2.0WebTutorials20+ useful Apps for Android, get the best of your device using Android Apps
The 20 apps that made the cut for this list are the ones that are universally liked by users, or have had a solid history.The Android Market may not have as many apps as the iPhone App Store yet, but there are still more than enough to be overwhelmed. Most of them are free, but some cost a few bucks.
If you’re a long-time Android user, some of these apps will look familiar, although in a few cases, I noticed that the best apps aren’t necessarily the ones that have been most popular. Newcomers are also suplling the market with good apps.
Still, here’s my list of Android apps that I can see quite useful.
1. Google Voice
Google Voice is one of the top benefits of Android. Google Voice gives you one number for all your phones, a phone number that is tied to you, not to a device nor a location.Google Voice allows you to access all of your voice mail and text messages from the Web. The Android app integrates even deeper. It can make outgoing calls look like they’re coming from your Google Voice number so that you can keep your real mobile number private.
2. GTasks
The GTasks task manager syncs with the desktop Google Tasks, which you can also access in the Web version of Gmail and Google Calendar. It’s so useful, it should be included on every Android phone.
3. Dropbox
Dropbox, the service that lets you store your files in the cloud and access them from anywhere. This app extends Dropbox to Android and it is also compatible to your Windows, Mac, or Linux). It allows you to sync files like PDFs, image files, and business documents by simply dragging them to a folder on your computer and then you immediately have access to them from your mobile phone once you installed this app in you Android device. It has a simple interface, easy uploading, and swift syncing across all accounts.
4. Evernote
On an Android phone, Evernote works smoothly, looks great, and most importantly, integrates with dozens of other apps and services. So Evernote is a great note-taking app. It is similar to Dropbox in that it saves data locally but syncs it across all your machines and devices.
5. Google Docs
Create, edit, upload, import, export, sync and share your documents with the Google Docs app. Google Docs is a great Android app to access to all the docs you uploaded (including uploaded Microsoft Office files to your Google Docs) or created in Docs. It’s a nice mobile implementation of document management, although the one annoyance is that always open up files in a web browser rather than within the app itself, which would be a little smoother.
6. Google Places
This is an awesome app for finding shops and services near your current location. From restaurants to medical facilities to taxis, this app is very accurate and takes advantage of the business information from Google Local. This app is better than the info you get from a GPS unit (or app) and better than any of the similar apps available on the iPhone. It’s also integrated into Google Maps.
7. Google+ (plus)
One of the great things that Google did was to release a Google+ Android app at the same time it launched the service as a beta. And, surprisingly, the app was actually pretty good and has been improved since. It immediately became one of my most used mobile apps mostly because Google+ is a little more interactive.
8. Google Goggles
This is a fun app that does visual searches. You can take pictures of things and then the app tries to tell you what they are. It’s limited in its scope but it is pretty cool, and it’s definitely a peek into the future. n a more practical level this app has the ability to take pictures of text in a foreign language and the app translate it for you which is basically QR code reader.
9. Smart Measure
The Smart Measure app, which uses your phone’s camera, measures the height of objects and estimates the distance between your phone and the object
10. Photoshop Express
Photoshop is, of course, the best known photo editor in the world and its mobile app doesn’t do anything to hurt that reputation. But while the desktop version is known for having a zillion features, the mobile app is distinguished by its simplicity. It’s the best Android (and iPhone) photo editing app for simple crops, brightness adjustments, and sharpens, for example.
11. ConvertMe
The in-beta ConvertMe app is a handy unit converter, currency converter, and tip calculator. It comes with more than 1500 units across more than 65 categories, and it supports 14 languages
12. Audible
With the Audible app you can connect to your Audible library and download over the air. The app also gives you a self-contained player optimized for audio books, with a skip-back-30-seconds button and the opportunity to make notes and bookmarks (although I wish the app would store these online so that they could be accessed from the Audible site).
13. Shazam
If you want to impress your friends with a mobile app, show them Shazam. Ever hear a song being played at a store or on the radio and ask yourself, “Oh, what song is that?” That’s where Shazam comes in. Just hit the button and let it listen for 15 seconds, query its database, and then return the name of artist and the song. It has about an 80% success rate. This one isn’t particularly productive, but it is really cool.
14. Google Finance
This is a great little app that regularly gets overlooked. It connects to your Google Finance account, where you can set up a list of stocks and companies to follow and sort them into groups (portfolios). The app provides three simple tabs — a look at the market, a look at your portfolios, and the latest market news. It even does real-time updates when you have the app open.
Your picks?
15. Picasa Tool
Picasa is an image organizer and image viewer for organizing and editing digital photos, plus an integrated photo-sharing website. Using Picasa Tool Pro you can batch-upload photos, as well as browse and manage your albums, photos, and comments. The best part: it´s free.
16. Digital Recipe Sidekick
Digital Recipe Sidekick is another Android app that makes your like easier. You can browse and import recipes from AllRecipes.com, save recipes to SD Card, e-mail them, edit them, or enter your own. The app will even read recipes to you.
17. AntiDroidTheft
If you lose your phone, AntiDroidTheft turns on remote GPS tracking so that you can determine its location. You can also trigger the phone’s camera to shoot an image that might help you locate the handset. Cool isn’t it?
18. Wifi Analyzer
Want to find the least-crowded Wi-Fi channel? Wifi Analyzer shows a graphical representation of Wi-Fi SSIDs’ signal strength, plus which channels are being used.
19. Launcher Pro
Launcher Pro is a third-party application that does something your phone already does on its own (launch apps), except that it adds the ability for you to customize your phone in more ways than you normally can so that you can launch apps quicker and more easily. For example, you can create up to seven different home screens, giving you quick access to more apps than before.
20. Google Maps
Google Maps may be one of the most popular of the Android apps from Google. A few of its signature features, such as navigation and layers, work better on Android than most other mobile operating systems. It’s indispensable for finding addresses, service providers nearby, and just for simply getting around.
21. Better Keyboard
The one thing we don’t like about Android is its standard onscreen keyboard. Fortunately, there is another way: the Better Keyboard offers compact Qwerty and full Qwerty layouts, easier symbol entry and, crucially, effective prediction and auto-correction.
You can also tweak text to your heart’s content, with extras such as the ability to use words in your contacts file in word suggestions, and the option to display blobs that show exactly where you touched each key. And there’s a raft of downloadable skins to give it a fresh new look. Excellent stuff.
22. 3G Watchdog
If you don’t have an unlimited data plan, it’s vital to keep track of your monthly allocation – 3G Watchdog will make sure that you don’t incur any hidden charges. Tell the app your data cap and monthly rollover allowance and it will do the rest, displaying a color-coded icon in the corner of your screen: a green icon means you’re safe; orange indicates you’re nearing your limit; and a red symbol means you should probably reign in your downloads.
23. Angry Birds Rio
A game based on the movie, Angry Birds Rio is not only addictive, it’s also free. On each level, the goal is to rescue the birds Blu and Jewel, featured in the film. The game mechanics are the same as the original, minus the pigs: you pull a rubber band back and launch a bird to knock down buildings. OS, I think this was the number 21 Android app and the title said “20 Apps for Android”. Sorry about that!
Finally, if you have some more recommendations, post your suggestions in the comments. Enjoy
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