Apple picker Almost every student today is familiar with Wikipedia, an open online encyclopedia available for free. There are several applications on the AppStore that offer a mobile version of this extensive project, some are paid, some are free. But let's take a closer look at the paid application iWiki, which I consider to be the best.
iWiki doesn't seem to bring anything groundbreaking, e.g. compared to the official free application - Wikipedia Mobile directly from the Wikimedia Foundation (this non-profit foundation runs all of Wikipedia, but their application is [un]surprisingly open source). However, appearances are deceiving. iWiki comes with a 100% iPhone user interface just the way we like it, plus it's amazingly fast and offers some useful options that always work correctly.
On the other hand - I can't claim that iWiki is full of features. And that's exactly what this app is all about - simplicity and speed. On the main screen, there is a top bar with a search that perfectly complements the quick whisperer and a bottom bar with controls. The first button on the bottom panel is a clock, under which is hidden the complete history of all term searches you have ever made through iWiki. The second button is an open book - it contains a list of wiki articles that you have saved and now you can read them offline at any time. The last button is the flag, where there is a list of supported wikipedia languages - of course, a search on the Czech wikipedia is not missing, but the Czech localization of the application is. But that does not matter at all, there is not much text in the application.
If you are currently reading the searched article, the lower panel will be enriched with a button with a magnifying glass, thanks to which you can easily search for phrases in the viewed text and a button more, which is used to save the article for later offline reading. If you are reading such an offline article, the panels will turn gray. Of course, you can set the offline storage properties - saving images or links in the article can be turned off / on.
The font size and behavior of the application after launch are also adjustable - either the splash screen or the last read article is loaded, as you wish.
The app does exactly what I expect from a mobile Wikipedia - it met and didn't exceed my expectations, which I can appreciate. Everything is fast and reliable.
I want wikipedia for my iPhone in an offline version. I will sacrifice even €20 and 2 GB of memory space for it. And once every 14 days I always download the updated items… Would it be like this please?
I use a similar app and it's free: Wikiamo. http://itunes.apple.com/cz/app/wikiamo/id290882494?mt=8
I'd say the Wikipanion app is even better, and it's free. It does not lack any of the functions mentioned here, it is fast, the font size can be changed smoothly. Perfect, I recommend! (and it has a nice icon :))
Can I ask if the Encyclopedia has pictures in it?
The app is great, I stupidly bought a wiki that can be used offline, but the articles are confusing, there are bookmarks (links to images), wasted money. And I don't fly that often to use it on the plane as they put it to good use. Thanks a lot for the tip.
The app is great, I stupidly bought a wiki that can be used offline, but the articles are confusing, there are bookmarks (links to images), wasted money. And I don't fly that often to use it on the plane as they put it to good use. Thanks a lot for the tip.