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Considering purchase of an Ipad Using Accordance


fmcfee

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Thanks Michael, that's great news and a very generous offer.

 

More about the smart way Accordance has done their APP, for example Logos requires the right for any item used on your mobile device to be placed in the cyber cloud. Accordance allow you to install the actual files you own on your other device just as you can install your software on as many computers as you own (although legality means one device only may be using one resource each, i.e.: if you have 14 kids and all are reading the same book at once you are breaking the copyright rules, although generally companies have felt ok with saying two spouses may access the same works at once and indeed some have gone as far as to say the rights do extend to the entire household). We are lucky Accordance was wise enough to go this route though I am sure it made much more work than creating something that is basically a bare reader reading files off a central web server.

 

_dan

Edited by DWFrancis
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More about the smart way Accordance has done their APP, for example Logos requires the right for any item used on your mobile device to be placed in the cyber cloud. Accordance allow you to install the actual files you own on your other device just as you can install your software on as many computers as you own (although legality means one device only may be using one resource each, i.e.: if you have 14 kids and all are reading the same book at once you are breaking the copyright rules, although generally companies have felt ok with saying two spouses may access the same works at once and indeed some have gone as far as to say the rights do extend to the entire household). We are lucky Accordance was wise enough to go this route though I am sure it made much more work than creating something that is basically a bare reader reading files off a central web server.

 

_dan

 

I think that's part of the reason we all went with Accordance. There are a few good options out there for serious bible study but Accordance was by far the best total package.

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Without doubt Logos has many bells and whistles and a boatload of resources but Accordance is stable works very well and is in most ways far ahead of Logos. I really hate doing much more than a basic passage guide in Logos since even that sometimes leaves me with the spinning coloured beach ball for far took long. In an ideal world Accordance would read Logos resources and i could get rid of it. :) But for now i will be glad that I can use my resources there and do serious word studies and more in Accordance.

 

-Dan

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Brand new to Accordance...still waiting on my activation code! I'm excited about using it with my iPad. I have been using my iPad for over 2 years now to preach from. Most recently I have been putting all of my notes in Evernote. I expect I will continue to do that since it is available across multiple platforms and devices, but I'm excited to learn how to integrate Accordance into my weekly sermon prep.

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  • 1 month later...

On a related note to this topic, I combined a few gift cards and Christmas money and picked up a new iPad mini a couple of days ago. My goal is to primarily use it strictly as a reader, and I like the fact that it's small enough to fit in my coat pocket.

 

The first night I had it, I set it to download my entire Accordance library. It was still attempting to this when I woke up the next morning. Not knowing if it was still downloading (most assuredly the case) or hung--there's no real way to know since there's not a status bar in the iOS app for downloads--I simply synced it via wifi, which took a little over an hour.

 

I can say that the iPad mini makes a great reader and Accordance works just fine on it. The fact that the mini is not a retina display is not a big deal to me yet since I've been using an iPad 2 and have not been used to a retina display on an iPad. In fact, the mini's screen looks a little bit sharper than the iPad 2 because both are 1024 x 768. I can adjust the text size in Accordance and other apps, so the screen is fine for my purposes.

 

Accordance and my entire library takes up 24.8 GB on my iPad, but I got the 64 GB model, so there's still plenty of room. I plan on downloading as many of my other texts as I can from other apps such as Kindle, Nook and other Bible software. Although I've been a big fan of E-Ink readers, I may end up simplifying just to the iPad mini as my single primary reader. But before I get rid of my E-Ink Kindle and Nook, I'll wait a few weeks to make certain that the iPad mini does everything I need it to.

 

Nevertheless, so far, so good.

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On a related note to this topic, I combined a few gift cards and Christmas money and picked up a new iPad mini a couple of days ago. My goal is to primarily use it strictly as a reader, and I like the fact that it's small enough to fit in my coat pocket.

 

The first night I had it, I set it to download my entire Accordance library. It was still attempting to this when I woke up the next morning. Not knowing if it was still downloading (most assuredly the case) or hung--there's no real way to know since there's not a status bar in the iOS app for downloads--I simply synced it via wifi, which took a little over an hour.

 

I can say that the iPad mini makes a great reader and Accordance works just fine on it. The fact that the mini is not a retina display is not a big deal to me yet since I've been using an iPad 2 and have not been used to a retina display on an iPad. In fact, the mini's screen looks a little bit sharper than the iPad 2 because both are 1024 x 768. I can adjust the text size in Accordance and other apps, so the screen is fine for my purposes.

 

Accordance and my entire library takes up 24.8 GB on my iPad, but I got the 64 GB model, so there's still plenty of room. I plan on downloading as many of my other texts as I can from other apps such as Kindle, Nook and other Bible software. Although I've been a big fan of E-Ink readers, I may end up simplifying just to the iPad mini as my single primary reader. But before I get rid of my E-Ink Kindle and Nook, I'll wait a few weeks to make certain that the iPad mini does everything I need it to.

 

Nevertheless, so far, so good.

 

Sounds like a good move, except for the Retina logic. The moment you read text on a retina device (even your iPhone), you will think non-Retina devices look horrible less than ideal, especially with text. At least that's my experience, and why I definitely would not buy the iPad Mini for reading; at least not this year's model.

 

*I guess I should downgrade the description there to be a little bit more fair to those that don't mind text on non-Retina devices. : )

Edited by Rick Bennett
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Thanks again to all. The sharing is helping me (and others I am sure) to make my own decision.

 

Kevin.

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Just to help provide a counter opinion to Rick's: though I'm well aware of Retina when using it, I have no problem and don't mind at all seeing non-Retina displays. I've been switching back and forth Retina iPhone to non-Retina mac for a while now, and I'm not even aware of it. Adding in some occasional use of a Retina MBP still doesn't cause me to 'miss' it or bother me when on my non-Retina iPad 2 or non-Retina Mac. Just to provide an alternate opinion; it really depends on the user.

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Just to help provide a counter opinion to Rick's: though I'm well aware of Retina when using it, I have no problem and don't mind at all seeing non-Retina displays. I've been switching back and forth Retina iPhone to non-Retina mac for a while now, and I'm not even aware of it. Adding in some occasional use of a Retina MBP still doesn't cause me to 'miss' it or bother me when on my non-Retina iPad 2 or non-Retina Mac. Just to provide an alternate opinion; it really depends on the user.

 

Good observation. I also do not mind switching back and forth between my Cinema Display (obviously non-Retina) and iPad/iPhone w/ Retina. To me that difference is acceptable.

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Sounds like a good move, except for the Retina logic. The moment you read text on a retina device (even your iPhone), you will think non-Retina devices look horrible less than ideal, especially with text. At least that's my experience, and why I definitely would not buy the iPad Mini for reading; at least not this year's model.

 

*I guess I should downgrade the description there to be a little bit more fair to those that don't mind text on non-Retina devices. : )

 

Rick,

 

I might give you friendly disagreement on the issue of the screen. For what it's worth, I initially thought the same thing, too. All the early (rushed) reviews of the iPad mini praised its size, but complained about its price and screen. I suppose these were both easy targets, and a good reviewer of Apple products needs something to complain about these days lest he be called an "Apple fanboy."

 

Then I noticed that the reviews that were circulating in December sometimes rang a different tune. A lot of people said that in actually using the device for a few weeks, the non-retina screen really didn't matter that much. It wasn't a big deal. The smaller screen size makes it a bit sharper than the iPad 1 & 2 anyway. This more positive take on the screen made me consider the iPad mini again.

 

As for your second sentence quoted above, maybe I should point out that I have two devices with a retina display already: my iPhone 5 and my MacBook Pro. I agree that the retina display is the best thing to happen to computer screens since color VGA in 1990 or thereabouts. And I agree that everything is moving in that direction. All I'm saying is that the screen resolution (what amounts to 163 ppi) does not seem to be a deal breaker in actual usage of the device--regardless of my use of other higher resolution screens--and has not been an issue for me yet.

 

We justify our devices don't we? We do that when we upgrade our Macs, our iPads, and our iPhones. "It will make us more productive" we tell ourselves (or our spouses, or our bosses, or our churches). We especially do that when we get a second device. "I'm going to use it primarily as a reader." Well, I would suggest to anyone who's really interested in the form factor of the iPad mini to work out your justification and take a serious look at it. Don't let the screen stand in your way.

 

And I'm certain that Apple will release an iPad mini with a retina display sometime this year--maybe sooner (I'm hearing crazy rumors about March!), maybe later such as in November, a year after the first ones were released. What I've found to be true, though, is that iPads really hold their value well. I've sold two iPads now and was very pleased with amounts I sold them for. I've no doubt that even after the retina display iPad mini is released, Apple will probably continue to sell the first generation mini at a lower price. So at the very least, an iPad bought now can be "traded up" to a better one later if that's a big deal to someone.

 

All that's assuming that the upgrade can be justified so quickly again when that time comes :-)

 

 

Rick

(who's not ashamed to say he's an Apple fanboy)

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good points…guess I assumed the difference would be just like the iPad 2 to 3, but I've never used the mini on any extended basis.

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From yesterday, here's another one of those "non-retina screen does not matter in actual use" reviews of the iPad mini: "60 Days Later, The iPad Mini Is Still, Without a Doubt, The Real iPad."

 

http://www.businessinsider.com/60-days-later-the-ipad-mini-is-still-without-a-doubt-the-real-ipad-2013-1

 

(Note: I tried to link that URL to the article title, and I wasn't able to, so the forums might still be having problems.)

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  • 2 weeks later...

If I could have Accordance on only one device, it would be iPad. The recent update to the app is the best so far, adding several new features. I read and study in the BHS and USB4, and the ease of reading and searching is a dream come true for someone who studies in the original languages. I do agree with the retina display being much better since I have it on my iPad and Macbook Pro. But something I try to do is read a portion of the text just before I go to sleep at night, having the scripture in my mind as I fall asleep. The ability to increase font size and switch to night mode with the iPad makes it so easy to end the day with the lights out and the quiet of the night settling His word in my mind. If you get an iPad and Accordance you wont regret it. God Bless

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iOS is currently a really powerful Accordance platform.

 

Bible texts with apparatuses (whether Greek/Hebrew texts with siglia or modern translations with superscripts) have a real advantage for Accordance users on an iDevice. The apparatus/Bible notes/cross-references modules need to be installed, but need not be displayed in the parallel pane. Tapping on the in-text symbol will open a pop-up with the information in it, so there's no need to waste that parallel pane on it. Put a different module in the pane instead.

 

In my NA27-T, tapping on a Greek word opens parsing+ Mounce Greek Dictionary. Tapping on an apparatus marker (siglia) opens the NA27 Apparatus.

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Edited by Timothy Jenney
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It seems like an iPad of any kind is a great way to study and bring Accordance with you to church or anywhere really. I don't have an iPad but was waiting for the rumored iPad Mini Retina this March, turns out it may not be until November due to supply issues. My question is does anyone feel the iPad mini is too small to read for long periods of time and do users of the Retina iPad feel the iPad is too large to bring with them everywhere? My last question is, how do I find out the size of my Accordance library so I can decide what size to get (BTW, I have Accordance 10 Bible Study w/ ESV Study Bible and the NASB95 Bible). Sorry for so many questions. Thanks for your help.

 

Edit: I think I found all the Accordance files on my Mac and they come to less than 2GB. Folder include /Applications/, ~/Library/Application Support/Accordance/, and ~/Documents/Accordance Files/

Edited by craigminah
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It's apples and oranges, I guess, but I have used a 10 inch android device and I just never could like it. I have a Google Nexus I keep mostly as a toy. It's good for a few things but to me the quality of the tablet is just not as good and the refinement of the interface just isn't there. iPads are great for reading and playing touch based games and highlighting works well but as Tony mentioned.... typing on that virtual keyboard is painfully slow. Then again, I gave up even trying to send text messages a long time ago. If you are about and about and you want to bring your Bible and some commentaries and such with you to read... it's great for that.

I got what you were saying about the cellular and maps, Dan. I had to chuckle. The reason for that is that all cellular devices have to have GPS built in. That is what makes the maps work for navigation. I was thinking .. wow... you can get turn by turn directions through the Bible Lands over 2000 years ago... that's awesome! :-)

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It seems like an iPad of any kind is a great way to study and bring Accordance with you to church or anywhere really. I don't have an iPad but was waiting for the rumored iPad Mini Retina this March, turns out it may not be until November due to supply issues. My question is does anyone feel the iPad mini is too small to read for long periods of time and do users of the Retina iPad feel the iPad is too large to bring with them everywhere? My last question is, how do I find out the size of my Accordance library so I can decide what size to get (BTW, I have Accordance 10 Bible Study w/ ESV Study Bible and the NASB95 Bible). Sorry for so many questions. Thanks for your help.

 

Edit: I think I found all the Accordance files on my Mac and they come to less than 2GB. Folder include /Applications/, ~/Library/Application Support/Accordance/, and ~/Documents/Accordance Files/

 

Hi, I have an iPad mini 32gb. I also have an iPad 2 that I've had for about a year and a half, but my wife started using it a lot so we needed another one. With the iPad 2 I discovered the goodreader app, so between Accordance and Goodreader, I am now doing the vast majority of my reading (of any kind) on my iPad. There were a couple reasons I went with an iPad mini instead of buying a new big iPad. First was price, I could get 32gbs for less than $500. Second, as I was reading more and more on my iPad 2, I increasingly became aware of the weight of it. Approx 1.5lbs is definitely light, but if you sit and read you'll want to set it on your lap. If you're in bed, this may not be as convenient. A lot of times I just like to hold it in the air... so it got heavy. The iPad mini is less then .75lbs... this has been a huge plus for me. Third, I wanted something a little more portable than the full size iPad (yes, I sense the irony in that as well ;)). I can fit the iPad mini in the inside pocket of a jacket I wear alot. I can also slip it into the back pocket of my jeans. It sticks out a little (so I wouldn't want to walk around in a shady neighborhood like that), but only a couple inches. Now I carry it around with me almost all the time which is ALOT more than I carried my full size iPad.

 

As for reading experience... first let me say, because of Accordance and Goodreader on my iPad, my intention is to ditch paper completely. I intend to scan in anything I need to read that I don't already have in Accordance (journal articles, book chapters, books in pdf, etc). I just don't have the patience anymore to deal with organizing physical copies of class handouts or journal articles I need to read and with Goodreader I can keep track of any annotations far easier than I could with paper.

 

I have enjoyed the reading experience on my iPad mini immensly. I am almost a month into a two year reading plan to read BHS in its entirety. I have a hard copy of BHS. I have a Reader's Hebrew Bible. But Accordance on my iPad mini has been far more convenient and enjoyable. Also, I think the size of the iPad mini is preferable. It's far easier to read a narrower column than a wide one. And since increasing the font size is so easy, the narrower column has no affect on size. For my reading plan I try to do my designated daily amount, but I don't always have time to. There have been a few times already where I've fallen a few days behind but then I am able to spend an afternoon catching up. So, I've read Hebrew for a couple hours straight on it and the time never went by faster. I got completely absorbed into the narrative and didn't notice anything like the media on which I was reading or the amount of time that went by.

 

So, in short, the size is not annoying. I think it is beneficial, enjoyable, and preferable. Now, whenever I see my wife (or anyone else) using the full size iPad, I'm shocked by the size of it. It just looks so cumbersome.

 

Oh, and as for it not being Retina... I refer you to Rick Mansfield's comments above. I think he, and the review he refers to, is right. I don't notice that it's not Retina.

 

 

One more thing in reference to other comments about typing on iPad... on the full size iPad I got to the point that I could type fairly quickly on the soft keyboard in landscape. I found that I just had to commit to sending my fingers where they ought to go and spell check took care of the rest (for the most part). On the iPad mini, this is a bit more difficult in landscape mode. However, in portrait mode (with thumbs), it is quite easy to type. I now use it for the majority of my texting (when I'm not in the car or away from wifi). I also like to type with it while on the couch watching TV. I've typed entire pages with ease and relative quickness in both Pages and in the Notes app.

 

Well, I hope some of my comments are helpful.

 

-Robert

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Wow...great reply Robert! I think I'm sold on an iPad Mini. There are conflicting rumors saying there will be a new Retina Mini in March but the most recent rumor is that's been pushed to October. I think I may wait another month and a half and then make my decision. As far as typing, I see an iPad to consume information and have no intention of typing more than a few notes. I've ben content with what little typing I do on my iPod Touch so a Mini is a huge step up in terms of convenience and size. Thanks again for your very thorough and insightful response!

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Rick - Have you seen this? You might be able to acquire a little more elbow room.

 

http://www.macrumors.com/2013/01/27/apple-preparing-to-launch-128-gb-versions-of-full-size-ipad/.

No, I had not seen that. Thanks for sharing. One can only hope :-)

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These stories of the iPad Mini, and a recent friend who purchased one for regular speaking events, almost have me ready to sell one of my iPads (2 or 3) to get one. My 16GB is basically out of storage, and although reading on the retina display is great, it is big and not always necessary to be so. But, one thing that I am a bit nervous about is typing (as Robert mentioned). I take a decent amount of notes on mine at church and am good enough now doing so that it isn't a distraction and I can keep up. Switching to the Mini might take some adjusting.

 

I've preached a few times from it as well, and the larger screen seems like it would be better for that. I read from an extended outline that is several pages long; not sure if flipping pages more frequently would be a distraction. Hmm. Anyway, thanks for all the feedback here, I've found it really helpful and has me thinking more positively about the Mini.

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Yea, I want a mini, too. If we're going to be praying for things though, how about an iPad with an SD card slot of some kind?

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Rick, as you know, I've got both an iPad 2 and an iPad mini (both 64 GB). I use mine for distinct purposes with some amount of overlap.

 

I can tell you right now that if you do a lot of typing on your current iPads, you will be disappointed trying to type at the same speed on the iPad mini. I know that arcanemuse spoke the other day about the difficulty typing on an iPad. That's not been my experience. I have a bluetooth keyboard that can be used with my iPad, but I hardly ever use it. I'm actually very fast on the regular-size iPad virtual keyboard--probably at least 80-90% as fast as on a regular keyboard. Because of that I have no need for the external keyboard. That may just come from a lot of practice, patience, and forcing myself to use it. But I bet I haven't typed on the external keyboard in well over a year.

 

On the other hand, the iPad mini keyboard, even in landscape mode, is pretty cramped. Because one does such things when one has a new toy, I took my iPad mini into a faculty observation the other day. It was kind of fun to stroll in with nothing in my hand and then pull the mini out of my pocket. I took notes on the iPad mini for a couple of hours, and it did fine, but typing for me was a bit slower. Even in landscape mode, the keyboard is smaller than that of a netbook. Interestingly, I noticed that I was using all my fingers on my left hand, but only my index finger on my right hand--I have no idea why. For my purposes, it demonstrated that the iPad mini can be used in a pinch to take notes, but it's not something I'd want to do a heavy amount of typing. Of course, since it has dictation built in (a feature not available for my iPad 2), I suppose that this would be an option, but obviously not in a crowded room.

 

Of course for occasional typing, the iPad mini in vertical orientation is great for thumb-typing--seriously.

 

I've also preached sermons from my regular-sized iPad and have even led three wedding ceremonies with it. And yet, even with the ability to increase the font size, I think the iPad mini would frustrate me from having to turn the pages too often. It reminds me of an experience more than a decade ago, when I tried to lead a Bible study from notes I had on a Palm Pilot. Yes, I could do it, but I had to move to the next screen too often for it to be practical. My hunch is that preaching from an iPad mini might have the same sensation, although not to the same degree as the Palm Pilot.

 

On the other hand, for the entire past month, I've successfully taught from the iPad mini on Sunday mornings, using Keynote and presenter notes, without any major problems. I don't know, though, if there's any major reason for doing so other than the convenience of carrying such a small device. Arcanemuse wrote a few days ago about taking his MacBook Air to church. I took a Mac notebook of varying sizes to church for years for teaching. It was so liberating on that first Sunday in April, 2010, to leave my computer bag at home and instead carry the iPad in my hand and a VGA adapter in my pocket. The iPad mini is even more convenient to carry, but if I were preaching every Sunday, I'd want the larger iPad I think.

 

I probably said this before, but I use an iPad the same way I used to use a laptop, and I use a laptop the same way I used to use a desktop machine. I can't necessarily make that same leap in regard to iPads. I use the mini as a reader and for light teaching. It's very handy, but I imagine if I could only have one device, I'd probably choose the regular-sized iPad. I just don't want to have to make that choice :-)

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Yea, I want a mini, too. If we're going to be praying for things though, how about an iPad with an SD card slot of some kind?

 

Tim, it will never happen. The best you can do is the hack that lets you connect a thumbdrive to the camera connector. Jobs didn't want a whole lot of slots and buttons on his devices, and I can't imagine that the current PTB is going to change much in that regard.

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