OpenMoko branches out with new $99 WikiReader device

With the unfortunate downfall of the company's phone business, OpenMoko is looking for some slightly greener pastures. Its first new device hardly seems to hail from the same high-end Linux places that spawned the FreeRunner, and in fact you could say the $99 WikiReader is the antitheses of a high-end smartphone. It's a single purpose device with a monochrome screen and a simplistic touch interface and on the inside is an 8GB microSD card loaded up with three million of Wikipedia's finest hypertexts. The device can be searched or just browsed through clicking through interlinked articles, and there are even some parental controls to keep the chilluns away from Wikipedia's racier side. OpenMoko will have a subscription model of sorts available where folks can receive a new microSD card in the mail on a regular basis with the recent updates to the Wiki, though "power users" can update their cards themselves. The device is also relatively open to hackability thanks to its well known processor (similar to a Franklin dictionary) and easy access to the memory, but clearly OpenMoko is pointing this at people who don't even own a smartphone, not people who want to hack themselves another one. The device is available as of today.

WikiReader hands-on

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 14th 2009 9:20AM]

or you can buy a Ben Nanonote http://www.qi-hardware.com/products/ben-nanonote/
:-)

[mikmik111 Posted Oct 13th 2009 1:43PM]

Well, in my language, "OpenMoko" means "Go open me!"

[engadgetjp Posted Oct 13th 2009 3:21PM]

Looks like a Palm from 10 years ago. Who is going to buy this when there are PMP, iPod Touches and iPhones everywhere. $99 is very expensive. Maybe give it $30. Also any cell phone that can go online can access Wiki too. I just don't get it. This market is niche to a point that maybe 100 people who are very uninformed might buy, just like Peek but worse.

Sorry for my rant but this is the reality.

[scinemo Posted Oct 13th 2009 3:31PM]

I had this idea first :)

http://hackaday.com/2009/05/02/wikibrowser/

[recharged95 Posted Oct 13th 2009 3:31PM]

Put a voice search on there and they may have a winner.

Then again, it's already available (google search) on a $99 Android phone.

I have a Freerunner (which is going on ebay shortly)and it has/had so much potential aside from not having 3G, but OM never took advantage of its other merits and firms like Koolu have to clean up the mess (by getting Android to work on it). This product adds to the final conclusion that openmoko == FAIL. Talk about KIRF--at least the chinese knock offs work.

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 13th 2009 4:45PM]

A tiny device with small screen for reading, that doesn't have a e-ink? Man...this is a must have device. Where is it? I'm going to run out and buy one right away!

[sporkinum Posted Oct 13th 2009 5:13PM]

Looks like a lot of folks don't get it. 1 set of aaa's runs for a year. No wireless required, so runs anywhere (I'm looking at you, IPhone users). Hackable. How much cellular service does $100 buy anyway? 2 months? You can use this in the middle of the woods, On an airplane, in a cave, etc.

[Overgauss Posted Oct 13th 2009 11:19PM]

This is what the Peek should have had.

[nthn2551 Posted Oct 13th 2009 11:57PM]

Well, I think they might have another unfortunate downfall with this device as well.

[kingu Posted Oct 14th 2009 12:39AM]

Can we have the phone back if we buy this?

[bhunterr Posted Dec 31st 2009 7:59PM]

wikiPeek?