Listening to the Bible on the go

From the TylerPaper.com article, "The Good Book For The Busy" :

Chris Lascelles [invents] the “Ear Bible” an innovative, easily accessible aid to Bible “reading” in a busy world. The device was a couple of years in the conception and manufacturing stages. It will reach completion soon and ready for shipping in December. His invention contains the entire Bible in the New American Standard Bible updated version.

... “I wanted it to be accessible to today’s youth, ... If you spend just 12 minutes a day listening to the Ear Bible, you can hear the entire Bible in a year,” he said.

[photo credit: Tom Turner]

The product website is www.earbible.com

Do you think this digital technology will be well-received by the masses, or might it be more of a niche product?

-- DJ Chuang, Leadership Network director

Comments

[Jarrod Skeggs]

While I admire Chris for taking a risk and trying to produce something that will help make the Bible accessible to today's youth, I'm afraid he may end up being disappointed. This device won't be accepted by the masses, nor is it likely to become a niche product.

There is already a product that is embraced by the masses that performs this function and many other functions at the same price point and in some cases lower. It is called the iPod. You can get one for as little as $49. Most of today's youth already own at least one model of the iPod. Many own multiple iPods. Tthere are several podcasts, these are free by the way, that follow the "get through the Bible in One Year" model. Here are some links:

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=111065122

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=79498019

At the price that Chris is hoping to sell these devices ($149.00), you can purchase an iPod nano, subscribe to one of these podcasts, and also have a device that allows you to load up a lot of your favorite music. Ten or twelve years ago, this idea might have made it, and probably at a higher price point than Chris has currently set. It won't make it today. I don't mean to be negative but I must state what I believe to be true. In my opinion, to sell these, they need to be in the $9.99 to $19.99 price range. Even then, it is unlikely that many folks are going to spend money on a monophonic, over the ear, single use audio device even if it does help them get through the Bible in One Year.

[Stephanie]

The LCMS gave away free "bible sticks" last year that are basically a pre-loaded mp3 player w/ the entire bible in 28 minute segments, I think you can listen to the whole thing in 40 days... but I'm still on day 11 after starting to listen to it 6 weeks ago. That said... I agree the price is too high.

[djchuang]

I'm ever amazed at product development in the post-Apple age, where iPods and iPhones will seemingly dominate the consumer electronic market for years to come. And yet, I do see new phones being developed and sold, new MP3 audio players being developed and sold, and this -- it plain surprises me.