A while ago I got my hands on an Android mobile phone for personal use, it has been a huge step up from my trusty Nokia E71 (really, it has to be the most sturdy and trustworthy phone I ever had). Been using it for a while and I already found a few apps that I’ve grown to consider extremely useful.
This list tries to not be a top list of apps possibly everyone and their mothers know about like dropbox or a list of apps I enjoy but don’t use on a daily basis. I use these apps constantly, nearly every time I pick up the phone. Ok, not that much…but close :)
Read on to find out what apps I’m talking about. Click the app’s name for an appbrain link.
Astrid
Astrid really has to be the top app installed on my phone. People who have known me for a while know I’m quite possibly the most absent-minded guy on earth. A close friend once told me “Tu não és distraído, tu andas completamente perdido no mundo.” possibly translating into “You’re not absent-minded, you’re totally lost on the planet.”. A perfect example is standing right next to this well known local actress called Catarina Furtado and not realizing it till a friend told me about it when she was gone(!). On top of that, I keep forgetting stuff. Having this little pacman ghost(?) show up once in a while to warn me on stuff I have to do and remind me that I have a deadline on something and I should get to work on it is a blessing.
Aldiko Book Reader
Though I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to read something on a digital screen and find it the same experience as grabbing a book and reading it wherever the hell I want to (mostly the toilet). Aldiko and the S-AMOLED screen on my phone have changed this and I’m currently thinking about buying a kindle since it’s price is dead on on the sweetspot I find myself thinking I’d pay for such a thing. I figure that if the small screen on my phone doesn’t make my eyes start to bleed after 30 minutes reading something, the kindle must be some sort of out of body experience.
APN On/Off Widget
What this little fella does is disable or enable the mobile internet APN on my phone. I do have a data plan, but sometimes I just want to turn the internet off. Be it to save battery life or some other reason.
3G Watchdog
Since the mentioned data plan isn’t unlimited, I need to monitor how much traffic I’ve already spent on a montly basis, exactly what this app does.
Ad Free Android
To anyone who has ever used some “free” apps on the Android, this app is pretty self explanatory.
ES File Explorer
Simply put, the best file manager I found for Android. Samba/FTP support is a huge plus since I’ve never used the micro usb data cable ever since.
Launcher Pro
Much better than the Pantheon launcher that came with the phone. Highly customizable and lightning fast.
So there you go. I suppose I could in fact live without these apps, but it wouldn’t be the same now..would it?
For a full list of apps installed on my phone click here.