Hmmm. Not sure how I feel about an iPod rosary app. Check it out for the pictures alone. Here’s an excerpt:
“The portable iPod MP3 player by Apple is one of the few objects in pop culture which has achieved an almost religious status. It is without doubt the most well-known and most popular representative, acts as a symbol for the concept of a portable audio player and has been clearly stylized to become the latest craze.
iRosary uses the advantages of the iPod to make the rosary more attractive and flexible for younger believers. At the same time, however, it reciprocally uses the significance of both objects as practical commodities on the one side and symbolic signs on the other and only changes the objects to a minimum extent.”
I think this is only a concept for a product, not a real product. If you click the link at the bottom of the page, you go to a website for a Berlin university where it seem to be a student’s project. Anyone know for sure? If this is/were a real app, do you think you would notice any kind of different quality to your prayer time with NO BEADS???? Nothing in your hands but your iPod? Would you have any difficulty focusing your prayers? Notice that the app promises you can listen to your music and the prayers at the same time – and also add in the sound of beads clinking!
I have the Ave Maria in my ipod!. When I/m driving or walking fast I can’t use my beads, so I think is a great alternative.
I guess now we need one for the Anglican style!
I often use pray-as-you-go. I could see something similar being offered for beaders.
I often use pray-as-you-go so I could conceive of it although prayerbeading is something not done passively.
So maybe it’s not necessary?
Hope this doesn’t confuse my previous post, not sure it went off right and I wanted to be able to check the get follow-up box, anyway.
What an interesting post! It was so interesting that I had to make a link to it from my own blog and a Etsy Rosary Guild blog I am a member of.
http://prayerbedes.blogspot.com/2009/06/ipod-rosary.html
http://etsyrosaryguild.blogspot.com/2009/06/kimberly-winston-author-of-book-bead.html
Kimberly,
Your book, Bead One, Pray Two, was one of the first books in my collection when I started researching prayer beads. I am so pleased that I found your blog. I have put you down under My Blog List in my own blog. =)
Shalom!
Wow. Will a mala app be available on iphone someday? It all seems so funny. But whatever helps people with their devotions is a good thing.
I know lots of people who set a timer or use a clicker to count prayers and mantras. It’s all good, yes?
Very odd, I think!
Surely an iPhone App can’t really take the place of a real rosary..?
I want to answer the last two comment. Matt from Beads N Crafts – I don’t know. Certainly it would not work for me. I am in love with the tactile nature of using a set of prayer beads and I think I actually need the feel of them in my hands to focus on so my thoughts don’t wonder – much. But perhaps I am a dinosaur. Certainly, any kind of iPhone app for a rosary or other form of prayer beads is aimed at the iPhone generation and alas, that is not me. At least not yet. But you look like a young ‘un in your picture. Can you see yourself or your friends using such an app?
Laura – here’s your chance. Create an iPhone app for malas! And I tend to agree with you – if it works for someone, then it works. Not for me to judge. I’m just sayin’ . . . .
Oh gosh, can you imagine writing code for that app? I’ll stick to stringing pretty beads together. So much more sensual and meaningful.
I’m with you on that, Kimberly!
Still, I love any new idea. Technology is so good for passing things around, seems there are no limits to the possibilities.
I found a life of the Buddha comic book app on itunes! It’s by iRemedy and it’s called “Buddha”. They released a lot of Indian classics in app form.
Hi, Kimberly.
I found an iPod/iPhone app for free called the Rosary Guide. It does the Catholic rosary in your choice of either Latin or English and it displays the words in the middle that go with the bead.
Since I normally like to use Anglican rosaries, but I like the Hail Mary’s and the meditation on the mysteries of the 5 decade rosary, I found it really useful as I have the Apostle’s Creed, Lord’s Prayer and Hail Mary memorized but not the other Catholic prayers…. yet. I think this will help!
It includes the Fatima prayer if you use that one (or you can skip it) and it automatically tells you which mysteries to use for that day (you can use the tradition 15 or the luminous 20 version, chosen in settings.)
What about the tactile sensation? Well, I tap the beads with my right hand to advance them, and finger real beads in my left for that rubbing the beads between the fingers feeling.
I don’t think I’d ever give up my dozens of real prayer beads, but this is pretty useful. I have a bunch of little plastic glow in the dark rosary rings scattered in my pockets and car so I always have something to keep count while I pray and go walking/exercise. Not the same as real beads, but useful. iPod apps are similar.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rosary-guide/id331521594?mt=8
Greg Betzel, the creator, also has a Divine Mercy chaplet app.