Type | Private, Startup company |
---|---|
Founded | 2013 |
Area served | Worldwide |
Founder(s) | Lior Grossman, Ilan Lewin |
Employees | 10+ |
Slogan(s) | The world's leading Wikipedia reader |
Website | www |
Registration | Optional |
Available in | English |
Current status | Online |
Native client(s) on | iOS |
Wikiwand is a software interface developed for viewing Wikipedia articles[1] available for several popular[citation needed] HTTP user agents (web browsers) as a free browser extension or mobile app.
History
Wikiwand (originally WikiWand) was founded in 2013 by Lior Grossman and Ilan Lewin.[2] Officially launched in August 2014,[3] the interface includes a sidebar menu, navigation bar, personalized links to other languages, new typography, and access to previews of linked articles.[4] The list of contents is constantly displayed on the left-hand side.[5]
According to Grossman, "It didn’t make sense to us that the fifth most popular website in the world, used by half a billion people, has an interface that hasn’t been updated in over a decade. We found the Wikipedia interface cluttered, hard to read (large blocks of small text), hard to navigate, and lacking in terms of usability."[6]
Availability
The interface is available on Chrome, Safari and Firefox as well as via Wikiwand's website. In March 2015, Wikiwand released an iOS app for iPhone and iPad.[7]
Funding
Wikiwand was able to raise $600,000 to support the development of the improved interface. In February 2016, Wikiwand transitioned from an advertising-supported free service to a paid subscription model.[citation needed] It has stated that it intends to donate 30% of its profits to the Wikimedia Foundation.[6][8]
References
- ^ Jillian Wong (21 August 2014). "‘WikiWand’ Gives Wikipedia Clean New Layout For A Better Reading Experience". Taxi. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ "WikiWand". CrunchBase. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ "WikiWand". Twitter. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ Martin Brinkmann (14 August 2014). "WikiWand is a modernized Wikipedia frontend". ghacks.net. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ "WikiWand makes Wikipedia beautiful". TNW. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Web App WikiWand Raises $600,000 To Give Wikipedia A New Interface". techcrunch.com. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ Zach Epstein (18 March 2015). "New free iPhone app transforms Wikipedia into a stunning interactive experience". Yahoo. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
- ^ "About - Wikiwand". Wikiwand. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015.
External links
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