By Nancy Hand
The WikiReader, shown in Figure A, is a small touchscreen device -- 5 inches on the diagonal -- that packs a lot of information and does not require an Internet connection.
FIGURE AImage may be NSFW.
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WikiReader also holds 33,000 Project Gutenberg books. (click for larger image)
A single 8GB microSD card holds some 3 million articles from Wikipedia, the entire 33,000 ebook collection from Project Gutenberg a dictionary, and a database called Quotes. WikiReader offers Wikipedia in 17 languages including: English, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, German, Japanese, Greek, French, Finnish, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian, Welsh, and Hungarian. Korean language files are currently being tested. It is possible to install multiple language Wikipedias on a single WikiReader.
Whew, that's a lot of information!
The device is made by Openmoko and runs on 2 AAA batteries, as shown in Figure B, and has a total of four buttons -- On/Off, Search, History, and Random. It has no Wi-Fi or 3G, no cables, and no ports for plugging into anything. My scale says, with batteries, it weighs 138 grams or 4.8 ounces and it fits in most pockets or purses with room to spare.
FIGURE BImage may be NSFW.
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All the world's knowledge is powered by 2 AAA batteries. (click for larger image)
My WikiReader arrived, with batteries in place, ready to go. All that was needed was to turn it on. A 16-page manual is included to help you get started.
To turn it on, you press a button on the top right corner. It comes on very quickly. If you ignore the device for a minute or two it will turn itself back off, or you can press and hold the power button to shut it off. The opening screen displays a virtual keyboard, As shown in Figure C, letting you type in the subject of your search.
FIGURE CImage may be NSFW.
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Go ahead and ask away! (click for larger image)
To hide the keyboard, you press Search again. Pressing the globe icon on the screen allows you to change the database being searched, as shown in Figure D.
FIGURE DImage may be NSFW.
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The Library at Alexandria it ain't, but it's a reasonable fascimile for a handheld. (click for larger image)
Random searches can be somewhat addictive. Press the button marked "random" and the WikiReader responds with an entry from the selected database. Pressing "random" again will bring up another article, probably on another subject.
Searching Wikipedia brings up the same articles you would find if you did the search through your browser. The links are active, allowing you to move back and forth between articles.
Dictionary searches a dictionary with words and idioms. I discovered that the English dictionary includes entries in Greek, Japanese, Mandarin, Norwegian, and other alphabets, as shown in Figure E.
FIGURE EImage may be NSFW.
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Search is available for multiple languages. (click for larger image)
The Quotes database was interesting. I was unable to find the quote "To be or not to be" from Hamlet, though the entire play seems to be there. Under H.G. Wells, I found a selection of excerpts from his writings. Otherwise I discovered what look to be entire scripts, by season, for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Dexter, and Bones.