Publisher Posts - Best Droid Apps
Best Droid Apps
Updated February 22, 2011. First Published November 19, 2009.
As publisher of Maine.Info I need to stay in touch. I've been using a Blackberry 8830 for many years but it was time to upgrade. As I'm on the Verizon network, an iPhone wasn't possible. By the time Motorola's Droid
Latest OS & App Marketplace
o Android 2.2 (Froyo) - It's not an App, but it runs them . . . Froyo (Android OS 2.2) downloaded to the Droid on August 19, 2010. I'm just beginning to explore, but what a difference already: (1) Five screens to hold apps, (2) easy access to answer or make a call from a new translucent phone icon at the bottom of each app screen, (3) likewise for search with a translucent search icon at the bottom of each app screen. (For those using the Nexus S, the latest OS is Android 2.3, aka Gingerbread.)
o App Marketplace - Google steadily has been improving the android app marketplace. The latest version at market.android.com is a big improvement. Apps are sorted by category, featured, top paid and top free. Be sure to check it out.
Browser & Search
o Gesture Search - This must-have free app from Google has a great "wow" factor. When active, just write letters on the screen with your finger. With uncanny accuracy, it searches through everything on your phone, from contacts to music, and displays the relevant results (I find it to be more accurate and far easier to use than either voice search or the built-in contact scrolling system). A helpful addition to Gesture Search is Gesture Bar, which makes Gesture Search easier to invoke. For more info see the N.Y. Times article.
o Google Goggles - Use pictures to search the web. Just point your Droid at a landmark or a store and Google Goggles will give you info about it. Point your Droid at a business card and Google Goggles will search the web for more info about that person. Point your Droid at a book cover and Google Goggles will offer previews and price comparisons. Point your Droid at a wine label and Google Goggles will return information about the vineyard, wine ratings and more. Of course, it also scans bar codes & QR codes. With the recent release of version 1.3, Google Goggles can now scan photos from print ads in magazines, returning web search results about the featured product or brand. Also with this version, Goggles can scan, and solve, Sudoku puzzles! See Google Mobile Blog.
o I no longer use Dolphin Browser, but here's what I previously wrote: Who says Droid can't do multi-touch pinch zoom? With the Dolphin Browser it can. But Dolphin does much more. It's a social browser, so it's easy to share links via Twitter, Facebook, IM or email. It offers tabbed browsing and multiple windows. But my favorite feature is gestures. Just wipe your finger on the screen with a gesture that you can set and the browser will execute all sorts of commands, like add a bookmark, close a tab, open a new tab, find text on a page, select text, refresh and more. It's so good I've made it my default Droid browser. 01/07/10 - On January 7, 2010, Google went live with Near Me Now, but this feature currently does not appear to function when Google is invoked on the Dolphin Browser. So for now, go back to the standard Droid browser to see and use Near Me Now on Google.
Phone & Phone Security
o Lookout - This phone finder android app - www.mylookout.com - was recommended to me by Dawn at the Verizon store at 86th & Lexington Avenue in NYC. I've installed it and recommend it too. Some crucial features are free: (1) missing device locator (finds phone via GPS and sends an email with location, (2) scream (sends a loud 60 second alarm to the phone to help you find it), (3) anti-virus scans and (4) back-up contacts (unnecessary if you use Gmail contacts). Other crucial features have a $30/annual charge: (1) lock device and (2) wipe data on device. Note: I previously recommended but no longer use WaveSecure since it appears to be require a charge to use any of its features. As with Lookout, this Droid app handles several important tasks in the context of lost and/or stolen phones: (1) track down a lost phone via GPS or by sound with the lock & alarm feature; (2) remotely lock down your phone to make it worthless; (3) auto-lock your phone if the SIM is changed; (4) backup your phone data (including SMS messages); (5) remotely erase your data, (6) restore your data and (7) track calls being made and SMSes sent or received while your phone is missing. Both Lookout and WaveSecure are far more complete than others, including one I previously recommended here. For example, with Pintail you just send a text to the Droid (from another phone, from Google Voice, etc.) and it reports back with its position. But this app can't wipe a Droid clean in case of a stolen phone, let alone backup its data. I've also tried Where's My Droid, which is supposed to force a Droid to make a noise when sent a text message, though I fail to see how that is different than calling the thing. When I sent a text, though, my Droid didn't even respond.
o Google Voice - Like all Google apps, Google Voice for Mobile is free and integrates beautifully into android phones. I've now set it up so that all calls automatically are routed through my Google Voice account just by using the phone's built-in dialer. No need to invoke the app. Another great feature is that, when you do invoke the app, you can listen to - and read (because they are transcribed) - your Google Voice voicemail messages.
o Skype Mobile - Skype & Verizon have teamed up to enable Skype Mobile. Free Skype-to-Skype calls and IMs with anyone in the world. Low Skype rates to international landlines and cell phones. Once you download the Skype Mobile app and make a few settings changes, the Skype Mobile service automatically logs you into Skype when you turn on your Droid (and other Android phones). The wild thing is that your Skype contacts can see that you are available and can Skype you, even though you aren't on your computer!
Money & Business
o SquareUp - Accept Credit Cards - With this awesome app from the creator of Twitter anyone can now accept credit card payments! Once you enroll, the company will send you a 1/2" square thingy that plugs into any android (or iphone) phone jack. That little square thingy can scan credit cards, accept payments and put the money right into your bank account. Better yet, there is no fee for the thingy, no monthly fee at all, and no fee for anything unless you actually use it. And when you do, the fee for swiped cards is less than banks (or PayPal) would charge: just 2.75%. That's it. (On February 22, 2011, Square eliminated what had been an additional 15 cent transaction fee, though that fee still applies when credit card numbers are manually entered). For more info see the N.Y. Times article. Note: Another alternative is Intuit's GoPayment, and the two currently are waging a pitched battle for users.
o Chase Mobile Banking - Mobile Check Deposits - With Chase Mobile Deposit (aka Chase Quick Deposit) you just scan the front & back of a check with your phone and it is deposited. No trip to the bank. After months during which Chase limited mobile deposit to iPhones, this feature is now available as a mobile deposit android app. According to the Chase app, "there are no charges or monthly fees to use this fast, easy service. Your online deposits will be limited to $1,000.00 per day or $3,000.00 per 30-day period." Let's hope that these limits are soon raised, as remote deposit is a huge time-saver. Also, as I previously noted, Digital Federal Credit Union has the same mobile check deposit functionality via android app. Expect Bank of America and others to follow suit very quickly.
Music & Reading
o Pandora - With Pandora internet radio you can specify a style of music or a specific artist, and it will create and play music from that channel. This is great when you want to listen to something different from your own music library.
o Shazam - Ever hear a nice song on the radio, in a restaurant or at a party and wondered who wrote it or how to get it? Just open the Shazam app and it will identify and tag the music for you. You can then (at any time) share it with others or buy the track. Very useful, and nice wow factor too.
o Google Books - Find over 3 million titles on Google Books that you can download (for a fee) and read on your smartphone or laptop. What's cool is that it syncs, so if you read a few pages on your android device, when you get back to your home computer you can just refresh your browser and you'll be in sync. Vice-versa too.
Productivity
o docs.google.com - Google Docs now has a free mobile text editor (a feature that was added in November, 2010). You can edit docs & spreadsheets by typing and even by voice dictation on any Android 2.2 phone. Just navigate to docs.google.com, enter your document and select the "Edit" button towards the upper right hand side of the document. Note: If you can't see the "Edit" button, then you may be looking at an older, unsupported, document. Here's how to know & fix: From the full documents list, there are small icons to the left of each document. The "Edit" button will show for docs that have an icon that looks like newspaper print (with a small blue square beneath), but it won't show for documents whose icon is pure white (with small blue square beneath). The solution is to copy the entire unsupported document and paste it into a new document. The new document will be supported. See Why Can I Edit Only Certain Docs.
o Dropbox - Dropbox is a must-have backup & file sharing application for your computers (free up to 2GB, plus an extra 250MB if you enroll via this link). But it can also be used to view and edit files from your smartphone. The only problem is that it requires a document viewer. For viewing & editing Office documents, I recommend Documents To Go. Unfortunately, it costs $15 and cannot work with iWork documents. What I really want is GoodReader (which can edit both Office and iWorks files), but it isn't yet available for Android. Other so-so apps are as follows: (1) Docs Pics and (2) GDocs.
Travel
o Google Navigator - Free & pre-installed in all android phones, Google Navigator with turn-by-turn voice guidance is a must-have app, and one of the things that would make me thing long and hard before switching to an iPhone. I constantly use Google Navigator when driving (or even walking) from place to place. Features include voice search, traffic view, street view and more.
o Google Translate - Like the translating fish in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Google Translate converts dictation (or typed words) from one language to another. This android app (now also on the iphone) is free, yet priceless.
Convenience
o PDAnet - This combination of app & computer download enables tethering, so you can use your Droid's Verizon network to enable internet access on your PC or Mac. You can tether either via USB cable (which charges the Droid at the same time) or via Bluetooth (which is slower due to Bluetooth bandwidth limitations). PDAnet comes in a free version that can access all but secure (https) sites, and a paid version (one-time fee of $29). Given that Verizon will soon start offering its own paid tethering feature at $30/month, PDAnet (whether free or one-time paid) is a terrific bargain. Last summer, for a mobile wireless hot spot, I had purchased the Novatel MiFi
o Key Ring - This app uses the camera in the Droid to scan all those little key ring cards that stores and others hand out. It has allowed me to clean up both my keyring and the many store cards in my wallet. Next time I go to CVS, I just invoke the Key Ring app on my Droid, click on CVS's card (now scanned into my Droid), and let the CVS clerk scan my Droid's screen. Note: I've found that some store scanners have problems scanning the Droid (though most clerks like trying). To assist, Key Ring also displays the numeric code under each UPC, so it's easy for the clerk to type in that code when scanning doesn't work.
Cool
o Qik - This app uses the video camera in the Droid to display - live on the Qik website (under my username) - any video that I might be taking. I can instantly share, with folks at home, whatever I may be viewing, be it a wedding, a ball game, a house inspection, etc. The Qik app also include geo-location, so folks viewing on the Qik website can see exactly where I am filming.
o Glympse - This unique location sharing app for the Droid (and other mobile OS platforms too) is what the NY Times calls a "utility" and, indeed, it can become a necessity. When you send a free glympse, you specify a time-limit for tracking. You can send a 0 minute check in, or you can allow yourself to be tracked (courtesy of your phone's GPS) for 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes and on up to 4 hours. Then tracking stops. Automatically. Likewise, you can set up groups and specify who receives which glympse. Leaving work? Send a glympse to your family so they can track your progress home. On the way to a meeting? Send a glympse to co-participants so that they can see where in traffic you are stalled (note that the default setting shares your speed of travel). With friends in Aspen or on a cross-country bicycle trip? Send a glympse to your companions so they can track you in and around town or on the road. Check out the introductory video.
o Google Sky Map - Install the Google Sky Map app, point your Droid at the sky and, using your phone's GPS function, it displays and labels what you are looking at, from constellations to stars and planets. You can also search for an object, say Mars, and the app will tell you where to look in the sky to find it.
o GPS Status - Use this app as a compass, a carpenter's level, to find your GPS coordinates and altitude, to show your speed and acceleration, to detect magnetic anomalies and more. Very slick.
Shopping
o Amazon App
o Shop Savvy - Like the Amazon App, Shop Savvy uses the camera on your Droid to scan product barcodes for better prices online or in nearby stores. Another money-saving app.
o My Coupons - When you are in the mall and about to purchase, open this app and see if there are any local coupons. I just used this the other day to save $10 off an item I'd planned to purchase anyway. It also works great in combination with Shop Savvy. Example: I was in Target and about to purchase a CD. Using Shop Savvy, I scanned the bar code on the CD and found its price at a nearby Borders. I then used My Coupons and found that Borders would discount the item by 30%. With a little math, I determined that even though the CD was more expensive at Borders (per Shop Savvy), I could nevertheless get it for less with the My Coupons discount.
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