Must have android apps?

[mamamia88]

Finally getting my first smartphone. I went with the htc inspire. too bad i ordered it over the weekend because they dont ship on the weekend. any much have android apps in your opinion?

[aysiu]

Finally getting my first smartphone. I went with the htc inspire. too bad i ordered it over the weekend because they dont ship on the weekend. any much have android apps in your opinion?
I have a bunch of apps installed, but I would highly recommend these in particular:

AutoRotate Switch (https://market.android.com/details?id=kennethcheng.com.autorotate): Sometimes it's nice, when you're viewing photos, to have autorotate on. Other times, when you're lying down, it's not nice. AutoRotate Switch allows you to, with the long-press of the search button (which would normally launch a search-by-voice, which I've found useless), toggle between having AutoRotate on or off. Of course you can always turn it on and off through the menus, but this is handy to have for quickly turning it on and off.

Sound Manager (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.roozen.SoundManager): By default the sound Android makes when you take a picture is extremely loud. I found this to be true on my old MyTouch 3G, on my new MyTouch 4G, and on my sister-in-law's Motorola Droid, so I think it's probably universal. There isn't anything included in Android to turn it down. This application allows you to turn down the System Volume, which includes the camera noise.

Juice Defender (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.latedroid.juicedefender): There are a lot of webpages (examples below) explaining why you shouldn't use a task killer in Android, and you really shouldn't. But a lot of Android users complain about poor battery life... or even if it's not poor that they just wish it were longer. This app will more than double your battery life. Even with the basic free version, it turns off your data when your phone's screen is off, but still allows for push notifications and incoming phone calls. And then when you turn the screen on again, your data turns on again. I would highly recommend installing this app.

http://lifehacker.com/#!5650894/android-task-killers-explained-what-they-do-and-why-you-shouldnt-use-them
http://geekfor.me/faq/you-shouldnt-be-using-a-task-killer-with-android/
http://www.infoworld.com/t/smartphones/myth-android-devices-need-task-killers-609
http://androidspin.com/2010/05/25/why-you-dont-need-a-task-killer-app-with-android/

[Mr. Picklesworth]

Oh gee, I shouldn't have read this thread.

A notepad app that isn't slow or horrible or bloated: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.threebanana.notes&feature=search_result
(And it finally doesn't have a horrible name).

Google Sky Map: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.stardroid&feature=search_result
Yes, it's rarely going to be useful, but I love tinkering with it.

A good file browser that isn't ugly: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.ghostsq.commander&feature=search_result

FBReader for ebooks: https://market.android.com/details?id=org.geometerplus.zlibrary.ui.android&feature=search_result

The Android version of the best RSS reader ever: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.devhd.feedly&feature=search_result
Requires an Internet connection (see below), but on the plus side it handles me 100+ subscriptions incredibly well.

This one isn't free, and it's quite young, but it's indispensable for me: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.ideashower.readitlater.pro&feature=search_result
(There are lots of these services; this is the one that bothered to make an Android app that is actually good).
It is what I show people when they wonder how I can possibly live without mobile data. I just send something to read it later when I'm at home, and it's instantly synced with my phone. It's very elegant.

[3rdalbum]

AK Notepad is pretty indispensable for me.

Bump is handy for sharing files over Bluetooth with other devices, if you can get it to work (had trouble doing iPhone 3G to Android transfers, but that might be because of my hard case or the iPhone's bad accelerometer)

Google Goggles is a good tech demo.

Update Google Maps as soon as possible and you'll get free GPS navigation (walking or driving, cool!)

Rockplayer is a great video player that will play files that your standard video player probably won't be able to touch.

Soundhound or Shazam will be able to identify songs, just hold your phone up to where the song sound is coming from. Useful if you like music.

HTC Sense is a nice UI that comes with your phone, but if you get tired of it you can download several home screen replacements. I was using Go Launcher until recently, with the "backyard" theme. Currently I'm using SPB Shell 3D, which is $15, but it's an awesome 3D home screen with tons of preinstalled widgets. I just hope that your Inspire has a 1GHz CPU because I can imagine that lesser CPUs would struggle.

[v1ad]

root it, then:

Rom Manager

Wifi Tether

Pandora

Android Assistant

[deconstrained]

LastPass for website passwords
KeePass for all other passwords
XiiaLive for listening to SomaFM
Lookout Mobile Security for backup, location, anti-malware/spyware and remote data nuke

[3rdalbum]

Wifi Tether

Wifi tethering is a part of Android 2.2 already, you don't need an extra program.

[v1ad]

depends on the network, some charge extra for it(Evo - Sprint). + it is a lot easier to use and more features.

[doorknob60]

I don't have an Android device (wish I did), but I'll list some of my favorite iPod Touch games that have Android versions:

Doodle Jump (oh my, you could get addicted, it's great)
Angry Birds (it gets very frustrating, but it's fun)
Fruit Ninja (simple and satisfying)
Words With Friends (also very addicting, especially if you have other friends thta play it)
Dillo Hills (clone of Tiny Wings, haven't played Dillo Hills but apperantly it's very similar and good)

There's other good games out there, but those 4 are enough to keep me entertained during school (plus some others that unfortunately have no Android port *cough*Robot Unicorn Attack*cough*) :P

[Paqman]

Angry birds & Listen

[earthpigg]

EasyTether if your carrier charges monthly fee for wifi hotspot and you dont want to root around that. Works with ubuntu.

BBC widget.

Slashdot.

LauncherPro.

Words with Friends - scrabble with your android and iphone using buddies.

Opera Mini remains the best mobile browser, imo. renders your desktop's Transmission torrent client very nicely to boot.

ssh client.

A manual task killer. Used sparingly and wisely, they can improve battery life without making things unstable.

Beat the Traffic. very practical. don't ask me why, but their android app is a zillion times better than their website.

[TeoBigusGeekus]

Linda File Manager.

[aysiu]

Words with Friends - scrabble with your android and iphone using buddies. I've found this to be extremely unstable. WordFeud just released an iPhone client, so you can play your iPhone friends on WordFeud.


A manual task killer. Used sparingly and wisely, they can improve battery life without making things unstable. As of 2.2, there's an app manager built into Android, so there isn't really any benefit from a task killer. If you have runaway apps that are killing your CPU, it's much better to just uninstall those.

As I said before, Juice Defender will more than double your battery life (and it won't kill any apps).

[rudihawk]

Angry Birds!

[earthpigg]

I've found this to be extremely unstable. WordFeud just released an iPhone client, so you can play your iPhone friends on WordFeud.

As of 2.2, there's an app manager built into Android, so there isn't really any benefit from a task killer. If you have runaway apps that are killing your CPU, it's much better to just uninstall those.

As I said before, Juice Defender will more than double your battery life (and it won't kill any apps).

agreed on wwf, but thats what my friends already have for now.

i didn't notice that new feature. hint as to its location?

ill check outo juice defender.

[Tibuda]

SwiftKey, Opera Mini, Financisto, DocumentsToGo, LauncherPro

[Merk42]

i didn't notice that new feature. hint as to its location?Settings > Applications > Running Services

Android as a whole is smarter with its applications than a usual computer. So people shouldn't go force closing applications because of MY RAMZ!11

[3rdalbum]

depends on the network, some charge extra for it(Evo - Sprint). + it is a lot easier to use and more features.

Ahh, well, I did the smart thing and bought my phone from a shop, as opposed to renting it from the carrier.

[jerenept]

WinAmp

[forrestcupp]

I love Free411. You can use it for directory assistance to look up phone numbers. Then it integrates with dialing the number for you or saving it to your contacts.

RealCalc is a decent scientific calculator to replace the crappy one included.

InkPad is a decent steno pad style app for taking notes.

Wapedia for Wikipedia and other wikis.

Dolphin Browser is way better than the stock Google browser.

YouVersion for reading a lot of different Bible translations.



Google Goggles is a good tech demo.

Update Google Maps as soon as possible and you'll get free GPS navigation (walking or driving, cool!)Goggles is awesome. You can take a picture of something. Then it scans the picture and brings up search results if it figures out what it is. It does great with company logos. I took a picture of a somewhat obscure book, and it figured out what it was and who wrote it, and brought up a bunch of links for the book.

Also, Google Navigation is amazing. It blows my Garmin out of the water. You can even view your map with satellite images and use street view at your destination. I love how well the voice input works on anything in Android. The best thing about Navigation is that you don't have to spend a bunch of money to keep updating your maps.


Soundhound or Shazam will be able to identify songs, just hold your phone up to where the song sound is coming from. Useful if you like music.Soundhound is amazing. You can even whistle a song, and it usually can figure out what you're whistling. I even whistled the Mario theme song and it figured it out.


I spent about $70 for a certified pre-owned Droid X, and that's the best $70 I've ever spent.

[aysiu]

Settings > Applications > Running Services

Android as a whole is smarter with its applications than a usual computer. So people shouldn't go force closing applications because of MY RAMZ!11
Or Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Running > Force Stop

[forrestcupp]

Android as a whole is smarter with its applications than a usual computer. So people shouldn't go force closing applications because of MY RAMZ!11

This is very true, but I have found other reasons to want to force close apps. Especially ones that run in the background, and they don't make it easy to stop. For that reason, I still use Advanced Task Killer, which makes it easy to pick apps to ignore when it shuts everything down.

[Merk42]

This is very true, but I have found other reasons to want to force close apps.Such as?
Also can those be forced closed with the ways aysiu and myself mentioned?

[georgemc]

for those "Formula 1" fan(antics) out there

http://www.formula1.com/mobile_services/

enjoy

George

[kerry_s]

my apps, i keep it simple.

[forrestcupp]

Such as?
Also can those be forced closed with the ways aysiu and myself mentioned?

Right. I was just saying that there are legitimate reasons to want to force close things other than to free RAM. Then, I just mentioned that I, personally, use ATK to do it. I never said it couldn't be done through the settings.

You can do it either way, but for me, it's easier to open ATK from my notification area and have it automatically close everything that I've not set to ignore. That's a little easier than navigating through the settings, finding the app in the list, opening those settings up, and force closing it. But to each his own.

[BandD]

I would highly recommend Swype as a replacement to the software keyboard. It's pretty revolutionary for touch screen phones. Makes my texting and typing speed on that small screen insanely faster (once I got used to it).

http://beta.swype.com/

[aysiu]

A lot of people like Swype, so you should try it, but I type much faster on the stock keyboard using the autocomplete suggestions than holding my finger over every single letter in the words I type.

[gnomeuser]

Audible's Android app is my personal favorite app. Aside that Player Pro (though the MIUI player is nice as well). ADW Launcher (though I admit LaunchPro is probably better, I prefer ADW for being open source).

Aside that I mainly use the gmail, google reader and google maps application (the public transportation integration in the directions is fantastic and ever so useful).

and naturally.. Angry Birds. But do avoid iMobster, it is deadly addictive

[supergirlkara]

Don't forget about SoundHound. It's an app that can listen to any piece of music and tell you what's playing. Very handy.

[MoebusNet]

Not an Android app (not in Android Market), but I couldn't live without it:

http://www.humans-enabled.com/2009/12/how-to-tether-your-verizon-droid-as.html?commentPage=2

My only internet access is via my smartphone, so I have to be able to tether to my PC. Since I'm Ubuntu-only, the tethering programs for Windows/Mac do me no good. I've been using Shannon VanWagner's script since Hardy Heron and it works great, it does not restrict access to password-required websites and it is free! This tethers via USB, which is OK by me since wireless tethering requires me to plug my phone in to prevent draining my battery in short order.

Highly recommended!!

[earthpigg]

Juice Defender (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.latedroid.juicedefender): ... This app will more than double your battery life. Even with the basic free version, it turns off your data when your phone's screen is off, but still allows for push notifications and incoming phone calls. And then when you turn the screen on again, your data turns on again. I would highly recommend installing this app.

installed it yesterday. not running any numbers on the matter, but my phone seems to be holding charge much better - still receiving phone calls/texts. "aggressive" profile.

i've tried the various other battery saving apps with very mixed results, but not this one before. this one appears to be king of the category.

[aysiu]

installed it yesterday. not running any numbers on the matter, but my phone seems to be holding charge much better - still receiving phone calls/texts. "aggressive" profile.

i've tried the various other battery saving apps with very mixed results, but not this one before. this one appears to be king of the category.
Same here.

For years with my old phone, I had tried the old dimming the screen, turning off GPS, using only Edge, etc. The tips helped a little bit but not significantly. Maybe they would help me squeeze another extra half hour or hour. Not really worth it.

Juice Defender is the only battery-saving tip (or app, I guess) that I've seen significant gains from with almost no impact on functionality. I have to say there is a very slight delay for me on the data reconnecting once my screen turns on (takes about two seconds), but I don't mind that. That's usually the time it takes me to swipe down my notification bar and click on the appropriate notification anyway (new email, my turn on WordFeud).

[forrestcupp]

I would highly recommend Swype as a replacement to the software keyboard. It's pretty revolutionary for touch screen phones.
It is revolutionary, but I didn't like it. I, personally, prefer just typing. Also, the voice input is amazingly accurate.

[TheNessus]

"Sound Manager: By default the sound Android makes when you take a picture is extremely loud. I found this to be true on my old MyTouch 3G, on my new MyTouch 4G, and on my sister-in-law's Motorola Droid, so I think it's probably universal. There isn't anything included in Android to turn it down. This application allows you to turn down the System Volume, which includes the camera noise."

It is not legal in some places to mute the sound.

[aysiu]

"Sound Manager: By default the sound Android makes when you take a picture is extremely loud. I found this to be true on my old MyTouch 3G, on my new MyTouch 4G, and on my sister-in-law's Motorola Droid, so I think it's probably universal. There isn't anything included in Android to turn it down. This application allows you to turn down the System Volume, which includes the camera noise."

It is not legal in some places to mute the sound.
You don't actually have to mute the sound, but with Sound Manager, you can also lower the volume.

[earthpigg]

"Sound Manager: By default the sound Android makes when you take a picture is extremely loud. I found this to be true on my old MyTouch 3G, on my new MyTouch 4G, and on my sister-in-law's Motorola Droid, so I think it's probably universal. There isn't anything included in Android to turn it down. This application allows you to turn down the System Volume, which includes the camera noise."

It is not legal in some places to mute the sound.

using the volume controls on the side of my LG Optimus phone, i can silence that sound. i normally do before taking pictures because audibly simulating an 1870 camera seems silly to me.

[Johnsie]

My must have app is one I wrote myself. It contacts the various systems I maintain to make sure they are online and operational. It uses a httpclient on the client side and php on the server side. The php server needs to ping all the important computers on the network to make sure they are online. If something goes down then my phone will play a sound and I can investigate. It's a bit like ping only a little more advanced.

The other app I use alot is Logmein Ignition. It's really good for remotely accessing Windows machines.

Other apps I like are:

Appaware - See what other apps people are adding/removing
Skype
Tunein Radio
Scanner Radio - Listen to police scanners
Spotify
Prey - For locating a lost phone
Cardio Trainer - Excellent tool for people working on their fitness
Air Control Lite- Addictive game
Voxofon- For making international calls
Mercury - MSN Messenger

And a little app I wrote to help me practice my Spanish. It's not available in the market but I might put an apk online some time. Android is actually a really powerful operating system to be carrying around in your pocket.

[forrestcupp]

My must have app is one I wrote myself.

Cardio Trainer - Excellent tool for people working on their fitness
Air Control Lite- Addictive game

My wife is really getting into Cardio Trainer. Is it worth paying for the full version?

Also, do you have any tips for learning the Android SDK?

[SnowWhite]

A few apps that have yet to be mentioned:

AlarmDroid (free) -- I like this one much more than the alarm app that comes with the phone.

Chandroid (few dollars)--a really excellent app for browsing any of the chan sites. Saves pictures in a really organized manner too. There are also a few free similar apps that are worth it too if you're into this stuff.

Yelp (free)--really great for finding places to eat. There's a monocle view where you hold up the phone, and it shows you what places are close by.

MyFitnessPal (free)-- keeps track of nutrition and physical activity.

[Mr. Picklesworth]

My wife is really getting into Cardio Trainer. Is it worth paying for the full version?

That one's a really well done app :)
They have various add-ons. Mostly focused on weight loss at the moment, but they come up with some other interesting things from time to time like the interval training stuff (which you get some of for free).
The $10 full version simply gives you access to those add-ons (and any future ones) instead of buying each one separately as it comes out. It also probably makes them happy.

[PhillyPhil]

root it, then:
...
Wifi Tether

...

No need to root for tethering. QuickTeth, for example, is a great little tethering app for cable tethering or wifi hotspot, no root required (assuming you don't have built-in tethering thanks to 2.2+ anyway!)

aBTC is a nice bit torrent app.

AndroidVNC VNC client (I use it to control my home server).

Rockplayer to play pretty much any video format.

PSX4droid playstation emulator.

N64droid N64 emulator (my nexus one is too slow for Goldeneye, but great for marioworld)

Gameboid is a nice GBA emulator.

Opera Mobile is the best browser around. Note: don't confuse it with Opera Mini.

ES File Explorer is the best file manager, better even than the excellent File Expert.

Last but not least, CifsManager means locally mounted smb shares for the same flawless 'streaming' of video from my server I get with my computers! (need a cifs module in your kernel for this to work though)

EDIT: almost forgot, I couldn't live without Night Clock for it's large display and one-touch setting of alarms, and Timetable Spread v2 is by far the best timetable app I've found, perfect for students, etc.

[Johnsie]

My wife is really getting into Cardio Trainer. Is it worth paying for the full version?

Also, do you have any tips for learning the Android SDK?





That one's a really well done app (Cardiotrainer)
They have various add-ons. Mostly focused on weight loss at the moment, but they come up with some other interesting things from time to time like the interval training stuff (which you get some of for free).
The $10 full version simply gives you access to those add-ons (and any future ones) instead of buying each one separately as it comes out. It also probably makes them happy.




Yes, I paid for the addon that allows me to race myself. It's really good for recording record times etc. Definitely worth the money but only if you do your training outside. Now that the sun has come out I might start using it again :-)


For learning the SDK, I just followed the tutorial to set it up with eclipse on the site below. I did the Windows install because I was using Windows at the time. Then I just looked at some of the more simple examples and worked my way up from there. Knowing PHP and basic java helped alot and also the Google search engine was pretty good at finding example code. The hardest thing for me to get my head around was the architecture. Understanding out the purpose of Activities, Services,Content pOoviders and Broadcast Recievers and how they pass data around was a little tricky. Definitely worth the work though as my app has saved my butt in work on many occasions :-)

http://developer.android.com/sdk/installing.html
http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/fundamentals.html (a bit about the architecture)

Oh and while I'm here, I use an app called Start-up Manger to put my app into the phones startup, so runs in the background every time I turn the phone on.

[blueturtl]

PowerAMP - for music (not free)
Bubble - use your phone as a level meter
Xabber - Jabber/XMPP and Facebook chat in one app
Jota Text Editor - Does what it says
WiFi Analyzer - Tells you which radio channels are most crowded in a location, so you can set your AP to use the least crowded one.

[forrestcupp]

4shared Music. It's a free app that lets you search for a song and listen to it on the P2P network. I think the reason they're able to get away with this is because you can only stream the songs; you can't download them.



N64droid N64 emulator (my nexus one is too slow for Goldeneye, but great for marioworld)How in the world do you control it?



For learning the SDK, I just followed the tutorial to set it up with eclipse on the site below...

Thank you. I successfully set up Eclipse a while back. I don't have a problem with basic Java. But like you, I'm trying to get the architecture down. I have read the page you listed, and I'm starting to understand how things work. I just got my first Android phone about 2 weeks ago, and I'm trying to learn how things work from a user perspective before I go deeper. I think it's about time to take some of your other tips and just jump in.

[PhillyPhil]

How in the world do you control it?




Most console emulators (including N64droid) superimpose controls on top of the touchscreen - it works surprisingly well.
Alternatively, you can map console controls to phone hardware buttons.
N64droid also has an option to replace the analogue stick with the phone's accelerometer.

[forrestcupp]

Most console emulators (including N64droid) superimpose controls on top of the touchscreen - it works surprisingly well.
Alternatively, you can map console controls to phone hardware buttons.
N64droid also has an option to replace the analogue stick with the phone's accelerometer.

Nice. It seems like it would be awkward, though. The accelerometer thing might be interesting. Do you play games in portrait mode or landscape?

[m_duck]

Miren browser is particularly good - it doesn't seem to get stuck on things that the stock browser falls over on.

A +1 for EStrongs File Explorer and Soundhound and another +1 for Launcher Pro, though I prefer ADW Ex or Zeam (back in development :D).

Oh and let's not forget the XDA App!

[PhillyPhil]

Nice. It seems like it would be awkward, though. The accelerometer thing might be interesting. Do you play games in portrait mode or landscape?

It can be awkward for some combinations needed in some games (console emulators really need to start allowing users to customise the button locations), but anything that only needs two thumbs is good.

Landscape only.

[earthpigg]

I'm not used to it and spoiled by it, but I'm pretty sure 'URemoteDesktop' will soon be a 'must have' for me as I do become used to having it. It does the same "Turn your Android phone into a remote control for your desktop" thing that many other apps do.

One advantage of this app over others, in my opinion, is that it doesn’t try to be smart and tailor itself to specific desktop software. It sends generic play, volume up, etc, commands and leaves it to your computer to interpret. It seems to work everywhere that the identical buttons on my keyboard work. I like that, because it doesn’t place barriers between me and trying new software out - I don't have to wait for the developer to decide to code for, say, Banshee or Boxee... if the software takes generic play, pause, etc, commands, this will work with it.

I used an alias in my .bashrc (http://ctmason.wordpress.com/2011/04/22/android-linux-desktop-remote-control-better-documentation-than-official/) to display my IP and establish the connection with only one terminal command - needing to do that myself is the only way in which I'd have liked the app to be a bit 'smarter'.

[earthpigg]

just posting back to say that i've been running the juice defender app for several days, and aysiu's claim of it doubling battery life is probably not an exaggeration at all.

it also seems to charge a crap-ton faster from USB - previously, i've had to use the wall plug charger because it takes forever to charge using USB. no longer the case.

all of this is completely unlike the half dozen other battery saving apps i've tried over the several months since i've had this phone.

[aysiu]

just posting back to say that i've been running the juice defender app for several days, and aysiu's claim of it doubling battery life is probably not an exaggeration at all.

it also seems to charge a crap-ton faster from USB - previously, i've had to use the wall plug charger because it takes forever to charge using USB. no longer the case.

all of this is completely unlike the half dozen other battery saving apps i've tried over the several months since i've had this phone.
Well, the reason Juice Defender seems to work better, as far as I can tell, is that it actually turns off stuff that uses the battery. I know that sounds stupid, but a lot of "battery saver" apps actually just "kill" applications that weren't even really running in the first place.

[Donalt2010]

Imdb if your into movies - gives local cinema listings plus the latest trailors

Zedge for ringtones and message alerts and pictures, found this to be really useful for the things I want.

Wikipedia

3G watchdog

Wheres my Droid incase youve misplaced your phone and its on silent.

Scrambled Net-downloaded this game the other day and its a very addictive puzzle game where you have to connect computers to a server. Try it out!!

[earthpigg]

Wikipedia


i actually prefer wikipedia as rendered on opera mini with 'mobile view' turned on.

oh, that may be a worthwhile discussion here:

Opera Mobile vs Opera Mini, as i understand it...

Mini does the rendering in the cloud and then serves your cell a pre-rendered webpage. So, it is a small download and serves web pages faster than any other option i am aware of on basic android hardware.

Mobile is a full traditional web browser. Great if you have an expensive/fast cell phone, not so much if you have basic android hardware.

Both are still maintained and improved by programmers at Santa's workshop in a far off northern land.

[Donalt2010]

Mini does the rendering in the cloud and then serves your cell a pre-rendered webpage. So, it is a small download and serves web pages faster than any other option i am aware of on basic android hardware.

Mobile is a full traditional web browser. Great if you have an expensive/fast cell phone, not so much if you have basic android hardware.


I used Opera mini on my old Nokia 5510 XpressMusic a few years ago, never again will I use a Nokia XpressMusic lol. I did hear it renders in the cloud thats why I used it as it was quicker than the stock browser. Must get it for my HTC Desire.

[spupy]

Adobe Reader - actually a very nice app.
Advanced Task Manager - I like killing pesky apps. (wtf, when I activate the wireless, bajillion apps are started. Like, totally useless ones I never utilize. "Car dock", really?!)
Pulse - a (sort of) feed reader with a very nice and interesting UI.
Widgetsoid - best widget app - tons of options to toggle with buttons, very customizable
SwipePad - activate a custom apps launcher by swiping your fingers from a selected screen edge. Works *everywhere*, not just on the home screen.

Games & Fun
AndroDraft - play Daft Punk tunes by pressing buttons
Ninja Kaka - IMO best free Fruit Slice clone
Pew Pew - fast action with cool Tron-like graphics. Shooting spaceships and stuff
Slice It - puzzle, gets very hard
Speedx 3D free - 3d vertigo tunnel race thing. If you have 3D glasses (red/blue or red/green I think), this game supports them!

[PhillyPhil]

I used Opera mini on my old Nokia 5510 XpressMusic a few years ago, never again will I use a Nokia XpressMusic lol. I did hear it renders in the cloud thats why I used it as it was quicker than the stock browser. Must get it for my HTC Desire.

The Desire will handle Opera Mobile without any trouble. I forget why I chose Mobile over Mini, but I had both installed together, and there was a reason I got rid of Mini... I think Mobile handles tabs much nicer? Or links on the home page? Really forgotten...;)
Adobe Reader - actually a very nice app.


I've never tried it, so I'm not speaking from a position of experience, but judging by their desktop apps, surely this would be another peice of bloatware? No? There are plenty of options for pdf viewing.

[lightstream]

Adobe Reader - actually a very nice app.
I've never tried it, so I'm not speaking from a position of experience, but judging by their desktop apps, surely this would be another peice of bloatware? No? There are plenty of options for pdf viewing.

Adobe PDF reader is pretty good - I've only just installed it, it is apparently one of the best performing Android PDF readers, others have better features such as text selection etc.

Another app I use is ConnectBot (http://htc-magic-android.gb-eu.com/content/open-source-android-ssh-client-connectbot), an open source SSH client that does everything you want with a minimum of fuss.

[CraigPaleo]

Great thread! I just got my Android about a week and a half ago. It has 2.2, Froyo.

My brother has an even earlier version and it doesn't seem there is any way for either of us to upgrade to the latest version. The only system update that was available was PRL (whatever that is.) Will you always be stuck with the version the phone came with or do some carriers wait longer before making upgrades available as some Linux distros do? I'm on Boost Mobile (Sprint) and my brother is on Verizon.

Also, the speech recognition is remarkable! As far as I know, my iPhone didn't even have that - at least not for free. It's VERY accurate and speedy once you get used to speaking the punctuation.

[Tibuda]

Thanks aysiu for recommending JuiceDefender. It really works very well.

I will also suggest RunKeeper.

[haqking]

Drag Racing...but it will serioulsly increase the time you spend on the toilet unecessarily ;-)

[K. Hendrik]

AVG Antivirus - yes there are lots of them
Amazon MP3 - couldn't live without the cloud anymore
FuelLog - keep track of your cars fuel consumption (why didn't google think of that [yet])
Netflix - Movies yay
Shazam - if you need to know how that song is called
Skype - free calling but now with microsoft backdoor ...
Ubuntu 1 - do i need to explain?
Waze - social GPS really amazing (at least if there are more wazers in your area)

[ScionicSpectre]

Qt for Android. :D

[CraigPaleo]

KDE Plasma Mobile :)

http://toulibre.org/pub/2011-03-18-soiree-kde/presentation/plasma-mobile-activity-frame.png

[capink]

mortplayer audiobook (http://www.appbrain.com/app/mortplayer-audio-books-(beta)/de.stohelit.audiobookplayer)

A very useful app for audio books junkies.

[urek]

I can't live without the subsonic app. There is an app for Iphones, Blackberry's, and Androids. When I had an iPhone, I used iSub.

Once you install the server side (very easy to do on all major OS), you can stream music and videos to your phone or any web browser. If you are nice, and have the bandwidth, you can create accounts for your friends so they may have access.

It grabs cover art, lyrics, reviews, etc.

While streaming, the music is saved to your phone to whatever limit you set. The iPhone keeps that music seperate, so as far as I can tell you have to use iSub to listen to what you have saved. On the Android, it goes into your main pool of music. When it finished downloading the song, it begins downloading the next song seamlessly.

EDIT: By the way, its all GPL Opensource on the server side. Apps may vary, but the great majority are free. I'd start by heading over to subsonic.org