Tech for the Local Church
Posts tagged Apps
Real-World Discussion of Google Apps vs. ChMS
Feb 14th
We recently received this question in our comments on a previously posted article: Is Google Apps Church Management Software? They were great questions, and we hope others can chime in on this discussion: More >
10 Killer iPhone Apps: #8 Dragon Dictation
Jan 11th
Dragon Dictation
The verbage from their website says it best…
Dragon Dictation, powered by Nuance’s world-renowned Dragon NaturallySpeaking software, allows you to stay connected all the time, even when your hands are busy.
10 Killer iPhone Apps: #7 GoodReader
Jan 9th
GoodReader does magic with PDF files. It does a lot more, as its description in the iTunes app store mentions…
Quick summary: super-robust PDF reader with advanced reading, annotating, markup and highlighting capabilities, excellent file manager, TXT file reader and editor, audio/video player, Safari-like viewer for MS Office and iWorks files.
I attend Metro Calvary, and our pastor, Richard Cimino, posts his notes in their entirety each week. They are, essentially, manuscript sermons. We used to post the notes online after the sermon audio was posted, but people began to ask for paper copies of the notes to follow along during the service. People saw others with the printed notes and before long, we were photocopying over 100 copies of the notes – sometimes over a dozen pages each! Before long, the folks with smart phones asked to have the notes available BEFORE the service on the website. That was good, but when you are used to handwriting notes on paper, or highlighting certain sections, reading text online doesn’t satisfy. More >
10 Killer iPhone Apps: #6 Google Voice
Jan 1st
Google Voice – Super-powered VoiceMail and Texting
Step 1: Sign up and get your new FREE Google Voice phone number HERE.
Step 2: Assign ANY phone(s) to ring when someone dials the new number. Change the destination as often as you like.
Step 3: Let it ring. Get transcribed messages delivered to your inbox. The audio file is there too.
Step 4: Texting is free, so you can do what I did… cancel your regular text message plan and save some dough. More >
REVIEW: 5 Killer iPhone Apps
Jan 1st
We are reviewing the Top Ten Killer iPhone Apps – the quintessential tools for a pastor (or anyone) armed with an iPhone. To catch you up on where we have been, here is our current top five:
- Bible: God’s Holy Word
- Dropbox: Magical Cloud Storage
- Instapaper: Stuff you want to “Read Later”
- Elements: Dropbox Powered Text Editor
- Simplenote: Sync your notes to all devices
10 Killer iPhone Apps: #5 Simplenote
Oct 30th
Simplenote is a simple text note app that syncs your notes to your iPhone, mac computer and a website. It is free with ads on your phone, but you can buy a $4.99 upgrade to remove ads. There is also a premium version with some extras for $11.99 a year that adds some extra features. For me, the free version is plenty.
Why do I need this- I have Notepad?
Wherever possible, I have abandoned any apps that lock my data into the phone and apps that require syncing with a cable to get the data to my computer (I am talking to you, iTunes). More >
Love Gmail? Mailplane makes Gmail even better.
Oct 24th
Mailplane, the native Mac app for Gmail and Google Apps email, has been updated to version 2.2, adding several new features and improving on others. Version 2.2 is a pretty significant update despite its minor numerical increment. You can download a 30-day demo from Mailplane’s website. If you decide to buy, it’s US$24.95. Naturally, you can always use Gmail in a browser for free rather than spending money on an app like Mailplane. But Mailplane is very actively developed, with new features regularly being added. Having a real Mac app for a mail client is well worth the money for anyone who spends a lot of time in email. If you manage multiple Gmail or Google Apps email accounts, the easy switching alone makes it worth the asking price. Read a FULL REVIEW here and here. Video fter the break… More >
10 Killer iPhone Apps: #4 Elements – Dropbox Powered Text Editor
Oct 24th
Elements – Dropbox Powered Text Editor
Elements is a beautiful, versatile text editor for iOS. Elements allows you to view, edit and share plain text documents on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. All of your data is stored in a folder on your personal Dropbox account so that it’s accessible from any device you have. Whether you are a pastor, a church volunteer, or a member taking notes during the sermon, this is a great app that will help you write long documents, or capture short lists. The Dropbox sync is the killer feature, but read on to see the rest… More >
10 Killer iPhone Apps: #3 Instapaper
Oct 22nd
Instapaper isn’t instant. It has nothing to do with paper either. Instapaper is essentially a simple tool to save web pages for reading later on your electronic devices. (Is it just me or does the title of this Read-Later-Without-Paper app just kill you?!) You flag the content you want to save by using a BOOKMARKLET – essentially a little app that looks like a bookmark button in your browser. To get started, go to instapaper.com/extras and drag the button to your browser bar. Then you view a page and press the “Read Later” button. All major browsers support it – even Mobile Safari on your iPhone (although Apple makes it much harder than it should be). Press that “Read Later” button and BOOM! – it magically appears on your Instapaper app. On your iPhone. Brilliant. This simple little one-trick pony has the potential to transform the way you read online content. Listen to Marco, the author or this app, explain the thinking behind it: More >
Screenr: Video Capture Your Screen and Instantly Tweet or Embed
Oct 21st
screenr is a screen capture program that runs right from a browser – no other software needed. It works as advertised and is a free service. If you need to demonstrate how to use a program, demonstrate a website or anything that happens on your computer screen, this is a great option!
You can drag a little Bookmarklet to your browser bar and click it anytime you want to record something on your screen. Nice. I can see using this to do simple tutorials for iTunes or WordPress.
You can instantly post your video / screencast to Twitter, YouTube, or anywhere you like … say, your blog post, for instance. Screenr Video I made after the break … More >
10 Killer iPhone Apps: #2 DropBox
Oct 21st
Dropbox is simple. You put files in. You get your files out. Its almost too simple. People miss the brilliance. It is not WHAT you put in your dropbox … it is WHERE you get to access those files and how easy it is to SHARE your files.
Access your Dropbox on the go- Download files for offline viewing
- Sync photos and videos to your Dropbox
- Share links to files in your Dropbox
How To Upgrade Google Apps to the FREE Non-Profit Edition
Oct 14th
NO ADS, TOTAL PRIVACY, SHARED CONTACTS & MORE
Three good reasons why you should choose the non-profit edition over the standard FREE (with Ads) Google Apps version you may be using now. Instructions after the break… More >
Podcast 004 – Google Apps for Your Church? YES! An Authority Speaks.
Oct 6th
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE:
Subscribe Here: http://portablesermons.com/ministryvault
Or Here: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/ministry-vault/id382190586
Brad Stark has helped some of the largest BIG enterprise companies switch to Google Apps. He explains the benefits of Google Apps, the difference between the paid and free versions of Google Apps, and answers questions about the main concerns in the minds of many churches considering a move to Google apps. A few show links after the break … More >
iPad Review – First Observations
May 6th
Fan Boyhood
I have to admit at the debut of this blog that I am an Apple Fan Boy. But, it may help to explain my history with the forbidden fruit tattooed tech company. I was first introduced to computers when my father first brought home a Radio Shack TRS-80 with a whopping 4K of memory. Then, in college I got my first geek job in a Macintosh Lab in the Business School at California State Polytechnic University at Pomona. At the time, Macs were squatty, beige boxes with green screens… but I was hooked. Even though my experience with and knowledge of Apple Computers pre-dates the Genius Bar, I think I can give fair assessment of the good, bad and the ugly of the Kingdom of Jobs. More >
Open Source Church iPhone App Released
May 1st
To quote the post from Bobby Chandler at ChurchKreatives: “God led us to create an app that we could share with other churches, free of charge…Sugar Creek has just released the code for Communique.” Check his post if you want the details, or test drive the app here.
This is great news, and certainly deserves to be praised. I have met few people that share my belief that we Christians have a responsibility to lead in the tech community… fewer still that feel led to give away the work that God has used to bless a single church. Imagine if every church shared their very best with the Church (capital C). My deepest thanks goes out to the people behind this project.
I am an iPhone developer. I have one app in the iTunes App Store. I know what it takes to produce an app and I know what it costs. It is not trivial. I mention this, only because I feel my following comments need context. I am speaking from a very practical perspective with experience.
This announcement could be very good for a few larger churches with resources to take this baton and run with it, or perhaps for a church of any size that has an iPhone app developer willing to offer his talents up for his local church.
Unfortunately, most churches will not be able to take advantage of this gift. Why? Three reasons. More >
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