Offline resources

ShikaiRonniePoon said:

I think that if you can develop an offline option for iPhone, you can also develop this option for the other mobile users. I think there are a lot more users of Logos4 having other smartphones than those with iPhone. Technical challenges are just something to overcome.

I would doubt there are more users using a single platform that has a solid future. The availabe platforms are

1. iPhone

2. Windows Mobile

3. Palm OS

4. Palm's New Pre OS

5. Android

6. Blackberry

and there may be others.

Of those the largest user base is with Blackberry or iPhone or WinMobile.  WinMobil is in serious decline and unless v. 7 is a real hit will likely shrivel and die within a couple of years. Blackberry is a large group as well, but app sails for it are not good. People using blackberry's want email and text and phone and not a lot else. Developing for iPhone is the biggest money making platform right now. All the others (besides iphoen, blackberry and windows mobile) are less than iphone combined. So it is smart to focus on iPhone. If I were the decision maker at Logos I would stand pat with the three platforms I have (Windows, Mac, and iPhone) and I would start thinking about adding an android version. But the Mobile Web gives me access to all of the others together without having to create a separate one for each. I know this is not popular if you don't use an iPhone, but Logos is a business and not a ministry. Sure it helps people in ministry and I hope the Christians that work for Logos have a ministry mindset as all Christians should regardless of where they work. But Pritchett clan is building a business.

How about supporting Google Gears to provide offline use of library.logos.com ?

Bryan Smith said:

We have considered it, but there are a couple big problems with it. Gears is being deprecated in favor of HTML 5 features. We don't want to use a dying technology that's unlikely to be supported in newer devices coming out, especially when many of those devices will start supporting the same functionality through HTML 5. It currently supports only a few mobile browsers, and would probably lead to a lot of confusion.

Thanks, Bryan.  I got it.  I think you are right in waiting for devices to catch up with HTML5.

Kudos on putting work into library.logos.com.   But to clarify,  the Palm Pre also uses HTML5.

Will

This has been an interesting thread to watch. Being formally a web developer and IT manager for over 15 years then called into the ministry full time, this one caught my eye. The desire for an application (or in this case service app) to be cross platform and independantly available is a large undertaking. There are so many variables to consider that makes this almost impossible to satisfy everyone. Let me list a few that I would believe would put this in jeopardy.

1. Device offline storage capacity - Unlike the iPhone most mobile devices are drastically limited in storage capacity. Without ample storage the offline support would distress expectations of many users.
2. Vast array of browser platforms - Just like the PC platform there are a number of browsers and versions of each of those to deal with. For example, I use a blackberry 8310 (after the iPhone app release, I am saving my pennies for a phone change when my contract is up) and to make the library.logos.com site to function normally, I had to install the Opera Mini browser (oops there goes more storage space). Each browser platform must be considered and a decision has to be made to which one(s) to support. Unfortunately not everyone keeps the latest phone model and uses depricated browsers. It looks like offline storage support would require HTML5 platform which is great. Unfortunately not everyone handles the standard the same. Micro$oft is notorious about wanting to do things different than everyone else, which makes programming the standard a headache. To support every version of every browser would cripple the functionality of the application.
3. True Application vs. Service Application - Google has been trying to corner the market on the Service Application for a number of years and they have produced a number of "online applications" that are exceptional but do not do everything their competitor's "box" applications can do. A true application will usually be more feature rich and is not dependant on multiple factors like screen size, OS, Browser, and network speeds. To develop an application for the iPhone is easier because the variables are limited and the results are easier to manage. 

As much as I would love to have an "onlince application" that would do as much as the iPhone application I understand there are limitations. These limitations would be difficult to overcome because library.logos.com is not a true "local device application" in itself.

I want to say that library.logos.com is an excellent response to the request for support beyond the iPhone.  Thank you Logos for working hard to help the rest of us who are not on the "right network" or who cannot afford the personal, palmsize, phone computer, that has swept the teen generation off their feet.   

You guys rock!
Doug Johnson

Bryan Smith said:

Thanks a lot Doug. I'm glad you're finding the site useful. 

I should add that storage capacity is a bigger issue than many people realize. Logos 4 resources are stored in a highly compressed format that currently can't be used outside of a desktop app. On the web (and iphone app) we have to use a format that can be easily consumed by low power devices using different platforms. Unfortunately that means our resource content is significantly larger than what's stored on your home computer for L4 consumption. 

Since I'm getting my Android based phone next week, I want to revisit this issue. I agree with Bryan that storage capacity is a big issue. But that is only if the user plans to store a lot of resources offline. What I am thinking in terms of offline storage is the ability to have one book to read during travels. I don't think that would take up a lot of space.

Currently I can copy and paste several hundred pages from a resource into a document to bring with me on the mobile device. But it would be nice to have an easier way to accomplish this.

Ronnie

[Ronnie, how do you copy and paste several hundred pages at a time?  This
seems like it would be very time consuming.]

It is not as time consuming as you would expect. Just click and scroll down on a resource until you reach the end of the content you want to copy, press Ctrl+C and paste to your word processor. It takes perhaps a few minutes, and sometimes you would have to break the operation into several smaller steps. It's not pretty, but it can be done. Until Logos comes up with an offline storage solution, this seems to be the only way to take some reading on the road.

Ronnie