Features - QOTW: Which apps should every Android user have?

[jonny925]

ConnectBot
AndSMB
BSPlayerFREE
ES File Explorer



and Solitaire....

I'm ashamed to say the last one is the one I use most often.

[Jowsey]

Apart from the ones said above I can't think of any must have apps.

Apart from Unified remote. ( For the people who watch shows from bed of there computer! )
And Viper4AndroidFX fantastic audio app though I think you need root.
And possibly the Device Manager app in Google if you carry multiple devices with you. Allows you to track devices you are logged into via GPS, lock the device down/remotely erase it and make it ring constantly. Pretty nifty IMO.

[crossy]

My top picks would be
1. Swiftkey - because it's British, actually pretty good and the "flow" mode looks very pretty. Great idea that you can get a free try-before-buy version because keyboards are a very marmite thing in my experience;
2. Titanium Backup - because it's useful, although a pain sometimes because of the need to be rooted. I really, really, really wish Google would put in some hook or something to make it easier to slot this app (or similar) in;
3. Poweramp music player - because it works better than the stock one on my S3 - very good EQ features and like Swiftkey you can try it first;
4. Muzei live wallpaper - very extensible, but personally I love the one-a-day painting selection as my background (free). This was an app choice on the All About Android (AAA) podcast;
5. MetOffice weather - not as pretty as Weatherflow, but I find it's got the best info and doesn't suck your battery dry. Tried the BBC weather widget a while ago and really didn't like it.

I'd also give a shout out to:
6. Convertor Pro - got this via Amazon's appstore and it's a great app for those "how much is this Thinkgeek order going to cost me in real money?" moments. And it's a calculator too;
7. Data Counter widget by Roy Solberg - this is a nice (free in the base version which is actually good enough) way to have that "nag screen" on the front page so you don't hit your data caps;
8. AVG's malware protection is pretty good too. More for peace of mind to be able to lock/remote-wipe your phone if it gets lost - although I know Android Device Manager also does this now;
9. Chrome or Opera - Chrome because of the sync feature, Opera because it's got that data-cap friendly "road mode". I wouldn't recommend Firefox - it's too bloated and slow;
10. Flipboard - if you can get it configured right then it's a very natural way of quickly catching up with the world when stuck in a hotel dining room. Strangely enough I tried it on a tablet and it's not nearly as "good" as on the phone - strange.

I could go on - e.g. the Brian Blessed alarm clock (), Dropbox, Kindle app, CoPilot navigation, etc - but that's my top 5 "gotta haves" and another 5 "nice to have's".

PS, another shout out for the BB alarm clock - ideal to annoy recalcitrant teenagers!

And here's my suggestion for a QOTW - how do you find that "must have" application for your phone or tablet? Problem is that the Play and especially the iTunes App stores are vast, so finding that gold in amongst all the dross is not easy. You'd think Google - world's biggest search company - would have that worked out by now, but no. Personally I rely on chance mentions on podcasts and other such sources - even the occasional one on BBC's Click programme.

[jonah]

f-droid. Lists free and open source apps, so you get some of those google claws out of you.

[unknown67]

Clean Master,
BBC Sport,
BBC Weather,
Facebook,
Twitter
Tapatalk, and quite a few more...

[fatguy666]

Not an app but I'm putting Angry Birds out there, seems to be the only game that plays half decent on the HTC Desire I'm stuck with at the mo. Tried that Threes! but it wouldn't even get passed the title screen, £1.20 down the drain!

[Brewster0101]

Whatsapp is the only App I use daily as well as AquaMail...

[wasabi]

My top 5 apps would have to be:

AirDroid

Tried it as it sounded useful - but I REALLY did not get on with it. Does not uninstall in the usual way though the apps menu on the phone. Had to dig about in submenus on the app itself to get rid. It might be useful but left a very nasty first impression.

[mack_5991]

Nova launcher, best launcher and a great replacement for touchwiz.

[Dooms]

Themer is shaping up to be a very good UI replacement.