BibleXpress 1.0 [Updated]

I've finally got the iPod Touch 2.0 update and I've purchased BibleXpress.

This is a very preliminary look (I don't even consider it a review) at this app, which puts various translations (ESV, NRSV, NASB, among others) on your iPhone or iPod Touch so you can access them offline.

All I have so far is the ASV and the NRSV (the 1.0.1 update hasn't made it to the App Store yet I guess). As you might expect in a first edition, the program itself is a little rough around the edges. Even so, I think the program is worth the cost ($29.99).

These are a list of issues/suggestions for improvement that I've found after fiddling with it for a half hour [Update: I emailed Ben Spratling, the author of the program, and he responded to each of these points. I'll simply cut and paste his response--the blue text--under each of the points. I've appended a few responses to his comments in purple.]:

1. The NRSV includes the Apocrypha (thumbs way, way up) but is missing 4 Maccabees 4--yes the entire chapter (thumbs down). It appears that this might represent a wider issue since Colossians 4 is also missing in the NRSV. Looks like the issue has been addressed though. [#1 This is actually a systematic error that affected a few other chapters. It has been fixed in version 1.0.1.]
   
2. There doesn't appear to be any paragraph breaks within the chapters of the NRSV, which is a real shame. I view proper paragraphing as a huge issue. Ever try reading a huge block of text without paragraph breaks in a blog? Not much fun. [#2 The missing paragraphs are a format confusion, they *should* have been fixed in version 1.0.1.
   The poetry formatting is another concern entirely. The iPhone's small screen and the ability to resize text makes most of the poetry formatting just use up valuable screen space. I'll take note that you mentioned it.] [My response: perhaps once landscape mode is included, the space issue will no longer be a problem in terms of line length.]
   
3. The ASV does appear to preserve paragraph breaks but it depends to a large extent on the precise size of the font used (btw, the easy adjustability of font size is a real plus). At many font sizes the paragraph breaks are unrecognizable. In fact, the line breaks in the ASV are really odd depending on the font size, breaking in the middle of sentences and verses with plenty of space left on the line. Sometimes, depending on the font size, the line break will come after one word for no apparent reason (not the end of a sentence or end of a verse). [#3. The ASV data files I have do not include accurate paragraph information, those are the built-in linebreaks from the files. It will be very difficult for me to manually rewrite the entire ASV with corrected paragraphs. The currently copyrighted translations do include paragraph information, and that should be correctly displayed.] [My response: I don't think the ASV is a big deal; I wouldn't waste time, effort, and money on fixing this.]
   
4. There appears to be no simple way to browse text across chapters. Perhaps a side swipe could be programmed to flip between chapters in the same translation. [#4 this is a technical issue on Apple's end. In order to display formatted text, I have to use a "webview" which does not receive touch events that are visible to my proram. While they have suggested a fix, it is very difficult, and will take a lot of coding and testing to confirm it has no bugs. I have been working on that feature for 6 weeks.]
   
5. The line spacing is thrown off slightly whenever there's a verse number because the numbers are in superscript but not any smaller than the biblical text. This is a problem in both translations. [#5 this is actually an error in Apple's code. We're attempting to design a workatound.]
   
6. This isn't really a problem, but rather a missing feature I wish it had: there's no landscape view. This could be useful if for no other purpose than to include some context in search results rather than just a list of references, though they are linked to the texts themselves. [#6 This is another error in apple code that is suppossed to handle autorotation "automatically.". Unfortunately that automatic code assume certain designs that don't fit my application. I have spoken personally with the software engineer who wrote that code, he confirmed it is an error, and promised me he would personally see to it that it is corrected. Until that time, or I can design a workaround, let me assure you that that the errors it caused are much worse than not having landscape at all. Landscape is something I'm committed to for the future.]
   
7. I find it strange that the Apocrypha is placed after the book of Revelation, which is rather counterintuitive. I would have put it between the Old and New Testament. [# 7 this is the order in which the books are listed in their data file. Not being an avid reader of the apocrypha myself, the only oddity I noticed is that even the books within the apocrypha don't appear to be in order! Although it did strike me as odd that these books would be placed after the new testament, not all books in the Bible are arrange in chronological order.]
   

Ben appended this final summary comment as well:

While the first feature update will address certain contractual obligations, like italics, small caps, red lettering and footnotes, I think you'll find I am able to address many of your requests, but the time frame of overcoming bugs in Apple's code is always undetermined.

[It sounds as if Ben is working hard to fix the problems in the program. I look forward to the day when the major issues are addressed. I'd only ask that he make the red lettering a feature that can be turned on and off.]

The program does do many things well but at this point, I feel it's important to highlight some of the problems in the hopes that some of them will get addressed. When I've had more time with the program after its several updates, I'll have a proper review up. It'll contain a far more balanced accounting at that time.

Despite these shortcomings, I'm still pleased to have the program on the whole, since the price is fairly reasonable and it means I'll (eventually) have access to several fine bible translations even when I'm offline. Any of the major problems I expect will be addressed in time.