From here:

– BBC personality, Dan Snow, presents video Mobi-Guides to help residents & tourists make the most of their City stay-cations –

London, UK: iome, a provider of location-based digital lifestyle services, has today published a series of free video Mobi-Guides for London, developed and presented by BBC personality Dan Snow. The Mobi-Guides are available on BT MyPlace, a service that presents people with information based on their preferences and location, within central London and the West End. This service, which is powered by iome, enables consumers to download the most relevant Mobi-Guide based on their location, at any time, via an Internet-enabled mobile device or PC.

There are 20 free-to-access guides in total, each offering a combination of inspirational history and trivia on London, together with Dan Snow’s personal insights. The service is free to access via any outdoor BT Openzone Westminster Wi-Fi hotspot and is located at http://www.btmyplace.com/dansnow.

Dan Snow, presenter of the new guides, said: “For anyone planning to visit London, these video Mobi-Guides provide a real insight into the history of our capital City. The great thing is that by offering these tours via BT MyPlace, you can be stood near Nelson’s Column, for example, and the relevant Mobi-Guide is instantly presented to your digital device, as the service calculates your current location. With over 23 million visitors to the city each year, I’m sure these free guides will prove to be extremely popular.”

Phil Eames, CEO of iome said: “Demand for accessing relevant digital content on-the-go is increasing rapidly. We are pleased to have launched the new video Mobi-Guides from Dan Snow on BT MyPlace to ensure people can access interesting content where ever they may be in central London. With 2009 being touted as the year of the ‘stay-cation’, these video tours will provide visitors with an excellent insight into London’s historical gems.”

Chris Bruce, General Manager, BT Openzone said: “We are very excited to extend the BT MyPlace service to offer consumers access to free video guides that can be downloaded either from a PC or on the go via a Wi-Fi-enabled device. Dan Snow provides an excellent insight into what he personally loves about London and I’m sure visitors will enjoy the trivia and history he reveals in each guide.”

The guides provide a new perspective about areas from Westminster to Waterloo through a combination of inspirational history and trivia. Here are our favourites:

1. Waterloo Bridge was built by women and is self-cleaning.

2. London’s smallest police station used to be inside a lamp post in Trafalgar Square

3. Parliament Square became Britain’s first official roundabout in 1926 – it was called the new gyratory system. It’s also the site of London’s first set of traffic lights.

4. The statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square has a small electrical current running through it to stop pigeons landing on it and creating a mess.

5. The second London Bridge was moved to Havasu City in Arizona in 1971 where it is now the centre of a tourist resort.

6. There is a black spot above the number two on the clock face on the tower of Horse Guards. It indicates the time at which Charles I was executed in front of Banqueting House opposite.

7. The timing of Big Ben is fine tuned by adding or taking away penny coins that rest on its pendulum.

8. The friezes at the base of Nelson’s column are made from melted French and Spanish cannons seized at the battle of Trafalgar.

BT MyPlace also delivers targeted, sponsored services including restaurant, bars and shopping recommendations, plus audio downloads including books and walking tours.

For further information on iome, visit http://www.io-me.com. For further information about BT MyPlace visit http://www.btmyplace.com/dansnow.