Higher Power

With the release of Apple's iPad I wanted to give you a roundup of all the Bible apps available for the new device. I will share some pluses and minuses of these apps, but for a more detailed review go to my web site at http://www.kevinpurcell.org/biblestudy.
I have divided the apps into two categories. It is unfair to compare some of these apps with others. Simple Bible Readers are not as powerful as serious Bible Study apps. It would be like comparing a Honda Civic to a Ferrari. So keep that in mind as you read on. Also keep in mind the following:

• I was given promo codes to review the paid apps
• When I call an app an iPhone app I am referring to the iPod Touch as well
• Most of these are Universal apps meaning they run on both the iPad and iPhone for the same cost

Finally, I know I promised that this would be my last iPad column, but there are just too many of these to fit fairly into one. So this month I will cover the simpler Bible Reader apps, and next month I will cover the more powerful Bible Study apps.

AcroBible http://www.acrobible.com ($5.99 for basic app, $4.99 for some additional translations, others free)
AcroBible comes with the KJV. For $4.99 you can download the ESV, NASB, NIV or NKJV for $4.99 each. Others are free including some references books.
With AcroBible you can add notes, highlighting and tags. You can track your history through the Bible. I especially like how you can split the screen to show your notes and tags.
However, AcroBible lacks daily Bible reading tracking, which is a big omission.
The app is slightly more than just a simple Bible Reader because it has some open source reference books, like commentaries and dictionaries. I chose to put it in the Bible Reader category though because, while you can do a little more than just reading and marking up the Bible, it would be unfair to compare it to the others; they are just far more advanced.
If you have the iPhone version, wait until it is updated to the iPad Universal app so you can use it on both devices. This may have happened by the time you read this.

Bible HD from YouVersion http://www.youversion (Free)
The Bible app from YouVersion is one of the most popular in the app store. It is mostly a Bible reader offering a number of translations that you can view if you are connected to the Internet. There are others that can be downloaded for reading offline. With Bible HD you can share verses via social networking sites. You can also search the Bible and bookmark verses. They have plans to update the app with more integration with their YouVersion.com web site. If you have not tried the site out, give it a look. It is like a social networking site for Bible readers.
There is also a very nice lowlight reading mode where the text is white and the background is black. I think every single Bible reader/Study app should have this functionality. So the fact that Bible HD has it is a big plus.
Sadly, much of the content requires an Internet connection, although not all. So this is a big consideration for WiFi only iPad users.

BibleScope http://www.biblescopeapp.com ($3.99 for with KJV; $9.99 with The Message and ERV; $29.99 with NIV, The Message, ERV)
Aside from the content listed above; BibleScope also has some free books you can download. It has a split screen view, which should be a must on the iPad. But one thing that is strange, when in landscape mode and you tap the translation button at the bottom, it offers to change either the "Main (top) Display" or the "Secondary" bottom one. In landscape mode they are actually left/right, not top/bottom. This is a minor UI mistake, but it can be confusing.
You can add notes and bookmarks and sync them for back up. That is a nice touch for users of both the iPad and iPhone. You can sync one and restore to the other.
The full version of BibleScope is a little more expensive, but you get more with it. Like AcroBible it knocks on the door of the Bible Study category. Since it has daily reading tracking, I would put it slightly ahead of AcroBible even though AcroBible is a little more polished.

BibleXpress http://www.biblexpress.com ($2.99 for the lite version; $29.99 for complete version)
BibleXpress is also a little more than just a Bible reader in both function and price. That's because it has multiple translations including ESV, KJV, NASB and NRSV among others. The only reference book it offers is the Easton's Bible Dictionary. If you want modern translations and offline reading, then it might be worth the cost.
It has the ability to add user notes and has excellent navigational features and in the left hand margin there is a white space that is sometimes populated by translation notes similar to how your paper Bible has margin notes. You can add bookmarks and track prayer requests with the builtin journal. You can view requests by person, category or date. This added feature makes the cost of BibleXpress worth it.

ESV Bible HD from Crossway http://mobile.esv.org (Free)
One of the first Bible readers I downloaded was the elegant ESV Bible HD. It has a simple, clean interface. To move via the books you tap the Browse button on the toolbar. Alternatively, you can scroll from the beginning of Genesis all the way to the last verse in Revelation. If you want to trace your steps there is a History button. There are also buttons for creating Bookmarks, and Search. The settings are sparse; you access them via the button on the far right.
The translation notes (little superscript letters and numbers) will bring up a window to display the notes. From that window you can tap the Highlight button and it will highlight the verse for you. You can also add a Bookmark or post the verse via Twitter or share it via email. Tap the My Notes button and you can add your own notes with the keyboard. Finally, you can also access this popup window by pressing and holding on the verse.

HandiBible http://www.handibible.com/About.aspx ($.99 for KJV version; $1.99 for Romanian version; $9.99 for The Message version; $14.99 for the German version)
HandiBible is also a very simple Bible reader. It has a toolbar across the top and the reading window. That is about it. You scroll through chapters and the left/right arrows move back/forward a chapter. Tap the Find button and the rolling drum pops up that lets you choose which book, chapter and verse you want to go to.
The Share button allows you to email a friend to send them either a link to the app or to send "comments" I suppose about the verse. It would be nice if it placed the content of the verse or chapter in the email. One frustrating thing about the app is that it kicks you out of the app to open your Mail app. You then have to manually go back to HandiBible.
It is nice to have the Bible offline, but I wish it had copy functionality and low light reading mode. I do like the zooming via the pinch gesture where you put two fingers on the screen and act like you are pinching. An update is around the corner and may be available before this article is released.

holiwrit http://holiwrit.com (Free for Gospels only; $.99 for whole Bible)
holiwrit is a nice Bible reader. Yes I spelled it correctly. The "h" is not capitalized, which is confusing. While I don't really like the name, I like the app. It has the ability to copy verses so you can paste them into other apps.
Navigation is a little unusual. If you want to move quickly to another part of the Bible you will tap the Table of Contents button in the upper left corner. When you do, the tabs slide down showing two rows one for books of the Bible and the second one for chapters. You swipe to make the tabs move left/right.
The developer's description reads, "Are you a pastor? A Theologian? A Master of Divinity? This app is not for you." He is right if you want a lot of features. But if all you want is to read the New English Translation of the Bible, then holiwrit is one of the best looking of the Bible reader apps.

Holy Bible HD http://www.peejstudio.com/iphone/holybible.php (Free)
Holy Bible HD comes with a few Bibles including the KJV and NET. You can download others, most of which are foreign language translations; but it does have the LXX.
It is a very simple app. You can copy verses and add bookmarks, highlights and chapter notes. One unique feature is the automatic scrolling. There is a down arrow on the bottom toolbar. Tap it and the verses scroll up slowly.
Free and simple make this a good choice for those who only want a Bible reader and don't mind not having more modern translations.

Touch Bible http://www.touchbible.org (Free; $3.99 for "loaded" version)
Touch Bible has a number of translations, but other than the NET, none are the more recent versions. It does give you offline access and is free "because the Bible is an incredible book that everyone should have," says the developer.
Touch Bible has a low light or as they call it "night mode" and another unique features is "dial a verse" which is your book, chapter, verse chooser. The last column is the history of where you have already been in the Bible. But that's not the cool part. If you shake your iPad it will go to a random verse. Add to that some advanced search options and you have a unique and simple Bible app.
Other benefits: you can copy from Touch Bible by tapping and holding the words. When you tap the verse number a popup displays options for bookmarking, highlighting and adding notes to a verse. If the translation has translation notes, then there will be buttons in the text which can be tapped to reveal the notes.
Touch Bible is a great Bible reader with a lot to offer. If it had more modern translations it would be the best of this category of Bible apps.

World Bible for iPad($4.99)
World Bible is an attractive Bible reader app, but it suffers from two major weaknesses. For that reason I cannot recommend it. First, it has no verse numbers in the text? That is amazing to me. Second, when you follow the link in the app store to the company's web site you will find that they also sell one other morally questionable app. I choose not to support that, so I will not recommend the app.

Conclusion
All of these, with the exception of the last app, are good choices. If you want offline reading, then do not select the YouVersion. TouchBible has the best features but not the best translations. That crown goes to AcroBible or BibleXpress. My recommendation is pick what is most important a specific translation, offline reading, lowlight reading, note taking, highlighting, bible reading tracking, or something else. And pick the apps that offer what you most want and try it first. Download all the free versions and compare them. And you may just want to wait before sinking too much cash into an app. I will be reviewing Logos, MantisBible, OliveTree, and PocketBible next month.