Related
hello,
i´m loving the hd2, but the rss hub hangs up very often, so i´m really like to solve this issue by using an differend rss reader.
so the big question is, which is the best rss reader available for the hd2?
many thanks in advance.
best regards
mario
Dear spoogedemon,
I advise you to install Egress... I tried many but liked egress as it is fully configurable...
Here is the link : http://www.garishkernels.net/egress.shtml
Kind Regards...
Spb News is good and finger-friendly.
My favorite is SBSH GoNews Touch.
GoNews is best.
Tried them all and the only one which has never hung with regular use for me is Egress. Manages podcasts well too
SpeeedReader reads google reader...excellent program!
full-feed possible?
I have been using yomomedia and been very happy. it handles podcats, vidcasts etc. And it is free. SBSH GoNews Touch looks similar to yomomedia but it's a paid application.
I have one question. i don't have a data plan so i read the rss feeds offline. sometimes i would like to see the full articles. are there any rss reader that can trick the source into downloading the full feed or downloading the full feed link in addition to the summary so that when i click the link full feed is available?
thank you very much!
Another vote for yomomedia
yomomedia is good - nice modern interface and I love the way you can configure all your feeds (inc video and audio) via a web page on your desktop (where it's much easier to configure) and the mobile version syncs with that. You can also set it to only download audio / video content when you're connected to a pc (etc. - very configurable). The initial feeds it sets you up with are a bit annoying but once you've got them deleted and your own setup it's great.
Thanks for the recommendation on Yomomedia folks, just started to look into sorting out my RSS feeds properly, and really liking YMM (the web service that syncs with the phone is nice, much prefer organising that on my PC!). As you say, shame about the pre-loaded feeds, but once deleted its excellent.
Speeed Reader asks for my google reader account credentials. I type em in like I do in my PC webbrowser but it says I can't login?
I love RSS Hub and I don't see any reason to change. It came with my HD2 and it works really good.
petvas said:
I love RSS Hub and I don't see any reason to change. It came with my HD2 and it works really good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
RSS Hub is freezing itself a lot of time for many people ...
Which version do you use ? How many feeds you have ?
DomZ said:
RSS Hub is freezing itself a lot of time for many people ...
Which version do you use ? How many feeds you have ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
due to this, i´m lokking for an alternative solution.
but rss hub is really nice indeed.
i like the keyword-option a lot.
my content:
47 feeds
4 of it getting a podcast update (last 10) everytime i connect to the pc.
it would be really nice, to get it working without the known issues.
Yomomedia is really a great application !
I advice you to try it !
SmartRSS TouchGR
Really finger friendly and quick integration with google reader (i read over 100 channels and about 1000 dialy posts) with realli fast response times
BeetzStream SmartRSS TouchGR
Best money used with HD2, really impressive.
petvas said:
I love RSS Hub and I don't see any reason to change. It came with my HD2 and it works really good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It also crashes a lot on my HD2. I am now on SPB News...
Birger said:
It also crashes a lot on my HD2. I am now on SPB News...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has never crashed on my HD2.
is there anything to fix the issue with rss hub?
cause i really like to keep on working with this one.
i switched to spb news. very happy with it.
Thought we would start an Apps Corner so we can share what we think are essential apps or just apps you think are good and Games.
Please if you post in here do not just post saying that app is no good i think this one is better.
If you think that then tell us a bit about the app and a link to the app so we can all have a look, otherwise it will be pages and pages of wasted posts.
I will kick it off
History Eraser
This is a free app that will erase different types of history like Internet and the App Market
Look HERE
1. Tasker
Total Automation, from settings to SMS. ADC2 finalist!
* Triggers: App, Time, Day, Location, Widget, Timer, 50+ Events
* Actions: 160+ builtin, any Locale-compatible setting plugin
* Tasks: loops, variables, conditions
Queries: http://groups.google.com/group/tasker
Release Notes: http://tasker.dinglisch.net/changes.html
Latest version: 1.0.6 (for all Android versions)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2. NewsRoom
NewsRoom is the fastest and easiest way to stay in touch with the web on the go. Find your favorite news quickly with the built in search.
Problems? Email us at [email protected] and we'll fix you right up.
Latest version: 1.7.4 (for all Android versions)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
3. Astro
This new permanent version includes mobile ads. The ad free version, ASTRO Pro is available below (see 'View more applications)
Features: File Manager, Backup, Image and text viewers, Networking, SMB, Bluetooth, SFTP, Zip Tar, downloader, thumbnails, search files, application manager, task manager, attachments
Latest version: 2.5.2 (for all Android versions)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
4. eBuddy Messenger
Get the best Instant Messaging Application!
- Fast & reliable
- Chat on multiple MSN (Windows Live), Facebook, Yahoo, AIM, ICQ, GTalk, Hyves & MySpace accounts
- All IM buddies in one list
- Runs in background
- Messages sent as data, not SMS/Text
New in 1.8.1:
- Facebook Chat more reliable
- Fix force close on Droid
Latest version: 1.8.1 (for all Android versions)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
5.K9 Mail
2.803 fixes a bug in the 'days of mail to sync' setting.
New in 2.8: Configurable font sizes & account colors, Yahoo over WiFi, Global Inbox & more!
K-9 Mail is an open-source e-mail client with search, push mail, multi-folder sync, flagging and refiling, signatures, bcc-self, configurable alerts and more! # K9 Mail
Latest version: 2.803 (for all Android versions)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Better than stock email client but the only way I found to copy text from email was to try and forward or reply to the email that I was trying to copy text from.
6. Barcode Scanner
Scan barcodes on CDs, books, and other products, then look up prices and reviews, or search for a word in a book and find where it occurs. You can also scan QR Codes containing URLs, contact info, calendar events, etc.
NEW:
* WiFi base station in QR Code
* Bulk scanning mode
* App on SD card for Froyo
Latest version: 3.4 (for all Android versions)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Games
Bistro Cook: (free)
Take the challenge! Show how fast you are and be the best bistro cook around! Live scores!
How to cook a food:
- tap the food to select
- tap on the frying pan (not drag)
Tomatoes, cabbage and bread don't need cooking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Replica Island: (free)
Guide the Android robot through 40 action-packed platforming levels on a quest to discover a secret power source on a mysterious island. With an retro style and unique, challenging game play, Replica Island is a new take on the classic platformer genre. http://replicaisland.net/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Robo Defense: ($ a must have game)
Robo Defense is the ultimate portable tower defense experience. Featuring open maps, upgrades, achievements and nice graphics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Blow Up: ($)
Flatten the buildings! You have a certain amount of bombs in different sizes, with the ability to place them on timer delay. Watch the building sway and fall with real physics; even more, blow the panda up. Hit the panda on a star to get bonus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Old School Snake: (free)
The classic snake game done properly for Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Applications
TodoistDroid: ($)
Todoist is a task manager that's useful, fast and easy to use. We currently manage millions of todos and we are ready to manage yours as well! Very indepth and is browser based as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kindle: (free)
eBook reader from Amazon. Perfect considering the large screen size of the Streak. I have read many books on it already!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pandora: (free)
Online radio, awesome! With full Widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
XDA-App: (free)
Great for checking the boards on the Streak
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Engadget: (free)
Great news feed widget and nice app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quick Office: ($)
Great for reading/writing Word, Powerpoint, Excel, ect
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SystemPanel (lite): (lite version is free, all I need)
Awesome task manager program for killing apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMDb: (free)
Lookup movies and search theater times, awesome free app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when i search for swype on market - i get MyTextSpeed - but nothing on Swype
where to download from?
devdarshan said:
when i search for swype on market - i get MyTextSpeed - but nothing on Swype
where to download from?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate this is the kind of post i was trying to avoid in this thread. we just wanted apps and not questions otherwise it will get very scruffy very soon
I have sent you a pm about link for swype
Numbuzz IM, now that it works...
free IM app that does them all, except jabber.. Now includes revenue earner in the form of a void to phonenumber service, can use swype as alternative..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.nimbuzz
Handcent sms.. near perfect sms app.. does anyone really use sms still when there's so many better ways of communicating? works ok for timetravel back to communicate with friends stuck in the the early 90s..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
aldiko. free
Bit embarrassed about this one as I tried it when I first got my streak and dismissed it far too quickly. its now my favorite app!
you know all those lovely books you grabbed in laputa? ** imagine reading them in either landscape or portrait with whatever layout you want. that's the start, then imagine sticking it in night mode and setting what colour you want the text to be. then decide you really want the backlight much darker than either Dell and lapses will let you go. slide your finger down the left edge if the screen.. genius!
Flick page left turns it, no fuss, no scrabbling around in the bottom corner trying to Flick the page.change the page animation speed, change pretty much everything..
**copy any epub book to /sdcard/ebooks/import and enjoy them in comfort
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.aldiko.android
adfree -free
simple but incredibly effective adblocking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.bigtincan.android.adfree
The apps I can't do without, and to be frank they've saved the streak for me
GOOGLE LISTEN automated download of subscriptions just add to your queue and listen, need to spend time finding good stuff to listen to but there's plenty out there. This week in google is always god for a laugh
ROCK PLAYER watching films on the streak is a must, currently the only app that doesn't need mass conversion of your film library
SWYPE keyboard is a must the stock keyboard was/is terrible, I spent ages correcting errors now I have a keyboard that I can tap or swype and get good results.
ENGADGET reads a dream on the streak
NEWS PRO THOMPSON REUTERS all types of news under one roof
That's it I'm afraid i expected more from such an open platform. I could do more with a jailbroken iphone than with android 1.6. I hope that will change soon.
Ones to watch
BLIND TYPE http://tinyurl.com/377aor4
this is amust
TMN POND this is a social agrigator, currently in beta so search the web for install (might be on market by now)
SEESMIC another social agrigator, currently only does buzz and twitter
PHONEBOOK 2.0 also a social agrigator but also acts as you phone book
All 3 apps have potential but have along way to go to get it right
Sent from my Dell Streak using Tapatalk
ADW Launcher
Rock Player
Beam reader
Kindle for Android
Aldiko Reader
Mixzing
Colornotes
SWYPE
Real player beta, free from market,
Haven't used it for music or photos but the best video player i've found, it's the only one that sync's the sound and video perfectly.
All the apps i have tried and kept so far....
Free:
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Barcode Scanner - Barcode scanner - great utility
Unit Converter - Wopnersoft - Utility for conversion
Engadget App - Access Engadget
XDA-App - Access XDA Forum
London Tube Status - Tube Status Updates
Traffic4England Free - Traffic Updates for UK
ES Explorer -Must have file management
Snaptic Compass - Directional use
Smoothe Calendar - for Neat Agenda/Appointment on Home Screen
System Info Widget - Systems panel on Home screen
ADW Launcher - Launcher App with loads of features
Droid Comic Viewer (ACV)
Evernote - Notekeeping
SwiftFTP - for File transfers over Wifi
Aldiko - eBook Reader
Shazam - Music Tagging
AG Newspapers UK Free - for UK newspapers
Paid:
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Copilot - with UK Map and PGPSW Speed cams Must have
Beta:
-----
Swype - fast Keyboard
RockPlayer - The ARMv7 version is the one for the Streak - Love this
I have just stumbled across this app that plays AVI files and as their are not many out their that do that i thought i put the link up
http://www.appbrain.com/app/sns.arcMedia.playerInterface.arm6
PS i havent tried it yet so if someone does please share it with us
interesting, the 1.6 firmware photo&video is by arcsoft media ...
obviously a coincidence of naming..
as this is based on FFMpeg I'd imagine it will be able to handle quite a few codecs eventually.
however looks like this specific version is compiled for arm6 processors, (the appbrain link name suggests it) so maybe a v7 version would be a bit better.
Barcode Scanner
One of those apps i would gladly pay for
http://www.androidzoom.com/android_applications/shopping/barcode-scanner_clh.html
You will notice on the link page a barcode for installing barcode scanner, but considering you haven't downloaded or installed it yet, i would like to see how anyone would take advantage of it
There's 1000's here
Fancy Widget
Snaptic Compass
https://snaptic.com/blog/compass-for-android/
Extended controls Wifi, Bluetooth on/off etc, etc
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.extendedcontrols
Smoothe Calendar
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.catharsis-android-calendar-xiCB.aspx
afile lite - transfer everything over wifi
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.mobi-bbase-discover-pij.aspx
Battery widget
http://apps.androidtapp.com/#battery-widget/id/com.geekyouup.android.widgets.battery
In addition to many of those mentioned before, here are some apps I've used and found useful on the Streak:
ACT 1 Video Player - Amazon's Unbox player (for Video on Demand) recognizes the Streak as a portable device and will transfer purchased movies/TV shows to the Streak as WMV's. Plays them well, and bookmarking functionality is useful. Free trial available.
AirReg - Interesting for those looking for info on the plane they're about to get on.
Galcon - Fun game ($)
GPSTest - Interesting while sitting on planes (especially in a window seat).
Jewels - Bejewelled style game
Zillow - Housing values
-ag
gersztoff said:
In addition to many of those mentioned before, here are some apps I've used and found useful on the Streak:
ACT 1 Video Player - Amazon's Unbox player (for Video on Demand) recognizes the Streak as a portable device and will transfer purchased movies/TV shows to the Streak as WMV's. Plays them well, and bookmarking functionality is useful. Free trial available.
AirReg - Interesting for those looking for info on the plane they're about to get on.
Galcon - Fun game ($)
GPSTest - Interesting while sitting on planes (especially in a window seat).
Jewels - Bejewelled style game
Zillow - Housing values
-ag
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Quick question, what USB mode is your Streak in when transfer video files
from Amazon. I havnt got it to work yet?
Thanks!
psx4droid: bit limited on what works, but WRC Arcade version and Colin McRae Rally 2.0 (and i presume 1.0) work!!
Kindle is excellent on the Streak.
Don't understand why people aren't using the built in video player? Having said that, I'm using DVD conversions I did for my old X1 and that was a swine to convert for. h264 mpeg I think?
Copilot is superb, google maps with streetview and traffic layer is a godsend.
And, for anyone who has an OBDII compliant car, "Torque" is a great bit of software. You get a bluetooth OBDII adapter from ebay for around 25 quid and now you have diagnostics (including reading and clearing fault codes) for your car!! £2? The guy could charge £10 and it'd be well worth it!!
Being a photographer, "Photo Tools" is a very handy application
And for music, through bluetooth in my car, Mort Player is great - especially if you add the widget. It even responds to the steering wheel controls for next and previous track!
sn707 said:
Quick question, what USB mode is your Streak in when transfer video files
from Amazon. I havnt got it to work yet?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I launched Amazon Unbox player, connected the Streak, and selected Media files. After a minute or so, I was able to see the Streak, after refreshing the devices in Unbox. Good luck!!
Found a good clock widget for the Streak, the surround looks similar to the standard streak icon surrounds so it matches them pretty good.http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-davidgoemans-simpleclockwidget-zAtq.aspx
Weather forecast widget, only used this for a coupls of days, seems pretty accurate, battery use was good with 3% over 8 hrs (set to update every 6)
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.org-koxx-forecast_weather-v2-jipz.aspx
for anyone who hasn't seen it, you should check out Boots' app:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=777482
I have tested and it does work over wifi with the Streak. Still in alpha but it does have promise.
I downloaded Skype but for some reason it just freezes the streak. Im sure its skype. I know skype haven't releashed a Dell Streak Version. I installed system tools and my memory has gone upto 93%. even though I use task manager and also have 1.5gb free on internal.
I had to switch the screen off a few times to get the screen to respond to my touches sometimes had to restart (i've tried screen calibration) and when i finally got it to work went into settings --> application --> stopped skype and it works fine ... strange.. anyone else having the same problems?
Thanks
EDIT: UPDATED
HERE IS THE LIST OF MY TOP 20 USING THE FEEDBACK... JUST SENT IT TO CNET.
http://callip.wordpress.com/
Android apps are essential to the end-users experience. There are several categories of apps, but I am going to ignore some as they are limited in their scope (ie, apps that are games, or are only focused on those who root their phones).
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I believe the average smartphone user is going to want to focus on improving the user interface (apps that are better than the stock apps that come on the phone), social apps (ie Twitter, texting, conferencing), and media apps (ie music, photos, news).
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Below are those categories and the apps that I feel can improve the Android experience.
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Disclaimer: There are hundreds of thousands of Android apps. This is in no way all inclusive and can change daily.
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BETTER THAN THE STOCK ANDROID APPLICATIONS:
Text Messanging:
1 – Go SMS / Handcent SMS / Chomp SMS / Google Voice.
Okay, so I am starting off with THREE suggestions. Well, they are all better than the stock messenger, in their own regard. The average user can be complacent with the stock messaging app, it does send texts and MMS (ie pictures) just fine after all, but for the user who wants more, these are the apps to try.
To be fair, Google Voice should not be lumped in here as it does so much. This app should be on every Android device, period.
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Browser:
2 – Dolphin Browser HD / Skyfire / Miren
Wait, three more suggestions? Yeap. Why? Because their all awesome in their own regard. The stock browser I find fantastic, it does what you need and does it well. Again though, Android allows the user to do a lot more.
Dolphin is great because of tabbed browsing, gestures (finger swipes to open bookmarks for example) and multi-touch.
Skyfire emphasizes playing video – even those that are not compatible with Android.
Miren is extremely fast, minimalistic UI, and a lot of neat features (scrolling with the volume button, swipes to go forward/backward, etc).
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Gallery:
3 – QuickPic
I hate the stock android gallery. It is a CPU hog, slow to load and limited in features. It is frankly my least favorite part of Android. QuickPic by Alensw (there are several apps with that name) is amazing. It is extremely fast to load, you can exclude certain albums from displaying, very high resolution/image quality, and built in editing tools (ie cropping, rotating, etc).
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The Launcher (your homescreen):
4 – ADW EX / LauncherPro / Go Launcher EX
There I go again, three suggestions. Most of these have similar features, but each have unique features. I prefer ADW EX because it allows me to use swipe gestures to open my notifications or to open a second hidden dock bar (a place to stash commonly opened apps). This allows my homescreen to be less cluttered. You can customize the layout a lot more as well (ie, instead of the standard 4×4 layout, you can make it as much as 10×10), overlap widgets, infinite scrolling, change animations, etc. The list of options go on and on. I strongly suggest trying a new launcher.
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Camera:
5 – CameraZoom FX / Camera360 / Retro Camera / Little Photo
All of these apps have features above and beyond the stock camera. I prefer Retro Camera because it is free and it also has a very unique UI. I can take some pretty spectacular photos with it, with very little effort. I’m a sucker for black and white photos that have a vintage look though.
A reader also suggested Little Photo – which seems wildly popular but was not known by me – NICE!
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Music:
6 – PowerAMP / UberMusic / TuneIn Radio / Google Music / Amazon MP3
Again, each have unique qualities. PowerAMP is great in that it plays most anything and has an equalizer. UberMusic is just sexy. TuneIn Radio allows you to stream music from all over the world. Google Music is great for its cloud capabilities – I love having my music sync and not be stored on precious memory space. Amazon MP3 also has cloud capabilities and offers free music.
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Dialer / Contacts:
7 –Go Contacts EX
Not every Android has a smart dialer (when you start typing a phone number or contact name, it filters out your results). I find that hard to believe. Go Contacts EX not only has a great smart dialer, but the UI is great too. You can swipe left to right to change from the dialer to contacts for instance. The app can also be themed by simply downloading themes from the Market (most of which are also free)
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Photos:
8 – TouchRetouch / PicSay Pro / Little Photo
We talked about the Camera and the Gallery, but what about editing photos? Ever have something in your shot that you wish wasn’t there. TouchRetouch is essentially a magic eraser for your photos. It’s pretty brilliant for an app on your phone and can easily remove objects.
PicSay Pro is more of an effects tool. It allows a tremendous amount of customization to your photos.
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Keyboards:
9 – Swype Beta / Swiftkey X
Swype is hands down the most revolutionary keyboard out. I was afraid of moving to a phone with no physical keyboard, till I tried Swype. The beta is open and free, and it’s the best keyboard out, in my opinion. Do yourself a favor and register now. Most know that Swype allows you to move from letter to letter (not peck each letter), but it also has a tremendous amount of features. I’ve got a huge guide on this, please contact me if interested. Swiftkey X is another revolutionary keyboard in a different sense. It actively seeks the NEXT word you would type, and it learns as you type. So, the more you use it, the more accurately it can predict your next word. I’ve written entire sentences by simply selecting the word it thought I would use. These are both amazing and something I am certain an iPhone would love to have (avoiding some of the famous auto-correct iPhone typo blunders).
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SOCIAL APPS:
Disclaimer: I despise FaceBook, but their app seems very feature rich with a decent UI.
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10 – Plume
I’ve tried every twitter app out there, and none can touch the power of Plume. Feature rich it won’t let you down. Get this if you use Twitter, or start using twitter if you do not already! I’ve found it to be the best way to get brief bits of news information catered to me. So much so that it’s now my favorite feature of a smartphone.
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11 – GroupMe
A completely free way to keep in contact with a group. Send text messages (with your data plan – not a traditional text message), share photos, conference calling, etc. This is a powerful app that could serve teenagers to the executive on business trips.
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12 – Google+
Say what it really is, a FaceBook killer. Google hit a homerun with their social network in my opinion, and the app is feature rich. Want to have private conversations, or share with the world? Want to instantly sync photos taken from your phone? Want to use an alternate messenger or video chat with up to 9 people? Get it.
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TRAVEL APPS:
13 – Google Maps
The features of Maps is pretty robust, but it is the Navigation that is its strong point in my opinion. I had two Garmin GPS units that became junk when I got my first Android phone. Not only did the Navigation work better (accuracy of turn by turn directions) from my phone, but the GPS signal was more accurate. You can also use Places to find and rate places and Lattitude to locate friends near you.
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14 – Worldmate
Short and sweet, a must if you travel a lot. Forward your confirmation emails and it groups all of your itinerary into an incredibly simple package. Organize your plans, change your itinerary, share your itinerary with people, get flight alerts or check on a flight, get reminders, it locates hotels near you and even brings in the weather. Seriously, if you travel, try this!
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MISCELLANEOUS APPS:
15 – Beautiful Widgets / Fancy Widgets
Another benefit of Android is the widgets – an easy to find and attractive thing to have on your homescreen with relevant information. I enjoy knowing the time and weather near me, and these apps give it accurately and in an attractive way that can be easily themed to my liking.
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16 – Alarm Clock Plus
If you use your smartphone as your alarm, for lunch or sleep – this is the one to try. Feature rich and known as one of the best. This will be better than the stock Alarm on the phone and incorporates weather.
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17 – Amazon’s Appstore
There are many nice features about Amazon’s Appstore, including their review process (added security perhaps over the Android Market), but lets be honest… its best feature is that they offer a paid app for free every day. Sometimes these apps are pretty amazing too. On more than one occasion I have went and bought the app in the official Android Market when I wanted to show my support to a developer.
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18 – Chrome to Phone
If you use Android, there is a strong chance Chrome is your browser on your PC. This dandy of an app allows you to press the button on your PC’s browser (using the Chrome to Phone extension), and instantly that page/document/download link will show on your phone. Amazingly simply and powerful.
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19 – Wheres My Droid
Are you one that easily misplaces their phone? Once installed, this app lets you send a text to your phone if it’s misplaced to help locate it. What if you left your phone on silent… what if you are not near it? Well, not only does it turn the volume to max (just in case), but it also lets you get the GPS coordinates if you REALLY misplaced it. A must have on any Android in my opinion.
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20 – Astro File Manager
With Android you have the ability to view and move files around. This is the best way to manage your files, make backups of important files, open zip/tar files, allow downloads from the browser, etc. Frankly, every Android phone should come with a file manager, but they do not. Even if your phone did come with a file manager, there is a strong chance that it is not as good as Astro File Manager.
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This list is no way inclusive. There are MANY apps that I use daily that did not get a mention. Perhaps I will make an extended list with more categories next time. I would appreciate your feedback. If you know someone new to Android, shoot them a link to this… I’d love to hear what someone new to Android thought of this list.
CNet just tweeted their top 20, and I called them out for being terrible. I'd like to send them a link to this thread - where they can offer GOOD suggestions.
NO GAMES
NO TASK KILLERS
What apps do you consider essential to Android?
Suggestions:
Google Voice
Go Contacts EX
ADW EX
Plume/Tweetdeck
Google+
Google Maps
Root Explorer
Buzzfeed
Twicca
Mybacup pro
I use religously
Screebl
Timerrific
Rootexplorer
Go ex launcher
Do it tomorrow
Pulse
miren browser
Player pro
I use them every day
Didn't expect to learn of new apps.
Guess I should avoid ROOT APPS too, for the masses.
These are my main apps I use, and on a daily basis.
Dolphin Browser HD
Go Launcher EX
Quickpic
Root Explorer sorry didn't see your previous post about no root apps.
Engadget
Cnet News
FMyLife
OverDrive (this may only be for people whos schools allow ebook downloads like mine)
Uber Music
File expert (w/root)
QQ launcher
Chainfire 3D
Dropbox
Go SMS pro
Swiftkey X ( the best keyboard!)
Twicca
Handcent SMS
Google+
XDA Premium
Pandora Radio
SwiftKey X (main keyboard)
TouchPal Keyboard v3.8 (for swipe)
Root Explorer (they do have a non-root version)
Those are my daily apps among a few others. If i realize a few more ill add them. But enjoy
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ADW EX
AK Notepad
Alarm Clock Plus
AutoStarts
Beautiful Widgets
Camera 360
Dolphin HD
Gas Buddy
Handcent SMS
Netflix
Quickpic
StayAwake
Tapatalk
Titanium Backup Pro
Root Explorer (yes I did read above but its a priceless app so I can't leave it out)
Widget Locker
These are my apps that I use on a more current basis that the others, besides the stock apps.
TuneIn Radio
Gizmodo
CNET News
Voodoo Control
Xfinity (Comcast Customers)
Sent from my SGH-T959 using xda premium
CNET would certainly appreciate their app being suggested
Sent using the XDA app.
For me:
*UberSocial (formerly Twidroyd) MY choice third-party twitter client.
*PowerAMP (Handles my audio needs. Love the equalizer options.)
*Voodoo Control (+ PowerAMP = Audio Bliss.)
*Twicca
*FX File Explorer
*Miren Browser
*Boat Browser
*Boat Browser Mini
*GPS Restore
*Tapatalk (Replying in forums is easier than fumbling in a mobile browser.)
*Yahoo Mail
*IMO Beta
*DroidSound (For my SNES/Genesis/etc. music)
*Deadbeef (Like DroidSound for the retro music, but supports a widget.)
*Call Blocker
*Note Me
*Status Notes
*Ringo Pro
*SwiftKey X
*Zeam Launcher
Essentials
-LauncherPro Plus ( with custom icon pack )
-Dolphin Browser HD
-Zxing Barcode Scanner
-Foursquare
-Mobile Banking
-Note Everything
-Shazam
-Tunein Radio ( we don't have a build in radio )
-XDA app
-AVG Antivirus (keeping viruses away form my Vibrant , i think)
Thank you guys... these are some great suggestions. I love that I am hearing apps I was not aware of too.
I'll try and get a top 20 in the OP later today... waiting for more suggestions/feedback.
Chomp SMS (Have been using this app for over 2 years)
Astro File Manager (Have been using this app for over 2 years)
GroupMe
Chase
Paypal
Facebook
Barcode Scanner (Have been using this app for over 2 years)
Camera 360
Catch (Notes) syncs with google
Swype (can't use any other keyboard)
Google Voice
sportstap (a must)
quickpic
xda premium
root explorer
dropbox
mixzing (very cool music app)
and all my yahoo fantasy league apps!!!
Below is the start to my article for CNET:
Top 20 Android Apps
Android apps are essential to the end-users experience. There are several categories of apps, but I am going to ignore some as they are limited in their scope (ie, apps that are games, or are only focused on those who root their phones).
I believe the average smartphone user is going to want to focus on improving the user interface (apps that are better than the stock apps that come on the phone), social apps (ie Twitter, texting, conferencing), and media apps (ie music, photos, news).
Below are those categories and the apps that I feel can improve the Android experience.
Disclaimer: There are hundreds of thousands of Android apps. This is in no way all inclusive and can change daily.
BETTER THAN THE STOCK ANDROID APPLICATIONS:
Text Messanging:
1 – Handcent SMS / Chomp SMS / Google Voice.
Okay, so I am starting off with THREE suggestions. Well, they are all better than the stock messenger, in their own regard. The average user can be complacent with the stock messaging app, it does send texts and MMS (ie pictures) just fine after all, but for the user who wants more, these are the apps to try.
Browser:
2 – Dolphin Browser HD / Skyfire / Miren
Wait, three more suggestions? Yeap. Why? Because their all awesome in their own regard. The stock browser I find fantastic, it does what you need and does it well. Again though, Android allows the user to do a lot more.
Dolphin is great because of tabbed browsing, gestures (finger swipes to open bookmarks for example) and multi-touch.
Skyfire emphasizes playing video – even those that are not compatible with Android.
Miren is extremely fast, minimalistic UI, and a lot of neat features (scrolling with the volume button, swipes to go forward/backward, etc).
Gallery:
3 – QuickPic
I hate the stock android gallery. It is a CPU hog, slow to load and limited in features. It is frankly my least favorite part of Android. QuickPic by Alensw (there are several apps with that name) is amazing. It is extremely fast to load, you can exclude certain albums from displaying, very high resolution/image quality, and built in editing tools (ie cropping, rotating, etc).
The Launcher (your home screen / desktop):
4 – ADW EX / LauncherPro / Go Launcher EX
There I go again, three suggestions. Most of these have similar features, but each have unique features. I prefer ADW EX because it allows me to use swipe gestures to open my notifications or to open a second hidden dock bar (a place to stash commonly opened apps). This allows my homescreen/desktop to be less cluttered. You can customize the layout a lot more as well (ie, instead of the standard 4x4 layout, you can make it as much as 10x10), overlap widgets, infinite scrolling, change animations, etc. The list of options go on and on. I strongly suggest trying a new launcher.
Camera:
5 – CameraZoom FX / Camera360 / Retro Camera
All of these apps have features above and beyond the stock camera. I prefer Retro Camera because it is free and it also has a very unique UI. I can take some pretty spectacular photos with it, with very little effort. I’m a sucker for black and white photos that have a vintage look though.
Music:
6 – PowerAMP / UberMusic / TuneIn Radio / Google Music
Again, each have unique qualities. PowerAMP is great in that it plays most anything and has an equalizer. UberMusic is just sexy. TuneIn Radio allows you to stream music from all over the world. Google Music is great for its cloud capabilities – I love having my music sync and not be stored on precious memory space.
I'd say Go SMS is the best (real) sms app out there right now, however I am planning to try the whole wifi texting thing soon.
Widgets in general. Colorize Widget and Android Pro Widgets (?) make great alternatives to LP+ widgets, I personally can't do without some form of calendar widget.
Pageonce. Great way to keep track of bills and multiple bank accounts. I have a personal account, a school account and a savings account and it's great to be able to see them broken down or just all the money summed up (and all my bills to keep track of).
Soundhound (or Shazam). I prefer the first, I don't use it much, but when I do I'm glad to have it
Business Calendar is great if you need a feature rich calendar. It has a really nifty preview on the month view of any give day's events, among many other improvements.
Evernote. I love that one for grocery lists and general reminders.
Goggles for QR codes.
Convertr and Andy 86 for the students and math geeks out there, they save time like crazy.
For college students: Search your school in the market. One guy from my school made an app that logs us into school wifi automatically and provides shortcut links to commonly used school sites.
A flashlight app. For obvious reasons.
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Most people who read this will have no need for root things like Root Explorer and Titanium or Voodoo control. I say leave them out.
Wow I have most of those apps plus about 100 more. I'm a crazy teen that likes to play games
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I use most of these apps, but I just came across a good one. Gemini App Manager, it's similar to Titanium Backup but free. Every rooted user should check this one out.
I'm coming from Android, a Samsung Vibrant, and I know WP7 needs some work and more apps. I love it though, it's really cool and it has a fast UI. I need help, and I'm sure a lot of you do too, finding good apps.
List your favorite apps and tell us what they do!
1. Amazon Mobile
2. Evernote (because Springpad doesn't work. I like Evernote though)
3. Fandango - for movies
4. Flux - a really cool google reader client. Loving the UI
5. MetroRadio - third party Pandora client
6. Netflix
7. Number Guru - tells me who called, and if it's spam.
8. Thumbs Photo Editor - really awesome photo editor
9. theChive - keep calm, Chive on
10. Wiztiles - custom tiles with cool customizable shortcuts
My favorites besides Wiztiles, of course! In no order:
1. Cocktail Flow
2. Flixter
3. Vevo
4. Flickr
5. Nokia Drive and Maps
6. Amazing Weather
7. Mixtapes
8. Sports Tracker
9. IMDb
10. Metrotube
wiztile said:
My favorites besides Wiztiles, of course! In no order:
1. Cocktail Flow
2. Flixter
3. Vevo
4. Flickr
5. Nokia Drive and Maps
6. Amazing Weather
7. Mixtapes
8. Sports Tracker
9. IMDb
10. Metrotube
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing! I looked into Amazing Weather... and it looks amazing! lol
I didn't know about IMDb, and I'm certainly going to check out Mixtapes and Metrotube.
wiztile said:
5. Nokia Drive and Maps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you install that? I thought it required being unlocked?
Whoever said MetroRadio-- I love you.
Here's my list:
1.SkyDrive --Upload files to the cloud.
2.Ask Ziggy --Kinda like Siri, really good.
3.Engadget --Tech news.
4.Dictionary.com --Pretty obvious.
5.Flashlight --Fun and usefull at times.
6.Wallpapers HD --Wallpapers.
7.MetroRadio --!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
8.ShopSavvy --Check prices.
9.Pro Wrestling News --WWE news.
10.9GAG.com --Good time killer.
Hey, Ask Ziggy has low reviews. How is it working with you?
It looks cool, so I'm interested.
HG! said:
Hey, Ask Ziggy has low reviews. How is it working with you?
It looks cool, so I'm interested.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It answers most of my questions. The only bad thing about it is slowness.. It takes a while to reply.. Wasn't it free? just try it!
The Jones said:
How did you install that? I thought it required being unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think these are only available to Nokia Phones. Hopefully, they make them available to all WP7 phones, because they're really awesome.
Why does everyone want Nokia Drive?!!!!!!
I think Bing Maps is awesome.. what is it missing?
I use WPCentral & WMPoweruser a lot. Also mehdoh for twitter. Other than that I use a lot of photo apps & Xbox live games, especially Splinter Cell. Also use the people hub for most of my Facebook & some twitter. Though I guess the people hub is baked in & not necessarily an app .
Sent from my Kick Ass Lil Radar using XDA Windows Phone 7 App
SKYPE is available for download. It's Beta, but who wouldn't want to mess around with it?
Same here Vibrant ---> HTC Radar
All are free, because I've been cheap lately
8tracks: Polished version of "Mixtapes". Basically you can listen to customer mixes made by others. i.e. 90's rock!
AppFlow: Apps from the market that are groups in various creative ways for easy and fun viewing.
Baconit: Reddit lovers rejoice!
Craigslist deLUXE lite: Craiglist with a great look and feel. View, Post, reply, you name it...
Fast XDA: XDA made simple and clean. Faster and easier to use than viewing from the browser. (duh?)
GReadr: Free Google Reader client
Gagdget Junkie: Fun and interesting crap that you can buy, like lightsaber chopsticks!!
MetroRadio: Pandora for WP7
Mixtapes: Custom mix tapes by users
PaperKarma: Take pictures of junk mail, send it to PaperKarma so that you never see it again!
SkyDrive: Just like dropbox, but made for WP7. If you still use drop box like me there are other apps like "BoxShot".
SocialMints: Groups social trends from many social networking, so you can look up trends by keywords.
Windows Phone News: All WP7 news at your fingertips, grouped in a beautiful UI with great effects.
XDA Wallpaper: Good selection of wallpapers made for phone.
I downloaded just few apps but Music cloud is one of the best things i downloaded and free music downloader... Very good stuff.
I downloaded metro radio and dosend' support my country
Phoenix Undone said:
Same here Vibrant ---> HTC Radar
All are free, because I've been cheap lately
8tracks: Polished version of "Mixtapes". Basically you can listen to customer mixes made by others. i.e. 90's rock!
AppFlow: Apps from the market that are groups in various creative ways for easy and fun viewing.
Baconit: Reddit lovers rejoice!
Craigslist deLUXE lite: Craiglist with a great look and feel. View, Post, reply, you name it...
Fast XDA: XDA made simple and clean. Faster and easier to use than viewing from the browser. (duh?)
GReadr: Free Google Reader client
Gagdget Junkie: Fun and interesting crap that you can buy, like lightsaber chopsticks!!
MetroRadio: Pandora for WP7
Mixtapes: Custom mix tapes by users
PaperKarma: Take pictures of junk mail, send it to PaperKarma so that you never see it again!
SkyDrive: Just like dropbox, but made for WP7. If you still use drop box like me there are other apps like "BoxShot".
SocialMints: Groups social trends from many social networking, so you can look up trends by keywords.
Windows Phone News: All WP7 news at your fingertips, grouped in a beautiful UI with great effects.
XDA Wallpaper: Good selection of wallpapers made for phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried PaperKarma? Does it really work?
galeb321 said:
I downloaded just few apps but Music cloud is one of the best things i downloaded and free music downloader... Very good stuff.
I downloaded metro radio and dosend' support my country
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
galeb, got any apps to share?
HG! said:
Have you tried PaperKarma? Does it really work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't confirmed it to work yet... But it seems to get some good reviews. I figure it doesn't hurt to give it a shot!
HG! said:
galeb, got any apps to share?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i see you didn't read my post.
Music cloud - download and listen to music that others made
Free music downloader. All kind of music
WP7 News
Tech News
Free Ringtones
WPCentral
Here's a few more you might consider:
1. Bookviser (amazing free eBook reader with cloud storage)
2. Runkeeper (if you're into any outdoor activities)
3. Voice Translator
4. TuneIn Radio
5. Measure Note (if you'e a DIY fan)
6. Safewallet or alternatively 7Pass (ewallet & password store)
7. Citizen Diary (to log your expences)
8. Photo Lock (if you wanna keep any "secret" photos)
9. Uptime Robot (if you need to keep an eye on PC or router uptimes)
Thanks! I'm gonna give a few of these a shot.
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whatsapp
peregrine
the chive
my expenses
wp7 news
So I'm going to step away from the Support My Moto Campaign for a little bit and get some deving done. Seeing that on November 1st 2012 the Google home page service iGoogle will be discontinued I'd like to know how many Ubuntop & Webtop+ users use that service. Of those that use it how many have an alternative to move to and how many really do rely on it? I may be able to set up a basic home page replacement with some of the most commonly used widgets but want to hear from you first.
I used iGoogle for a while but abandoned it once I fell in love with RSS and Google Reader. I can live with it being gone, I don't actually use a homepage in any web browser anymore.
srkelley said:
I used iGoogle for a while but abandoned it once I fell in love with RSS and Google Reader. I can live with it being gone, I don't actually use a homepage in any web browser anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This. I use an rss reader on my phone. Anytime I'm using a computer I don't have a homepage set except for the Firefox default Google search page.
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I dumped my "my yahoo" page for igoogle.... Just might have to go back and freshen it up.