An iPhone App for the Rijksmuseum
Posted by Brian Kelly on October 28th, 2009
I am increasingly finding that Twitter provides a valuable alerting services, informing me of new services in a timely and succinct way. This morning, for example, a tweet from the museweb Twitter account (provided by Museums and the Web) informed me that “Rijksmseum Rijkswidget now iPhone app http://www.rijksmuseum.nl/w…”
As I was using my iPod Touch to view the overnight tweets I was able to follow the link and install the application.
The free application “enables users to admire a different painting from the Rijksmuseum’s collection every day“.
The Rijksmuseum is clearly pleased with this application which allows users to “rotate or zoom in on the image“. In addition the app provides “links to the Rijksmuseum’s website for more information” and supports a widening participation and engagement with resources housed at the museum: “Thanks to the widget and the iPhone, the public can now enjoy the Rijksmuseum’s collection anywhere and at any time“.
I’m not the first person to be impressed with this work. The widget page allows users to give their comments on the tool (which, I should add, can also be embedded in Web sites):
“What a wonderful way to reach out and share something wonderful with the world. A brilliant, human use of technology“.
Although there are also some dissenting opinions:
“A useless way to use new technology, but none seems to care… A pure widget : ‘an often small electronic device with a/no practical use but often thought of as a novelty’“.
A wonderful way of reaching out and sharing cultural heritage resources or a useless piece of new technology of no practical value? What do you think?
November 2nd, 2009 at 9:29 am
Great Find! Thanks – I’ve installed the app and its bringing back great memories from my trip to holland and the Rijksmuseum.