The older traditions of Islam are becoming high-tech, through a swing of fresh offerings for those observing the holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week. Cell phone applications such as ''iPray'' or ''iQuran'' offer a beeping reminder of requisite prayer times, while the ''Find Mecca'' and ''mosque finder'' programs help the Muslim traveler in an unfamiliar city find the nearest place to pray.
The applications aren't just for Ramadan; there are Islamic-themed programs that help users find the nearest Costco offering foods prepared according to Islamic dietary rules, learn the correct Arabic pronunciations in a daily prayer, or count how many pages of the Quran they've read that day, all on a mobile phone. There also are applications, or apps, for the holy books of several other religions, from the Catholic Holy Bible to the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture.
The first time Sumeyye Kalyoncu heard the Adhan or call to prayer, through surround-sound speakers on her iPhone dock, she was overcome with nostalgia for her native Turkey. Such applications are especially popular in the US, Kalyoncu said, as US mosques do not broadcast daily calls to prayer from external loudspeakers, as they do in Muslim countries.
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