Tag: Wikipedia »

Knowledge is power so they say. Excluding huge wealth, I suspect the elusive 'they' are right. Quora won't provide great financial fortunes (probably) but it will provide plenty of knowledge.

Providing a neat combination of social networking and knowledge, Quora allows users to ask people questions as well as answer other people's queries. Over 60,000 topics are covered enabling users to search through thousands of different location based topics as well as anything else that may grip them.

Kind of like Wikipedia, it opens up a huge breadth of knowledge on everything from current affair issues to simply asking people what it's like to be in their chosen career field. Users could even use it for relationship advice or tourism information for a specific area. It's a fascinating insight into just how much knowledge each and every person may have. An instant reminder that everyone is knowledgeable about something, even if they don't yet realise it.

Quora is a free app so why not give it a shot today? It makes an entertaining change from the likes of Wikipedia.

To a whole generation of computer and internet users Wikipedia has become the wellspring of information that has all of the answers, both right and wrong.  Everything from current events to obscure facts can be found on the service, and all at no cost to the consumer.  While the source of this data may be free, the lack of innovation on how things have been displayed to the consumer has always been a roadblock to it ever being fully embraced on the iOS.  Fortunately, the new iPad app WikiNodes looks to change all of that in a big way.

Instead of being forced into reading walls of boring text, WikiNodes has a streamlined new interface that makes researching random topics a far more visually gratifying experience.  As you can see in the screenshots, the app is laid out in more of a chart centric manner that will allow users to click on any interesting items, zoom in and out, highlight useful data, and even flow from topic to topic with ease.  While taking advantage of all of the space that the iPad has to offer, this looks to be a far superior experience to what you could only find in a web browser.

For a mere ninety nine cents a tool like this could redefine the way that you use Wikipedia on the iOS.  Honestly it would be nice if their engineers were taking notes, because maybe adding this in as an alternate interface to the actual site could make it infinitely more browseable.  That said, it could also lead to extending inadvertent trips down the research rabbit hole indefinitely, bringing productivity to a stop.  On second thought, maybe it is best that WikiNodes stays on the iPad.  After all, the device is just for wasting time anyway, right?  Let us know what you think of it in the comments below

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Update: Discover 1.1 has now been released, allowing you to rediscover content in your history without the need of an internet or data connection - meaning if you're ever in-air or without a data connection, or there's just no hotspots nearby, you'll have all your past information right at your fingertips. Who says you only need to discover things once? Full info here.

Cooliris, developers of the unique internet browser extension that allows you to view the web's pictorial content the way Sci-Fi movies dreamed of, has taken a leap into the iPad world with Discover, an iPad-only application that transforms Wikipedia into an e-magazine. Or is that iMagazine?

The free application "leverages the power of the iPad platform to deliver an enjoyable experience for Wikipedia's vast collection of articles" (Aaran Wessels, Cooliris), by simplifying article navigation through a new "smart search" feature and showcasing daily-updated featured articles and photos. Cooliris developers recognize that "the outstanding breadth and depth of information ... [can] make it difficult for users to navigate", and so the new simplified navigation will ensure that only directly relevant content is provided on-screen, with links to other concepts and ideas provided elsewhere. Photos will be centre-stage in an application that aims to make full efficient use of the iPad's 9.5" display.

“By turning Wikipedia into a ‘live magazine,’ we offer readers a virtually limitless source of quality content that is delightful to use on a daily basis” spoke Soujanya Bhumbar, co-founder and current CEO of Cooliris.

iPad owners will again continue to reap the benefits of developers' intuitive designs in magazine format, most evident in the release of the social networking magazine Flipboard earlier this month. The application, also free, renews the way you see what's happening on Facebook and Twitter by integrating both social tools into a three-by-three square board.