[archived] Favorite android application
 

I just got a DROID and am looking for good applications.

Anyone try wikitude? So far it seems intriguing!

Oh wow, where to begin? First of all, congrats on getting the DROID. Many of my friends worked super-hard beta testing the software behind it, and so -- though I can't take any credit for this model -- I'm really proud of the phone and also excited about other Android 2.0 phones coming out in the future!

As for apps that I personally love... (and all are free, btw)

TRAVEL-ORIENTED:
- MyTracks for mapping where you walk.
- Tripit, which links to the Tripit.com travel service online.
- Glympse, which lets you send a note to friends and *temporarily* enables them to track your location (great for when you're driving to meet friends)
- Google Latitude: A feature of Google Maps, but you have to turn it on. Super for sharing your location ongoing with a set of trusted friends (and seeing where they are, too).
- Google Sky Map: Just a bit of fun and fascination for checking out the stars and such when you travel, especially if you end up somewhere with a beautiful unobstructed night sky!

OTHER APPS I LOVE:
- Mother Ted: An app that connects you to videos from the inspirational TED conference. Just amazing to watch!
- Shazam: Listens to a song for you and tells you what it is! (artist, title) For use when you're in a bar or a passenger in a car listening to the radio, etc.
- 3banana: Use your Google account to sync notes/photos across computers/phones, etc. Very handy!
- Last.fm and Pandora: Outstanding radio apps! The Pandora mobile app convinced me to pay for a $36/year Pandora membership :)

Hope that gives you some good starting ideas :-)

Shop Savvy is pretty awsome.

Babbler for facebook is GREAT. MUCH better than Facebooks app...

similar in purpose to MyTracks is Breadcrumbz - picture based navigation and a visual way of marking your trail

ChompSMS is an app to make your SMS appear like that on the iPhone, should you like the way messages are displayed in conversations

Layar is an 'augmented reality' app - real time info about your location using GPS, compass and camera so landmarks, points of interest etc

I'm a new Droid owner too. Here are some of my favs:

SportsTap - Tell it what teams you like and it will alert you with scores, also an app to check scores/rankings/schedules/etc for most sports

WeatherBug - Puts the local temperature in your upper left menubar and sends severe weather alerts, also a great weather app

OI File Manager - Lets you browse the file system and perform common file operations

ConnectBot - an SSH client

Pandora & Slacker - Personalized Internet Radio Players

PDANet - This is huge. It lets you tether your droid to a computer and use the android device's data. (Warning: This is a bit of a grey area in terms of your service agreement. Don't use a boatload of data using PDANet if you do decide to use it)

Outlook Calendar Sync
 

Is there an ap to sync my Outlook calendar entries with my Droid?

http://www.google.com/support/calend...n&answer=89955

That'll sync Outlook with your Google calendar, which syncs automatically with your Droid.

PDANet is PC only. The Mac equivalent seems to be based on creating a VPN tunnel and is described here. Of course, I would never violate the TOS, so it won't be the very first thing I'll setup on my Droid when it arrives Monday.

Incidentally, has anyone been burned by the bugs (e.g. camera & voice dialing problems) that are supposed to be fixed by the December 11th Droid update?

Outlook/Droid Calendar and Contact Sync
 

Thanks Scott. I am actually looking for a way to bypass Google for that sync. I want to secure my contact information and want to keep in on my local PC and Droid without uploading it to a web site. Since the Droid has a sync cable, I think there should be a way to transfer directly to the Droid.

SNAPTELL:
Snap a picture or a barcode and find more information about the product

I don't recall which ones came with the phone v which ones I downloaded. But the ones I use the most are:

Advanced Task Manager
Better Cut
Compass
Documents to Go Full Version
Google Sky Map
GPS Status
iMap Weather
Google Maps
AP Mobile
Bank of America Mobile Banking
MotoTorch LED
Power Manager
Radar Now
Smart Monitor
Toggle Screen Timeout
Ultimate Stopwatch
WeatherBug Elite
Wifi Analyzer
WiFi OnOff
WiFinder

Shoutcast Radio ....Instant Sirius Replacement
 

since im paying mthly for the data plan, might as well plug my phone into my car stereo and use Shoutcast to play TONS of radio statons that even XM/Sirius cant match (Energy 98 my favorite)

K-9 Mail
ChopSMS
Dolphin Browser
Google Voice - Best by far.
Google Goggles

The kayak app is pretty nice. It has a flight status tracker, the usual trip searches, and US contact numbers for pretty much every airline that directly link to your phone dialer.

Android 2.1 apps update?

Hi android owners,
I'm currently charging my new phone and will soon look for some travel-helpful apps.
Do you all ust go straight to the Android Store or do you have favourite blogs/sites/forums where the various apps are reviewed/rated/explained?

More specifically, is there anywhere which shows the Andoid version of v. popular iPhone apps, where such a version exists?

Finally, will all apps work on ealrier Android versions or will we soon see some tuned specifically for the newer, faster Android 2,x phones like the Nexus One & Moto Droid?
Thanks!
BiziBB (and his new HTC black Magic!)

androlib.com has a pretty exhaustive, searchable database of the Android Market apps (the online android market site itself is useless), with the information and reviews that you get when you find the app in the market on the phone. Basically it just makes viewing the info easier. Beware, though, when I'm not behind my company's firewall, Kaspersky antivirus occasionally flags some of the ads on androlib.com as malware.

Often, you can get a better look at an app's features by googling the app's name, followed by the word "android" to get to the developer's page. Androlib.com also typcally has a link to the developer's website, if there is one.

There are already some apps that work on 2.0 or 2.01 that don't work on 1.5, so, given the extensive list of new features promised in 2.1, I have little doubt there will be apps that are not available to earlier operating systems as it is futher updated. By the way, the market app knows which operating system you have, and will not show you apps that don't work on your phone. Some are even sequestered by geographical region.

Thanks, HH, valuable advice! I'm interested in the compass-based apps or helpers with Google Maps, as a starting point. :) As well as trying out all my other Google accounts.

Hopefully the HTC Android phone isn't a mistake!

Guys, seeing as this is the Android version of a 'netbook for travel' thread... ;)

What twitter app/widget do you use or recommend on Android 1.5? twidroid seems to be the leading app (twidgit lite widget also gets mentions) but I did read about another newish one that's good.

Which is the best pick for someone with multiple twitter accounts? Is it worth it?
I'd use my twitter.com/winedriving twitter account on the phone, but would be happy to also use my BiziBB account if it's no trouble to run >1 account.

(btw I'm using a HTC Magic, straight out of the box, no mods, running Android 1.5, so might not get the latest 1.6-2.1 versions until I update/flash the ROMs)

Try seesmic. I love their BB client and I believe they have an Android client as well.

Thanks!
 

Thanks. I did read a few recent raves for Seesmic - seems it's becoming almost as hot as twidroid.

I downloaded a blackjack game and a silly monkey game from Marketplace, too. :)

PDAnet now works on Mac tethered and by bluetooth. Very easy and fast.

Downloadable Map?
 

Has anyone discovered an app that allows for downloading GPS maps? I would like to use my Nexus One GPS in flight but will not have a data connection at 39,000 feet. I don't need street level, just major points from DTW-LAS.

EDIT:

Answered my own question. I discovered MapDroyd. You have to download individual maps based on US state or country, but it looks like it will basically work to keep me entertained in flight. It is missing maps for South Dakota and Utah, so I guess I will have to guess when we cross Bryce/Zion Canyons.

There is also Copilot Live, but it is not free.

tev9999,

• Are you posting here (at least occasionally) with your phone?
• if so, from a 'marketplace' browser like Dolphin?
• have you had success posting using voice recognition? That would be a great improvement and almost make your phone a useful FT posting tool!

:cool:

Here are a few I downloaded from a very recent Top Ten Android Apps story:

• Advanced Task Killer
• Bluetooth File Transfer (may not use this...)
• i Music (not sure if I'll use but an interesting idea)
• Places Directory

http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=29818

Anyone else using a pre- 'droid 2.0 phone like a HTC Magic or Hero?
I'm pretty happy so far. Have had it just over a week (HTC Magic on a great deal plan & 2Gb data)

Do you use Dolphin as a browser and ChompSMS instead of the default app?

I am using dolphin as my default browser and I do like it. It is nice having normal sites instead of the crippled WAP ones I was used to on my BB Pearl. I tried posting a message here earlier via voice recognition, but it is not really accurate enough for full paragraphs. I do use it for short entries like google searches or adding something to my grocery list.

I have not been on the road, so really have not had a need to post to FT while mobile. Even if I did, I think it would look a bit strange to be talking into my phone in short choppy sentences, editing via the keyboard, saying another sentence, ... OK for the hotel maybe, not for the airport.

Thanks; I've tried to d/l Dolphin a couple of times; no luck so will try again tonight.

The etiquette (especially travelling/using in public places to- & inside the US, especially airports) will be interesting. I'm expecting some suspicion as it appears you're doing something appearing odd...

For all Android users- which weather app do you use - and is its scope worldwide?

I'd think that world weather/clock apps giving local time & weather plus forecasts would be great for FT travellers and for packing appropriately for the weather. :)

Androlib has a few of interest. Weather Wideget Donate or Clock Weather?

I'm using the weather.com widget and it adjusts itself as your location changes, though I'm not sure what it would do outside of the US.

WeatherBug Elite and Radar Now.

I do not know about none US use.

Weather.com can't seem to be set to Celcius; it's detailed but being only in F means I'm looking elsewhere.

Accuweather is another I donloaded and it's my choice for now, but I'm looking forward to the weather clock apps.

I've also got ChompSMS and it's an improvement on the standard app.

Anyone using vinecandy as a wino app? :)

Is there an app to play mpg files? I hate the time it takes to convert them to mpg4 or wmv format.

i Music is very popular and it plays MP3s. You'll find it is one of the most popular apps so is very easy to find.

Tweetcaster beta, anyone?
 

I found these reviews of Handmark's Tweetcaster beta.

Has anyone dumped Twidroid or Seesmic for this? I'm only using Swift and it's okay for now.

Matthew Miller @ ZDNet video review
Phil Nickinson @ AndroidCentral w. screenshots

The multiple accounts feature is nice. When it's available as a full version, it's reported there will be paid and free/adware versions.

Which twitterers give you decent reviews or leads on top apps?

My faves for my N1...with download links
 

Pixelpipe Lite - Upload Photos to different sites including Twitter, Facebook, Picasa

Evernote

Nimbuzz - multiple chat including skype

Babbler - Facebook interface (better than the official FB one)

Shop Savvy - already mentioned here. Probably my fave app of all my faves.

Pkt Auction - Ebay

Robo Defense - Fun game and a great way to kill time. I upgraded to the paid version but the lite version is a great intro to the game.

Key Ring Rewards Cards - really helped to lighten the wallet. stores all membership cards with bar code (ie blockbuster, gym, duane reade)

Amazon.com - frequent Amazon shopper. It's scary how easy it is to shop using my Nexus One.

OpenTable - for making reservations.

Aloqa - to see what's nearby from movie times, concerts, yelp reviewed restaurants, coffee shops, etc.

TripIt - to keep track of my itineraries. much prefer this interface over the website.

After reading all this I am convinced and going Android.

So far, lovin the N1. ShopSavvy is a great app; ive spent way too much time scanning random products in the house to see what kind of deal I got. Also confirmed that TJ's really does have good deals on mid-grade wine, after 25 minutes scanning there (with annoyed kid in tow).

I crave an app that allows the GPS/direction thing to broadcast through my car bluetooth, as the speaker on the N1 is a bit too quiet.

good decision!!! you won't regret it, especially with all new phones that are coming out with android.

I've been really happy with the GPS + voice recognition quality on my Droid. Yesterday, while driving in a rental car, I realized that I didn't quite know how to get to DFW, and I was running late. So I pushed the little microphone button and said "Navigate Dallas Fort Worth Airport" and in about 20 seconds, it started giving me driving directions.

On the other hand, I'm very bummed about the lack of bluetooth dialing support. Finding the number and choosing to dial it (even with shortcuts) feels very much like "texting while driving."

Does the Droid have voice dialing like the Nexus One? On my N1 saying "call boberonicus mobile" would bring up your number through the same interface as the GPS routing. Not perfect, but it brings up a list of close matches. Can make a call in three screen taps.

It does work, but not through bluetooth. And I seem to have too many contacts for the names to be easily distinguished by the software.