Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums

Savage · 11-19-2009, 09:12 PM

Erin and I both got new Motorola Droid smartphones yesterday. I especially like its terrific Google integration since I use GMail and Google calendar. It also works great with Twitter and Facebook.

I've been installing and testing a variety of Android apps today. Curious to know what your favorites are and what they do. I already have quite a list to check out, but it doesn't take long to install and test each one (a few minutes each on avg).

My current favorite app is Google Sky Map. You aim it at the sky, and it shows you exactly which stars, planets, and constellations you're looking at.

nikkiana · 11-19-2009, 10:22 PM

I'm a big fan of the Foursquare app, it integrates with the foursquare.com, which is a social media game for discovering things in your city... you check in when you visit resturants, parks, notable locations, etc and it gives you points and the person who's been to that location the most is the mayor. I found it mostly to be a good way to keep track of good places I've eaten.

Places Directory is another good one for finding things that are nearby... like food, banks, etc.

Patricia · 01-27-2011, 04:19 AM

I know this is a really OLD thread, but I figured since it's been more than a year since anyone posted here and there have been changes in the Droid market, what are you using now? I bought my Droid 2 around Sept. 2010 and, like Steve, I love the integration with Google products and my favorite apps are Audible, Tweetdeck, Amazon, Goggles, YouTube. I have a few more specialized apps that I really enjoy too.

What are your current favorites?

ragtag · 01-27-2011, 09:45 PM

Mine is actually a game called Spaghetti Marshmallow, great fun, if a little difficult at times.

Google Goggles is pretty nifty, it uses your camera to search Google. You can do things like take a picture of a book cover, and it will find information about that book online. Or just take a picture of anything, and it will try to find similar pictures.

I also liked the speech recognition in Android 2.2. It works surprisingly well. You can actually use it to write text messages without using those fiddly onscreen keyboards.

Android a nice system, but to be quite honest the novelty wore of pretty quickly (and I don't think it would have been any different with an iPhone). The games are fun for a short while (a lot like online Flash games) and the apps aren't that useful.

I kind of inherited my boyfriends old Android phone (well, it's a Windows HTC HD2, but I put Android on it), but to be honest I'm still using my aging Sony K610i. The batteries last longer than in all smart phones, even after 4.5 years of constant use, and it works great for texting and making phone calls. It's also relatively small. As a side note, I don't worry about accidentally damaging it. I've taken it skiing in -25C, sailing, to the beach and so on, which I probably wouldn't do with a spiffy and expensive new Android phone.

Savage · 01-27-2011, 10:10 PM

Happy Cow's app ($1.99 from HappyCow.net) is great if you're a veg*an. It gets your location via GPS and shows you the locations and distances to nearby veg-friendly restaurants. You can check ratings and reviews and also have the phone navigate you there. It also tells you which restaurants are vegan, vegetarian, or veg-friendly.

I used this in New Orleans recently to find a nice West African restaurant a short walk from the hotel... and later an Indian-Pakistani restaurant.

You can use their website for free, but for $2 the local GPS functions are well worth it.

James81 · 01-27-2011, 10:19 PM

My answer is always Kindle for these.

But there was one for the iphone (that I think you can get on the droid) called "Shazam" that I thought was absolutely awesome. You hold it up to the radio and it thinks for a minute and then it spits out the name of the song and the artist who sings it. Pure awesomeness.

wstein · 01-28-2011, 04:32 AM

The most useful is the voice recognition based navigation (hold down magnifying glass on the HTC G2).

The most fun is Metal Detector.

Honorable mentions:
Wifi hotspot (built in HTC G2).
K-9 Mail for non-Google Email.
EasyTether to connect with your PC via USB cable.
Uninstaller gets rid of those unwanted apps.

lovingsteam · 02-02-2011, 12:59 PM

chompSMS is my favorite its easy to use

11-19-2009, 09:12 PM	#1 (permalink)
Savage Master Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 5,988	What are your favorite Android apps? Erin and I both got new Motorola Droid smartphones yesterday. I especially like its terrific Google integration since I use GMail and Google calendar. It also works great with Twitter and Facebook. I've been installing and testing a variety of Android apps today. Curious to know what your favorites are and what they do. I already have quite a list to check out, but it doesn't take long to install and test each one (a few minutes each on avg). My current favorite app is Google Sky Map. You aim it at the sky, and it shows you exactly which stars, planets, and constellations you're looking at. __________________ Steve Pavlina www.StevePavlina.com Join me on: Twitter \| Google+

01-27-2011, 10:10 PM	#5 (permalink)
Savage Master Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV Posts: 5,988	Happy Cow's app ($1.99 from HappyCow.net) is great if you're a veg*an. It gets your location via GPS and shows you the locations and distances to nearby veg-friendly restaurants. You can check ratings and reviews and also have the phone navigate you there. It also tells you which restaurants are vegan, vegetarian, or veg-friendly. I used this in New Orleans recently to find a nice West African restaurant a short walk from the hotel... and later an Indian-Pakistani restaurant. You can use their website for free, but for $2 the local GPS functions are well worth it. __________________ Steve Pavlina www.StevePavlina.com Join me on: Twitter \| Google+

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11-19-2009, 10:22 PM	#2 (permalink)
nikkiana Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Posts: 7	I'm a big fan of the Foursquare app, it integrates with the foursquare.com, which is a social media game for discovering things in your city... you check in when you visit resturants, parks, notable locations, etc and it gives you points and the person who's been to that location the most is the mayor. I found it mostly to be a good way to keep track of good places I've eaten. Places Directory is another good one for finding things that are nearby... like food, banks, etc.

01-27-2011, 04:19 AM	#3 (permalink)
Patricia Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Brazil/USA Posts: 257	I know this is a really OLD thread, but I figured since it's been more than a year since anyone posted here and there have been changes in the Droid market, what are you using now? I bought my Droid 2 around Sept. 2010 and, like Steve, I love the integration with Google products and my favorite apps are Audible, Tweetdeck, Amazon, Goggles, YouTube. I have a few more specialized apps that I really enjoy too. What are your current favorites?

01-27-2011, 09:45 PM	#4 (permalink)
ragtag Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 326	Mine is actually a game called Spaghetti Marshmallow, great fun, if a little difficult at times. Google Goggles is pretty nifty, it uses your camera to search Google. You can do things like take a picture of a book cover, and it will find information about that book online. Or just take a picture of anything, and it will try to find similar pictures. I also liked the speech recognition in Android 2.2. It works surprisingly well. You can actually use it to write text messages without using those fiddly onscreen keyboards. Android a nice system, but to be quite honest the novelty wore of pretty quickly (and I don't think it would have been any different with an iPhone). The games are fun for a short while (a lot like online Flash games) and the apps aren't that useful. I kind of inherited my boyfriends old Android phone (well, it's a Windows HTC HD2, but I put Android on it), but to be honest I'm still using my aging Sony K610i. The batteries last longer than in all smart phones, even after 4.5 years of constant use, and it works great for texting and making phone calls. It's also relatively small. As a side note, I don't worry about accidentally damaging it. I've taken it skiing in -25C, sailing, to the beach and so on, which I probably wouldn't do with a spiffy and expensive new Android phone.

01-27-2011, 10:19 PM	#6 (permalink)
James81 Banned Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 12,690	My answer is always Kindle for these. But there was one for the iphone (that I think you can get on the droid) called "Shazam" that I thought was absolutely awesome. You hold it up to the radio and it thinks for a minute and then it spits out the name of the song and the artist who sings it. Pure awesomeness.

01-28-2011, 04:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
wstein Family Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Florida USA Posts: 1,015	The most useful is the voice recognition based navigation (hold down magnifying glass on the HTC G2). The most fun is Metal Detector. Honorable mentions: Wifi hotspot (built in HTC G2). K-9 Mail for non-Google Email. EasyTether to connect with your PC via USB cable. Uninstaller gets rid of those unwanted apps.

02-02-2011, 12:59 PM	#8 (permalink)
lovingsteam Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 8	chompSMS is my favorite its easy to use

Personal Development for Smart PeopleTM Forums

Personal Development for Smart People^TM Forums