Glo: The Bible for the Digital World
Mar 5, 2010 Feature
Posted by
wiegmake
Glo: The Bible for the Digital World
Immersion Digital
by Ken Wiegman
I have been a techno-geek a long time, at least since the days when I would take apart my electronic games (Merlin & Simon) just to see how they worked. Fortunately, I was always able to get them back together in working condition as well. Since those days I have worked my way into a full-time job in IT where I get to dabble in all kinds of technology, from simple power point presentations to graphic design software and digital recording. My interest then of course peeked immediately when the first press release for Glo came across my inbox. Thankfully I received a pre-release of the package as an industry “influencer.” (It’s the small things like that title that get me all giddy, fortunately I am very humble and it didn’t go to my head.)
Glo is a full digital package that is more than just a bible, it is more than just bits and bytes of digitized text. Glo is a comprehensive study package all under one easy to use application. The program has five general areas; the NIV & NKJ Bible, Atlas, Timeline, Topical subjects, and high-definition Media. Glo delivers all of this through an easy to use graphical interface.
The amount of data available for research and study is amazing. It reminds me of when my parents first purchased an updated volume of encyclopedias. I could spend hours just clicking through the materials and looking at the pictures, maps, and virtual tours and I would just be putting a scratch in the surface of data available. Aside from the five major categories listed above, Glo also has applicable study notes, thousands of pictures (literally), linked web based articles, maps and more, all available in a searchable and cross-referenced package. One of the most amazing parts is the virtual tour where you can zoom in closer and closer to the object or place. For example, you can effortlessly click through an interactive tour from the outer courts to the inner room of the Holy of Holies.
I was fortunate to be able to speak to co-creator and CIO of Immersion Digital, Nelson Saba. Coming away from the conversation I was blown away by the immensity of the project and the technology behind it. This current version of the program is just the beginning. Mr. Saba describes the current platform as a launching point for future content.
The next big release is coming in the fall of 2010 and according to Mr. Saba it will be a “BIG” launch. As the product evolves it will include content from mainstream providers and well-known and reputable sources, like pastor and speaker Max Lucado for example. This collaboration will differ from what we know as the wiki, as the content will be more strictly controlled – hence making it more reliable. Additionally, with the new release the program will be able to run on multiple devices such as an iPhone, or any Windows based portable device. One license will give the user multiple interfaces to get to the data, either from your home computer or your handheld. It will all be covered under one purchase.
The updated Glo will also be more integrated into the Internet so that you do not have to install the entire package on your device. In some ways it will be much like video on demand, which is something most people are familiar with these days. This will benefit the portable devices immensely, but for faster access it will be more advantageous to have the data stored on a local hard drive.
Glo is a highly advanced program and it really takes digital media one giant step further than many of the ebook readers that are now available. The high-definition pictures and interactive maps, virtual tours and study guides, will all truly make this an immersion experience. Although I am not an advocate of completely replacing paper Bibles, I do believe Glo can save time while studying the Bible, and at the same time, it will increase learning and comprehension.
On a more technical note, the pure immensity of the program is certain to cause some anxiety for the not-so-tech-savvy users. The full install could take up to three hours to install and a lot can go wrong during that time. Not necessarily with the program, but more so with individual computers of varying degrees of speed and capacity. Personally, I ran into problems immediately with the installation, but I believe that issue was with the promotional version only and not the full release. However, there is a decent tech support operation setup and as the product grows so will the support staff.
The space requirements for the complete package are high at 18 gigs of hard drive space for a complete install. This is due to two positive factors however, high quality digital files and the sheer number of files included, a positive trade off for time and hard drive space used up in the installation. Lastly, for the Mac users there is no compatible application at this time. That too will be released in the fall with the new version.
The quality of the content and ease of use are both very impressive. I have found the search function to be most helpful in linking bible passages to teaching articles, pictures, maps and more. Also, after talking to Mr. Saba I believe that the enthusiasm for the program is still bubbling over and I believe there is more to come that they have not even thought about yet. Even as I was speaking to Mr. Saba he was working on an international deal and he advised me that the product is going to be available in other languages eventually.
You need not worry about buying Glo now and paying for it again later either. As a present owner of Glo you will receive automatic updates as the new features are added. So there is a bonus to buying now, as you will get the updates as they come out instead of waiting until the fall of 2010 to get started. I highly recommend checking out Glo. I highly suggest you consider adding it to your library of resources, especially if you are a pastor or in a teaching position. As an avid user of power point for enhancing lectures, I can easily see where Glo will be used in the same way. It is all very exciting and there is nothing like getting pumped up for the Word of God.
Tags: Glo
