In this post I thought I’d talk about two fully fledged Bible apps…PocketBible, by Laridian and the Tecarta range of Bible apps

PocketBible by Laridian

You can find the app here. This is the Bible app I use for most of my work on my laptop or portables. I’ve used it on my laptop for a long time, and one of the major advantages of this range of software is that once you’ve purchased a book you can use it on all your devices.

It is possible to download the basic reader with up to 40 books (including the King James Version) for free; other Bible versions, commentaries, dictionaries and other books are available for a reasonable charge. There is also a range of study plans for the reader.

My only small gripe is that I’m not keen on the method of in-book navigation in the portable versions…the screen is divided into six quadrants, each of which performs a separate action…next page, back a page, next book etc…if, like me you forget there is a handy overlay that can pop up as a reminder. I don’t like it that much and wish they’d change it for something more intuitive. It is possible, even on the iPhone, to have several books open at the same time, using tabs…I generally keep two versions and a commentary/notes app open and in sync (all three move to keep up with the one you’re actually reading. Currently the books I have open in tabs are The New English Translation, The NET notes and The Message. It’s possible to make notes, highlight, bookmark verses and so on, and to sync these to all your devices via a free online account.

I also wanted to mention the Tecarta range of Bible readers. Find it here.

Tecarta Bible reader

In terms of software design I  think these leave Laridian’s PocketBible in the shade. They are specifically designed for portable devices and it shows…the interface is clear and intuitive, making the software a real pleasure to use.

If I hadn’t already had a number of PocketBible books I might have more than satisfied myself with the Tecarta reader.

Tecarta’s only downside, in my view, is that they have very few Bibles available for their readers, compared to Laridian…some of my favourites are currently missing from Tecarta’s list. I ought also to add that to purchase individual Bibles will cost about half the price of a Laridian one on Tecarta. Although Tecarta are still working on their website they do offer a free account and eventually you should be able to sync notes etc between all your devices.

Great app and relatively economical!

With both of these apps the content you own is downloaded to your device, so everything can be browsed offline.