Another Major Bible Developer
Hits the Palm Scene


Ever since the advent of the 2mb Palm Pilot, there were no shortage of programmers trying to get a Bible to fit in their palm. Now, growing from 2mb to 4mb, 8mb and 16mb with storage card capablity, Palm users are spoiled for choice as there are several excellent commerical and freeware Bibles.

Is there room for yet another Bible Developer like GMP Soft? As a long-time PDA user and a full-time minister for even longer, my answer is 'Yes!'. I am always looking for more tools to help me work and communicate more effectively and welcome serious players like GMP Soft.

My first impression after logging at their site for the first time is the amount of products they have to offer. Also, I liked the clean, well ordered site that is easy to look for information and stuff. There was not a single hitch when I entered my hot-sync name to get the unlock code, download the programs and install them. Each zip file contains a readme.txt and thoughtful UserGuide.pdf, none of which I ever need to refer to.

Do not be intimidated by the wide range of offerings. If all you need is a Bible to read, just get a version that you are used to, and you are ready to go. You can add more versions in future and use 'scan' to update the database. Once installed, the simple interface gets you going right away. GMP Soft's Bibles are easily the most colourful and nicely formated ones around. If you decide to go for more versions or even one in another language, you can display two Bibles on screen. The text will synchronize with each other as the passage is changed. Very nice and useful, I think.

You are given the usual preferences, and choosing a passage is really a breeze - tap on the top right book, chapter and verse and you are transported to colourful screens. As a Bible, it has all the features you need and then some. Features Included: Multiple Bibles support; Comparing Bible versions; Support for MMC and SD cards; Arrange Text by Paragraphs/Verses; Footnotes; References; Bookmarks; Clipboard Copy; History; Rich text presentation; Text Size Remapping; Apply Bold Formatting and Show Verse Protocol etc. All programs are compatible from OS 3.5 to 5. For those who do not wish to spend money, there is a Limited license for free which allows you to use one Bible With You for free (For Public domain Bible Translations only). What are you waiting for?


If you want to get more out of GMP Soft's Bibles With You, get a reference module. Currently, only the NAS edition is available, but as you can see above, you get invaluable information and chain references by a single tap. I can't wait for commentaries, study helps etc to be released.


To complete the Bible With You module, I would recommend you to get the concordance. The way to integrate them together is to launch the concordance first. Then within the concordance choose a Bible reference. Stay with the Bible until you need to do a search. Using the Show Verse Protocol, by drawing a line from your Applications icon on the silkscreen towards your right, your corcordance takes over and is ready to be used!

Again, all the features of a search program are there. As you can see above, I especially like the Optional Show Bible Verse Excerpt in the Gold edition. This feature is partly supported in the Silver edition, along with the absence of some features. Other features are Search Range; Optional Ontap search; Text Size remapping; Multiple Bible support; Most Recent Used Searches; Show Verse Protocol; Number of matches; Data presentation; Alternative Search; Wildcard Search; Excluding Search; Search Expressions etc. This completes the actual Bible study tools.

Although most Bible programs have a built-in search engine, the fact the GMP Soft worked out one from scratch is to assure the fastest possible operation of Concordance With You. Check it out with the different search features - phrases features, wildcard search, alternative search, excluding search, search expressions. It will knock your socks off!


A promising product offered by GMP Soft is Explorer With You which works like Tealinfo, but promises a lot more. Even with the sparse offering of a demo and Oasis data bases, I can see what a useful tool it is for counselling or giving off-the-cuff talks. I have enjoyed using Bible With You, and if you like some of the features I mentioned, do take a look too.