News hardware & software 30 October 2019, 14:27 author: Julia Dragovic Vatican and Acer Present eRosary; Already Available in Sale A not obvious cooperation between the Holy See and Acer resulted in the Click To Pray eRosary. A digital rosary and fitness band in one is compatible with the papal application improving prayer recitation. Since yesterday the gadget is available in stores, but do not take out your wallets just yet.

Minimalism and simplicity. / Source: Vatican.

The upcoming All Saints' Day is a good time to advertise religious products. Yesterday, a result of a quite unobvious cooperation between Acer and the Vatican appeared in stores. The item in question in an electronic rosary, which, in combination with the dedicated OS and Android app called Click To Pray eRosary - For Peace in the World will not only help and systematize the prayer (e.g. remind you to do it three times a day) but also check whether you are a fit, counting steps or burnt calories. The app is available in English, Spanish and Italian.

Designed by GadgeTek (Acer branch), the gadget is compatible with the popular software created by the initiative of Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network - Click to Pray. Users pray for established daily and monthly intentions, which the Pope gives through the app - he uses the program himself (he has a personal account).

Yes. This is an authentic, original box of this product. / Source: Acer

After appropriate calibration, eRosary is unlocked after we make a cross mark. Itsenses the beads being touched and marks them as "recited" in the application. It is resistant to water and dust, and when charged (in a wireless charging station) for 2.5 hours, it is to last four days of use. Sounds really good.

And now for the cons.

Although none of the two aforementioned Click to Pray apps share data with third parties (we have checked), the security is quite lax. As Euronews reported a few days ago, shortly after the release of the device, the application was hacked three times. In short, it was possible to access someone else's account from the e-mail address itself, and thus all the data provided by the user. This privacy policy will tell you what your name, date of birth, country of residence, telephone number, language and gender are.

This is how the rosary application works. It will help you to say three types of prayer: standard rosary, contemplative and thematic rosary.

The application will inform you how many rosaries you have said, suggest your intentions and count your steps and calories you've burnt.

The gadget costs around 100 dollars. People unable to afford such expense will have to cope with the good old wooden or plastic rosary. And when it gets damaged, most goldsmiths will repair it for free. As a consolation, the Click to Pray app is free. Should a Vatican branded spiritual product (prayer is free of charge) cost so much? Should the object created to help you pray for peace in the world be so expensive?

Charger. Really decent design.

On various websites you may encounter the argument that even "analog" rosaries are expensive, so this one does not deviate from the norm. We've verified that, too. You can buy a small rosary online or in a parish shop for less than a dollar. Bigger rosaries? 2 bucks. Including the ecological ones - wooden. If you want something with crystal or pearl beads and a golden chain beginning with 150 dollars or more - you will find one too. But everyone should be able to afford a standard issue rosary.

Although the idea behind eEosary is noble (encouraging younger people to pray), it must be remembered that not every project - even one straight from the Vatican - must be good. This one, if it weren't for the price, might have been so.

Last update: 2019-10-30