In version 1.6 BibleXpress sees major updates across the board.  The most prominent are the ability to purchase more translations in the application, and the new Prayer Journal.

Purchase Additional Translations - New Feature

I’ve had lots of folks asking for lots of translations that I just can’t squeeze in to the regular purchase price, and I’ve had lots of folks asking for a cheaper version of BibleXpress.  With iPhone OS 3’s new “In-App Purchase” ability, you can purchase additional Bible translations directly within the application, just like downloading free translations.

BibleXpress Lite - New App!

This new in-app purchase feature is so awesome, it demanded I create a second program, BibleXpress Lite.  BibleXpress Lite is sold for $2.99 (U.S.), (1/10th of the price of BibleXpress!) and gives you all the same features, with none of the copyrighted translations.  You can then purchase just the translations you want.  You’ll still get free access to public-domain Bible translations available to existing BibleXpress users.  Currently, I have ESV ($9), LBLA ($5), NASB ($5), and TM($5), available for in-app purchase but more details will be posted soon.  Prices vary by region.

BibleXpress and BibleXpress Lite are compiled from identical source code.  The only difference are the copy-righted translations, which are included with BibleXpress and not in BibleXpress Lite.

In-App E-mail - Optimized Feature

When you want to send your bookmarks to yourself in an e-mail, BibleXpress used to move you over to the Mail application, but new in iPhone OS 3, is the ability for BibleXpress to compose the e-mails directly in the app, meaning you don’t skip a beat when you send your notes.

Full Screen - Optimized Feature

Some users want to maximize their scripture experience with “full-screen viewing.”  New in BibleXpress 1.6, a three-finger “un-pinch” gesture on the scripture screen will push the tab bar and reference bar out of the way.  Use another three-finger “pinch” gesture to bring them back in.  When you’re in full-screen mode, you can still swipe to change chapters, use two fingers to change text size, and use the verse index to scroll quickly.

Prayer Journal - New Feature

I’ve noticed that using the bookmarks feature to keep a journal of my prayers is not as effective as it could be, so in BibleXpress 1.6, I’ve added the “Prayers” tab - it’s an optimized prayer journal.  You create new journal entires by tapping the + button, and enter a title, the people concerned, sort it into categories, and write a description.

You can find prayers again much faster than in a paper journal by using the “Contacts, Categories, and Calendar” fields to sort your prayers.

When you pray more, append an entry to your prayer, just like adding a new entry in a paper journal.  When God answers your prayer, tap the “Answered” switch to “Yes.”  I highly suggest adding another entry to the prayer describing how God answered it, and what you learned from it.

Verse Notes & Footnotes: One Button - Optimized Feature

That new Prayer Journal demanded a slot in the tab bar, so I combined the footnotes and verse notes into a single button, to the right of the “Reference button”.  Tapping this button brings up the “lower-third,” and within the lower third, you can swipe left and right to see verse notes or footnotes.

Reference Picker - More Space

The “reference picker” has been redesigned from the ground up to make picking references easier and faster.  First, you’ll notice the reference button now has a search icon next to it, which takes the user directly to the book name & chapter number search, which has been optimized to find any chapter in any book, no matter how many books you narrow your search to.  Furthermore, it has no animation, so “power” users don’t lose time.

Second, the description area now has the ability to go full screen, for your reading pleasure.  It’s also been augmented with an “index” scroller that shows you the relative layout of the text you’re reading, and allows you to scroll very quickly through the long Prefaces.

To support In-App Purchases, the “Downloader” and “Installed” screens have been given equal footing in the Reference Picker.  You still download new translations through the + button, but the new Downloads button lets you view not only your built-in and downloaded translations, but any translations that are queued to be downloaded.