Articles: Wikipedia how it should be seen
Every time I get a new smartphone, or experiment with a new platform, there are without-a-doubt essential applications. A feature packed wikipedia application is one of them, and if Articles isn’t it then I do not know what is. After using Articles for a day, I can no longer use any other application or the web browser for wikipedia, as the features packed into Articles are matched by no other app.
To begin with Articles has a familiar multiple page style that is an exact clone of Safari’s, comforting and intuitive. Clicking an image brings up the detailed information about the subject (for this review I was reading about George Orwell) and the background colors for each section even alternate to not hurt your eyes. Being a web and graphic designer it is the minute details that either make your eyes burn after two minutes or allow them to feel at ease. Articles’ interface design accomplished the later. Tapping any other image on a page will either bring up detailed information or a full-screen view which can be saved or forwarded.
One benefit of having a dedicated wikipedia application is separated bookmarks. I know, I know, you could just create a new folder, but with multitasking coming to iPhone OS 4.0, the features packed into a dedicated Wikipedia application outweigh the problem of multitasking.
One feature I must mention is orientation lock, something the entire OS should have. The only real problem I saw with Articles, which may have been something I skipped over, is the inability to jump from one section of a wikipedia article to another or minimize sections.
Articles offers external application integration that is really unique, it makes me want to support this developer. I was unaware of this feature until I stumbled upon the brilliant implementation by On this Day and Articles. If you select an event to view more information in the free application On this Day, it will bring you to the normal Wikipedia page (boring), but if you have Articles installed, it uses the formatting introduced by Articles inside the On this Day application. Pure brilliance!
In the end, this is the wikipedia application you want to use. Whether or not you have an extra $2.99 around to spend, you do not want to be using any other application to read a wikipedia article.
Articles is available for iPhone/iPod Touch for $2.99 & iPad for $4.99
