Worth the paying
I liked it after brief initial use. The built-in dictionary is very handy. The UI enhances the reading experience! It is definitely one of the most useful apps I have bought :)
Critically flawed app with primitive sorting features
Pros:
- Wikipedia viewer with queueing and offline-viewing capability.
- Quick response from developer (see first con).
Cons:
- Saved articles are only sorted alphabetically, with no other sort options, making it impossible to read articles related to one another. A 'sort by time saved' option would allow the reader to see articles of similar topics (assuming that is how the user saved them). I suggested this to Mr. Chin who dismissed the request saying no one needed/wanted the feature. No one wants sorting ability of their files...really?
- Some pages are rendered incorrectly (Iraq War, for example).
- If you have autosave enabled for queued articles, then the articles are removed from queue list (see first con), making it impossible to make sense of your previously viewed articles.
- No text size control. Cannot zoom into images or anything else.
- No wiki home page on launch, instead it takes a couple of 'clicks' to get there.
Honestly, your money would be better spent on instapaper if the primary purpose of this app is offline viewing. This app, in it's current form, should not cost $5.
- Wikipedia viewer with queueing and offline-viewing capability.
- Quick response from developer (see first con).
Cons:
- Saved articles are only sorted alphabetically, with no other sort options, making it impossible to read articles related to one another. A 'sort by time saved' option would allow the reader to see articles of similar topics (assuming that is how the user saved them). I suggested this to Mr. Chin who dismissed the request saying no one needed/wanted the feature. No one wants sorting ability of their files...really?
- Some pages are rendered incorrectly (Iraq War, for example).
- If you have autosave enabled for queued articles, then the articles are removed from queue list (see first con), making it impossible to make sense of your previously viewed articles.
- No text size control. Cannot zoom into images or anything else.
- No wiki home page on launch, instead it takes a couple of 'clicks' to get there.
Honestly, your money would be better spent on instapaper if the primary purpose of this app is offline viewing. This app, in it's current form, should not cost $5.
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Really great app
This wiki app is the best I've used- clean interface, large text available and ability to queue downloads- great if you see a link in the body of the text that you'd like to read later. Worth the money.
A must have for iPad! Bring back the 3D icon!
Really enjoying this application, should certainly be on your must buy list! One little complaint though, please bring back the 3D icon from the previous release, it stood out so well against the other apps!
Fantastic app for iPad
WIkipanion is already one of my main iPhone apps. The queueing system allows you to queue linked articles in the background for later reading, without disturbing the main article that you're currently reading.
I'm glad to say that the iPad version of the app does the same, but also takes advantage of the larger iPad screen to enable you to see the list of queued items on the left. These items can be easily selected for reading.
This system also makes it easy to select bookmarks and history, but for me the quick queue access alone makes this app worth the price. It's amazing how much this improves the usability of Wikipedia.
I'm glad to say that the iPad version of the app does the same, but also takes advantage of the larger iPad screen to enable you to see the list of queued items on the left. These items can be easily selected for reading.
This system also makes it easy to select bookmarks and history, but for me the quick queue access alone makes this app worth the price. It's amazing how much this improves the usability of Wikipedia.
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Super useful app
I love this app for the ability to queue articles and especially offline reading. It's really useful and helpful and it's my main source for almost any kind of info.
I for one love the new icon and I really hope you don't change it back to the old one!
I for one love the new icon and I really hope you don't change it back to the old one!
Great app!
One of the best I've bought so far! I love the new icon, it's easy to find this app now that the icon is in 3D. Don't change it back please. More important, the program makes research very easy. Well worth it!
Excellent reading companion
Much like it's iPhone sibling, this version of Wikipanion in a native format has one, killer feature... queues. While reading a single entry, you can click a new link and add it to a queue for later reading, rather then clicking and jumping to a new article.
For me, it makes Wikipedia a whole new medium; something I can sit back and read various articles of interests as if it were a complex book of non-fiction or a historical novel. The worse I find is that it can be a huge time drain, you can imagine how some of the article links and references delve deeper and deeper into the subjects with only the obsession that Wikipedia writers/editors seem to have.
I only wish it had twitter/facebook integration so I can easily publish this online like I do news articles from NPR, USA Today and the New York Times. I would love to see the overall design of the reader be more stylized, but I can live without that compared to such functionality.
I crown this the best app for iPhone and the iPad when you're looking reading Wikipedia.
For me, it makes Wikipedia a whole new medium; something I can sit back and read various articles of interests as if it were a complex book of non-fiction or a historical novel. The worse I find is that it can be a huge time drain, you can imagine how some of the article links and references delve deeper and deeper into the subjects with only the obsession that Wikipedia writers/editors seem to have.
I only wish it had twitter/facebook integration so I can easily publish this online like I do news articles from NPR, USA Today and the New York Times. I would love to see the overall design of the reader be more stylized, but I can live without that compared to such functionality.
I crown this the best app for iPhone and the iPad when you're looking reading Wikipedia.
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Auto download crashes all the time but still love it.
I'm giving it 5 stars assuming auto download will be fixed. Best wiki client out there.
Simply one of the best iPad apps to date
I love this application, it makes my University life a lot easier. I love the feature that allows you to browse for similar topics pertaining to your selected topic, its great for finding hidden gems when doing presentations and such.
