After feeling slightly envious, but also disdainful of the iPhone crowd (or iDiots as I like to chuckle to myself) I finally succumbed and bought an Android smartphone - namely an HTC Desire, though I prefer the company's codename "Bravo". It sounds marginally more... macho, in my not especially macho opinion.
I've left out certain apps that are useful, because they're almost standard: Social networks like Facebook and Twitter have brilliant apps available, same as YouTube and Google Maps etc.
Here are some of the best practical after-market applications you may not know of that I've downloaded and been using for the past few months. Yeah that's right, lists of things you never knew you needed. A fun and pointless app. list will be coming soon.
1) ShapeWriter / Swype keyboards
I can't say enough about swipe style keyboards. To enter text, for example "hello" you simply put a digit on "H" and drag your finger through the letters of the word until "O". Simply lift your finger or thumb from the screen to start a new word. It takes a few days to get used to but, honestly, it's so fast and intuitive I challenge anyone to get to grips with this style of character input and go back to tap-tapping. The QWERTY keyboard was designed to be used with all your fingers, people, not just thumbs. Get swiping and come join me up here on my pedestal.
Bum thing is, I don't think they're on the Android Market Place any more, but if you Google for the .apk files, they will be floating around the interweb somewhere.
2) Handcent SMS
- The stock HTC/Android SMS app works, but but it's boring to use and look at, and surprisingly limited in its functionality. Handcent SMS really lets you customise your SMS experience (Jesus, did I really just type that?) down to the tiniest detail. Like the iPhone text message set-up? Boom, you can have it on your Android phone. Everything from font to font size and text colour can be altered. You can also choose a notification tone and icon for different contacts, even what vibration pattern a contact might be associated with and how long it vibrates for. Down to a hundredth of a second.
If you're happy just playing around with something that works ok-ish, stick with the stock option. If you don't mind spending time messing around in menus and settings to get it perfect, I can't recommend Handcent enough.
3) HomePipe
This basically allows you to access your computer hard-drive from your phone via WiFi or 3G, so great for when you want to get hold of a photo or music album, or especially if you've forgotten to take documents with you.
It works surprisingly well and with ease. The only downside is that your computer, wherever it is, must be switched on and connected to the internet. There are cloud-based alternatives, such as Dropbox, but you must upload stuff to it, and there is a storage limit, unless you want to pay.
4) Places Directory
The name almost says it all. Type in the name of a place, type of place or business and this little gem brings up the nearest ones to you. It tells you how far away each place is and even provides a tiny arrow pointing in the direction it lies. Not only that, but it provides a button to dial the place directly if available or displays a map of the location. Further still, it provides user uploaded photos and reviews. I'm surprised it's not standard, it's that useful.
5) SpringPad
There are a million and one note-taking apps available, and I've tried a fair few, but SpringPad is the only one I've kept. You can take text notes, photographic notes, shopping lists that you can check-off as you go along, scan barcodes on things from books to wine. Easy peasy and very useful. Also has a couple of widgets to choose from.
6) Astro File Manager
Simply lets you explore and move the files on your phone and SD card, including data and apps, much as you might do on your computer at home. Very straightforward and very, very useful.
7) 3G Watchdog
An app with large and small widgets that keeps a track of how much of your mobile internet allowance you have used. You set your download limit (keep in mind that even "unlimited" data plans have a "fair usage" cap, so it's always worth having) and also the start and end dates of the limit. It'll keep you updated with colour-coded text and exactly how many megabytes or gigabytes your phone has gobbled up this month. Invaluable, unless you have money to burn.
8) Remote for iTunes / VLC Remote / Gmote
Lazy? Like the idea of turning the music on and off with your phone? Ditto, get a remote. I've put these into the same category as they're all media player remote controls for your laptop or desktop.
Remote for iTunes connects to your iTunes via the wireless network, just like an iPhone or iPod Touch does. It's very smooth, connects easily and works instantly and easily, providing access to go forward, backward, play, pause, shuffle, loop and change volume. My only minor beef is that you can't scroll down through all the songs individually - rather albums, artists, Playlists and iTunes DJ. You can shuffle them all though.
VLC Remote, as its name suggests, allows you to control VLC Player on your computer. You can't open the program remotely though, and you have to click View > Interface > Web Interface each time you open it, but it works so well beside that, I can't moan. Maybe there's a way around it that I've not found yet...
Gmote is not specific to a particular media player, it lets you browse folders on your computer that you've set up, stream media to your handset, and control players. It also has the ability to make your phone act as a touch-pad mouse / cursor control and keyboard. Awesome.
9) Quick Battery Indicator
A good looking widget, particularly when you compare it to some of the nasty looking battery indicators available, that's easy to read at a glance and can be set to display various power-related bits of information at a tap.
10) GDocs
Not useful to everyone, but it allows you to sync with Google Documents from the cloud, download files and even edit and create them. If you have, say, a blog that saved the world, it's a goodie for jotting down ideas and lengthier files you can then continue on your computer at home.
11) Google Maps
Simply brilliant. Mega. Brilli... oh. You get it. It's Maps as you'd find on most smartphones worth their salt, but with some really nice touches, the biggest of which is probably Google Navigator (apps within apps? Holy mackerel!) which is satnav for free. The lady talks to you and the road comes at you on the screen just as with TomTom et al.
Street View is good fun, as is Latitude if the idea of low-jacking your buddies floats your boat. There are lots of little features that you'll find a use for, one for me is being able to tap points on the map and the app will tell you how far the points are apart. You could measure stuff, or anything.
12) Barcode Scanner
It's so simple, you don't even have to press any buttons, just point the camera at a barcode and boom, you've scanned it. It'll perform searches for scanned items and also scan QR codes for other apps you find on your computer and take you to the Market Place. Everyone needs one.
- James
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