3372 A-Z App now available on Google Play
austraLasia #3372

 

A-Z App now available on Google Play

MELBOURNE: 18 February 2014 --  Recall the item a week or so ago announcing a web version of Salesians A-Z, your helpful quick reference to Salesian terminology for GC27 members, Formation communities, translators, Salesians or Salesian Family anywhere? We also promised an app 'in due course'. Well, 'in due course' has arrived, and so has the app!  You can find Salesians A-Z on Google Play.

Thanks to the respondents who offered observations, clarifications, design possibilities etc. on the basis of the earlier request. It was all very helpful.

This is an Android app. As far as we know it would not work on iOS, but not having one of the latter - who knows! If anyone would like to develop this content for Apple just ask for the files and we'll be happy to provide everything you need. By far the larger market these days is Android so we've gone with the strength, so to speak.

But if you have no Android device, you still have several possibilities:

1. You could install Android in a Virtual Machine on your PC. It works very well and costs not a cent so long as you know how to do that.
2. The app has now become the basis for the website version, not the other way around, so you can see exactly the same as the app, but full screen PC version on Bosconet. It is just as usable in that form, and for those not accustomed to small device screens, probably more so!
3. You have a third option for downloading the app - from the same Bosconet site. Underneath the 'Livesearch' option on the left is the android app - click it and it will download as an .apk file to your device. If you are using a handheld of some description you would then need to go into security options and tick 'unknown source' to install it. Then it all depends if you device accepts an android app.

Incidentally, if you are searching on Google Play for 'Salesians A-Z' you will end up with a handful of Salesian apps, just two in English though.

One tip for use:

This app (and website) has a filtered search function built into it - as you type, any content with those letters begins to appear below. With something of this kind it is better to have a complete word in mind and even a complete phrase - that way you will reduce the clutter.  If you search 'temp' for example, you will end up with 9 main headings (all expandable) and one of those will obviously be under 'formation' (temporary vows, for instance). If you search beyond that, even just 'tempe', you will find a single heading you can expand - yes, you got it. Work and Temperance!

And on that note..... we can finish!

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With reference to yesterday's story in the tragic events in Venezuela, one reader has written in with the following:

A few years ago I was able to spend a weekend in Valencia. The community is very poor, built up on ruins of a failed business park by squatters. The Salesians have a school and training centre and a parish on either side of the residential area. They have formed teams of laity to evangelize and catechize the area, because the Salesians were always just a handful of people. The people are mobilized for the Gospel, and the Salesians are part of the community in an exemplary and leading way. I can only imagine the shock among the people of Valencia.

At our community mass in Berkeley this morning we prayed for the victims of this violence, and also for the people and Salesians of Valencia.