Wikipedia on 3G

jpcapili · 10-14-2011, 05:20 PM

How often do you use Wikipedia on your kindle? Worth buying Kindle Touch with free 3G just for this purpose? I like the idea of being able to access the wiki on the go, but not sure if it's worth it.

susan_cassidy · 10-14-2011, 05:30 PM

I never use Wikipedia on the Kindle, but I often use 3G to download a new book to read.

shinew · 10-14-2011, 06:06 PM

I know a friend of mine just bought a kindle keyboard 3G just so that he can access wikipedia anywhere. he doesn't even read ebooks... :/

tubemonkey · 10-14-2011, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpcapili

How often do you use Wikipedia on your kindle? Worth buying Kindle Touch with free 3G just for this purpose? I like the idea of being able to access the wiki on the go, but not sure if it's worth it.

I don't, because navigating the web with the 5-way D-pad on my K3 is extremely annoying and slow. I plan on getting the Touch, and suspect it'll be far easier to do so on a touch screen. If it is, then I'll be on Wikipedia quite often.

SteveEisenberg · 10-14-2011, 08:38 PM

Forget about www.wikipedia.org. Here is the basic mobile link for Wikipedia:

en.m.wikipedia.org

For larger print, you can pass the above through readingthenet.com.

If the Kindle Touch restricts 3G customers to www.wikipedia.org, I think the technical term for that would be lame.

Philippe Lemay · 11-19-2011, 03:01 PM

I too was wondering how sooth the Wikipedia browsing is. I have an iPad and I do most of my reading on it, so I don't really need a new reader but... it's a little big. These new Kindles look quite portable. And if I could browse wikipedia in the wild it would be a nice bonus.

I just wonder how usable it is. Is it a wikipedia app, or do you use it through the web-browser? Can you browse any content through the browser via the 3G connection, or do you need to connect to wifi for that? By that I mean, is the 3G connection only for downloading books? I also heard that you can tap a word in a book and bring up a quick link to the wikipedia definition.

Also, can you take notes? As in, notes unrelated to your book collection? Store them in folders and stuff like that?

SteveEisenberg · 11-19-2011, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philippe Lemay

Is it a wikipedia app, or do you use it through the web-browser?

I answered in this thread about six weeks ago, but now I am looking on it a little differently.

For real-time access, I still would go through the web browser to the Wikipedia mobile site, en.m.wikipedia.com. Then, unless you like a very small font, you had best take another five seconds or so to select Article Mode. And invocation of Article Mode has to be repeated for every article. Despite Amazon implying that Wikipedia has some special affinity for eInk Kindles, Wikipedia is is not the absolute best web site for the device.

Sometimes I go into a Wikipedia article on my PC and click "Send to Kindle." This results in excellent formatting when you next use your Kindle, but does not sound like what you a looking for. To get the "Send to Kindle" button on the browser bar, I get the tool at to http://www.klip.me/.

Quote:

Can you browse any content through the browser via the 3G connection, or do you need to connect to wifi for that?

Are you asking about this week, or next week

It may depend on whether you get the Touch or the Kindle Keyboard, and whether you buy the device in the US or Canada. Hopefully, a fellow Canadian will jump in and update us on the latest situation.

Quote:

Also, can you take notes?

Not when using the browser, but you should be able to in the klip.me read-it-later scenario.

MikeCL · 11-19-2011, 08:37 PM

So... is it just locked down to wikipedia for the touch 3G?

kkasmire · 12-05-2011, 10:26 PM

I have a Kindle Touch 3G.

Wikipedia works over 3G using the "experimental browser". It displays in a pseudo-Kindle proprietary mobile format for easy viewing.

WARNING - this is what is causing me the biggest dissatisfaction with the KT3G - the "Wikipedia" lookup function has been removed from the pop-up dialog when reading a book. Only the dictionary option remains, and the built-in dictionary doesn't know very much. Wikipedia is the whole reason I bought a 3G version, to get that little pop-up box when coming across an interesting word and wanting to know more. Now, you must exit the book, bring up a series of menus to get to Wikipedia, and manually type the address and search query. It turns what used to be a 5-second pop-up query into a frustrating minute-long touch-n-type procedure.

I guess Amazon is trying to cut down on 3G traffic, so they give us Wikipedia, but make it so inconvenient, it's not worth doing often.

dwallersv · 12-06-2011, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I don't, because navigating the web with the 5-way D-pad on my K3 is extremely annoying and slow. I plan on getting the Touch, and suspect it'll be far easier to do so on a touch screen. If it is, then I'll be on Wikipedia quite often.

I can confirm that.

Have a kbd kindle that I got last Feb, (gen 2?), and found it almost completely useless for Web browsing.

just got my KT last week, and it is an entirely different experience. Very usable for internet. With the article mode and swiping up our down to scroll, it's perfect for reading on the Web.

HarryT · 12-06-2011, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kkasmire

Now, you must exit the book, bring up a series of menus to get to Wikipedia, and manually type the address and search query. It turns what used to be a 5-second pop-up query into a frustrating minute-long touch-n-type procedure.

This is just plain wrong. You certainly don't have to exit the book. Just use the "Search" box at the top of the screen, and change the search target from "This Book" to "Wikipedia". Read the item in Wikipedia, then tap "Back" to return to the book. OK, you have to type in the word you want to search for, but that's not a major burden - in fact one might argue that it's more flexible than only being able to use words that actually appear in the book.

kkasmire · 12-07-2011, 12:32 PM

Quote:

This is just plain wrong.

Thanks for the tip! I appreciate it.

Quote:

OK, you have to type in the word you want to search for

Even with the tip, I really miss the one-button pop-up dialog. One touch - badaboom - you get want you want. Amazon made backward progress. Note that with the one-button search, custom searches would still be available using your "search target" method.

Giggleton · 12-08-2011, 03:28 PM

Does Amazon cache wikipedia on their servers or something to make it fast and nice?

shinew · 12-08-2011, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpcapili

How often do you use Wikipedia on your kindle? Worth buying Kindle Touch with free 3G just for this purpose? I like the idea of being able to access the wiki on the go, but not sure if it's worth it.

I use it often on my phone, but not with Kindle. However, I have a friend of mine who recently bought a 3G Kindle precisely just for the wikipedia-anywhere feature. And he doesn't even read books on it!

So yea, certainly there're people out there who think it's worth it.

10-14-2011, 05:20 PM	#1
jpcapili Enthusiast Posts: 38 Karma: 24968 Join Date: Sep 2011 Device: Kindle Touch 3G	Wikipedia on 3G How often do you use Wikipedia on your kindle? Worth buying Kindle Touch with free 3G just for this purpose? I like the idea of being able to access the wiki on the go, but not sure if it's worth it.

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10-14-2011, 05:30 PM	#2
susan_cassidy Wizard Posts: 2,251 Karma: 3720310 Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: USA Device: Kindle, iPad (not used much for reading)	I never use Wikipedia on the Kindle, but I often use 3G to download a new book to read.

10-14-2011, 06:06 PM	#3
shinew Addict Posts: 309 Karma: 1008082 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: NYC Device: Kindle PW, K4 Touch, iPad2, Samsung Galaxy S II	I know a friend of mine just bought a kindle keyboard 3G just so that he can access wikipedia anywhere. he doesn't even read ebooks... :/

10-14-2011, 08:38 PM	#5
SteveEisenberg Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,384 Karma: 42994616 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: near Philadelphia USA Device: Kindle Kids Edition, Fire HD 10 (11th generation)	Forget about www.wikipedia.org. Here is the basic mobile link for Wikipedia: en.m.wikipedia.org For larger print, you can pass the above through readingthenet.com. If the Kindle Touch restricts 3G customers to www.wikipedia.org, I think the technical term for that would be lame.

11-19-2011, 03:01 PM	#6
Philippe Lemay Apple Hater Posts: 18 Karma: 30 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Canada, Quebec Device: iPad, iPod Touch	I too was wondering how sooth the Wikipedia browsing is. I have an iPad and I do most of my reading on it, so I don't really need a new reader but... it's a little big. These new Kindles look quite portable. And if I could browse wikipedia in the wild it would be a nice bonus. I just wonder how usable it is. Is it a wikipedia app, or do you use it through the web-browser? Can you browse any content through the browser via the 3G connection, or do you need to connect to wifi for that? By that I mean, is the 3G connection only for downloading books? I also heard that you can tap a word in a book and bring up a quick link to the wikipedia definition. Also, can you take notes? As in, notes unrelated to your book collection? Store them in folders and stuff like that?

11-19-2011, 08:37 PM	#8
MikeCL Zealot Posts: 113 Karma: 38 Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Connecticut Device: KKB-3G	So... is it just locked down to wikipedia for the touch 3G?

12-05-2011, 10:26 PM	#9
kkasmire Member Posts: 12 Karma: 1126 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kindle Touch	I have a Kindle Touch 3G. Wikipedia works over 3G using the "experimental browser". It displays in a pseudo-Kindle proprietary mobile format for easy viewing. WARNING - this is what is causing me the biggest dissatisfaction with the KT3G - the "Wikipedia" lookup function has been removed from the pop-up dialog when reading a book. Only the dictionary option remains, and the built-in dictionary doesn't know very much. Wikipedia is the whole reason I bought a 3G version, to get that little pop-up box when coming across an interesting word and wanting to know more. Now, you must exit the book, bring up a series of menus to get to Wikipedia, and manually type the address and search query. It turns what used to be a 5-second pop-up query into a frustrating minute-long touch-n-type procedure. I guess Amazon is trying to cut down on 3G traffic, so they give us Wikipedia, but make it so inconvenient, it's not worth doing often.

12-08-2011, 03:28 PM	#13
Giggleton Banned Posts: 1,687 Karma: 4368191 Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Oregon Device: Kindle3	Does Amazon cache wikipedia on their servers or something to make it fast and nice?

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