WikiReader
WikiReader is a project to deliver an offline, text-only version of Wikipedia on a mobile device.[1] The project is sponsored by Openmoko and its source code has been released.[2]
The project debuted an offline portable reader for Wikipedia in October 2009.[1] It costs US$99 and updated article snapshots on microSD card can be delivered by mail semi-annually for $29/year. The updates is also available as free downloads on WikiReader's website.[3] Unlike Wikipedia itself, the device features parental controls.[3]
The device can also run programs written in Forth; a simple calculator program is included.[4]
Specifications
- Display: Monochrome Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), 240 x 208 pixels.[5]
- Interface: Capacitive touchscreen with on-screen keyboard. Four hardware keys.[6]
- CPU: Epson S1C33 E07 microcontroller with 8KB+2KB internal memory
- Firmware: 64 KB Flash memory[5]
- Memory: 32MB SDRAM[5]
- Storage: Removable microSD card (SD and SDHC supported, 512MB, 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB supported)[5]
- File formats supported: native format; a converter from MediaWiki's XML export format is available.[7]
- Dimensions: 100 x 100 x 20 mm (3.9 x 3.9 x 0.8 inches)[5]
- Weight: 120 grams (4.2 oz)[5]
- Languages: English
- Warranty: 90 days
- Power: Two AAA batteries[5]
- Battery life: 90 hours;[8] equivalent to 1 year of normal use according to manufacturer[9][3]
- The International, 8GB version carries a $99 pricetag and is available from both Amazon and Openmoko’s store, while the retailer BJ’s as the 4GB, English version for only $69 as a back-to-school special.[10]
- Retail Cost: ~$69 to $100
Limitations
- Text-only display: The WikiReader is strictly a "text only" display device. The device therefore does not store or display any Wikipedia images.
- Tables: The WikiReader does not display article text which appears inside a table on the Wikipedia Website (see Wikipedia:Tables).
- HTML "special characters": Certain Wikipedia article text encoded using HTML special characters is stripped from the WikiReader's output.
- Mathematical formulas: Original versions of the WikiReader do not display Wikipedia article information encoded as a formula using LaTeX (see Math markup). This has been addressed with an optional firmware update, which is pre-loaded on newer WikiReaders.
- Treatment of missing information: The WikiReader does not provide any indication of gaps where information has been deleted from a Wikipedia article. Images, tables, mathematical formulas and other information that was not encoded strictly as plain text in the original Wikipedia article is silently deleted from the WikiReader's output.
- Search: The WikiReader's search capabilities are basic. There is no full text search capability. Only the titles of Wikipedia articles can be searched. The WikiReader does support incremental search of article titles, beginning with the first characters of each title. Search terms must be spelled correctly. Wildcard searching is not supported.
See also
References
External links