BBC's h2g2 Goes Mobile - Again

zaktheduck writes "According to a recent press release, in anticipation of the new movie and the h2g2 website's sixth birthday, the BBC have relaunched the long-shelved h2g2 Mobile service. The new version of the popular community website allows access to the 7000+ and growing edited guide entries from PDAs, and smartphones. H2g2 had a WAP service back in 2001, aptly named "h2g2 on the Move", but was cancelled when the company faced financial trouble and was purchased by the BBC. Here's a copy of the old promotion page for the service."

Re:Sorry, but no one cares

[NumberGod]

Douglas would be happy.

I think Wikipedia has grown into what Douglas had envisioned.

A Free encyclopedia, updated by almost anyone who wants to update it.

In many of the more relaxed civilizations on the Outer Eastern Rim of the Galaxy, The Hitchhiker's Guide has already supplanted the great Encyclopedia Galactica as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, it scores over the older, more pedestrian work in two important respects.

First, it is slightly cheaper; and second, it has the words DON'T PANIC inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.

Sounds a lot like the guide to me.

Re:So,

[oprahwinfree]

Please don't start bashing the movie until it has been released to the public and we've all seen it...THEN you may start the bashing.

Re:Sorry, but no one cares

[Anonymous Coward]

Maybe you should spend all of three seconds to read the Wikipedia FAQ, where they address this very point themselves. The fact is "mobile" versions of websites these days are pointless because the vast majority of phones and handhelds can render most standard web pages just fine.

remote, portable information access w/ easy input

[Leontes]

Eventually there will be an affordable, portable, wireless device that will allow instantaneous access to local and remote information of the choice of the user, basically a universal reference ebook reader, with several means of input. This is inevitable since such an item would be the ultimate knowledge tool. Cell phone tools, wireless laptops, tablet pcs, pdas, and data watches are all technological stepping stones to an actual, useful, guide to the universe.

Re:7000+ entries?!

[argent]

I thought the whole of planet Earth had only one entry: Mostly harmless...

That's before the dolphins brought it back from the alternate universe. All of Ford's entries got re-inserted on the next update.

Re:Sorry, but no one cares

[ElyseMyers]

I agree, but you have to admit that h2g2 is a lot more fun. honestly, w/ all the buzz that the movie's getting -- i wouldn't be surprised if we saw a spike in membership/registered users w/in the next few weeks. is anyone actually registered w/ them??

PR

[Lord_Dweomer]

As someone in advertising, this is almost certainly a PR stunt. I mean, its fun and interesting, but nothing special, and Wikipedia blows it out of the water. Nothing much to see here except your latest H2G2 branded merchandise.