iPhone / iPod / iPad apps

I don't have an iPad, though I'd like the opportunity to have one. However, in recently using the iPod / iPhone app, I found it very disappointing, so I have some comments / requests.

The app is very nice when wifi service is available, but was rendered next to useless when I tried using it without wifi avaialable. At this point, there were constant errors and problems. The only thing I could really do was browse and read my offline books. To me, and several others in reading the reviews of the app, part of the point in a mobile Bible application is to be able to have access to Bible searching, etc. when not around wifi. Your in the mall talking with someone and they ask a question and you want to look up something, out camping, in a non-wifi coffee shop, when power is out at home, etc.

If the iPad application is anything like the iPod application, it will be very frustrating. The following should be available when 'offline':

1) Searching already downloaded resources

2) Comparative Bible texts (of the Bibles downloaded)

3) Links to commentaries, Greek, Hebrew, etc... of downloaded resources

4) Working footnotes

5) A prayers / notes section

6) A working home page (daily reading plan and devotionals disappeared in offline mode)

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Should any of these not be available, they should disappear from the application.

1) It was sooooo frustrating hitting a menu item and being told... 'This function is not available...'. If a function is truly unavailable, it shouldn't be there to click on.

2) Doing a Bible Search and being told 'No results found'. It took me a few minutes to discover it hadn't even bothered to try to do a search. If searching is not available offline, it shouldn't be there to waste your time typing in search parameters and shouldn't tell you no results found.

3) Each footnote (a, b, c, 1, 2, 3, etc) was replaced by a message about missing a resource but gave no indication as to what resource it needed so that I could fix the problem when I went online.

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All that being said, the online version looked nice. I expect a lot from Logos Bible software as (1) I've paid a lot for it, (2) I do software development for a living. I gentlement in tech support mentioned to me that 1 person built the iPod / iPhone application. If additional help is needed to improve the functionality of this app, I'd even be willing to help with it.

Thank you for a great online app and for listening to my requests for strong offline support.

Hayedid

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Comments

Wes Saad

Some of your suggestions are good and right, the app should offer more helpful feedback in offline mode.

(1) I've paid a lot for it

But not for the iPod/iPhone app...

If additional help is needed to improve the functionality of this app, I'd even be willing to help with it.

http://www.logos.com/jobs#iPhone

Hayedid

I beg to differ. On the iPhone, the offline mode might not be necessary, but the app runs on the iPod as well. If it's going to run on the device and be sold as an iPod application, it should function well as such.

With regard to the job, thanks for the link. I'm not after a new fulltime job, but I would be willing to help.

Hayedid

Ahhh.... if you are referring to the pricing, I totally disagree. I was a Logos 3 user and, based upon the advertisements for the iPhone / iPod version which said, "Use your logos4 books on the iPod when you buy a Logos4 base package, I upgraded and got an iPod. Much to my dismay, unless you have a WiFi connection handy, the iPod application is nothing more than a mediocre book viewer. No searching, etc (as explained above). So, since the iPod app is being used to get people to move to Logos 4 base packages, it is, in essence, very costly, escpecially when finding out it's pretty much featureless in offline mode.

Garrett Ho

I'm sorry that the iphone app played such a large part in your purchasing decision, and that you didn't realize what you were buying when you spent the money.

As with all software, there are tradeoffs. The app is currently designed so that processing is done remotely and results are returned to the application via internet connection. I don't think we can imagine how slow it would be if our iphones did all the processing. I understand that you are asking that functionality be built in that will allow it to search downloaded resources, and that will require a major change to the code to add in such functionality.

Do I hope they add basic Bible searching and additional features? Yes. But I'm not upset about it because it was clearly stated what the application could do. When the app first came out there wasn't even offline reading! So, I'm grateful for the work that has been put into it.

John Kaess

Offline reading is the reason I got the iPad app, its what I want and need to do.

The other features are all gravy. I would never expect an iPad/iPhone app to do what logos 4 does on my high powered desktop computer.

Terry Poperszky

Ahhh.... if you are referring to the pricing, I totally disagree. I was a Logos 3 user and, based upon the advertisements for the iPhone / iPod version which said, "Use your logos4 books on the iPod when you buy a Logos4 base package,

It featured heavily in my decision to upgrade to L4 as well, but offline reading wasn't available at all then. I would like to see what they have planned for it (much as is done with L4 and L4Mac) rather than just taking what is handed to us. Although with the Apple review process hoop to jump through, this may not be possible.

Hayedid

Yes. You are right, Apple does make things difficult. However, if OliveTree can do it, I don't see why Logos can't.