Openmoko, a group that "strives to create real change in the world through good socially conscious design", has today announced WikiReader - a handheld device containing some three million English-language articles from Wikipedia.
The palm-sized device, pictured below, is designed with simplicity in mind and hopes to be accessible to a wide range of users. It features a basic monochrome touchscreen display, just three buttons, and a price tag of $99.
Openmoko claims "WikiReader's screen is fantastic under bright sunlight as well as indoors", and the units source of power - two standard AAA batteries - will allow for roughly one year of usage.
Designed by Thomas Meyerhoffer - formerly of Apple - WikiReader is said to be suitable for children of all ages as a result of built-in parental controls. As an offline device, WikiReader houses its millions of compressed articles on a simple microSD card - updated cards will be launched quarterly, with a yearly subscription plan priced at $29.
The device already has the backing of Wikipedia, with Erik Moeller, deputy director of the Wikimedia Foundation, stating "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."
Useful to have around the house when you want to look something up without turning on the PC, we reckon. What do you think? Share your thoughts in the HEXUS.community forums.
