A variety of mobile apps provide access to Wikipedia on hand-held devices from Apple. These apps are accessed via Apple's App Store, a digital application distribution platform for iOS. Some apps load content from the Wikipedia site and process it; other apps use the MediaWiki API.
For each listing, to give a flavor of the app, 1-2 sentences from the app developer's promotional blurbs are listed for each. To limit this list to only notable apps, only currently available apps listed in major app blogs like "148 Apps"[1] or traditional news/media are included, with closely similar apps condensed to one. Also, only English-language apps are listed.
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Reading and browsing apps
These apps' primary objective is to display articles. Typical features include searching for articles, bookmarks, sharing, or enlarging images. They differ in details of their user interface.
- "All Of Wikipedia - Offline", by Brilliant(ish) Software[2]
- "Discover — Wikipedia in a Magazine", by Cooliris, Inc.[3][4]
- "Simplepedia for iPad — Simple Wikipedia Reader", by realazy (this is a suite of apps with different prices)
- "Wiki² - Wikipedia Reader for iPad", by BananaGlue GmbH
- "Wikibot -- A Wikipedia Articles Reader", by Avocado Hills
- "WikiNodes" by Institute for Dynamic Educational Advancement (IDEA)[5][6][7]
- "Wiki Offline -- A Wikipedia Experience" by Avocado Hills - stores the full text of all Wikipedia articles on the device
- "Wikipedia Mobile", by Wikimedia Foundation[8]
- "Articles", by Sophiestication Software[9]
Games
These apps' primary objective is to play games, such finding a path from one article to another by following links, in a manner similar to Word ladders.
- 3 Degrees of Wikipedia -- by Ivan Zhao -- What happened to the hundreds of Wikipedia articles you have read? "I forgot about them", you answered. Here is a game to help you remember those forgotten articles, and it will stimulate your brain like nothing else. The idea is very simple: in each puzzle, you will be given two Wikipedia pages, and your goal is to navigate from one ... [10]
- Wiki Golf -- by Jesse Daugherty -- Ever wondered how to get from the Sun to London? How about from Uranium to Water? Wiki Golf is a game that lets you test 6 degrees of separation… and puts your skills to the test with Global Leaderboards!
- Wiki Hunt - The Wikipedia Game -- by Dan Hassin -- Wiki Hunt is a new and intriguing game of linking two unrelated Wikipedia articles in the least amount of clicks possible. Navigate your way from one article to another via the links in the connecting articles. Challenge friends to see if they can link them in fewer clicks or if they can discover your path at all! ... [11]
Topic-focused viewers & geolocation
These apps tend to be focused on a specific topic, or type of information. They are not intended to browser all of Wikipedia.
- Wikipedia on Map -- by Maksym Tsanko -- Get the value of places you never knew before! Explore the World! Read Wikipedia pages related to selected place on the map on any Language. Send interesting pages by E-mail to your friends or yourself. You can chose place by searching address, dropping pin on the map or get your current ...
Artistic viewers
These apps are designed to be visually intriguing, not specifically to be highly usable.
- POLY Wikipedia -- by CedeSoft -- Turn your iPad into a true Futuristic Access terminal with POLY Wikipedia for iPad using a unique Polygon based interface. POLY Wikipedia has been created from the ground up to present Wikipedia articles in a genuine futuristic Interface using animated text display and futuristic sounds. Article Summary Mode Tap the Article Summary button to put POLY ...[clarification needed]
References
- ^ http://www.148apps.com/search/wikipedia
- ^ http://www.appscout.com/2011/06/all_of_wikipedia_-_on_or_offli.php
- ^ http://wassapps.com/2011/03/29/discover-a-new-wikipedia/
- ^ http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/14/cooliris/
- ^ http://www.148apps.com/news/wikinodes-brings-perspective-knowledge/
- ^ http://ipadinsight.com/ipad-app-reviews/wikinodes-for-ipad-making-wikipedia-fun-to-explore
- ^ http://ipad.appfinders.com/wikinodes-for-ipad/
- ^ http://www.smartcompany.com.au/information-technology/20110617-iphone-app-of-the-week-wikipedia-mobile.html
- ^ http://developer.apple.com/wwdc/ada/ada2010winners.html
- ^ http://www.148apps.com/reviews/3-degrees-wikipedia-review/
- ^ http://www.gamezebo.com/games/wiki-hunt/review
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