Mr Trick’s Posterous Silo

The Android Apps I'm Using...

@liquidindian asked me what Android apps I recommend, so rather than try to shoehorn a response into 140chars I thought I'd use this place to expand on it a little more...

System Apps:

Android is a great OS, but it does have one or two Achilles Heel aspects to it. First and foremost is the issue of how it handles applications and memory. In short, you cannot close an app directly; instead Android saves it in a suspended state and, when memory is being used up, closes the apps as required. In use, this does mean switching apps can be incredibly fast. Where it falls down is with the issue that some badly-coded apps can continue using CPU (and therefore battery) power whilst suspended, draining your device to zero in no time at all.

First essential app for me then is CloseEverything (v2 in my case, for Cupcake). This is basically a task manager, allowing you to shut down background apps, or even close them all in one click. Personally I've found this to be invaluable and it has drastically improved battery life by ensuring that what doesn't need to be running is closed. The Cupcake version of CloseEverything is a paid app, but its 85p well spent, trust me!

AutoLock is the second must-have app for me, as it overrides the screen locking that can occur when the screen times out. On Android, the minute the screen goes black (usually after 10secs) it also locks, which can get pretty irritating when you have to keep unlocking it. AutoLock addresses this by allowing you to have the screen switch off as usual (to conserve power), but doesn't lock it so that when you hit the Menu key, it simply comes back to life. Arguably this (and CloseEverything) should be system apps, but until then its worth grabbing them to improve your user experience.

General Apps:

Greed: One strange thing about Android as an OS is that you'd think Google would roll out apps for all their web-based offerings. Certainly you get Gmail integration etc, but others seem either missing or badly lacking. Their Finance app, for example, doesn't actually sync with your Google account, meaning it won't import portfolios you are watching etc. To me, that's ridiculous. In addition, when it comes to Google Reader (my personal RSS reader of choice), they simply provide a webapp that you use via the WebOS browser. Its nice, but others have still managed to create apps that better it, and my personal favourite is Greed. In short, Greed syncs to your Google account and provides a better interface for your Google Reader feeds. Where it really flies though is with offline caching, allowing you to download all unread news items to your SD card and read them on the tube into work, for example. Great app, super handy but another one where you feel that Google should really be providing an official app so we don't have to make do with 3rd party ones.

Chomp SMS: Chomp ostensibly turns your SMS experience into the same kind of speech bubble-based one that iPhone users have. The regular Android messaging setup is nice, but Chomp definitely makes it both more aesthetically pleasing and easier to follow. Given the app is free, its a no-brainer. Be sure to turn off notifications from the default messaging app though, otherwise you get all SMS notifications in duplicate.

Twidroid: This is currently my Twitter client of choice, and by all accounts remains the best one for Android. I have to say though, it doesn't come close to Gravity, the S60 app which remains to me the finest Twitter client I've seen (and I'm including the likes of Tweetdeck and Seesmic Desktop in that too). With picture and location integration though, Twidroid covers nearly all bases, with the one big feature missing being multiple account support. As someone overseeing a few accounts, that would be a fantastic addition.

Pkt Auctions eBay: Being a keen eBay user, I find the mobile eBay site a total waste of space. Thank god then for this app, which makes eBaying so much easier. Auctions are simplified into either text and images or full HTML (with tabbed options at the top for each), and bidding etc is simplicity itself. One killer feature is a barcode reader, which lets you scan an item and search eBay for it. Love that!

Qype, ShopSavvy, WikiTude: I've mentioned these before now and press coverage of them has been huge, so there's no use repeating what's been said elsewhere. These are essential apps though, and while WikiTude desperately needs filters in order to be more useful, the other two have already been used to death by yours truly.

My Tracks: This app from Google allows you to track yourself when out and about using GPS, allowing you to then export it to a Google Map to share with others. For runners, hikers and others its a great app. Hell you can even use it to train yourself, as it logs speed, elevation and other such info against your journey, allowing you to see what distance was covered in what time etc etc.

Google Maps Editor: Another great Maps app, this allows you to edit maps on the go, using GPS to add location points, plot journeys etc. I used this the other day to create a sightseeing map for my folks - dead simple to use and incredibly handy.

London Weather widget: This tiny widget adds an iPhone-styled weather widget to your Android desktop, doing as it says on the tin: giving you weather for London, with a tap on the temperature showing you a 5 day forecast. The appeal over the other weather apps is the size; this is something like 14k - tiny!

Tube Status: Again, one for a London commuter, this simply relays the current state of the various London Underground lines. Simple but very handy if like me you're in and out of town a lot.

Sky Map: This is one of those pure nerd apps that gets you all excited in a very tragic way. In short, it uses the GPS and built-in compass to identify stars and planets up in the sky. The search function is particularly mad; if you type in "Orion", it actually guides you until you're pointing at said constellation. One thing I can't wait to do with this is use it with my son when he's a bit older. That's when a slightly geeky app becomes one awesome educational (and fun) app for kids.

Locale: For me, the jury remains slightly out on this app. In theory, Locale is the kind of app ALL smartphones should have, as it can trigger events based on location, time and other such factors. For example, you can have the phone switch to silent mode when you get to the office, or have it switch to silent at 11pm each night so you're not woken by calls or notifications. In my case you can annoy your other half by making it scream "ACHTUNG! DAS MOTHER-IN-LAW!" when you pull up to your mother-in-law's house. Pretty powerful then. Where it comes unstuck though, is in its colossal battery consumption that tends to render it slightly pointless. Don't get me wrong: time-based events are awesome. No issue there. However anything location-based means you need the GPS on, and even with my HTC Magic and its improved battery, this simply isn't feasible as leaving it on all the time will flatten the battery in about 4-5 hours. Hence, an amazing and potentially killer app is really cut-down by the hardware. Pity...

So: have I missed any killer apps? Got any you'd like to recommend? Leave a comment below!

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