Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

Encyclopedia Britannica, unquestionably the best-selling encyclopedia in the world, is now available for Windows Mobile Pocket PCs and Smartphones. The Britannica Concise Encyclopedia is available for purchase as a software download or pre-installed on a Multi Media Card (MMC), which fits in the SD card slots found on most Windows Mobile devices. The MMC version also includes a copy of MobiPocket Reader Pro, a deluxe version of the viewer program and search engine needed to access Britannica's impressive product.

The ultimate reference guide

The Concise Encyclopedia consists of approximately 25,000 complete articles (from Aachen to Zymogen), each spanning anywhere between 1 and 10 screen pages of information and dealing with subjects such as art, history, geography, science, business, pop culture, and a multitude of other topics. There are also over 900 photographs, illustrations, maps, and diagrams to complement the written information. The articles (Fig. 1) are listed in an intuitive and easy-to-use A thru Z format, so you can either scroll through the listing or use the article search function to quickly find what you need. The program even offer an Image Index in case you just want to look at the pictures (Fig. 2).

Fig. 1: A standard article.

Fig. 2: A standard photo entry.

The MobiPocket Reader Pro software is very easy to use. However, if you need some guidance on how to perform certain functions, check out the excellent 49-page User's Guide provided.

The benefits of MobiPocket Reader Pro

MobiPocket Reader Pro is packed with features that make using the encyclopedia easier. You can rotate the screen to a wider horizontal orientation, change the font size and colors, and set a document to automatically scroll down the screen. The reader also provides useful functions such as word or paragraph highlighting, annotation, and the ability to create bookmarks for quick reference.

One of the most pleasant surprises (from a cartographer's perspective) was the Image Tool function. As mentioned, the dictionary has over 900 images embedded into the various documents. However, these tend to be rather small and difficult to view on the Pocket PC's small screen. Image Tools lets me zoom in on any image, and pan around it. It was particularly useful with maps (see Figs. 3 and 4).

Fig. 3: Canada before enlargement.

Fig. 4: Eastern Canada after enlargement.

MobiPocket Reader Pro and the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia complement each other quite nicely, making it a pleasure to use this product. This reference is, of course, more limited than the full Britannica, but that was necessary to keep the file size and cost of the product down. However, the articles, maps and illustrations are interesting, informative and in most instances, more than adequate.

Become a "walking encyclopedia"

The Britannica Concise Encyclopedia is priced at $29.99 and is compatible with all Pocket PC and Phone Edition devices running the 2002 OS or later and it will also work with Smartphones. However, the MMC card software does not include a Smartphone version of MobiPocket Reader Pro. The Britannica Concise Encyclopedia is available through Mobile Digital Media (http://www.gomdm.com) and Handango (http://www.handango.com).