Openmoko launches WikiReader handheld device

Open mobile product manufacturer Openmoko announced the launch of its WikiReader, a palm-sized electronic device featuring more than 3 million English-language articles from user-generated online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Available for $99 from the WikiReader website and retailer Amazon.com, the touchscreen device--created by former Apple designer Thomas Meyerhoffer--promises anytime/anywhere access to Wikipedia content even without an Internet connection. Users can scroll through articles with a stroke of the finger and tap on hyperlinks, expanding their reading via dedicated Search, History and Random buttons. Openmoko will supply quarterly updates available for free download from the WikiReader website--a yearly subscription plan for updated microSD cards is also available for $29.  

Founded in 2001, Wikipedia currently contains 3.06 million online English-language articles as well as roughly 400,000 additional articles in a variety of other languages. In mid-August, the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation announced the launch of Wikipedia Mobile, a free iPhone and iPod touch application spotlighting Wikipedia content.

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