Wikipedia moves to mobiles with Webaroo

Wikipedia, the popular free online encyclopedia and Web 2.0 mover and shaker of the moment, has been reverse-engineered to work offline.

Tech start-up Webaroo -- which offers a software service enabling users to download Web content onto mobile devices and then browse it without the need for an Internet connection -- has released an offline version of Wikipedia. The so-called Web pack weighs in at a hefty 6GB and offers the full gamut of Wikipedia entries -- on everything from Jabba the Hutt to King Canute -- in a fully searchable offline format.

The portable pack will automatically update when the device it is stored on is connected to the Internet.

Rakesh Mathur, chief executive of Webaroo, said the company is proud to have made Wikipedia -- which he called "one of the great bodies of reference available on the Internet" -- portable.

The Wikipedia Web pack is one of more than 200 Web content packages offered by Webaroo -- including downloadable packs dedicated to country-specific news, individual sports teams, cities and even an introduction to glam rock.