Web Forum: Internet news

Oct 30 2009 by Andrew Jackson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

WIKIPEDIA is probably one of the most ambitious internet projects of the last decade and what’s most impressive of all is that, on the whole, it has worked.

The site covers an astonishing cross section of knowledge in remarkable detail, every word of it written and edited by volunteers. Okay, so some articles might have inaccuracies, but most pages are useful, dependable and factually reliable.

The new Wikireader is a pocket-sized gadget that puts the whole thing – all three million topic pages – into your hand wherever you are, even if you’re not connected to the internet.

Powered by standard AA batteries, it stores almost all of Wikipedia’s text (but none of the pictures) on a MicroSD card that slots into the back.

You can download updates to install on the card yourself or pay about £18 per year to have a fresh memory card posted to you.

The device itself has just three buttons and a black and white touch-screen. You can search for subjects, browse hyperlinks or hit the ‘random’ button for, well, something random.

Some folk will ask what the point of Wikireader is when most modern phones can access Wikipedia from anywhere and download just the information that’s needed.

True, but Wikireader needs no phone network and lasts for ages on its batteries. It could be extremely useful in schools or in places that aren’t well-connected to the internet. Or it’s just a fun way for kids to learn about some new random thing every day.

Find out more and order your Wikireader for £60 at www.thewikireader.com.

FRESH START

Start.io is a clever little web page that you can customise as your personal starting point on the net. Sign up for free and throw in a bunch of web pages you like to visit often.

Set your start.io page as your browser’s home page and it will always show you when there’s new stuff to see. It looks pretty good but if you want to shake things up a bit you can edit the styles yourself – and that’s just for starters.

BROWSING AROUND ... GADGETS

I want that one – www.iwantoneofthose.com

Measy helps you decide which gadget to get – www.measy.com

Gearlog, a gadget guide for geeks – www.gearlog.com

TechRadar targets gadget lovers – www.techradar.com