There are times when it could be good to have an iPhone. It seems that Laridian, the creators of PocketBible (which I use on my PocketPC) have released iPocketBible, which runs on the iPhone and iPod Touch. And what's more - it's a subscription you pay for, rather than buying the product outright.

You do still have to buy the Bibles that have copyright associated with them. The free ones are the standard lot, including the KJV and American Standard Version. In most churches I've been to over the years there's a preference for the NIV, NKJV, Amplified, and more recently a growing trend towards the NLT and Message. NASB is good too, but all of these will cost you extra on top of the $1.99 per month subscription to iPocketBible. But $1.99 for a Bible is nothing, right? You can't buy much for $1.99 these days, but having access to a Bible on your phone could be a good (in more ways than one) option.

Unfortunately I can't write a proper review of it, as I don't have an iPhone to test it on. But Laridian have made sure that this is designed especially for the iPhone browser, and knowing (and loving) PocketBible for the PocketPC, I can assure you that this will be a good product. And it will improve with time as well! Already Laridian have a list of features they plan to add soon, including being able to highlight verses in different colours, personal notes, and being able to synchronise personal data (such as notes and highlights) with PocketBible for Windows if you have it.

I have heard that iPhone support for Bibles in general is fairly weak. But this product should change that, and in particular, the number of people that use their iPhone in church. If you're one, just make sure you turn off your ring tone!

You can read all about it (and buy a subscription) at http://www.ipocketbible.com/ - I might use the 'subscribe' link when I get an iPhone.