Windows Phone Thoughts: British Columbia Museum Adds Pocket PC Guides

"Since 1976, the imperious totems and ancient timbers housed in Arthur Erickson's dramatic post-and-beam longhouse on the edge of the Pacific have awed visitors from around the world. But next week, the renowned gallery will unveil a new technological toy: the made-in-Vancouver VUEguide. This idiot-proof handheld interactive guide looks like a cross between a PalmPilot and a GameBoy, and aims to set a benchmark for what constitutes a first-rate museum experience. The device, developed in just one year by Ubiquity Interactive Inc. with support from Telefilm Canada's New Media Fund, uses proprietary software powered by Microsoft's Pocket PC operating system, all wrapped up in a sturdy anodized aluminum case."

We've seen museums use Pocket PCs before, but they're doing things a bit differently: they're using the infrared ports on the devices to automatically queue up content for the visitor when they get close to certain objects, and the user interacts with the touchscreen. This is a few generations beyond the Windows CE handhelds I used at the Experience Music Project a few years ago. Anyone in Victoria want to go on a field trip and report back to us? :D