MINISTRY ‘DROPS’ HAND-HELD GUIDES

A plan to make hand-held electronic guides available this year to visitors at 15 of the most significant archaeological sites around Greece, including Knossos in Iraklion, are likely to be scrapped because of Culture Ministry delays that would require an agreement with the provider of the gadgets, a consortium that includes Siemens, to be extended. The arrival of the battery-powered, touch-screen devices that weigh just 270 grams was heralded in March 2007 as improving the experience visitors would have at sites. The gadgets would offer high-resolution video, detailed diagrams of the sites and imagery along with stereo sound. The first devices were due to be made available in April but sources said that the Organization for the Promotion of Greek Culture (OPEP), which operates under the auspices of the Culture Ministry, has delayed supplying the consortium with the material it needs to transfer to the devices. The government has already paid four million euros for the project, which it obtained from the European Union’s Information Society program, but will likely have to pay this back to Brussels if the agreement is called off.

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