The humble iPod is fast becoming the entertainment centre of the computer literate. And who can blame them, with its proven ability to pack the best of your entire music collection into your pocket? But what if you could also turn it into a tool for taking you a step closer to God? Now that’s a feature worth adding…
The iPod is currently being used as the power-house for a number of useful third party products, from Nike training aids to Microsoft address books. And we are happy to pass on that a nifty Christian organisation called podBible has finally worked out a way to turn iPod Video’s and iPod Nanos into repositories for the greatest story ever told.
Utilising the video screens and file transfer feature of these iPod models, these developers have managed to create a surprisingly effective reader for the English Standard Version of the Bible. The limitations on the number of text files an iPod can carry mean that the entire Bible can’t be included but the selected books available are more than enough to satisfy. The FAQ section of the site reports that so far podBible has only been tested on a second gen iPod Nano and a fifth gen iPod Video, and it works on both. A few users have done some testing and passed along word that it works on the iPod Mini as well. The download site includes fairly comprehensive installation instructions as well as a very friendly webmaster called Brendan who’s happy to hear about how you’ve used this resource and field inquiries.
Best of all, it’s free. A deal done with Good News Publishers means that you can download this version without infringing any laws or your own copyright sensibilities. Better still, you can pass it on to your pod-equipped friends and family as fast as you can copy a site link to an email. And the producers of podBible are giving away their own technical framework as well; they even have a polite note discouraging donations because they believe the work itself is worth doing and they don’t wish people to confuse their motives. They are happy to receive technical and hosting support should people like to support the project.
The obviously evangelistic attitude of the developers of the podBible is one of its less tangible positive points. It has been developed by people who clearly understand the important part the Bible plays in the life of the Christian, and the world they live in. Says webmaster Brendan,
“Recently, Rick Warren pointed out that the spread of Martin Luther’s groundbreaking writings coincided with the development of the printing press. The revolution in communication resulted in a reformation of how people knew and followed God. He goes on to point out that we’re in another communication revolution now as the Internet spreads to the furthest corners of the earth.
“Why is that important to us as Christians now? because we can be a part of that revolution, spreading the gospel in ways that we couldn’t before. Has podBible blessed your faith in some way? Then pass it on to someone else who needs the gospel in their lives. It’s as easy as evangelism gets.”
I realise that many people will wish the podBible had more versions available than the ESV - let’s face it, everyone has their preference. However being able to turn your iPod into an effective Bible Study device, or simply add some depth to those hours you spend coasting through your music collection while on public transport shouldn’t be underestimated, whatever the translation.
At this stage podBible doesn’t have text files available for other MP3 devices than the iPod, but they seem to be ambitious so keep your eyes peeled.
