Brent and I went through all of our apps and created a list of our favorite Android apps. Â Mainly we focused on the apps we either use on a daily basis or rely on. Â While this list was much longer we decided to narrow it down to these
Tripit
I recently did a top 5 post about Tripit a couple weeks back but to put it simple Tripit is my travel brain. I forward my travel confirmation(s) (hotel, rental car, flight) to Tripit and they add it to an internet calendar for me. I use Tripit to have all reservation details quickly available but more important to share my travel schedule with my wife.
TouchDown
To say the Exchange support in Android is terrible would be a compliment. Google would have done better had they not tried the release what appears to be the work of high school freshmen’s building a hello world app. Touchdown on the other hand is a brilliant application that makes using an Android phone in an exchange environment possible. GAL lookups, Out of Office assistant, or tasks, it is all there. For me it is an app I cannot survive without.
Photoshop.com Mobile
I initially installed this just for play but I have found myself using it to make quick photo adjustments before I send the wife a cute picture of our boys doing something silly
Pandora
I found Pandora several years ago in an article in the Southwest Airlines magazine. I have been a disciple since that day. I rarely put music on my Droid, iPhone, or Zune. I just tune into Pandora and listen to one of my many stations. When in flight I am all about podcasts (but that will lead me to another app.) Pandora works off a concept called music genome and then builds a customized station based on you thumbing up/down music. Simple, easy and hours of music to enjoy.
Slacker Radio
Similar to Pandora, but with one HUGE difference there is Slacker Radio. You can cache your stations (up to 25) to your SDCard and listen while in Airplane mode. Each station will cache about 2 hours worth of music. You do the math.
Sleepy Tunes – Sleep Time
Having a hard time getting to sleep? Use Sleepy Tunes to play music for a period you set and then gently fade out. Play any local tracks or albums. Sleep Time will do the same but allow you to select from a long list of ‘comfort noises’ that will help distract you into sleep like rain, or thunder and lightening, or anything of the sort. Works great in noisy hotels.
Bedside
A better multimedia dock mode that doesn’t require the dock but can use it if present. Allows you to specify what programs you want to call for: Light, Alarms, Music and one extra for anything you might want to have handy at night.
LastPass
I have got at least 20 friends using LastPass. Most are addicted to the desktop application, but admit having a password manager on their mobile phone as amazing. Most people laugh when they think about password managers but once you start using it you understand. LastPass keeps your passwords stored in the cloud and accessible across a variety of mobile operating systems and devices.
Barcode Scanner
This concept initially put Android on the map. If your in a store just scan the UPC code on what your about to buy and Barcode scanner looks up online to see if you can get the item cheaper. At first this was just a fun toy until I actually started saving money.
BeyondPod
To me a podcast is just recorded talk radio I can download over the internet. I subscribe to about 20 audio/video podcasts. BeyondPod automatically checks and downloads new episodes every 12 hrs (my personal configuration). Set it and forget it. All I have to do is open the app or use the widget to start an episode. I paid for BeyondPod after the 7 day trial because Google Listen was so bad. I also use BeyondPod to subscribe to various blog updates. BeyondPod is currently the best RSS app for Android.
Album Art Grabber
Have music on your device that is lacking appropriate art? Just install this app, and let it go. It will find and install all the correct covers for your music and make this stuff look good again. Un-install until you need it again.
Precisely
When you are in a location that you want to share with others, open Precisely, which will open Google Maps, let it find your location and then quickly and easily build an SMS or email list to send your location to. It will be found by any device on any platform that supports Google Maps and they will be able to quickly find your location.
Evernote
If you store data that you need to access anytime, anywhere, Evernote is the platform for you. With clients for PC and Mac, it also has clients for Windows Phone, iPhone, and Android. Data entered anywhere is accessible by any client at any time, and can be stored locally as well for off-line access.
Palmary Weather
A weather client that takes it one step further by allowing you to follow the weather for multiple locations. For each location you can access Current, 48-hour, and 15-day forecasts, as well as information on current delays at all local airports.
EStrong File Explorer
The best all-in-one File Manager for non-root use. Allows you to do all the standard cut/copy/paste/view functions on your SDCard, as well as on your LAN and any FTP site via WiFi. Includes a great multi-select mode to help deal with multiple files or directories and the ability to scan the local network for available hosts. The fastest way there is to quickly get files to/from your device.
AppControl
A great way to manage your application if you have more needs than you have space. Allows you to individually or collectively backup apps to SDCard and then restore them at need. Can also be used to uninstall any application from a single view. Really helps understand what you have on your device.
MyBackupPro
Takes the app management one step further and permits the scheduled backup of apps and app data to your SDCard and to an online space that can later be used to restore the apps. With the Pro version, you can restore the apps in bulk to new hardware, which is a wonderful thing if you have to replace your device.