We’re announcing today that we’ve signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bits of God Software to be the exclusive provider of Bibles and other reference materials for an upcoming version of the popular Simple Bible application for the Palm Pre. Once completed, this will give current Laridian customers who have chosen the Palm Pre as their mobile platform access to the Bibles and reference books they already own for other platforms. It will also give new Simple Bible users immediate access to one of the largest collections of Bible-related content for mobile devices. The new program from Bits of God Software, currently referred to as Simple Bible Pro, will allow users to download new Bibles and reference content directly into the program from their account on Laridian’s site.
As we’ve said here before, programming for the Pre is a whole new challenge. Our existing code that runs on Windows Mobile, iPhone, Windows desktop, and Palm OS really gives us no leverage on the Pre. With that in mind we sought a partner, and when it comes to Bible software on the Pre, the guys at Bits of God are the best. We’re pretty excited about partnering with them.
Our current agreement is “an agreement to agree” so there are many details to be worked out yet. We’ve agreed in principle on most of the more difficult points of our relationship, so we don’t anticipate any problems. The important thing is that it looks like current PocketBible and MyBible customers will have a migration path if they choose the Pre, and that Simple Bible Pro will get a jump start over other Bible software on the device by having access to Laridian’s growing library of content.
You can subscribe to this blog via RSS in the upper right corner. We make all of our announcements here before anywhere else. That includes calls for beta testers.
Can’t wait to get this software so I can have My Bible on my Pre!
I use the Simple Bible right now. It isn’t the “pro” version yet, but the interface is nice and easy to use. And improvements are coming along steadily.
When they finish the needed improvements, I will upgrade to the “pro” version.
I know the guys at Bits of God Software are very dedicated to this project as I have seen part of their development process in the beginning of the launch of the WebOS platform.
Given that Palm has also announced that the new Verizon Pre Plus will soon (later this month) have a C/C++ SDK, does that change your earlier position about your existing code not having any “leverage on the Pre”?
If so, is there then some possibility of a full-featured WebOS Bible app from Laridian later this year?
Of course the availability of a C/C++ SDK affects our ability to compile existing PocketBible code for the Pre. But keep in mind we’ve been able to compile our C/C++ code for Symbian for years and we don’t have a reader for that platform. It’s just one of many issues related to porting to a new platform.
I was compiling our C++ code for iPhone and viewing Bibles in a rudimentary format within a week of starting our iPhone app. But it still took about 18 months to finish it up. Compiling the code we can share between platforms is a very small part of developing a reader for a new platform.
And of course no announcement from Palm changes our policy of not talking about what may or may not be under development. We appreciate your interest, though.
Excited about not using Classic. But it is taking so long and need to use the software yesterday. An announcement would be an incentive were as nothing is just that, nothing.
We’re still working on it. Does that help?
Thank you Laridian and Bits Of God for your partnership to bring and make the Word
accessible to everyone. I look forward to the release. I keep checking to see if you need beta testers. God bless!
Great to hear that the Laridian team will supporting the Palm Pre. In fact that was the final deciding factor for my purchase of a Palm Pre over a Droid smartphone.
Now if I can just be patient long enough.
Unfortunately I’m giving up my old Palm Centro to get the Sprint rebate on returned phones and that means losing my E-Bible for now.
So let us know when you have that thing ready beta or final.
Add me to the list of excited Pre users. I also decided on the Pre Plus because of the option to run my Bible software using Classic until the webOS version is released. Classic works OK, but is not a good long term solution. Thanks for all you do and I can’t want to see the Laridian programs running on webOS.
I’ve been clinging to my guns and my God… AND my 6 year-old Sony Clie. Why? Because of MyBible, period! Now that I have a Palm Pre, I’m hoping I’ll be able to use some of the MANY MyBible apps I’ve purchased over the years. If not, I’ll hang onto my Clie as long as I possibly can. This announcement offers a glimmer of hope…
Looking forward to having ready access to my Laridian content!
(using BibleGateway.com, as a temporary reading solution…
just miss all the reference and functionality of Laridian’s software!)
…
Keep checking my inbox for a “PRE-Bibles are here!” announcement.
Mike, if you’re already using a Web-based Bible, try http://www.iPocketBible.com. You’ll have access to all your Laridian Bibles and books while you wait for Simple Bible Pro.
Hi Craig!
iPocketBible might work on the iPhone but it doesn’t work on the Pre. When you load it you cannot scroll text. What you get is the number of lines between the title bar at the top of the screen and the icon bar at the bottom. The icon bar obscures the text underneath it and the text refuses to scroll.
The same applies in the menu where you select text or in the preferences screen where again the icon bar sits on top of the text and the menu cannot be scrolled to see entries behind or below the icon bar.
The same is true in both landscape and portrait.
Any ideas?
Programme looks great, by the way and loads really fast on the Pre but its a bit of a shame for me that it doesn’t work because in every past phone I have had a laridian product – Palm OS, Windows OS and iPhone.
Can’t wait for the proper programme to come.
Log into iPocketBible.com from your desktop computer and change the scroll mode to “one-finger scrolling”. This will get rid of the toolbar at the bottom of the screen and allow you to scroll the text. Then log in from your Pre and it should work.
When in this mode, tap the left edge or right edge of the screen to bring up a floating toolbar. It may appear at the top of the chapter, so you may have to scroll up to see it.
Also in this mode, double tapping the left or right edge will turn the page.
Hi Craig,
Thanks for the tips on how to use iPocketBible. I’ve done as you suggested, i.e., logged in on my desktop and made the changes. However, when I tap the left or right edge of the screen no toolbar appears anywhere on the page. In addition, when I double-tap the left edge of the screen it takes me up one verse and when I double-tap the right edge of the screen it takes me down one verse. Any suggestions?
Blessings,
Nathan
That’s more of a tech support question that a blog comment, but I’ll take a swing at it.
There’s no functionality in iPocketBible to move up or down by a verse, so I don’t know why you would be seeing that behavior unless there’s some strange option in the browser to move you to the next or previous link when you tap the right or left edge.
Try it in your desktop browser and see how it works. Then you can compare the behavior on your phone.
That’s probably about the most I’m going to be able to help since I don’t have a Pre to test on myself. I just know others have been using it successfully.
Thanks Craig I tried iPocket for my Pre, but it seems stuck on the Bible info for the American Standard on both my desktop and on my Pre and I can not go back home, the buttons are not there on my dektop or Pre.I think that I will continue to use my Classics and the simple Bible until the Simple Bible Pro is release. Anyways Laridian is awesome, thnaks!
When you turn off the tool bar in order to get it to work correctly on the Pre, you re-activate the buttons by tapping in the very left or very right margin. The same trick works on the Pre or your desktop browser.
Answers to these and other good questions can be found in the extensive built-in help, which is accessed by pressing the “?” button in the upper right corner.
Long Time Laridian User, New Palm Pre Plus owner…I’m EXCITED about the coming WebOS port!! (just chiming in and lending a little encouragement!)
Laridian is bar far THE BEST!!