Godspeed eBible

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.godspeedcomputing.com/products/ebible.shtml">http://www.godspeedcomputing.com/products/ebible.shtml</a><br /><br />If you have a friend or someone in your family that likes the electronic Bible app on your Pocket PC, but they either don't want to spend that kind of money or simply have no need for the power of a Pocket PC, the new eBible from Godspeed Computing might be just the answer.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2002/20020712-godspeed.jpg" /><br /><br />It looks like a Gemstar REB-1100 Rocket Ebook reader, which I am sure Gemstar has tons of these devices laying around as their whole ebook philosophy is among the worst on the planet. It looks like Godspeed Computing has put the hardware to good use. In addition to the Bible, it has a section for daily devotionals, memory verses, a note taker, memo pad, calendar, task list and a few others. It also includes the hi<i>e</i>book reader so you can read ebooks like <a href="http://www.peanutpress.com/book.cgi/0842361235">the Left Behind series</a> and an MP3 player for audio books or music. Source: Paul Martin.

[Scott R]

Am I the only one who finds it odd that PocketPCThoughts frequently posts news about devices without mentioning the price?

I checked the site and it's $299. Not cheap. And it's grayscale. But...It's resolution is 320x480 and it seems to have full-blown PIM functionality. Not bad. Still, it's probably too big for me. Of course, I'm too lazy to do the metric conversion so AFAIK it could be 1"x1". ;)

Scott

[Jason Dunn]

Am I the only one who finds it odd that PocketPCThoughts frequently posts news about devices without mentioning the price?

I know this will disappoint you, but there's no conspiracy here. :-) Heck, I didn't even know this company was in my home town of Calgary until I did a bit more research on them. There's not always time to "go deep" in a post - we post our blurb, then move along to the next one.

PS - It's "Pocket PC Thoughts", just like the logo. 8)

[PPCRules]

Nice implemetation for the intended use. As Ed says, it's just the thing for the person who wouldn't carry a PPC. But while the large display and scroll buttons would be nice when eBooking, and the eBible app seems much more developed than Bible programs on the PPC, I find that a Bible program on the PPC fits my needs well enough. I'm not sure who the person is who would pay $300 for this and not instead go for a PPC.

Don't miss the Flash "interactive demo"; scroll through the screen shots. Very nicely done. 'BibleWOF' looks like great fun!

I am surprised at it using SmartMedia. Probably a size thing, and maybe shows how long ago the design was done. I sense that SmartMedia is slowly dying away.

The other thing I'd like to know: why can't someone make this kind of designed-for-purpose device, but use a standard OS? If not PPC, even WinCE or Palm comes pretty cheap from what I hear, and would definitely add value to the product. And I would think development tools would be better with a standard OS (or is emOS some widely used embedded OS?).

[Scott R]

I know this will disappoint you, but there's no conspiracy here. :-)
Oh, I wasn't accusing you of a conspiracy. Just making an observation. There have been several PPC-related items (or PPCs themselves) where you've posted a news blurb listing the high-level specs but left out the price. Surely price is an important "spec" to most people.

Regarding conspiracy theories though...The last couple of threads I've subscribed to have failed to notify me via email when the thread has been replied to. Anyone else experiencing this?

Scott

[MobiliT]

I like the idea and concept of the product. I'm sure the product will serve some better than others. However, $300 seems a bit steep. Especially for the youth, student and church markets. I was thinking the price point would be roughly half of that when I first saw the product. Look at the prices of the various Franklin offerings (http://www.franklin.com/ebookman/shortpage.asp). Perhaps the cost is attributed to future value added "community" services.

Even so, there are alternatives. Take a Toshiba e310. Or simply purchase a used Pocket PC on eBay. It doesn't need embedded bluetooth/wireless and all the latest bells and whistles. Add some Laridian (or your favorite) Bible software, and then one has a much more versatile and expandable device for just slightly higher expense.

[Ed Hansberry]

Am I the only one who finds it odd that PocketPCThoughts frequently posts news about devices without mentioning the price?

I checked the site and it's $299. Not cheap. And it's grayscale. But...It's resolution is 320x480 and it seems to have full-blown PIM functionality. Not bad. Still, it's probably too big for me. Of course, I'm too lazy to do the metric conversion so AFAIK it could be 1"x1". ;)
Totally forgot to do the price. I include it when available - this time I just slipped up.

On the size, I agree. However, look around at the size of Bibles most people carry. They are not paperback sized. This is one time this larger size makes sense. It is a Bible first, PIM last.

The spec I really wanted and couldn't find is what Bible versions are available? The thing I like about Laridian is you can pick almost any mainstream translation. Can you do the same with this?

[JonnoB]

Regarding conspiracy theories though...The last couple of threads I've subscribed to have failed to notify me via email when the thread has been replied to. Anyone else experiencing this?

Scott

I have noticed the same thing.

[Ed Hansberry]

I have noticed the same thing.
Yup. Known issue. :cry:

[Paul Martin]

Ed and Jason,

Sorry forgot to pass along where I found the info on this device. It was at http://www.gominister.com/.

I've used a Nino for several years and now just got a Jornada. While I love the portability, the print can be a little small sometimes. So, I can certainly see that the size might have an appeal, at least if you're willing to lug it around. Personally, if I didn't have a PDA, I might be interested at the $100-150 price point, especially if several translations are included with the price. But, at $299, and this was listed as an intro, promo price, it is rather steep.

From Godspeed's first page, they link to an article about their product in Wired: http://wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,50023,00.html The article mentions a retail price of $250 and says the device is based on the Hiebook from Korea. The article doesn't mention translations.

I clicked on the order page to see if it's offered in different translations, but no info was there. They post a toll-free # (800-GODSPEED) but I couldn't reach the number from my location. I've sent an e-mail to them regarding this discussion and our question on translations.

[Jason Dunn]

Regarding conspiracy theories though...The last couple of threads I've subscribed to have failed to notify me via email when the thread has been replied to. Anyone else experiencing this?

We're having some major server issues lately, and on Monday Barry from Sonic Mobility is back and hopefully we'll get to the bottom of this. Thanks for your patience!

[BillG]

A $300 Bible? 8O

[Ed Hansberry]

A $300 Bible? 8O
You might have missed the 2nd para in my post and the other things included, listed at the site, for that $300.