WikiReader portable offline Wikipedia device launched

Openmoko has announced the US launch of its WikiReader, a portable device which provides offline access to Wikipedia articles.

Priced at $99, WikiReader features a basic monochrome touchscreen display, and three million English language Wikipedia articles stored on a microSD card.

The company plans to offer updated memory cards every quarter, so you can keep up to speed with Wikipedia’s ever-changing landscape. Minus the editing cat-fights, of course. A year’s subscription to the updates will cost $30.

While the display isn’t backlit, the good news is with a low energy consumption it will apparently run for the best part of a year on two AAA batteries.

No word yet on whether it’s due for a UK release.