These apps are ones that I find rather essential in my day to day life. They aren’t for entertainment, but help me manage my life or my phone.
EasyProfiles – I found this because I missed the “phone calls only” option on my Blackberry. This allows you to set up multiple profiles depending on what sounds, what notifications, etc. you want. Vibrate only during a meeting? Easy. No sounds at night unless a family member calls or texts? Easy. You can even set them to change according to time or location. It comes with a 14 day free trial and is the only app I paid for.
Handcent – a texting app. I liked the default text app enough, especially liking the popup box when the phone was locked, but a reply like “yes” didn’t help me when I couldn’t see the rest of the conversation. Plus, I really wanted to customize the display, change bubble colors, backgrounds, notification sounds, etc. This allows me to do all that. It’s a free app but does have a few pay options if you want to backup some stuff online. Remember to turn off default texting notifications. Also, set skin to “iphone new” if you have trouble setting bubble colors.
Gentle Alarm – I got this free from the appstore, though it’s a couple of bucks regularly. Allows you to customize your alarm, but also allows you to gently wake to the music of your choice. The idea is to wake you when you’re ready to waken, not interrupting deep sleep. The music will start off at a percentage of volume that you set and gently increase in an increment you set. You can set a single song or a playlist. I do wake up less groggy and irritable.
Our Groceries – There’s lots of grocery list apps out there, but this is why I like this one. It has an online component, so all you have to do is share the master login info with your family and they can add items to the list online. If they have smartphones, they can also do so from their phones. It allows you to store recipes, so if you see something in the store and think “I should make that for dinner,” the recipe is right there and you can add/see the items. That said, I don’t cook much, but when I see something in the store that make me actually want to cook, it’s handy. It’s also simple to mark things off and categorize items to make it easier to shop. I use it for Target and such shopping, too.
Apps Organizer – With 250+ apps and growing, the list becomes long to scroll through. With this app, I can label and group the apps (games, tools, travel, shopping, useless but fun, etc.) I can then put a shortcut label on my screen and when I select it, every app with that label pops up. It’s great considering I have trouble remembering the names of some apps. For example, I want to print and look under “p” but should look under “c” for “cloud print.” Now, I can open “productivity” and it’s easier to find.
Inrix Traffic – I’m new to this app but like it. It uses Google maps and offers options Google doesn’t. The roads are still colored according to the amount of traffic, but it also allows you to compare traffic along different routes, look at traffic at different times of day, see a listing of traffic incidents, report incidents, and easily lock the screen so it doesn’t sleep while the app is open. Users can report incidents but it also lists info from DOT and police. There is an easy interface for submitting suggestions.
Gas Buddy – Everyone has heard of Gas Buddy and sure, there are other apps that offer the same thing, but this is still the best. You can search by grade of gasoline, by places close to you or by zip code. You not only get the most recent prices, you know how old those prices are. You can sort by distance or price and view a listing or a map. Depends on users providing information.
Google Maps – Okay, I almost didn’t include this because it comes standard, but I love it. It can find my location, mark it (star) and it then shows up on my maps when I’m sitting at my computer. I can get driving directions or walking directions. I can view traffic or get satellite view, see my maps I’ve saved online or get transit information. Will use cell tower information when gps is turned off.
Appstore – not in the market. You need to go to Amazon to download and I include this app because there’s a free one every day. They appear to be paid apps that are free for the day (it’s how I got Gentle Alarm for no charge). There’s also a notifier you can install (I forget to check a lot). The downside is that the apps you install from Amazon don’t show up as “installed” on the Android Market, so I limit myself to the free ones. This also means you have to update from two separate places, but it’s worth it for a free app a day!
I stopped my list at 9 because those are the ones I absolutely can’t do without. There are a few that came close to making the list that I’ve included below:
Cloud Print – uses Google’s Cloud Print service (beta) and allows you to print from your phone to your printer. You need to configure your pc that manages your printer, but that was easy to do and it’s worked great for me. I didn’t include it above because I haven’t come up with a really good reason to print from my phone but I’m sure, given time, I will :)
Directv – This allows me to schedule recordings from my phone, allowing me to choose which recorder to use. Great for those times you forgot to schedule a program or game or didn’t schedule the season.
Gmail Notifier – If you want to customize your gmail notifications, this is the app for you. Does not replace your gmail app but works in conjunction with it.
The Weather Channel – An oldie but a goodie. I still prefer this app to the other weather apps out there. I actually use the widget to launch, because for some reason, I like to be able to look at the phone and know the temperature. It supports multiple locations and provides video and alerts.
Trip It – There are more travel apps than I can count available out there. Ones for various sites for planning/purchasing (Orbitz, Kayak, etc.), ones for airlines, tracking flights, AAA discounts, AAA Roadside, etc. But I like Trip It to keep it all organized. Simply set up an account (using email address) and then forward confirmation emails to tripit and voila! The info appears with confirmation numbers, flight numbers and times, rental car info and hotel info all in one place, organized by trip. There’s a professional version for those that travel often. There’s phone and web access and you can invite family members, coworkers, etc. to share your trips.
Brightest Flashlight – How often have you tried to use your phone as a flashlight? Well, now you really can. Uses every available light including the screen and flash.
And then there are those fun apps that Google keeps producing. My favorites:
Google Sky Map – Ever wonder what that star in the sky is named? Guess no more. This app will tell you more than you want to know about the night sky. Just aim and read. Is most fun where the sky clear and unaffected by city lights as you’re more likely to actually see the stars being identified.
Google Goggles – uses image recognition to search for information on what’s in front of you. Can even translate text!
Google Music Beta – Currently by invitation only, I expect it to open up pretty soon. Google uploads your music from your computer and you can stream to your phone! It even captures your playlists from iTunes. Unfortunately, DMA still comes into play and not all songs will work :(
I'd be interested in hearing everyone else's favorite, can't live without Android Apps!
No comments:
Post a Comment