Electronics. Entertainment. Gadgets.
Silver's Screen
By Steve Silver
About Stephen
Stephen Silver has been the associate online editor of E-Gear since February 2007. He writes frequently on the topics of technology, film, pop culture, politics, public policy and sports. A native of Minnesota, he lives in the Philadelphia area.New Media Addict
SXSW 2010 Preview
Feb 24, 2010South by Southwest Interactive 2010 is a little over two weeks away, and I'm getting ready. Here are just...
The Letter Box
The Thin Blu Line
Sep 8, 2009The line between technology and content continues to blur....
One-One-Hundredth of a Smartphone
OpenMoko this week unveiled a product called the WikiReader ($99), a standalone gadget that consists of Wikipedia. All of it. The small device, featuring just three buttons, the touchscreen device allows search of the online encyclopedia's 3 million entries.
The twist? The device is not Internet-connected- Wikipedia comes completely pre-installed. So how does it show changes? Through software updates, that are downloaded to the device quarterly. Yes, that's right- not weekly, not monthly, but quarterly. (The updates can also purchased as SD card updates for $29 per year.)
Never mind that having the entire encyclopedia pre-installed, with changes coming so glacially, runs contrary to Wikipedia's open-source, constantly changing ethos. There's another big problem with the WikiReader: how totally un-utilitarian it is.
I already have a gadget that does everything the WikiReader does. I call it "my BlackBerry." And not only does it also access every single page on Wikipedia- albeit in color, and without that pesky three-month lag time- but it can also reach every other mobile-capable Web site in the world. And that's not to mention e-mail, phone calls, applications, and every other function. And most BlackBerries these days, not to mention all but the highest-end smart phones, sell for under $100. It amazes me that in the age of smartphones, a product like the WikiReader could still exist.
I got a similar product as a gift a few years ago, a little gizmo that delivered NFL scores in real time. Not any other sports, no fantasy stats or point spreads or anything- just the NFL. So it wasn't particularly useful on the 345 days a year that aren't a football Sunday. And again, my phone- and really, any Internet-capable mobile phone sold since 2004 or so- can get those scores, too.
There's no such thing anymore as a pager, a pocket organizer, or a PDA. Some even believe the iPod and personal navigation devices are on their way out. That's because there are newer devices that do all of the above, plus a lot more, at a similar or lower price. But the pager and PDA at least have the excuse of being developed long before the smartphone was. WikiReader, however, came along long after its entire function was available as a standard feature on dozens of devices.
For all I know, the WikiReader will be a runaway success- it's being marketed towards kids, who not to have their own smartphones. But I think most people, if they have $99 to spend on something to put in their pocket to access Wikipedia, will choose a device that does one or two or 500 other things.
The twist? The device is not Internet-connected- Wikipedia comes completely pre-installed. So how does it show changes? Through software updates, that are downloaded to the device quarterly. Yes, that's right- not weekly, not monthly, but quarterly. (The updates can also purchased as SD card updates for $29 per year.)
Never mind that having the entire encyclopedia pre-installed, with changes coming so glacially, runs contrary to Wikipedia's open-source, constantly changing ethos. There's another big problem with the WikiReader: how totally un-utilitarian it is.
I already have a gadget that does everything the WikiReader does. I call it "my BlackBerry." And not only does it also access every single page on Wikipedia- albeit in color, and without that pesky three-month lag time- but it can also reach every other mobile-capable Web site in the world. And that's not to mention e-mail, phone calls, applications, and every other function. And most BlackBerries these days, not to mention all but the highest-end smart phones, sell for under $100. It amazes me that in the age of smartphones, a product like the WikiReader could still exist.
I got a similar product as a gift a few years ago, a little gizmo that delivered NFL scores in real time. Not any other sports, no fantasy stats or point spreads or anything- just the NFL. So it wasn't particularly useful on the 345 days a year that aren't a football Sunday. And again, my phone- and really, any Internet-capable mobile phone sold since 2004 or so- can get those scores, too.
There's no such thing anymore as a pager, a pocket organizer, or a PDA. Some even believe the iPod and personal navigation devices are on their way out. That's because there are newer devices that do all of the above, plus a lot more, at a similar or lower price. But the pager and PDA at least have the excuse of being developed long before the smartphone was. WikiReader, however, came along long after its entire function was available as a standard feature on dozens of devices.
For all I know, the WikiReader will be a runaway success- it's being marketed towards kids, who not to have their own smartphones. But I think most people, if they have $99 to spend on something to put in their pocket to access Wikipedia, will choose a device that does one or two or 500 other things.
Not everyone wants a smart phone and the attendant monthly recurring charges. Your smart phone needs recharged daily and won't work where there is no signal, like inside buildings or in the woods. Where I live, Verizon only has coverage in the city, and along the interstates. If you are more than 10 miles off the main roads, there is no service.
As far as the frequency of updates, quarterly is fine. I'd bet 99% of the content doesn't change anyway. Just like map updates for GPS.
No, smartphones don't come in at