Attack of the Smartphones

The New York Times article I reviewed was entitled, The Best Tour Guide May Be in Your Purse by Keith Schneider. The article revolved primarily around museums and art galleries incorporating digital technology into their exhibits. The museums in this article utilized ipod touches, blackberrys, and other smart phones to provide vast amounts of information at patrons finger tips; the likes of which were not possible in the past.

The idea behind incorporating these devices is to develop an experience unlike anything that has ever been seen before. These devices provide access to downloadable content that museumgoers can either upload to their personal phones, or view through phones provided by the museum.

Pictures, information, sounds, videos, and even interactive application are being implemented into these devices. Patrons can now give themselves a tour of the museum with out even having to leave the comfort of their couch. But for those patrons who are present, the experience can be enhanced quite dramatically.

The appearance of technology in museums is not a new trend. Since the 1960’s, audio recorders and audio tours have been utilized in museums to provide a level of interaction above the norm. In 2002 the first cell phone audio tours had already been given, and by 2008 ipod touches had been used to provide multimedia tours.

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art celebrated its 75th anniversary by handing out such devices that were pre-loaded with videos, pictures, interviews, and other various forms of information encompassing some 200 pieces of art from the museums permanent collection.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has taken the interaction with smart phones one step further. They have developed a downloadable application that allows patrons to play virtual instruments in the palm of their hands. They have employed this application in their iAfrica exhibit, which lets the sounds of the lamellaphone come to life.

The Brooklyn Museum of Art is also paving new ground by incorporating new mobile devices. The museum staff has photographed many of the museums collection and have not only posted these online for a digital tour, but also made them available to cell phone carries. They have created a free application that is available through the iPhone store that can be downloaded to any iPhone device.

Aside from free access to media, there is also an opportunity for museums to make a little bit of extra money to offset the cost of these new programs. The Indianapolis Museum of Art is just one example of how this can be done. They charge a nominal fee of $5 to rent a mobile Smartphone-like device, jammed packed with more information than one can shake a stick.

The integration of technology into museums and art galleries is on the rise, and this article helps to inform enthusiasts of where some of these most recent innovations are taking place. By spreading the word about these new highly interactive exhibits, museum directors hope to attract new generations of patrons by providing them with a mode to experience the past, in a way that they can relate to.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/18/arts/artsspecial/18SMART.html?ref=artsspecial