Britannica Reference Work Available for iPhone

Market Wire, February, 2008

If you're thinking of getting an iPhone but just haven't done it, you now have another reason to cave in and join the wireless elite: Encyclopaedia Britannica. An extensive encyclopedia from the editors of the famous reference work is now available on Apple's über-smartphone.

Thanks to an application created by Britannica's engineers, anyone with an iPhone can access tens of thousands of articles covering all subjects at http://i.eb.com/ . The application boasts a look and feel tailored to the iPhone, with full-text searching, thousands of high-resolution thumbnails that expand to full-size images, and page layouts optimized for cell phone bandwidth. It's fully searchable and hot-linked, similar to Britannica's Web editions. It also works for the iPod Touch.

"It's been live for about two weeks, and I can't get enough of it," said Chicago-based executive Dan Smith, a self-described iPhone junkie. "It's fast, easy to use and the articles look stunning."

Since Smith is a senior vice president at Encyclopaedia Britannica, however, you may not want to take his word for it. More persuasive might be the fact that Apple singled out the Britannica application as a " staff pick ," or that several bloggers who found it within days after it went live have already praised it.

"Rich" at blog.epinteractiv.com called it "one of the better designed iPhone sites that I've seen so far" and said the home page is "striking in appearance."

"Mobile Britannica works well on the iPhone," according to Just Another iPhone Blog . "Pages load quickly, and search results are quick and relevant. Its images are also iPhone optimized."

iPhone India pronounces the application "iPhone friendly," and "mj" at cimota.com/blog , simply says, "Nicely done."

Britannica's iPhone application joins a host of others the company has developed in recent years for cell phones and wireless and handheld devices.

"People today want information wherever they go," said Smith. "They want to satisfy their curiosity the moment it's aroused, whether they're on a train, in a restaurant talking to friends, or watching a sunset on the beach. Now we can get answers to them in ways that weren't possible before."

About Encyclopaedia Britannica

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. ( www.britannica.com ) is a leader in reference and education publishing whose products can be found in many media, from the Internet to cell phones to books. A pioneer in electronic publishing since the early 1980s, the company also still publishes the 32-volume Encyclopaedia Britannica, along with services such as Britannica Online School Edition and new printed products such as Britannica Student Encyclopedia, which are available online at http://store.britannica.com . Britannica's editorial operation is overseen by some of the world's most distinguished scholars. The company makes its headquarters in Chicago.

Contact: Tom Panelas Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 312-347-7309 Email Contact