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DukeMobile iPhone app puts historical images in your pocket

You don't have to be a Duke University student to enjoy this app's new collection of nearly 32,000 archival images, all of them presented in an iPhone-friendly format.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida

Here's an interesting tidbit for students, scholars, historians, and folks who like purty pictures: DukeMobile, an app ostensibly designed for students of Duke University, just added a collection of nearly 32,000 historical images, all of them specially formatted for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

I could blather on about it (and, truly, I do love to blather), but I think you're better off watching this impressive demo video:

The images come from 20 collections that cover topics like women's history, early American sheet music, and vintage advertisements. Duke will add new collections regularly as they become available.

I'm a bit of a history buff, so I'm really loving these images. It's kind of like having a museum in my pocket.

Of course, as a Michigan State alum, I feel a little weird about carrying a Duke app on my iPhone--especially one that's so otherwise Duke-centric. But, like all MSU grads, I'm mature enough to handle it.