BSA Handbook app released for iPhone, iPod Touch

You know those iPhone commercials where familiar life situations are made easier with the iPhone?

For example: “If you’re an avid baseball fan and want to catch a game-winning run, live, there’s an app for that.” Or: “If you need to find a cab in a strange city, there’s an app for that.”

Well here’s a new one for ya: “If you’re a Scout or Scouter and want access to the entire Boy Scout Handbook on the go, there’s an app for that.”

That’s right. The BSA just released its first-ever app for the iPhone or iPod Touch. For $9.99, you get a digitized, searchable edition of the handbook that fits right into your pocket. It’s the perfect example of the BSA’s new initiative to connect with Scouts through technologies they already use.

The app sounds great, but how does it work? We spent the past week testing it, so follow the jump to find out how it holds up.

Downloading and installation: As you might expect with an app that has the same amount of information as a full-color, 480-page book, the file is quite large. It weighs in at 89.9 megabytes. The downside to this is that it won’t download over a cellular connection—you’ll need to be logged onto a Wi-Fi network to get it.

The reason for its large size is that the handbook is stored entirely on your device instead of on a server, meaning you won’t need any kind of data signal to use the app. In other words, if you’re in the middle of a hike to Mount Phillips and need to look up how to splint a lower-leg fracture, you’ve got the answer even if the nearest cellular tower is miles away.

Navigation: The contents page is organized just like the print version of the handbook—into Scoutcraft, Woodcraft, and Campcraft sections. But no more thumbing through pages to get to the right one—just tap on the chapter and go.

There’s also an impressive searchable index. It works just like the search function in other iPhone applications. We wanted to look up how to tie a bowline, so we started typing. By the time we got to the letter W, the result had appeared. Tap it, and we were taken right to the step-by-step illustration.

Once you open a page, it’s easy to simply swipe your finger left or right to go forward or backward. A single tap on the screen brings up a navigation bar to tell you what page you’re on and what chapter you’re in.

You can even add bookmarks—helpful for those pages you know you’ll be coming back to frequently.

Viewing: When you want to look closer at some information, you’ll need to zoom in. If you’re a seasoned iPhone or iPod Touch user, you’ve already mastered the art of zooming. Simple double tap or “reverse pinch” (place two fingers on the screen and slide them apart) to zoom in, and double tap or “pinch” to zoom out. It’s quite intuitive.

On text-heavy pages, we found it was easier to use the “Text Only” option, which takes away the images and the book’s formatting and leaves behind plain text on a white background.

One gripe was that you can only view the book in portrait mode—turning the phone on its side didn’t change the screen’s orientation the way it does in other applications. We figure that this might be coming in a free update some time down the road.

Also, there’s no way to write on the screen—without doing permanent damage—so pages that require you to check boxes or fill in blanks don’t translate as well. This won’t be a big deal for most users, though.

Conclusion: If you’re an iPhone or iPod Touch user and a Scout leader, purchasing this app seems like a no-brainer. While it can’t emulate the familiar feeling of flipping through the handbook while sitting around the campfire, it’s a great tool to carry with you when you can’t bring a thick book along.  

Download link: Ready to give it a try? Click here to be taken to the iTunes store. 

Check out a few more screenshots below.

Comments

[ScoutShopStuffBlog]

I like that BSA is finally accepting that technology has it's place Scouting.
I posted my review of the BSA Handbook app on my blog.