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Wikipedia In Your Pocket, $99

Posted by kdawson on from the or-are-you-just-glad-to-see-me dept.

An anonymous reader notes the announcement by Sean Moss-Pultz (Openmoko, Inc.) of a new geek device: The $99 WikiReader. All of Wikipedia in your pocket with no Internet connection required. Works in bright sunlight. 3-button interface. You can update the information in the WikiReader either by mail (they ship a microSD card) or by downloading a 4+ GB file.

4 of 412 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Solution looking for a problem by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Three points to consider:

    - It's openmoko based, so it's extremely hackable.
    - It uses standard AAA batteries. I can't overstate how important this is to me.
    - No contract, hard copy of reference information, safe to give to a kid.

    This seems like a good gift solution for

    a. hackers
    b. travelers
    c. parents

  2. Re:trick you into thinking I'm educated by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination. - Einstein

  3. Re:Solution looking for a problem by FlyingBishop · · Score: 5, Insightful

    yeah, there's no use for an encyclopedia with detailed information on all edible plants out in the middle of nowhere where there's no cell access.

    and you couldn't possibly find yourself in a situation where you need information but can't access your wireless, despite being in a 'covered' area, cell phone coverage is, practically, perfect.

    Oh, also, power outages. Infrastructure is all well and good, but having all the knowledge you need about the world around you at your fingertips regardless of the state of the outside world is great.

    I'd say the places that matter the most are precisely the places that don't have cell access.

  4. Re:Solution looking for a problem by xaxa · · Score: 4, Insightful

    No contract, hard copy of reference information, safe to give to a kid.

    I'm actually wondering about this part. Their website seems to be clearly positioning it at children, and yet Wikipedia is quite deliberately not censored for children. I smell a lawsuit there once some 7yro Johnny, driven by curiosity, starts with anime, and ends up diving into the depth of interlinked mesh of articles on yuri and lolicon...

    Read the site, rather than just looking at the pictures ;-)

    For Parents: WikiReader offers an easy way to protect your child from adult-oriented content.

    <flamebait>I wonder if there's "American mode" (hiding all the articles about sex) and "European mode" (hiding all the articles about guns).</flamebait>