Muddy River Media

Even though Muddy River Media is very dependent on modern technology for the ministry God has called us to... I am a bit of a Luddite when it comes to all the latest gadgets, toys, and technical conveniences.

I do own some decent camera gear, and my computer is probably a bit above average (it has to be to effectively and efficiently edit High Definition video), but other than that our house skews more towards Amish than it does Apple.

However one piece of technology I had grown very fond of over the years was my HP PocketPc. This device allowed me to carry my contacts, schedule, notes, my thoughts, Bible and other stuff. I still remember being reluctant to purchase it because of the expense and my fear I would either not utilize it, or that I would lose it.

After giving me great service for years, my Pocket PC died this past year forcing me to find a replacement... which ended up being an iPod Touch.

Now I have to tell you, even though I use a windows based machine to edit video, I am not anti Apple/Steve Jobs. Perhaps I don't drink from their Kool-Aid bucket quite as vigorously as some, but I do respect and appreciate their products and the impact they've had on society.

However I must say I have immensely enjoyed this excellent piece of gear. While the interface is user friendly and pretty, it is the abundance of applications (apps) which make this device a slam dunk. I thought I would share with you some of the apps I have found both useful for what I do, and entertaining for what I like.

ProPrompter
Cost: $9.99
Before my Pocket PC actually gave up the ghost for good, this app started me thinking about getting an iPod Touch. This great piece of software turns your iPod (or iPhone and iPad) into a mini teleprompter. It is very slick, very customizable (font size, colours, scrolling speed) and you can even control it on set with another iPod. It even comes with an online account so you can upload and store your scripts and sync them with your device.

This software is also available PocketPC's but the cost is $125! Crazy! That's why I was looking at getting an iPod.

Yahtzee
Cost: $0.99

Melissa and I LOVE this game! We play it all the time. When we're seating at the island eating lunch or dinner, this game is being played. When we're waiting for anything, this game is being played. Even when we're driving, this game is being played. (those who know us know Melissa does 95% of the driving, so I read out Melissa's dice rolls for her)

This version comes with a few cool twists on the classic game of Yahtzee. There is Rainbow Yahtzee(our favorite), which adds three colours and four new categories... there is Duplicate Yahtzee where the second player will receive the exact same dice rolls as the first - a great way to stop complaints about luck being the deciding factor... and Battle Yahtzee, which pits up to four players against each other as they use their dice rolls for attacking and defending against the others.

Well, well worth the 99 cents we paid for it.

Blue Letter Bible
Cost: Free

This is by far my favorite Bible app for the iPod. It's easy to search specific verses and words in many different versions of the Bible (some are only available if you are online or in a wifi area). It has a great set of highlighting tools, allows you to easily add notes, and is easy to email specific verses/passages to a friend.

But the greatest thing about this app is that it is hooked directly to Blue Letter Bible's online resources giving you easy access to their huge list of commentary's and lexicon tools. This means you can look up the exact Hebrew and Greek words, read their definitions, hear a pronunciation and cross reference with other verses.

This is an amazing app... I use it all the time!

Tweetdeck
Cost: Free

This is a nice app to help you organize and maintain one or more Twitter accounts. I also use the desktop version for my computer. It also will hook directly into and update your Facebook account if you so desire.

Angry Birds
Cost: $0.99

One of the biggest selling games in the world, this is a simple, fun, addictive puzzle game about some birds that are... uhmmm... angry. I'm not a big gamer but this one allows you to have fun for a few minutes at at time rather than waste an entire evening immersed in some digital world.

Office2
Cost: $5.99

One of the biggest uses for my PocketPC, and now for my iPod is the creation, editing and storing of Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. On the PocketPC it was basically built right in, but since the iPod is a Steve Jobs creation, it's not so easy. With this piece of software it's easy to create documents and spreadsheets from new, or import them in from your computer.

I use this app all the time. Many of my sermons are stored on my iPod, plus creative ideas, scripts and much, much more. I also love making and maintaining spreadsheets. On our recent vacation I made a comprehensive excel document to help us track all our expenses. Whenever we spent money I entered the amount and relevant info in my iPod, and had a running total at the top of the document.

I love this app.

Convert Units
Cost: Free

Whenever I need to convert units... this free app does the trick. Lots of different options and it even allows you to create your own custom conversions.

Kijiji
Cost: Free

If I'm needing something I immediately look to find a good condition used one in my area first. This is where Kijiji comes in. Many people are well aware of the power of this site for buying and selling used stuff... but did you know you can have it on your iPod too?

B&H Photo
Cost: Free

What I do for a living is video, so it makes sense that I have the app of the world's largest retailer of photo and video equipment on my iPod. It allows me to quickly search for gear specs, prices, reviews and comments by users.

Tripit
Cost: Free

As mentioned above, we recently went on a vacation, and this app was a nice help. It is so easy to add your reservations, itinerary's, maps, directions, schedules and more, to your iPod. For example, when I booked tickets for the Arcade Fire concert in San Francisco, I simply forwarded the confirmation email to Tripit and they immediately updated my trip.

Doodle Jump
Cost: $0.99

As you can tell by my list, I don't spend a lot of time playing games on my iPod. But in addition to Yahtzee (which is a very social activity for Melissa and I), I enjoy playing a round or two of Doodle Jump every now and then. Super easy to play (hey... I'm old and don't like to play games which require too much dexterity and frantic thinking), and very fun. It is a bit addictive, but the great thing about Doodle Jump is each game only take a minute or two (at least with my skill level) so it's easy to get in a quick game while waiting around.

Random #
Cost: Free

A great, simple app. You pick the beginning and end number (ie. from 1 to 100) and hit the button... and this app will generate a random number for you.

Maps
This app is part of the operating system
Cost: Free

Basically it's Google Maps for your iPod. Love it.

So there you have it. I've got more apps than that on my iPod, but these are the ones I use A LOT, or appreciate when I rarely need that functionality.