wiki2touch

Wiki2touchThis app is for all of you who need to be a walking wikipedia… which I doubt is all that many. Basically, when all goes according to plan (read on), this app gives you access to the entire wikipedia database when offline. Yep, it puts the whole thing on your iPhone! Sounds crazy right, it is! But do not get excited yet, I have not yet been successful in getting it on my iPhone…

So first off I downloaded the app from the Wiki2Touch Repo in Installer. Then launch the app and it tells me that I need to install the data base, which they have a nice instruction page for. I clicked the link (on my main pc) to start the wiki database download… woah! almost 4gb big! That took a little over an hour to download, on my cable internet. Then once it finished, my WinRAR popped up (WinRAR = WinZIP) and asked me if I wanted to extract the files, which I clicked yes… whoops. 2 hours later when it finished extracting, I realized I wasn’t suppose to do that. (I am a guy, I tend to avoid instructions…) Once I re-read the instructions I realized they have a tool for your PC that takes the file you downloaded and ‘indexes’ it for you. So I started up that tool and away it went… untill 2 hours later (yeah it was still running after 2 hours) it crashed my computer. :-\ I have a decent computer, I was running a few other apps at the time, but nothing to stress the computer, but everything froze and I had to start the process over. So I gave up. Besides, if you want this app on your iPhone and working, that means you have to give up 4 gigs of memory that could be used for songs/movies… And I don’t think the wikipedia will get me through long days at work, like listening to music does.

Since I do not need to be a walking Wikipedia, I decided I wasn’t going to waste another 2-3 hours of my life on this app. If you have got it working, please comment!




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Comments

  1. Why isn’t there a native application that just gives you Wikipedia using the internet? I don’t want the whole Wikipedia locally on my phone, I just want to be able to access it using the internet; I find the web apps to be too slow over EDGE.

    • Have you tried – wikipedia.comoki.com (I know, weird url). It works really well for us.

    • As the name implies this app is targeted more for the iPod Touch, where you don’t get internet access wherever you go (and can have 32Gb of space storage as well)

  2. Here are the steps:

    1. Download the wikipedia app from here: http://collison.ie/wikipedia-iphone/Wikipedia-0.2.2.zip

    2. Download the 2.3 GB dump file from here: http://ftp.heanet.ie/pub/wikipedia-iphone/enwiki-20071018-iphone

    3. Extract both files (the Wikipedia zip and the tar) separately.

    4. SSH the Wikipedia.app into the applications folder in your iPhone. Set permissions to 775. (It’s not enough that you set just the folder. Click all files inside the folder then change to 775)

    5. Change auto-lock setting of iPhone to Never

    6. SSH the “wp” folder from the tar file to private>var>root on your iPhone. Again, set permissions to all files in the folder to 775 after. (Note: this takes really long, around 1 1/2 to 2 hours if you’re on a wireless G router, more than 3 hours if on a wirless B.)

    7. Restart iPhone.

    8. Change your auto-lock settings back to your preferred (1 minute, 2 minutes, etc.).

    9. Enjoy the encyclopedia on your iPhone

  3. You can try also: http://keishi.net/ipodia/

  4. hum, i’ve installed wiki2touch several times (3 or 4) and i’ve never had any problems with crashing computers or anything

    it only takes up 3.2 gigs, btw

    if it crashes your computer ‘cos you’re doing too much stuff just let it go overnight or something

    and ryn.. that one you posted is a different (and much worse, no landscape or bookmarkings and it crashes all the time) wikipedia app

    wikipedia.app =/= wiki2touch.app

    though that one is 900mb less.. eh i’d still rather use wiki2touch

  5. It works like a charm ) i love this app

  6. Do u have wikipedia in hebrew?

  7. hmh its very useful!

  8. MrCyberdude says

    Great app works a charm

    Pros = fast, no wifi needed, info for free
    Cons = makes size of iPhone’s 7GB storage seem inadequate

    the latest transfertool worked better than the old one,
    but not needed if you copy to the phone manually via SSH.

    Thanks for this killer info app.

  9. hmhm you can download the normal transver tool here http://code.google.com/p/wiki2touch/
    It´s the normal transver tool for wiki2touch
    And when it doesn´t work you can still use Total Commander combined with T-pot.
    Then you need not to wait 3 hours or more…

    • Hello Algor,
      I downoalded the Total commander but i can´t open the iphone on it.
      i can´t even finf it in via total commander tool.
      Can you please help me, i´m about one month trying to find solution for my iphone 1.1.3. 16gb, im using my v terminal to change the permissions but still not to do it.

  10. I had it for my
    iPod touch and absolutely loved it, you have the knowledge of the world at your fingertips! I’ve since upgraded to a jailbroken 2.1 firmware and unfortunately this app is not compatible with it yet. Can’t wait for wiki2touch for 2.1, will definately make space for it!

  11. hey. i’ve been trying to send the articles file (3.21 gb) to the directory but it always gives an error. i tried on total commander as well on T Pot but nothing works. + i don’t know how to change permissions. please help

  12. To have a summary of human knowledge, more extensive than any written encyclopaedia, that contains millions of articles each multiple pages long on a device as small as the palm of your hand, amazing. I got the thing working, it’s changed my life. Goodbye

  13. please help me to install this app in ios5
    i need this app.