The Boston Globe recently carried a story on a class project at MIT in which students had to design a service or feature for Google's upcoming Android operating system. Android is an open source system that promoters hope will allow faster and easier development of new features and functionality that can work on all handsets using this system.

Many of the projects focused on GPS and locational sensing to allow handsets to perform specific functions or operate in specific ways.

One project named GeoLife lets users get reminders from their to-do list depending on where they are located. Users going my the supermarket might be alerted with a message to pick up milk. Another project provides a low cost way to allow small businesses to track their drivers. Still another project lets users configure their devices to automatically change ring volume or convert to vibration depending on where they are - in a movie theater it would automatically change to vibrate, for instance.

Read more at the link: http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/05/12/mit_students_show_power_of_open_cell_phone_systems/

What would you like your mobile device to do?

Perhaps the best feature in my Blackberry is that it can execute on a link or tel number almost anywhere within the phone. For reminders and tasks support, I use audio, photos, video, Internet bookmarks, email, calendar, texts, maps, Word docs, PDFs - I can think of. The hard part is in managing and finding each whem you need it. Memory loss is interesting.

In order to know you can't remember something, you have recall you needed to remember it. For instance, last Sunday I played in a Latin percussion gig and was really ON. I mean I was playing amazing variations on Congas, Samba bell patterns, shakers. But before I left, I asked one of the guys to play the std Samba bell for me to record, as I knew I would likely not recall it later, at least at will. But this day, I was amazing, and everyone knew it. Tomorrow, however, will be another story. Some new challenge will arise. I try and usually don't stress. Technology can make a difference. But then I often end up "babysitting" the technology, and then I get pissed and stressed. I guess if it's only a "toy," like it is for most, you can't get too upset. Then again - if you were stuck in space, on the ocean, mountains, a battlefield, it would likely matter more.

I can remember things at times, but not at will as I need. So this audio file, like other tech stuff I use, serves as a cue or background reference. I made sure I renamed the file in my mic audio and have it properly archived. One of my BB apps also allows me to scroll thru phone records like Windows Explorer does, and this is very helpful in managing and findings files. The phone does not have much of a doc search feature. Even the email search is tricky to use. I wish there were a way to archive emails. I will copy and paste email and text info into a separate Word doc. But if I don't archive it properly, it just goes to document gods, and it doesn't exist anymore until I accedentally stumble upon it, but by then I've reproduced it elsewhere but now don't know which version is the most up to date. Life with brain injury!