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?