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Wik-Off: Which Wikipedia App To Use?
I've used Wikopedia but not often since a recent study revealed the fact that, while convenient, reliability and accuracy is, at times, ... questionable.
The article said-
The study did reveal inaccuracies in eight of the nine entries and exposed major flaws in at least two of the nine Wikipedia articles. Overall, Wikipedia's accuracy rate was 80 percent compared with 95-96 percent accuracy within the other sources. This study does support the claim that Wikipedia is less reliable than other reference resources. Furthermore, the research found at least five unattributed direct quotations and verbatim text from other sources with no citations.
Nevertheless, a whole lot of people rely on Wikopedia and the App Store offers a number of ways to access it. The three main choices are-
- The free resident Google App
-The free Wikopanion App
-The $.99 iWik App
How did the three stack up? Let's review them via a brief compare and contrast.
I made the comparison by doing three different searches on each. I searched "iPhone", "iMac" and "president". Here are the results.
The Google App Results:
The Google App required a quick setting change so that it searches Wikipedia. It is not a difficult change (you go to the small triangle in the upper left corner) but it is an inconvenience. Once the setting is adjusted it is easy to search Wikipedia. The results are quick but, unfortunately as with everything returned from the Google App it is not returned in an iPhone optimized format and is therefore difficult to read. The result searches look like this.
iWik Results:
iWik has a nice clean interface and requires no adjustment. You can simply input the desired query, hit search and it returns result in an easy to read iPhone optimized format. The problem with iWik is that, of the three searches I ran, only one returned results. The others requested more details. Annoying. More annoying, in fact, than having to adjust the setting in the Google App. The results look like this:
Update: The eagle eyes of one of our readers raised the questions as to whether or not I was, at times, unintentionally adding a space after the search word. It turns out that that was exactly what was happening. Without or without the space, however, the other two apps completed the search accurately.
Wikipanion Results:
Of the three Wikipanion was the clear winner. It is a dedicated Wikipedia search search that requires no adjustment prior to use. After inputing the query, the results are returned accurately (unlike iWik) and in iPhone optimized format (unlike the Google App). Oh, and best of all, it is free. The results look like this:
Quick Take: Google App
Value: Good
Would I Buy Again: Yes
Learning Curve: Small- so long as you know how to change the setting
Who is it for: Anyone
What I like: brings a Wikipedia search within decent overall Google search app.
What I Don’t: Requires setting change, returns result in hard-to-read format
Final Statement: Good for Wikipedia search. Not great.
Quick Take: iWiki
Value: Low
Would I Buy Again: Nope
Learning Curve: Small
Who is it for: People who want to search Wikipedia (and then search again when the results aren't accurate)
What I like: Nothing
What I Don’t: Paying to worry about whether or not I add a space after a word? No thanks
Final Statement: Not worth it even it free.
Quick Take: Wikipanion
Value: High
Would I Buy Again: Yes
Learning Curve: Low
Who is it for: Everyone
What I like: Free, easy to use, results returned in easy to read format
What I Don’t: Nothing
Final Statement: This is the Wikipedia app of choice
Now that the new iWik (renamed iPedia) is out, it'll be nice to see how all the updated Wikipedia Apps compare. Can't wait!
Looks like the new Wikipanion 1.3 and Wikipanion Plus are out. The Wiki Wars are heating up! I can't wait to see how these all compare. Thanks!
I'd be interested in seeing how Kiwi compares to these 3, and maybe even Wikipanion Plus once it's released.
I would like to see that too, actually.
You asked for it... you got it.
I downloaded Kiwi tonight and have been playing around with it. Too early to actually write a review but my first impressions are... AWESOME! It is a fantastic way to access Wikipedia on the iPhone. The aility to save a page as LOCAL content with a single tap is fantastic.
Great suggestions- thanks! Look for the review in the next couple of days.
Would it be possible to add "Look Up Wikipedia" to the Wik-Off?
Absolutely!!
Please consider re-doing this review with the new version of iWik. Stuff missed about iWik 1.2... * Article of the Day * Today's News (coming in 1.3, pending Apple approval) * Quick help with any problems (response in less than a day or a few hours) * Spaces don't matter, same search as on Wikipedia * Random Article
Thanks for the comment/suggestion.
I immediately downloaded the current version in order to update the post/rereview.
I love a lot of what has been done with the app. The random "article of the day" is a nice fun touch of trivia. The recoding so that spaces don't matter is great... and appreciated. The ability to increase and decrease the font size is FANTASTIC.
BUT...
The app crashed every thirty seconds or so on both my iPhone AND my Touch.
I'll be happy to take a look again when version 1.3 is released.
iWik has huge potential but I would still recommend the free apps currently available until iWik is more stable.
So based on the fact that the current version didn't exclude your extraneous spaces from the search field, you like "Nothing" about the application that has "a nice clean interface and requires no adjustment." That's a truly incisive analysis! If you can afford the iPhone and its data plan, but $0.99 is going to break your bank, maybe you should ask daddy to increase your allowance.
The cost is irrelevant. That isn't the issue or the point. If the app doesn't do what it should, or there is an alternative that works better THAT is the app I am going to recommend. I will happily pay more for an app that works better.
On the other hand, when a FREE version that is coded in such a way that it completes the search regardless of whether or not I add a space is available WHY in the world would I recommend that people spend anything (yes, even one dollar) for an app that works less well?
Why would you consider buying iwik (even for $0.99) if there's a better, free version anyway? I don't know how I feel about someone making money off the free contributions of others. Wikipanion is the clear winner here.
In your iWik screenshots, the app is searching for "iPhone+" and "President+." What is the significance of the "+"? Did you type a space after those words? If so, is it possible that the space is what confused iWik, returning no results? If so, that's poor programming on the iWik developer's part -- spaces should be ignored. Still, I wonder if that's why the app behaved unexpectedly. [P.S. This comment form is quite awkward. It behaves oddly, and although the user enters carriage returns, to separate paragraphs, the comments are posted as one, long blurb.]
soundsgoodtome-Great catch. I went back to both iWik and Wikopanion and... that is exactly what happened/is happening. In iWik when a space was added it turned in the "result" with the "+" and nothing else but without the space did not. With Wikopanion the space was, as you pointed out, ignored. As you pointed out though, that should not be happening.I am updating the post to reflect this.