disclaimer – I’m a Logos affiliate supplied with a free copy of Logos 10 Anglican Gold for the purposes of this review.
Logos have released v10 of their Bible study software with the bold claim that it “introduces more speed, stability, and ease of use than ever before”. So does it live up to the hype?
What is immediately apparent on opening up Logos 10 is that it is, indeed, much faster. Even on my fairly new MacBook Pro the old Logos took a bit to get going. Logos 10 is up and running in far less time and the memory load on the machine is obviously lower. The basic layout remains the same. Here, for example, is a screenshot of some recent work I’ve been doing in our current sermon series:
The different sections which used to be accessed with tabs on the top are now moved into a sidebar – I much prefer this (and especially that it can be collapsed further). The main left column is as before – providing every resource in your library that has something to say on your chosen topic (in this case 1 verse in 1Samuel 16). The right column then opens up the relevant resources, grouped together by type. It’s an effective layout and I’m pleased it’s not changed.
What I like is that I now have the choice to default to my last open work, rather than the masonry grid of Faithlife/Logos resources that used to be the opening screen. Not that there weren’t lots of things there that were useful – it just felt distracting. Now I can get down to it. Good call by Logos on this one – anyone who purchases a Logos product is making an investment so they’ve already decided it’s an ecosystem they want to get into and that the product is worth paying for. No need to feel like we’re being upsold all the time. Of course, you can still call up the Home Screen and it is fully customisable. One nice touch that Logos have had for quite a while is that you can build in your own Bible reading and prayer plan and have Logos do the prompting for you.
The search tool has been overhauled with simple logic formulas and the algorithm to provide “relevant” results looks like it’s functioning well. One really nice new feature is that you can now add in physical books to your searchable library if you own them. So, for example, I recently reviewed Reformation Anglican Worship. I only have the paper copy but not a problem…
Then I immediately searched out a phrase from the book…
That strikes me as a very valuable feature which might make Logos more attractive to those wary of moving away from their extensive paper libraries. Of course it doesn’t allow the powerful hyperlinking that Logos is so good at, but it does integrate your physical books into Logos’s powerful search function. I think that will open up Logos to a whole new segment of the market.
All this is just scratching the surface. The pop-ups remain as useful as ever. Hover over a word and Logos will begin to provide more information on it. Right-click and a huge amount of context-relevant options are opened up to you. There’s now also the ability to translate slabs of text automatically.
Logos claim to have upgraded the Sermon Builder, a feature I’ve not yet used. You can also import your own sermon manuscripts and Logos will tag all the Biblical references. And while you’re writing your sermon, how about using the little “quotes” tool that they’ve now provided?
If it interests you, here’s the hour-long presentation Logos have made on their new feature set.
Is it worth it?
Logos is an investment. Along with the engine itself there are vast tailored libraries to be purchased with substantial discounts available as you bulk-buy. This, of course, is Logos’ great strength – no other Bible software comes close in terms of the integration of your library – everything is hyperlinked and accessible. When I previously reviewed Logos five years ago I discussed the options, particularly the conundrum for those who already had extensive physical libraries. Quite possibly we’re all now even more used to online and virtual assets and so feel more comfortable using something like Logos.
I wonder if the ability to now import your paper books so that they are searchable could tip some people over the edge. Those people can now have their cake and eat it and that might make all the difference.
Bottom line: Logos 10 is significantly faster and quite definitely even more furious and still my go-to.
Go on then David, give us the affiliate link with some free stuff!
OK then. Look, if you’re going to buy Logos then I won’t hide that I’d like you to do so using my affiliate links. Any purchase you make through davidould.net will help subsidise the running costs of this website or allow me to add to my own Logos library.
Faithlife are currently offering 15% off new Logos packages and a whopping 30% off upgrades if you already own a previous Logos version.
Anyone buying through davidould.net can also get 5 free books from a large list of resources.
Feel free to contact me to find out more. Or you can just explore what’s on offer (don’t forget to use the coupon code that the website will provide).
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