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The mobile phone app "Leafsnap" can make users smarter, or at least appear to be smarter, by letting them know what type of tree is overhead during the day.

It is being described as the first in a series of electronic field guides developed via collaboration between Columbia University, University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Institute.

Not only is it a thorough database of just about any and every type of plant one might find in the northeastern United States, but also for botany novices there's a "snap" button on the bottom there that allows you to take a picture of a leaf against a white background and based on its shape and color the app will go out and find for you a list of the best possible matches.

You can then decide based on the pictures and descriptions returned which tree it is.

Developers say they are working on allowing the app to identify plants, trees, and fruits located around the entire continental United States.

"Leafsnap" is free and for now is only available for the iPhone. Developers say they are working on an Android version and will release it soon.

Google Earth for Android

To identify places around the entire globe, "Google Earth" is certainly not new, but there is now an app that is optimized specifically for Android tablets. As always, users have experience the awesome effect of seeing the entire globe, then zooming in to a particular spot.

What's unique to this version is the ability to add "3D Buildings" from the layer menu, which lets users fly around landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, or pretty much any big city around the globe.

"Google Earth" for the Android 3.0 "Honeycomb" operating system for tablets is a free download.