Wikipedia Lauches Official iPhone App
The Wikimedia Foundation, the non-profit organization behind the popular Wikipedia, just released its first official iPhone application for Wikipedia. Wikipedia Mobile, which is available for free in the App Store now (iTunes link), gives users access to iPhone-formatted Wikipedia articles. The truth, however, is that this isn't a very good application and doesn't really go beyond anything the regular mobile Wikipedia website doesn't already do. Indeed, the app is basically just a wrapper for the mobile Wikipedia site.
There are already a number of very good Wikipedia apps out there, including Taptu's Wapedia (iTunes link), Wikiamo (iTunes link) and Wikipanion (iTunes link). The official Wikipedia app doesn't add anything new here. While other apps at least include features like the ability to easily browse tables of content for apps and include in-page searching or the ability to save posts for offline reading, the official Wikipedia app doesn't feature any of these functions. The only 'advanced' feature in the app is its ability to track your browsing history.
Of course, this is only a first attempt and we laud the Wikipedia Mobile team for releasing this app as an open-source application. However, the fact that the search field is populated with "::Home" when you first open up the app shows that the app still needs a lot of polish before it can compete with the 'unofficial' apps. For now, if you just want a lightweight way of accessing Wikipedia articles from your phone and you don't want to install an app, just use the official mobile site.
Share
Facebook
Comments
Subscribe to comments for this post OR Subscribe to comments for all ReadWriteWeb posts
I will be downloading this app once I get home. I am addicited to Wikipedia on the computer and I think this app is going to be great.
It's incompatible with my 1st gen iPod touch, because it "requires a microphone": http://img.skitch.com/20090818-qtyxukpi49qpdjbempiujiidjh.jpg
What the crap, Wikipedia.
An application for reading a web site? Isn't that what the browser is for? What's wrong with the iPhone browser that so many sites are doing special-purpose applications just for their own site?
Nobody noticed the spelling mistake "Lauches" in the title?
First, the mobile formatted version of Wikipedia is great. I paid for Wikipanion but once I moved from a touch to an iPhone I found I much preferred the mobile site. Not only that, but the hoops you had to jump through on Wikipanion to save a page made it hardly worth the effort.
The app is just a wrapper as you say, but why not? It's just a little bit smoother than using it in the browser, and for $0:00, I'm a happy customer.
Is there a link to the source somewhere?
It sounds like the price is right and if you are a wiki fan this is a fast way to access this site!
Thanks for the article!
RM
I think this is a tad silly. This app offers no additional functionality over a web browser, yet its release front-page news all over the Internet?
Also, given the Wikimedia Foundation's commitment to free/open source software, it seems awfully curious that this app was seemingly developed behind closed doors given the lack of functionality. I don't see any source or development history or discussion on the Wikimedia Foundation's Subversion repository or mailing lists. Has the Foundation dropped their whole free-culture ideal in favor of pushing out an inferior, proprietary product that will make headlines?
Woooh! Wiki on the iPhone, luv it! You guys might wanna find out about other iPhone apps, just click on the link to find reviews, links iTunes store links, and other useful stuff. :)