Mobile learning is increasingly an integral part of higher education, and colleges and universities developing mobile learning apps generally face the decision to pursue either device-neutral web applications or "native" apps built for a specific platform. In fall 2011, Purdue University surveyed students to try to understand their preferences for mobile apps.

Mobile games are quickly appearing in many dimensions of our lived environment, but few go beyond the small screen. Mobile games that are particularly innovative or locative are often low-profile, focusing on art, or civics at the neighborhood level. The big picture for such games has been hard to see. This report addresses the mobile frontier for civic games, which is fragmented across the applied domains of activism, art and learning. We argue that these three domains can and should speak jointly - an approach we call the civic "tripod." Our site structure is part of its contribution, with a curated database of projects and interviews from the field.

Mobile + Cloud Infographic from Mashable: "By 2016, analysts predict there will be 10 billion connected mobile devices in use globally, and smartphone traffic will be 50 times what it is today."

Mobile app design for touchscreen devices has more in common with classic industrial design principles than the software interface development patterns of the desktop computing era. Learn how to take your mobile app from concept to completed design by exploring practical principles and visual examples. What will be covered? User centered design Defining the mobile context Pragmatic UI guidelines Editorial considerations for small screen Best practices for touch interfaces Designing cross-platform controls

Quick article on user interface design best practices for kid apps.

Like most well-designed things, the magic of an iPad app comes from a union of usefulness, usability and meaning. Games aside, the app must be useful by solving a problem that people actually have through the right set of functionality at the right time. It must be easy to use and, just as importantly, easy to get started using, without a lot of pesky setup and learning steps. And it must hold meaning for the user through visual beauty, an emotional connection, personal insights, etc. In this article, we won't outline the entire design process for creating an iPad app, but we will explore 10 of the key things to think about when designing your app (and planning the design process).

The year 2012 is certain to reflect U.S. consumers' continued love affair with sophisticated smartphones and tablets. One of the driving forces in the popularity of these devices is their ability to run mobile apps using wireless location-based services (LBS). Among other benefits, LBS allow access to real-time and historical location information online - whether to facilitate a social interaction or event, play games, house-hunt or engage in many other activities.

"Apple says that e-books created in iBooks Author must be sold exclusively through the iBookstore. Authors can only distribute them elsewhere-through their own websites, for instance-if they are free." Being an Apple iphone and ipad user, I'm pretty excited about the possibilities. Any thoughts about the new app?