WikiReader Pocket Wikipedia

by WikiReader

• Offers the entire English Wikipedia with 3 million topics
• No internet connection required
• Fast, portable and informative
• Fun and easy to use touchscreen interface
• Battery life runs for months, not hours

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.9 x 3.9 x 0.8 inches ; 4.5 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B002N5521W
• Item model number: PANREADER
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #2 in Electronics > Office Electronics > Electronic Dictionaries, Thesauri & Translators
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 12, 2009

Product Description

WikiReader delivers the joy of information by offering three million Wikipedia articles in a simple $99 handheld device. It 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. A yearly subscription plan for updated microSD cards is also available for $29. For more information including news, videos and updates, Google for: The WikiReader

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Needs better quality control October 21, 2009

By Sporkinum

Got mine 5 days ago [...] and have had some fun with it. However the fun was dampened by a defective touch screen. The bottom 1/4 to 1/2 inch of the screen doesn't respond to touch, meaning I can't access the bottom row of letters or the space bar. I contacted customer support and the were prompt in replying. They had me load a different kernel file, hoping that would fix it, but it didn't. they said they will be shipping out a replacement soon, so hopefully this one will work as designed.

Aside from the touch screen, the co-workers I showed it to thought it was pretty slick.
My co-workers all carry Blackberrys, but due to corporate policy can't install wikipedia software. I don't have a smart phone, due to no Verizon service where I live, so this works great for me. I like the fact that it uses standard AAA batteries and will run for 90 hours of powered on time.

It also has a couple of hidden features when you hold down a button while powering up. Search throws you a list of forth programs that are mostly diagnostics. There is a little line drawing program that is fun to scribble with, and also a calculator. The calculator can also be accessed by holding down the history button while powering up. Finally, the random button on power up is some sort of serial communication screen. One other thing, one of the diagnostics displays a reading from a thermistor, so I suppose someone could create a tiny app using that as well.

In the short time that I have had it, I noticed a couple of small issues with the data on it. It looks like it is missing some numeric info. The example I noticed was the wikipedia article on prairie dogs as to their size and quantities. Also some special characters, like foreign letters, are not displayed correctly. I am pretty sure they will correct that down the road though, as it should not be too tough to do.

An 8gb microSD card holds the data and system. It looks like buying the updates might not be a bad idea as 8gb SD cards go for around $20 each anyway, and the $[...] update charge will get you two of those. Not bad to have a spare and you can always clear an extra and use it in another device.

Update. Got the replacement Wikireader, and it works as it is supposed to now. It can't help but make me better informed.

I would love to see them add some e-reader functionality. There would be plenty of room to add a pile of Project Gutenberg reading material.

I may end up getting a couple more of the for Christmas presents.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Its great but severely limited and here is why... December 16, 2011

By reykjavik

...Ok, so I feel like a scumbag complaining about having the entire globes information in my hands, accessible at any time in an instant, but nevertheless, I do!

Its a great item. And I got it on a deal-a-day site brand new for $15 which I think is all its worth paying for. The main reason is that it comes very limited and restricted. Here are a few issues why:

1) Why would you need this? I do, because a large part of my commute is in a subway with no internet connection. Can't think of any other reason as to why anyone would need this (traveling abroad with no wireless data plan I presume?). But if you do have a connection, even the most basic of phones these days will get you on to wikipedia.

2) The first few times I did look something up, the entire article wasn't even there! It literally states "Article Truncated Due to Size". Well, that doesn't sit right with me. I wouldn't mind it so much if I could personally buy a larger SD micro card and update it with a non-truncated wikipedia. But the Support Team never got back to me and I can't see how else to do it. I understand that adding images would greatly increase the size of the file but to cut off the articles seems like its missing the point.

3) They cheap out and send you the 4 GB SD Micro card which fits only a non-image truncated wikipedia on it. I added wikiquotes, dictionary, and the chinese wikipedia on to it after getting a larger card. Its pretty simple to do but should be easier. Since none of this stuff is restricted why not have the wikireader update software just ask "Do you want to add the dictionary?" Why hold back? doesn't make any sense.

4) You guys know that for $9 bucks you can get the very same thing on your phone and you won't have to spend 60 bucks and carry around a separate device, right? Ok. Just checking. Its called wikipock - google it. Why didn't I do this you ask? Because the cost of buying the wikireader device, was actually cheaper then buying the app and the increased SD storage card I would need to hold all the data on my phone. But if you already have a 16GB sd card in your phone, you should be good to go.

Ultimately, I do enjoy this device and for 15 bucks its great. But its not a very fun experience and is unnecessarily restrictive and it completely doesn't have to be. I would have given it 2 stars, but 2 stars say "I dont like it" and I do, I honestly do. But for $60 youre better off upgrading your SD card for $15 on amazon and spending $9 to get the wikipock. It'll save you $35 bucks, give you the exact same thing but better, faster and more sensitive to touch (since its your phone's touch screen) and now you're phone will have more room due to the larger card which will always come in handy AND you'll have one less thing to carry.

If WikiReader wants to get away with charging $60 bucks, it needs to have its support team respond to emails, and it needs to make the device far more "open" to other wikis and far less restrictive. Imagine if Slacker Radio only allowed it to be used on the Slacker G2 4 GB 25-Station Personal Radio Player devices? It would be out of business by now. And so will wikireader I'm sure. So to recap, for 15 bucks, worth it. A penny more? I'll pass and so should you.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars WikiWonderful! October 19, 2009

By Marika

I suffer from sensory overload: too many things impinging on my consciousness too much of the time. When I look something up on Wikipedia, I don't like to be distracted with things like email notifications, cell phone rings, etc. and then lose my focus. Along comes the WikiReader, enabling me to do just that, and access Wikipedia whenever I want to. It's reasonably priced and best of all, there's no monthly fee, no Internet connection needed. I am so sick of gadgets that I really don't need. This is something I do need, and enjoy using, too. It's easy for me to rationalize spending $99 for it.

Yes, Wikipedia is available on the iPhone and the iPod Touch, but my phone rings, I get distracted, and the somewhat stressful pace continues. With the WikiReader I can tune out the distractions and relax while indulging my curiosity, satisfying my appetite for knowledge and wikifacts. For me it's a form of focused attention, meditation. And it's a fun learning experience, too. It's portable, unlike my desktop computer. Unlike a laptop, it fits in my purse or pocket, I can take it where ever I go. I can even sit and soak in knowledge as I soak in the bathtub. It's great on an airplane when I'm sitting next to someone I'd rather not converse with.

It's straightforward enough that I can use it right away, and it bridges the tech gap between my kids and me. What a gift!