The iPod gets religion

Link: The iPod gets religion

The iPod gets religion
11/5/2004 8:58:05 PM, by Hannibal

Back when I knew a few people who actually used their PDAs for more than six months after the initial purchase, I found that one of the most popular uses for the devices was reading text. Friends of mine would read e-books, news reports, and all sorts of stuff on their PDAs, and I even tried it myself before deciding that I liked dead tree better. One of the places where the PDA still puts in a regular appearance as reading device (or in any other capacity, for that matter) is in church. Bibles were one of the most popular downloads for PDAs, and every now and then when I visit a new church I'll spot somebody using a PDA to look up Bible verses. (Or, maybe they're actually playing Pong or Tetris... God only knows .)

So I wasn't surprised to see this CNET profile of a new Bible reading software package for the iPod.

The brainchild of Los Angeles-based programmer Pablo Mendigochea, BiblePlayer offers three different text versions of the Bible that can be read on the iPod's screen using the device's "Notes" function. The company also markets a deluxe version of the product, which features MP3 audio readings of the Bible on CD-ROM for $29. Either product can be used with any third- or fourth-generation iPod.

I think this is a great idea, and Apple should really take it and run with it. In fact, when the color iPod first came out, my first thought was, "this would rule if it could render PDF." Ebooks on the iPod could be the Next Big Thing for Apple, and it's a perfect fit with Apple's other media products. And while I'm on a "wouldn't it be cool" kick, I wish there was a decent way to organize the trillion PDF files that litter my PowerBook--a sort of iTunes or iPhoto, but for PDFs. A PDF/eBook organizer app that syncs with a PDF/ebook-enabled iPod would provide yet another reason to buy an iPod.

Finally, on a tangentially related note, speaking of God and iPods and church and the like, did anyone else besides me notice that while the original iPod had EQ settings for about ten different flavors of techno, there wasn't a single setting for country music? I think that this confirms something that we've suspected all along--Apple is indeed headquartered in California.