Openmoko announced today the availability of WikiReader, a palm-sized electronic
encyclopedia containing the more than three million English language articles of
Wikipedia that can be accessed immediately anytime, anywhere without requiring
an Internet connection. WikiReader is available for $99 at
http://thewikireader.com and Amazon.com starting today.
WikiReader turns on instantly, and works for months before replacement of its
two AAA batteries is necessary. The large monochrome screen uses a touch
interface. Articles are scrolled with a stroke of the finger and hyperlinks
selected with a simple tap. Three buttons, Search, History and Random, offer the
convenience of reading specific topics or the serendipitous pleasure of
discovering something by chance within Wikipedia's rich array of articles
ranging from Freud to Final Fantasy. Updates for the WikiReader are provided
quarterly and available for free download via their website. A yearly
subscription plan for updated microSD cards is also available for $29.
For more than eight years, people from all corners of the world have contributed
knowledge in the form of articles, translations, and source codes, collectively
building Wikipedia, the largest reference resource that humankind has ever seen.
WikiReader extends this spirit of collaboration, representing the combined
vision of a designer, device manufacturer, significant grass roots research, and
input from parents to preteens to pedagogues about the ways people want to
access information throughout their days.
"We created the WikiReader to be fun, easy, informative and entertaining for all
ages," said Openmoko CEO, Sean Moss-Pultz. "WikiReader is a whimsical look at
the joy of learning in the digital age. It's personal and it`s fun. We`re
extremely excited about sharing our device with the world."
WikiReader was designed by Thomas Meyerhoffer, the former Apple designer known
for reshaping surf culture with his radically different surfboards: "The key is
keeping it simple. We really want the focus to be on the experience of reading
Wikipedia, not browsing the Web. That`s why we only have three buttons. There
really is no interface. You`re just straight into the content."
Meyerhoffer, continues, "Because it`s offline and offers parental controls, the
whole experience happens within the device. That`s especially great when it
comes to kids. I can give this to my nine-year-old, and I know he`s only going
to get content that is fine for him to read."
Erik Moeller, Deputy Director of the Wikimedia Foundation, said, "We've played
with WikiReader, and it's a lot of fun to see the entirety of the English
Wikipedia text in a self-contained little box that doesn't require Internet
access. It could also be one viable approach to share the world's most
comprehensive encyclopedia with people who aren't connected. We will watch the
continuing development of this device with great interest, as it's fully in the
spirit of what Wikipedia is all about: empowering people."
For more information on WikiReader, please visit http://thewikireader.com.
Images and video are available for download at:
http://thewikireader.com/media.html.
About Openmoko
Openmoko, Inc. combines creative and technical people to create original forms
in the field of consumer products. Privately funded and based in Taipei, Taiwan,
Openmoko built the world's first open source mobile phone, giving birth to an
active community that contributes to the world of open source mobile
technologies. For more information, please visit http://openmoko.com
The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.
