Wikipedia on your iPod
Apple turns the iPod slowly from a device that plays music to a media device that lets you consume all sorts of media. The company introduced the iPod Video for instance that adds video playback to the mobile device, or the iPod Touch which offers a touch interface and app support.
You can add apps to most iPods though to add other features to it that you may be interested in.
Wikipedia on your iPod is a huge ebook available in a English, German and Italian language version that adds Wikipedia's vast encyclopedia to your iPod. The English version is the biggest one with 1.5 GB of data followed by the German with 550 MB and the Italian with 170 MB.
The encyclopedia is currently not working with the latest iPods including iPod Nano and Video but with all earlier iPod models.
I can see many uses for this: students who have to write a test could very well use Wikipedia for the latest information, it is also nice if you are a tourist and want additional information about an object in a certain town. Take a look at the screenshots below to see how this looks on the iPod.
I hope that the developer will release a new version soon that is compatible to my iPod Nano. It would take about 40% of the space but I think it is well worth it.
Update: The Wikipedia on iPod application is compatible with iPod generations one to four as well as iPod Minis and Photo iPods, but no other iPod versions. It is a bit unfortunate that it has not been updated to be compatible with newer versions of Apple's iPod like the Nano or Video.
To install the software download the installation wizard for your operating system, connect your iPod to the computer using one of the system#s USB ports, start iTunes and enable Disk Use on iTunes to make the iPod behave like a regular USB Flash Drive.
Once done close iTunes and run the installation wizard to install Wikipedia on your iPod. Make sure you have enough free space on your device. Detailed installation instructions are available on the project Internet website.
Update 2: The rise of smartphones in the past couple of years has changed how we access information significantly. Most smartphones nowadays support apps that you can download from stores integrated into the phones or on your computer.
Wikipedia is available for Apple iOS devices, Android and numerous other mobile operating systems.
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Or, you could wait for the iPhone to ship, and browse Wikipedia right then and there… ;)
Just kidding…just wanted to chime in, been a reader for a long time now, but have had nothing much to say. Thanks for such a great site! :)