Android Apps
Just because I’m a “Geek” or “Techy” or whatever it is you want to call me does not mean I’m recommending the following apps for those reasons. These are apps that everyone should at least consider. Unlike iOS (iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad) Android allows us to do much more with customization. In my opinion, too much, for most people. But since we’re going to customize the hell out of our phones I guess I’ll just touch on a few apps I find essential. Almost all of these have alternative solutions that are nearly/just as good. If you already use an alternative that’s great! The ones I’ve mentioned are there because I feel they’re the best at what they do but we might disagree. The point here is to bring awareness to a type of app someone might not be currently using.
- ShopSavvy Barcode Scanner
Why use a barcode scanner? Because QR Codes are becoming increasingly more popular. You can scan a QR code (the box I’ve included above) to feed your phone information. They can link to a variety of things and people are getting more and more creative with them. Recently I saw one on a piece of McDonald’s information that when scanned brought you to a map of where that McDonald’s was located. I’m using them in this post to directly link to apps and let you scan them. ShopSavvy also let’s you scan Barcodes at retail stores to look up the prices online. It’s a great way to know if you’re about to buy a DVD player at Best Buy that is considerably cheaper online.
- Launcher Pro
This is a home screen replacement. Your home screen is the main part of your phone where all your widgets sit, the place you put apps on, your wallpaper, it’s essentially your starting point on the phone. Having a home screen that is tailored to how you use your phone, not how Motorola, HTC, Samsung, etc thought you should, can increase productivity by giving you easy access to the things you use most. The more notable reasons to use Launcher Pro over the one that came with your phone:
Programmable dock icons (those icons at the bottom that typically have a phone and app drawer). You can tell it any app you want to appear at the bottom of your screen. I use phone dialer, text, email and web browser since those are my most used functions.
Ability to hide apps from the App Drawer. The App Drawer is that place where you can scroll through all your apps if they’re not already on the home screen. Almost every phone carrier adds a bunch of applications you don’t want but are unable to uninstall. Launcher Pro allows you to hide them so you’re not constantly forced to sort through and look at them.
Limit the amount of screens, or expand the number, you can scroll through. A lot of phones come with 5 to 7 screens you can place widgets and applications on. Given that Android is a battery hungry monster I’ve always found myself limiting my Widgets to the ones that I actually use on a regular basis. Once I’ve done that there are a bunch of unused screens on my phone. Launcher Pro will allow you to choose how many screens you’d like to use between 1 and 7.
- Google Voice
I see a lot of people who don’t use Google Voice (GV) because they don’t quite understand why they should. Most understand that GV will allow them to make calls and that it gives them a new number that no one will know. This is true, and it’s why I don’t use GV for making calls on my phone, I use it for Voice Mail primarily. Google Voice is an excellent tool for acting as your voice mail service. It’s free, no one ever has to know your Google Voice number, it stores messages for as long as you’d like, and it even will attempt to transcribe your messages into a readable text. If you’re on Verizon you can alternatively pay them three dollars a month for a similar but more limited service. Getting it set up is not confusing and it will even ask you if you just want to use the app specifically for your voice mail. - SMS Popup
Simple solution to have better notifications of text messages that come in. Pops up a window with the text message and customizable buttons to respond, delete or close the message. Alternative options will completely replace your text messaging system. The problem here is that both apps will now run in the background and give little in the way of new functionality. When installing SMS Popup you will have to remember to turn off the notifications for your default SMS application. To do this go into your text messages, press menu, and select “Messaging settings”. You should be able to figure out how to turn off notifications from there. If you don’t do this you’ll be receiving duplicate messages when a text is received. - z4Root
Without a heavy explanation of what “rooting” your phone is I’m weary about recommending this app but at the same time find it very valuable. In short, rooting your phone lets you act as an Admin of the device. This mean you can use functions typically restricted from you as Joe Phone User. In the past rooting your phone could be scary involving many steps and computer terms that would likely confuse the average person. This application roots your phone with a click of a single button after install. Done. Why would you care or want to do this? Because there are a few applications that very useful once you are rooted.
Wireless Tether will allow you to freely use your phone as a hot spot and Titanium Backup the ability to easy uninstall preloaded bloatware apps (Good bye Sprint NASCAR App!). When I first got my Droid X I used Titanium Backup to “freeze” Blockbuster, Amazon mp3, My Verizon, Voicemail, VZW Navigator, City ID, NFS Shift, QuickOffice Demo, Skype Mobile and a bunch of other garbage applications that the carrier felt obligated to force onto my phone. The apps themselves were previously popping up asking me if I wanted to pay for them without any way of stopping them.One incredibly important thing to note about rooting your phone – it voids your warranty. That said, z4root provides an easy to way unroot if you ever need to and I’ve never had trouble getting a phone replaced that was rooted anyway. My last four Android phones were rooted and replaced without any trouble.
Now, the app I wish everyone would just stop using, Task Killer. I know it’s crazy that I say this because the guy at the cell phone store knows a lot about phones and he told you that you definitely have to have it. Hell, it was even installed on every single phone in the store! Also your really good friend has it on their phone and they agree with the people at the store, it’s great.
Google has even written an entire somewhat technical article about why they are unneeded. I’m not going to go into great depth about all the reasons they do more harm than good but I’ve provided you a start in learning more about that yourself if you feel the need. If you don’t care about the technicalities of the why just stop using it.
