One thing is for sure: Pope Francis is a game-changer. He has been hailed as the "People's Pope," gaining a widespread following, especially among the younger generation, through frequent public appearances and an active social media presence. A recent receiving line outside the Vatican was no different: in true millennial solidarity, the Pope was #blessed with a custom Catholic tablet.
Described on their website as a "sleek Holy Tablet," the Biblezon tablet is a fully-functioning Android 4.2.2 tablet that is skinned with a "faith-only platform." It comes pre-loaded with 26 apps for praying the rosary, reading daily meditations, the Bible, the catechism, stations of the cross, confession and more.
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Mosongo Osong, Biblezon CEO and founder, created the papal tablet exclusively for Pope Francis complete with a customized back plate that's emblazoned with a photo of the pontiff himself. Then Ryan Conklin, a friend of Osong's, planned a personal pilgrimage to Rome, where he made the handoff to the Pope. According to the company's press release, Francis was "very impressed and excited" by the Biblezon's content. Not a bad reaction considering the newly tech-savvy Pope Francis once ironically called himself a technological "dinosaur" while hosting a Google Hangout with disabled children from around the world.
The tablet is not only for the pontiff, however. You can purchase one yourself for $119. It was created with the intention of eliminating distractions for practicing Catholics. It restricts access to the internet and any "unholy sites." In fact, it comes with its own app store for downloading other Catholic apps and content.
The device itself packs a 1.5-GHz CPU with 512MB of RAM and 8GB of storage space in a 0.6-pound package. There is an SD card slot for adding more storage space, which you may want to take advantage of to sideload other content. The 7-inch touchscreen offers a 1024 x 600-pixel resolution. However, the company claims the Biblezon the will only last 4 to 6 hours on a charge, plus the restricted internet means no web browsers or social media applications.
The Dallas-based company also sells a $129 Biblezon Kids tablet that comes preloaded with the Bible, catechism, games, videos, quizzes and "other content that will help kids understand their Catholic faith." The company claims that model is "safe, secure and holy" for ages 5 to 12.
Though it seems the Biblezon offers every app fit for the millennial-loving Pope (insert prayer hands emoji), we're hoping the platform could make an exception to allow access to Spotify, if only to let users blast Pope Francis' breakout album of 2015.
