Openmoko (Om) today announced the Spring 2010 update for WikiReader, the popular palm-sized electronic encyclopedia that displays the more than three million searchable English Wikipedia articles.




The latest update features an improved on-screen keypad that makes finding Wikipedia entries easier and faster and makes enjoying one of the largest reference archives known to mankind even better. Responding to customer demand, Om also included math equations within the vast array of Wikipedia's more scientific articles.

Om provides the Spring 2010 upgrade along with the latest update to the database of 3+ million English language Wikipedia articles that users can access on the WikiReader anytime, anywhere without requiring an Internet connection.Today, WikiReader owners may download the Spring 2010 update for free, or, for $29 purchase two pre-loaded microSD cards per year complete with updates. The WikiReader costs $99 and is available now at thewikireader.com and Amazon.com.




"We've been listening to requests from customers for better rendering quality, improved scrolling and we fixed these issues as our top priority for the Spring 2010 update," said William Lai, Product Manager of Openmoko. "Math equations that were previously removed are now rendered as crisp bitmap images enabling us to use scientific and math annotation. We did more housecleaning and removed some bits of code that were still visible in a number of articles after our conversion and compression of millions of articles to the WikiReader format. And the newly implemented keypad is animated for a better typing experience.The initial feedback from users around the world has been very positive. We're really excited about hearing from, and directly satisfying our customers' requests."

The much-improved keypad on WikiReader animates key presses in the form of floating keys, similar to the iPhone.The new software also adds improvements to navigation, including fluid scrolling and a highly requested back feature for a quick way to return to previously searched articles.

Along with upgrades to the device's functionality, the Spring 2010 update gives Wikipedia fans great additional content to catch up on, such as updates to recent events and discoveries like, Water on the Moon, Typhoon Ketsana, G-20 Pittsburgh Summit, Treaty of Lisbon, NBC Universal (Comcast buyout), Windows 7, the Tiger Woods event, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, just to name a few.

"The Spring 2010 update is the first step in a series of upgrades representing Om's commitment to deliver a simple, immersive Wikipedia experience for each and every curious mind in our world today," said Sean Moss-Pultz, CEO of Openmoko. "Wikipedia is a truly international resource and we developed the WikiReader to enable people of all ages to access information no matter where they are.We intend to continue to develop the WikiReader to make looking for information fun, whether for learning, for use as a travel guide, or simply to settle a bar bet."

WikiReader 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, enable users to read specific topics or discover topics by chance within Wikipedia's rich array of more than 3.1 million articles. Updates for the WikiReader are provided quarterly and available for free download via their website. An annual subscription plan for two updated microSD cards per year is also available for $29.







About Openmoko

Openmoko, Inc. combines creative and technical people to create original forms in the field of consumer products. Privately funded and based in Taipei, Taiwan, Openmoko built the world's first open source mobile phone, giving birth to an active community that contributes to the world of open source mobile technologies.

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