Among the entries for Google’s Android Developer Challenge is the new, very nifty navigation concept, Enkin. The system displays location-based content in a way that collapses the gap between reality and cartographical representation. The concept crams GPS, orientation sensors, camera input, directional information, motion detection, 3D graphics, live video, several web services and an innovative user interface into an intuitive navigation system for mobile devices.

Essentially, these features serve to augment a user’s experience of his/her surrounding environment with placemarkers, which indicate landmarks. The possibilities provided by this type of technology seem limitless. Imagine how the concept might function as a tool for museums, libraries, facilities, etc. Virtual hanging signs could revolutionize the way we perceive and understand the world around us.

Engadget reports that Nokia has been toying with this concept for a quite a while now but have ultimately failed to commercialize it. Nonetheless, it’s only a matter of time before we start seeing it as a usable product on retail devices.

Be sure to check out a demo video of Enkin at http://www.enkin.net/

Twitter, a free social networking and micro-blogging service, has changed the way many people communicate. Twitter allows users to send “updates” (or “tweets”; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter website via short message service (e.g. on a cell phone), instant messaging, or a third-party application like Twitterrific or Facebook.

The updates are then displayed on the user’s profile page and instantly delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, instant messaging, SMS, RSS, email or through an application.

If you are both an iPhone and Twitter user, perhaps you’ll be interested in Twinkle –an iPhone Twitter client released last week. Critics say it’s better than the mobile version of Twitter, better than Hahlo, and better than MobileTwitter. It supports photos with your tweets, taken right from the iPhone camera, as well as geolocation. There is also a “Near Me” section that will show you other Twitter users in your area.

Unfortunately, Twinkle is only available on jailbroken iPhones. If your device fits the profile, just add “http://www.polarbearfarm.com/repo/” to your Installer.app sources list.

If you’re unfamiliar with Twitter or are bored with reading tutorials, B.E.T.A. Daily has put together a handy collection of videos that demonstrate various uses of Twitter.

Good news for obsessive bloggers everywhere: our friends at iPhone Matters recently reported that WordPress is set to release a native iPhone blogging application. Of course, many blogging clients are already accessible from Safari, but the convenience of a native application is truly invaluable. Matt Mullenwag, CEO of WordPress, confirmed that the company would be coming out with a “built-in” iPhone WordPress client soon.

As you may remember from previous posts, TypePad also plans to release a native iPhone app. Six Apart—the company that owns TypePad—announced plans to develop a native TypePad mobile application for the iPhone with the (relatively) recently released Software Developer’s Kit (SDK). As you may know, TypePad and Movable Type users already benefit from an optimized iPhone blogging interface through their device’s web browser; however, a native TypePad iPhone app. promises to make usage even friendlier.

For more information about mobile blogging with the iPhone on TypePad, to sign up for alerts about the development of the native iPhone application for TypePad, or to start a free TypePad trial, visit http://www.typepad.com/mobile. Or, until these WordPress and TypePad applications hit the market, you might do well to check out this WordPress plug-in (WPhone) that optimizes the WordPress interface for your iPhone (read: it’s EDGE-friendly).

Qingqi (Steve) Wang, a Faculty member and E-Learning Developer in the School of Biosciences at Nottingham University, has recently developed a number of very exciting Web applications with iPhone/iPod Touch-specific interfaces for his Bio Courseware website. Wang’s iPhone apps include a genetic decoder, periodic table, bio and chem dictionaries, HTML 5 reference, and—most recently—a virtual yeast cell.

The Bio Courseware apps are especially elegant, combining accessible information and simplicity in a presentation brilliantly suited for the iPhone’s (Touch’s) small interface. We think Wang’s apps do a great job of helping academics see possibilities they couldn’t have imagined otherwise. Discussing the process of his iPhone app. development in a recent email exchange with iThinkEd, Wang asserts that “the beginning stage is the most difficult period.” He writes, “I have to shift my idea from traditional web design to a specific web style for iPhone. The small interface of the iPhone needs more accurate and skilful layout to contain more content without mess.”

Wang goes on to suggest that the iPhone is an ideal mobile platform because it “affords a mobile solution for pocket references, calculators, newspapers, readers, remote communications and more.” He asserts that his Cal Concentration app was designed as “a tool that was special for lab researchers to calculate solutions or buffer concentrations when preparing them. Concentration calculation is usually a difficult work for lab beginners. This tool is a good trial of lab mobile solution that can help them to start their work easier.”

Be sure to check out Wang’s Biocourseware apps at http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~sbzqw/.

Our friends at Mobile Learning recently recommended a new mobile version of Wikipedia. The Series 60 Weblog has compiled over 2000 full-length Wikipedia articles, including over 8500 color images, into a version of Wikipedia that can be read on Symbian s60 phones (essentially all recent-model Nokia phones as well as many Sony-Ericsson and a few other brands).

Wikipedia is (perhaps debatably) a terrific reference tool if you or your students happen to be at a computer with high-speed Internet access, but it’s quite a bit harder to use on the go. As the folks at mLearning suggest, it’s possible to look up Wikipedia using a mobile internet connection, but for many people, the mobile data charges this incurs can make this expensive (even if you’re using a mobile version like Wapedia).

Of course, there are certainly iPod-based, text-only versions of Wikipedia, but it would be far more useful and accessible to have Wikipedia on a mobile phone as it’s the one device most people never leave home without; and iPod books can’t display pictures.

To download Wikipedia for your phone and get all the details, visit the Series 60 Weblog.

Perhaps the biggest barrier to effectively using your iPhone isn’t processor speed or software compatibility but rather poor typing speed. The clumsy index-finger typing technique is an especially significant obstacle when attempting to utilize the device as a tool for teaching and learning. To take advantage of the iPhone’s tremendous potential as an educational tool, students and teachers must be able to quickly and efficiently share ideas via digital discourse, which means mastering the device’s relatively small touch-screen type pad.

Conveniently, TypingWeb, an online typing test and typing tutor software, now offers a Safari-compatible service and free set of typing drills for your desktop, iPhone and iPod Touch. TypingWeb asserts that their intuitive typing tutor WebApp will quickly increase your touch screen speed and accuracy. Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced lessons and typing tests are available in this completely free, easy-to-use service.

To try it out, just visit http://iphone.typingweb.com/ on your iPhone or iPod touch.

Thanks, to our friends at Open Culture for drawing our attention to the New York Public Library’s new iTunes page. The page, which went live yesterday, gives you access (free, of course) to a host of wonderful cultural productions staged by NYC’s foremost library.

Perhaps most notable is the page’s extensive collection of “conversations” with some of today’s leading authors — John Updike (transcript), Umberto Eco (video), Paul Auster (video), to name a few (Click here for full author list here). You can also search the library’s large Jazz Oral History Project, which features interviews with an impressive number of important jazz figures. Finally, you can listen to what is currently the library’s most heavily downloaded podcast — Christopher Hitchen’s now well known debate with Al Sharpton.

As a last aside, OC mentions that you don’t need an iPod to access many of NYPL’s offerings. You can find many of the same materials on the library’s web site. And you’ll want to explore the institution’s various rss feeds.

HP recently launched a new line of mini notebooks designed specifically for schools. The new 2133 Mini-Note PCs, which were announced Tuesday, weigh in just above 2.5 pounds and start a hair below $500. They’re aimed largely toward students for school and home use.

The Mini-Note PC offers an 8.9-inch WXGA scratch-resistant display and full keyboard with a clear coat to resist wear. They come in four configurations:

• GHz Via processor, 512 MB RAM, 4.0 GB solid-state disk, Novell Suse Linux ($499);
• 1.2 GHz Via processor, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive, Novell Suse Linux ($549);
• 1.2 GHz Via processor, 1 GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive, Windows Vista Home Basic ($599); and
• 1.6 GHz Via processor, 2 GB RAM, 120 GB hard drive, Windows Vista Business ($749).

HP has also recently sought to appeal to the education market by teaming up with Microsoft in the launch of Teacher Experience Exchange, a new online center designed specifically for K-12 teachers in schools that have standardized on the Windows platform. It provides forums for discussion and sharing, as well as content for helping teachers prepare for using technology in instruction.

For more information on the Mini-Note, check out T.H.E Journal’s full article.

iPhone Buzz reports today that DreamCatcher is officially offering audio recorder software for the iPhone. Along with the ability to record your voice, this software allows users to directly record audio to ringtones without the aid of a computer for in-between conversion processes. Dynamic volume adjustment, channel and bitrate control, and a choice of mp3, mp4 and aac file formats comprise a decent range of options; you can also directly attach them to an email from the app itself.

You might remember this very feature from our “Pre-Macworld Top-Ten Wish List “ post back in January. Here’s what Dr. Kyle Dickson had to say about the potential value of audio recording on the iPhone for teaching and learning: “ Gabcast has shown that low-quality recording can be invaluable for podcasters on the go, and we can imagine the benefits of weekly exercises in public speaking or German conversation captured anytime, anywhere. Add on-site interviews and audio feedback on student essays or projects, and we think voice recording will soon become second-nature for the iPhone classroom.”

DreamCatcher is currently asking $29.95 for iPhone Recorder, and as of today, it is only available on jailbroken handsets. It will be interesting to see what happens once the Apple App Store opens for business; perhaps, when people start finding their software the official way it’ll be far easier for developers to get freeware apps into the catalogue.

On March 14, Vanderbilt University released a version of its Web site’s home page specially designed for the iPhone. Of course, Vanderbilt is one of several universities seeking to implement campus-wide initiatives that aim to capitalize on the device’s potential as a converged, mobile learning tool.

Vandy’s iPhone-friendly Web page will make it easier for users to access the site’s content, such as e-mail and the online directory. Assistant director of the Vanderbilt News Service Melanie Moran asserts, “More and more of our students, faculty and staff are using the iPhone to access the Internet. We created a version of the Vanderbilt Web site that takes advantage of the iPhone’s powerful software and intuitive multi-touch interface.”

Moran also discusses the iPhone page’s promotional appeal, suggesting that “the first place potential students look to learn more about a university is its Web site, and those students will increasingly be visiting on an iPhone. We targeted information for this audience to take full advantage of iPhone features, so potential applicants can get helpful and compelling information about our university wherever they are.”

For more on Vanderbilt’s iPhone initiative, check out Converge Magazine’s full article.