When Houston mega-preacher Joel Osteen asked his audience to show him their Bibles, a collection of cell phones was visible along with the traditional leather-bound, gold-embossed, printed-on-paper versions.
Do you have the Bible on your iPhone? Does your rosary require batteries? Can your PDA remind you of the daily Islamic prayer times and the exact compass heading needed for the faithful to face Mecca?
By far the most common electronic aids to worship are digital Bibles offered by firms such as olivetree.com, which offers free or low-cost editions in many languages for iPhones, Windows Mobile, Palm and many other phones, PDAs and portable devices.
Olive Tree Bible Software is one of the original developers of mobile Bible software. Drew Haninger is Olive’s president.
“Over a quarter million people have downloaded our iPhone app, and we’re expecting the versions for Blackberry and Android to catch up with that figure,” he said. “We make the reader application available for free — and 100 other free resources, as well as the items that we sell. Our Love Dare app is now No. 2 on the iTunes paid book list.”
Beyond the basics, there’s the electronic rosary. The $30 device runs on two AAA batteries and features voices of the sisters from the Carmelite monastery in Lafayette, La.
For Muslims, Athan Times Software offers assistance in observing the five daily times of Islamic prayer, as well as using global positioning to determine the appropriate direction to face while praying. It also computes sunrise and sunset times. The free program for Windows Mobile phones can be found at www.vak itler.net.
Stand-alone devices also are available that perform these same functions, including a solar-powered one from www.optidotcorp.com.
Buddhists aren’t left out, either. Prayer wheels, which traditionally have been spun by hand, wind or water, now are available in motorized varieties ($80 from www.dharmacollection.com).
The device come with multiple assurances that the Dalai Lama approved such technology.
In the mood for something louder and more upbeat? “Guitar Praise-Solid Rock” ($99.95) is a Christian clone of the ubiquitous and popular game “Guitar Hero.” It comes with an undersized, black and white plastic guitar and a CD.
“This blockbuster compilation of 25 Christian hits incorporates songs from tobyMac, Newsboys, Stryper and more,” the ad copy states. “Jam with the band! Strap on the guitar and play along with your favorite bands. Shred the riff, thump the bass. Blast that solid Christian rock.”
The company also offers two iPhone applications. The first, Dance Praise, includes the same sort of music but adds 3-D digital dancers and on-screen lyrics for what the authors label “an immersive dance experience.”
In Dance Praise, one of three digital dancers rocks to the tune of one of a dozen contemporary Christian hits.
It’s the player’s job to follow along and touch the screen repeatedly to score points.
“We’re hoping it will appeal to game players, even non-Christians,” Tom Bean, president of Digital Praise, said.
Correspondent Rick Cousins covers religion for The Daily News. Got a gadget we missed? E-mail ourfaith(at)galvnews.com.
