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The WikiReader: a pocket-sized, offline Wikipedia
Openmoko's WikiReader may not immediately make sense if you're always glued to a smartphone or a computer. Just put aside that thought for a moment and consider this: it's a barebones, offline version of Wikipedia — developed in cooperation with the site — that you can access anytime. It's a simple concept, but it does it exceptionally well. That same simplicity also means that both the elderly and children would easily be able to pick it up.
It's only got four buttons: one up top to turn it on, and three on the face to bring up the search, see your history or find a random article (much like hitting "shuffle" on a music playlist). All of the typing is handled by way of a virtual keyboard that pops up on the unit's monochrome touchscreen. You'll also use your fingertips to scroll and follow links. The random button is a nice touch and — just as it is with Wikipedia — it can be a fun time-waster to keep hitting random and read about things you never knew existed.
Click Continue to read on and find out why this may just be the perfect physical embodiment of Wikipedia.
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Keeping things as simple as possible, the WikiReader doesn't need to be charged, either. It uses a pair of AAA batteries and, thanks to its low power consumption, will last for months before you need a fresh pair. The Reader's "brain" is actually the same microSD card it uses to store the entirety of Wikipedia on, and Openmoko hopes that this will encourage the opensource community to play around with the device, as the WikiReader will be able to work with whatever's on the card as long as it's formatted correctly.
You can update the SD card on your on through your computer using the WikiReader's website or — if you're less technically inclined, for example — Openmoko will send you new SD cards four times a year for a $30 annual fee.
If we were to complain about anything, we'd probably ask for picture support (the Reader only displays text) as well as a backlit screen. As it stands right now, you'll need a light source to be able to read such as a lamp or the good ol' sun, but that's not a huge problem.
You can get a WikiReader of your own for $99 through Amazon or the WikiReader website. Be sure to check it out from every angle in our gallery.
Via WikiReader
By captainperoxide at 12:40 AM ON 10/13/09
Why doesn't it say Don't Panic on the front of it?
By Chris Downs at 3:58 AM ON 10/13/09
My question is: Why are companies still producing two-tone lcd's? These are what I remember from back in the day of (and before) the original palms after those engineers split from Apple.
Outdated, and in today's market, crap.
I like the functionality, but think with the size, it should be an app for any phone like-sized...but overall, even Kindle and all those other ebook readers tick me off cause they utilize power saving over performance in color.
Sad.
Someone fund research to make better batteries so companies don't have to limit product functionality to black and white.
By xiangfu at 4:46 AM ON 10/13/09
By Daniel Benoy at 9:46 AM ON 10/13/09
Chris Downs:
You say it's 'sad' that Openmoko didn't add a completely unnecessary feature to this device.
I think it's sad that some people can't even look at a device which is practically an e-book reader without complaining about the graphics.
By Samuel McConnell at 9:48 AM ON 10/13/09
Chris, I don't think you understand ePaper. It's not power concerns about quality, it's technical. Color ePaper is not yet perfected, but what is out there is many times more expensive than the already-expensive ePaper.
This is not an LCD. If you remove the power source from the display, it will retain its last image for a very long time (forever). This way, power is only used when changing the image on the screen.
By Chris Downs at 3:09 PM ON 10/13/09
I'm not dissing the setup that ebook readers have grown used to...I'm saying it's the day in age when everything else is HD this and HD that...where HD no longer means heavy duty but high def. If it's too costly to produce epaper with color photo quality, then why not just jump the gun and use lcds? i mean the market price could be met with lcds, and about making these devices fully functional like smartphones, text itself doesn't take that much memory, so an entire book on average, (being about 20mb) really isnt that much to add to a smartphone...the only thing smartphones and other handheld devices need are better batteries.
Im not trying to argue with tech, I dig any kind of tech...anything that has electricity running through it or anything else that explodes...I'm a nerd, but what I'm saying is that just like the posting DVICE made recently about improving iphone by adding multi-tasking/coverflow to it...I think ebooks should be upped.
And besides the fact, everyone knows that adding more features to a product can open its view to an untapped market. Whether the features are useless to any given individual or not doesn't matter, what does is that there are enough features that everyone from every mindset can have his/her own features that match their discrete desires over tech.
By Matt at 4:50 PM ON 10/13/09
Perhaps there's no image because of storage requirements: "Uploaded files took up approximately 372 gigabytes as of June 2006, excluding thumbnails."
By Matt at 7:12 PM ON 10/13/09
Chris,
Read the wikireader website:
"Never forgetting that 75% of the world is offline, we removed all unnecessary elements to reach a low price point."
They're scrimping on features to make it as cheap as possible, to get more sales and thus wider distribution of the product. They even removed PAINT from the production process!
Although I agree with you that it will be totally awesome when digital ink does full colour. But probably expensive at first...
By Chris Downs at 2:29 AM ON 10/14/09
Finally some good feedback haha. Expected from a Britt.
I just cant wait till they can cost-effectively produce projectors that can scan particles in the air, to project holograms onto them...that'll be the day.
Other than that, I just dont like how anyone with an ebook has to carry around an extra gadget...when we all know pockets are a scarce resource. Cell phones, mp3 players, wallets, keys, etc...all stuffin up the pockets...all gadgets should be combined.
Thanks Matt, it's good to hear other feedback without argumentative tones haha.
By WikiReader at 6:59 AM ON 10/14/09
Great tool, good price, and I think this could be useful to those many who needs the power of internet information in offline situations!
By Ford Prefect at 4:40 PM ON 10/15/09
Great product indeed!
By JenO at 5:46 PM ON 10/19/09
If you are afraid of technology but love usless gadgets, you should read this blog...
By IOrderedOne at 6:30 AM ON 10/20/09
Yes WikiReader is not very rich in features, but it is good at doing what it is made for: reading articles.
That's why i have ordered one.
I am planning to generate my own data files from other wiki's, I am able to do so because Openmoko, unlike other manufactures, supply the source code to their product.
So when Chris and others see flaws in WikiReader, i see the possibilities in a simple reader with long battery life.
By Christoph Pulster at 2:53 AM ON 12/07/09
Wikireader Shop www.pulster.de
By kk at 11:30 AM ON 01/15/10
Why can you use only your finger on the keyboard, and not some smaller device such as the eraser end of a pencil?
on your cellphone!
Text DVICE to 72434
editor@dvice.com
kk:
Why can you use only your finger on the keyboard, and not some smaller device such as the eraser end of a pencil?...More »