Updated Apps for Ministry

As you may know, I'm an Android user and advocate; as dumb as that is.  I love it's openness and flexibility and it's Google integration.  I've made an earlier post about my favorite apps for ministry, and I thought I'd update and add some new ones that I use a lot.

1. NIV Study Bible by Tecarta.  This is an expensive app at $24.99, but is the new NIV Bible with the NIV Study Bible notes.  It is a great way to have some helpful Biblical notes on the go.  It's a beautiful app in full color, and they've done a great job with the UI.  It has full color maps, charts, pictures, and even videos.  It works nicely on my 10" tablet and my 4.5" phone.  While I still love the Youversion Biblle app, this one has the downloaded Bible and notes, and doesn't need a data connection to use.  
2. Google Docs.  Though I have about every document editing app there is, I love the Google Docs one.  It is simple, has good features, and integrates completely with the cloud.  Again, it works great for my tablet and phone, and it quickly taking the place of Documents to Go, Quickoffice, Polaris Office, and OfficeSuite.
3. Blogger.  Yes, the native Blogger app does a pretty good job of letting me blog from my phone or tablet.  Am I using it right now?  No; that would be stupid with my computer sitting right in front of me. But it's nice.
4. Tabs Tools.  Thanks to an Amazon Appstore free app of the day, I have a more fully featured guitar tab app, that includes things like a tuner and metronome.  
5. Speaking of the Amazon Appstore.  I have a ton of great paid apps that I got for free thanks to Amazon's policy of offering a free app a day.  Some days, it's a game, or some other app I'm not interested in.  But some days, it's a great powerful app that I use for ministry.  I've gotten full versions of Business Calendar, Tabs Tools, OfficeSuite, Quickoffice, PrinterShare, and more thanks to the Appstore.  (The only downside is that apps don't update as quickly through the Appstore compared to the Google Play Store.) 
6. PrinterShare.  Need to print from your phone or tablet?  This app works great.

Rooted Apps I use for ministry.  If you're rooted, you have more access to your phone's core operating system, allowing some apps to have more functionality.  Here's some apps I use that require root.

1. Titanium Backup.  If you mess around with your phone like I do, you need something to backup and restore your apps and data.  Titanium is the best.
2. WiFi Tether.  Yes, you have to buy a special plan from your carrier to tether... usually.  If you're rooted, WiFi Tether will allow you to create a hotspot from your phone.  I use this to give my tablet internet data when not near a wifi hotspot.  I pay a lot of money for my unlimited data, and don't intend to pay more to use the same data.
3. Roam Control.  Going to camp kills my battery, because my phone constantly searches for a better Sprint signal.  Roam Control allows me to force roaming so it uses the closest towers instead of searching for Sprint.  It loses the 3G speeds, but at least is usable while out in the middle of nowhere.

There's an updated app list.  Feel free to leave comments with your favorite apps.

Crazy Times

We are living in a cool time.  Let me give you an example.  Recently, I decided I wanted to buy Leonard Sweet's new book called "Viral: How Social Networking is Poised to Ignite Revival".  Sweet understands the postmodern world and all that comes with it better than most; especially within the Church.  So I make my way to Amazon to buy my Kindle version only to find that the Kindle version of his book costs $11.99 while the paperback is $10.19.  Are you kidding me?  The ebook requires virtually zero manufacturing or production, while the paperback must be printed, produced, and shipped; and it's cheaper?  What a ripoff.  So I made my way to Twitter.  AND HAD A TWITTER CONVERSATION WITH THE AUTHOR.  When in the world could anyone ever have done that?  Here's how it went.

Me: @lensweet - As one who understands the digital age, you should know your book Viral shouldn't be more $ for Kindle than it is for paperback.

Sweet: @fbcregan I agree wholeheartedly. But authors don't have any say in this . . .. we don't get to pick our titles, either.

Me: @lensweet - Thought that may be the case. But wanted to point it out. Regardless, looking forward to reading your book. Blessings.

Sweet: @fbcregan it's embarrassing to boot on a resource about digital media . . :)

Me: @lensweet Eventually publishers will figure out digital. Kind of like churches. Way behind.


Needless to say, I bought his book anyway. My advice; get it. As I said before, Sweet understands the change that has happened and separates everyone into two groups: Gutenbergs and Googles. These two groups break at the invention of the cell phone in 1973. As a self-proclaimed immigrant in the the Google world, Sweet shows the differences between the two worldviews and helps us see how to reach a Google world for Jesus. It's worth reading.

Catching up on Tech.

As I warned, I sometimes suck at blogging.  I also have some trouble finding topics to write on regarding both ministry and technology.  So I may have to sometimes branch out into either one or the other.
Today, an update on my technology for ministry.
In a previous post, I talked about my love for the Amazon Kindle for the use of preaching, doing weddings, and funerals, etc.  All that changed when I decided to sell my Kindle Keyboard and buy a Kindle Fire.  (Actually, it didn't change that much since it's still a Kindle.)  While I still go back and forth on which I like better, here are the benefits of the Fire and the ways I use it.
Preaching from my Fire is great.  I worried about it's thickness - which is noticeable - and the backlighting, but neither of those are a problem.  I keep my Fire in a very nice, genuine leather book-style case by Bear Motion.  It's wonderful, and makes holding my Fire look and feel just like holding a Bible when I'm up front.  What's best, though, is my process for creating and transferring my sermons to my Fire.  I write up my notes; cutting and pasting Scripture passages into Google Docs in an outline form.  I have the capability of adding color, highlighting, or even pics within my file, since I"m no longer dealing with E-ink.  (I use 14 point font, which scales nicely.)
On my Kindle, I open the preinstalled app called Quickoffice and open my Google Doc directly.  I can then pinch to zoom to make the font larger or smaller, and the app will adjust so all the words fit on the page.  And I'm ready.
Of course, the Fire brings all sorts of other possibilities for use that my old Kindle didn't.  I can surf the web, read, use Twitter and Facebook, and my boys play games on it like crazy.  The only thing I'm really missing is the E-ink Kindle's Text to Speech feature.  (C'mon, Amazon, bring it to the apps.)
My major gripes with the Kindle Fire are mostly understandable given the price point.  I wish it was thinner and lighter.  I think I could stack three of my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablets on top of each other before reaching the Fire's thickness.
So if you have a Fire, try it out for teaching, preaching, and ministry.  It's a nice little 7" tablet.