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"Get a closer look at a few of the over 200 features that make iOS 5 the best update yet for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch."

Some great features coming out in iOS 5. All of the ones in this video make sense: wireless syncing, improved push notifications and a notification center, etc...

An iPhone app that uses facial recognition techniques to identify trees based on photos of their leaves. Thought this was a really interesting mobile learning development concept.

The stunning things to me is that this is probably the best service I use regularly on my iPhone and they only have 5 people.

"Zombies, Run! is an ultra-immersive game for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android where you help rebuild civilisation after a zombie apocalypse. By going out and running in the real world, you can collect medicine, ammo, batteries, and spare parts that you can use to build up and expand your base - all while getting orders, clues, and story through your headphones."

Interesting concept: you play this game by running in the real world. The app tracks your run, but also unlocks items (ammo, vitamins, medical supplies). When you're done, you get to distribute those supplies throughout your city. During the run, there is an interactive experience where you're being chased by zombies and getting instructions through your headset. They're releasing this next year. I'll definitely try it out.

Resource from Vanderbilt for getting an iOS app in the App Store.

A lot of startups are launching special features arounds events and location for SXSWi. Something we should watch if we are interested in ideas for our own events like the symposium.  Here the trick is that the app uses geolocation to determine what events are available to you. No need to find the right tag or group to use to post to a shared event space.

Interesting little application for the mac that can create audio files for use on mobile devices of text content.

Could be an interesting option for enabling AirPlay on classroom machines.  Lots to figure out, but a starting point.

Good article. You know CHAT (the learning theory), right? I like it because it considers our tools and environment as part of how we (collectively) learn. Our cell phones and laptops and Google are part of the equation. So yes, Allan's brain may remember less at a given time, but Allan+iPhone+Google remembers many orders of magnitude more and with much more accuracy.

We talked about this quite a bit in our Disruptive Technologies course with Cole and Scott in terms of distributed intelligence, which is similar to what you're saying in that the tools we use are extensions of our minds. Maybe it's because I'm a SciFi geek and have read so many post-apocalyptic books, or perhaps it's just that I know technology too well to trust it, but my biggest fear about what this research is suggesting is that, should our technology disappear, we'll all turn into gibbering idiots because half our mind has been turned off, literally. Realistically, I know that the human brain is much more plastic and our memory would reconfigure itself eventually. And the benefits of extending ourselves like this probably outweigh the risks. But it still gives you pause for thought..

Right now, our dependence on instant gratification knowledge isn't too bad, I'm sure we'd have a feeling of disconnection and lots of frustration. I'd consider buying a set of encyclopedias again. I worry more about a scenario like running out of fuel without energy alternatives. The human race is so dependent on fuel for food production and transportation that we'd run into a starvation issue very quickly. We've lost our survival skills and there are just too many of us.