New iPhone app adds touch of history to photos

A new app for Apple Inc.'s iPhone will now let users discover the history of — or add their own history to — streets and landmarks they visit. The Historypin iPhone app, which uses a phone's GPS, also allows users to overlay the history over the live camera view, Historypin said in a blog post. "You can use your phone to discover the history of the streets around you, revealing photos (and the stories behind them) and overlaying them onto the live camera view. Fade in and out to compare today with how the world used to look," it said. It added shaking the phone will bring up some of the best photos from around the world. A similar app for Google Inc.'s Android is also available for download. Historypin is an online, user-generated archive of historical photos and personal recollections. It was created by the not-for-profit company We Are What We Do, in partnership with Google. Users can also explore all the photos on the Historypin site through the map interface and see themed Collections of the best content from around the world. "Your phone also now allows you to add your own piece of history to the Historypin map. Use it to digitise an old photograph and pin it to the date and time it was taken, making it much easier to get your old photos on the site," it said. Also, users who witness something of historic importance, "be it a presidential address or sporting victory," can capture it with their phone camera and upload it directly to Historypin. The app also lets people take modern replicas of old photos they discover through the app, providing a useful comparison for other users. — RSJ, GMA News