Pocket e-Sword

A few months ago, I started looking around for a Pocket PC Bible software. Since I wasn't sure if I was going to be keeping my Windows Mobile device, I didn't want to invest in software only to be stuck holding the software with no device if I wound up getting a Palm device such as a Treo.

I stumbled across Pocket e-Sword by Rick Meyers. Ok, maybe not stumbled, since I Googled "free bible pocket pc" and it was the first result. I downloaded it, installed it, and then installed a couple different versions of the Bible.

The software runs flawlessly on my Windows Mobile 5 Cingular 8125. It takes about 5 seconds to start, but once it starts, there is no noticable hesitation in the software.

Navigation is simple using either the stylus or the hardware directional pad on the device. Using the stylus, you can jump to any verse in the Bible with 5 clicks. The directional pad lets you scroll through a chapter by pressing up or down, or jump chapters using the left and right.

If you load multiple versions of the Bible into the software, you can switch versions and remain on the same chapter. There is also a function to show multiple versions of the same passage on the same screen. You can also load commentaries in and view them along with the verses.

There's the usual search features, allowing various searches for words or phrases and limiting of search parameters. It is limited to searching the current version of the Bible that you have selected.

There's a bookmark function which I haven't gotten much use out of since it's so easy to navigate directly to the passage you are looking for.

There is a highlighting function which lets you highlight in 9 different colors. It's not actually a free-text highlight, but instead highlights an entire verse.

My favorite function is the Verse Note function. It allows you to attach text to a verse. I've found this very useful while entering notes from sermons directly into the relevant verse.

The software also handles VGA and landscape. My device switches between portrait and landscape when I slide the keyboard out, and the software keeps up just fine. I don't have VGA, so I can't really comment on how it looks.

A full listing of the functions can be found here.

The only thing I wish it had is the New International Version translation available. There are some that seem to read similarly, though, so it's not much of a limitation in my opinion.

This is such a great piece of software that people would pay for it. The fact it is free makes this a no-brainer.