Yesterday, Brian highlighted WikiPock Plus, a Windows Mobile solution for accessing the popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia.  Today, I thought we would take a look at another option, Infopedia for Palm Pre from SplashData.

While I have had some hesitations about Wikipedia as a trusted information source, even I must admit that it is incredibly convenient and easy to use.  More often than not, it is well documented and reliable.  But we are not here to talk about Wikipedia itself.  We are here to talk about how you can access Wikipedia (warts and all) without being tethered to your computer.  And the solution on your Palm Pre is Infopedia.

From the main screen, all you have to do is start typing your search term (I typed “Superman”).  That’s it.  Type your search term and watch the article appear.  This is exactly the same article you would find online (minus some footnotes) reformatted slightly to fit the screen of your Palm Pre.

If you are not looking for anything specific, you can also hit the Random Article button and see what appears.  While I did not use this feature much, I did think it was a cool way to broaden your own horizons and learn a little about a lot of new areas.  If you were to tap the Random Article button each morning, you could learn about 365 new topics every year.  Take this to your favorite watering hole, and watch your friends stare in astonishment as you rattle of one little known fact after another.  There you go, mailman…Cheers.

You can also select Current Events in order to find articles relating to people or topics which have been in the news lately.  This is different than viewing the latest headlines.  Instead, it expands on the headlines by bringing you background articles about the people, places, and topics you found in today’s headlines.  So, while you might have read an article in your local newspaper about North Korea releasing two American journalists; you can use Infopedia’s Current Events screen to learn more about North Korea, the imprisoned journalists, and even former President Bill Clinton.

If you really enjoy an article, you can bookmark it in order to quickly and easily access it again later, or even email it to someone else.  These options are fantastic for doing research (again, be careful when citing a Wikipedia entry for accuracy) or other scholarly pursuits.

I have been a fan of SplashData’s Apps in the past, and I was not surprised at all to find the Palm OS stalwart on Palm’s new WebOS.  With Infopedia, there will be no more jotting down search terms and waiting until you get back to your computer to finish your research.  Now, you can access those articles online from anywhere, and isn’t that the real beauty of a device like the Palm Pre?

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