Did I mention already that I’m a gadget addict? Since a couple of months I own a HTC Magic smartphone running on Android 1.6. It’s my first smartphone but I’m very satisfied with both the phone and the operating system. It has actually become more than just a gadget and made my life a little easier here and there. One of the greatest things is that you can download all kinds of useful applications through the Android Market.
Below is a short list of my favourite applications. Go check them out if you own an Android powered phone and haven’t tried these applications yet. You can use the ShopSavvy or the Barcode Scanner to scan the QR-code and install the applications right away.
Close Everything 2 (UK £0.85): This is a task killer application which I use to close unnecessary running application that drain CPU, RAM and battery juice. It has a widget as well to close running apps from the home screen. You can set exclusions for apps you don’t want shut down.
Shazam (free): If you are a music addict like me and you are always on the lookout for good music this application is a must. Shazam can identify music just by listen to it through the microphone. Not does it only identify the music, it supplies all kinds of trivia and gives you the ability to actually buy the song you have identified. Lovely!
BatteryLife Widget (free): I have searched a long time for a decent widget displaying the remaining battery life, and believe me I have tried a lot of them. The battery time on smartphones is still a big issue and I want to know exactly how much juice is remaining and when I need to charge again. The small icon in the notification bar does not do it for me. This widget tells me what I want to know, looks beautiful and only includes the necessary settings. If I had to point out something then it would be the fact it’s only available as 2×1 widget and not as 1×1.
Robo Defense (free): The best game I played on Android so far. There is a free version and a paid version with more levels and options. Objective is to prevent robots from crossing the screen by buying, placing and upgrading weapons. It’s super addictive and even the free version will keep you busy for quite some time.
Apps Organizer (free): this is by far the most useful application I use on my Android powered phone. Apps Organizer can completely replace the default Android application launcher menu. With this application you can categorize your applications and make the categories accessible with shortcuts on your homescreen, by doing this you will create a lot of extra room on your home screen. This should be default functionality of Android if you ask me …
If you use other Android applications that are worth mentioning please drop a comment, I would love to hear about it.
