Wikipedia launches official iPhone app

Non-profit Wikimedia Foundation announced the launch of Wikipedia Mobile, a free iPhone and iPod touch application spotlighting content from its user-generated online encyclopedia Wikipedia. Created using Rhomobile's Rhodes mobile application development framework, the community-built Wikipedia application is 100 percent open source--according to Wikimedia, the app promises users more efficient access to facts and information than traditional mobile web searching via scaled-down versions of desktop pages.

Wikimedia spokesperson Jay Walsh tells AFP that future iterations of Wikipedia Mobile will enable users to edit entries and upload pictures or other digital content: "It is a platform we are going to build on. The sky is the limit--we can do whatever we want." Wikimedia adds that user feedback will shape additional features--in addition, the foundation said it welcomes contributions from other mobile developers. Earlier this month, Wikipedia announced that users have now contributed more than 3 million English-language articles to the site.

For more on Wikipedia Mobile:
- read this AFP article

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