something like this for the Android. I, along with many other future ministers out there, will appreciate it greatly! May God bless you and help you work on something in the very near future!
Please get nkjv done for droid2 asap or I may burn in hell… u don’t want that do u ?
All indications are that the Android platform is passing iPhone and has long blistered the Windows platform. As a previous Palm, then Windows Mobile customer who has enjoyed PocketBible immensely, I would implore the company to quickly begin working on an Android-based product ASAP. I’m about to take the Android plunge myself.
Mark: you should start reading the blog from the newest posts instead of the oldest.
Looking forward to Android!