WikiReader Afield

Our users go out into the world literally armed with knowledge. Here’s what they’re doing with it.

Our friends, Scott and Woody, from AsiaWheeling have shared some photos of their trip:

Enjoy.

Win a WikiReader courtesy of Lunch at Piero’s:

Lunch at Piero’s is kicking off their ramp-up for CES 2011 with a series of giveaways, many that will make your travels more enjoyable. This week’s giveaway is a WikiReader. It’s easy to enter. Here are the contest details…

Listen to Kavita Rampal of READ Global speak about WikiReader in her community:

Last holiday season we donated 162 WikiReaders – one to each of READ Global‘s libraries in Bhutan, India, and Nepal. We’ve had a lot of fun keeping us with READ’s progress and hearing how the locals interact with their WikiReaders.

This past week, we received an email from READ’s Executive Director after her recent visit to a few Nepal libraries. She was extremely excited to inform us that big posters were at each library announcing WikiReader.

She took this picture:

From day one, our goal was to bring Wikipedia into more peoples’ lives in new ways. We’re thrilled to see this is happening – all around the world.

-Sean

As we approach this year’s holiday season we’re begin to see local retailers carry WikiReader into their brick and mortar stores. Today we’re excited to announce that BestBuy Canada is carrying WikiReader:

More stores around the world are coming soon.

Note: For the curious reader, Pandigital is our exclusive sales partner in North America.

Woody Schneider and Scott Norton have taken the WikiReader farther than any other users. The two friends have been traveling through Asia since January, by bicycle, on a project they call AsiaWheeling. Right now they are in Russia, having already visited Indonesia, India, Jordan, Turkey, and 16 other countries.

The main purpose of their journey is to file in-depth reports on the places they visit and, hopefully, to expand their readers’ knowledge of places that are still unfamiliar, if not entirely unknown, to Westerners.

This requires more than simple travelogues. Schneider and Norton have to provide history and context in their reports. That’s where WikiReader comes in. Whether they need on-the-spot details about the things they’re seeing in an Indonesian street market or historical background for a story about India, they can turn to the WikiReaders in their backpacks.

Throughout their journey, Schneider and Norton have been in close contact with the WikiReader team, offering examples of how the device can be used in the field, and providing valuable suggestions for features they’d like to see in future updates.

The AsiaWheeling trip will conclude in October in Taiwan, home of Openmoko, the technology company behind the WikiReader. Before then, though, there will be more time in Russia, along with travels through China, Mongolia, and South Korea. Check back for updates, or read their full reports at AsiaWheeling.com

Going live this week! Please check back shortly.