Monday, August 1, 2011

My Most Used Android Apps

I got an email from my cousin today.  He just got his first Android phone and asked me for some recommended apps.  I started writing an email, and it turned into a blog post...

Before you do anything else, make sure to register your phone at market.android.com - that way you can browse through the Android app store on your computer and with just a click of the mouse they will begin downloading/installing on your phone. Very convenient!

Okay, I digress.  Let's get to actual app recommendations. Thanks to app folders, I only use two out of the 7 available home screens (that way all of the apps I frequently use are just a click away...for me, that's faster than sliding through 7 screens).

The screen to the right of my home screen has three widgets: Aix Weather, Sportacular, and MLB At Bat 11.

My main screen has the Evernote widget and 8 app folders. (more on how I use Evernote here).


In my Messaging folder, I most frequently use Gmail, Handcent SMS (which I use to replace the stock android text app), and Voice (which I use for voicemail, replacing the standard Verizon voicemail).

In my Internet folder, I most frequently use the standard browser, Firefox and LastPass.  LastPass is my password manager and I use that when I need to log into a website and I don't know the password (which is frequently, because my passwords are all different and usually look something like this: X7s$sdd0@2U

In my Website Apps folder, I most frequently use Amazon.com, Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, ING Direct, Netflix, Pandora, Reader, ReadItLater, Redbox, Wells Fargo, YouTube, and Zillow.

In my Utilities folder, I most frequently use Calculator, Calendar, Converter, Google Authentication (because two-factor authentication on my Google account is an absolute must), Market, and Quick Settings.

In my Camera folder, besides the stock camera/camcorder/gallery apps, I most frequently use Barcode Scanner, Google Goggles, Imgur, and QuickPic.

In my Music folder, I most frequently use Amazon MP3, Google Music, Pandora, and Shazam.

My Games folder is pathetic, I don't have any good recommendations.  I don't really play any games on my phone (but I do on my iPad).

So that's about it.  That's what works for me.  Am I missing any great apps?

2 comments:

  1. For a browser, check out Dolphin, it takes the lastpass plug in as well.

    For some things, Pro HDR camera is cool (takes two shots, and combines them for more dynamic range, ie you can see stuff that would wash out (all black or all white) otherwise).

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  2. Yeah, I also have Dolphin in my Internet folder...just don't find myself using it very often, despite the LastPass integration. I'm not really sure why I don't use it more, to be honest with you. I'll definitely check out Pro HDR, thanks!

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