[Wikimedia-l] Wikimedia mobile application development

[MZMcBride]

Hi.

I've been having difficulty wrapping my head around Wikimedia's (relatively)
recent efforts in mobile application development. I understand that reaching
users on mobile platforms is important to the Wikimedia Foundation and I've
read <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Projects/strategy> and related
pages.

Mobile seems to have two branches these days: (1) the mobile versions of the
sites; and more recently (2) specific mobile applications. Branch 1 is
fairly understandable. What I'm having difficulty understanding is branch 2.

The idea behind free and open content is that the content can be taken and
reused and redistributed by others without issue. That's part of the great
beauty of Wikimedia wikis. With a vibrant app market for both Androids and
iPhones, why is Wikimedia getting involved in mobile application
development? Isn't this something best left to third parties (which, as I
understand it, have already filled the "Wikipedia app" niche with a variety
of options for both platforms) or interested volunteers?

MZMcBride