Ten great Android apps

The Android market is growing rapidly and there are now apps for every imaginable taste. This is my current list of favourite apps in the Android marketplace.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the SMS killer. WhatsApp is cross platform and can send BBM-style messages to anyone that is also using WhatsApp. Its major advantage is that you only pay for the data your message uses, not the exorbitant SMS fees network providers charge. WhatsApp is fast becoming my preferred messaging tool on my Android phone.

Kindle

So you don’t own an actual Kindle? No problem. The Kindle application for Android is pretty decent and works just as well on Android as it does elsewhere. You may not want to read an entire novel on your phone but if you have and Android-running tablet PC then Kindle for Android is well worth it.

Pomodroido

The Pomodoro technique is a time management theory that breaks your day into blocks of 25 minutes with short breaks in between. If you’re on a tough deadline and prone to procrastination it can be a life saver. Pomodroido is a cool Android app that does all the counting for you and rewards you with extra long breaks when you’ve completed a specified set of “pomodoros”.

Dolphin Browser

Mobile browsing is tricky. You need something that does a lot but doesn’t get in the way. The Dolphin Browser does everything you could want and includes tabbed browsing, speed-dial for your favourite sites and an extensive list of of options for sharing content. It does all of this while staying well out of the way. There is also a (more) fully-featured version called Dolphin HD but that’s probably overkill.

InstaFetch

Who really has the time to read all the great links you find online every day? If you’re finding yourself pressed for time and swamped by “must-read” articles then take a look at Instapaper. Instapaper strips online articles off all the unnecessary bits and saves the text for you to read later when you get a chance. It’s like bookmarking but so much better. There isn’t an Instapaper app for Android but Instafetch does a perfectly good job of keeping your must-reads in sync. It’s how I do almost all of my online reading now.

TuneIn Radio

TuneIn Radio is a mini radio receiver on steroids. TuneIn lists and plays literally thousands of radio web streams from around the world. You can search for your favourites by genre, location language or most other criteria. It’s easy to use, fun to play with and is with you wherever you are.

Burn the Rope

This is a game. The idea is to burn pieces of rope arranged in increasingly difficult patterns by flipping your phone around to keep the flame burning upwards. It’s silly and you probably look crazy flipping your phone backwards and forwards but it’s fairly addictive, and annoying when it doesn’t work.

F1.com

If you’re a Formula One fan the official F1 Android app is a must-have. It’s a little like having your own track-side bank of computers. The app has news of all F1 events, live lap times for every session, details on weather, track temperatures and just about anything else you can imagine. It’s even possible to get live sector times for drivers during qualifying sessions so there is no shortage of information.

PicPlz

Similar to Instagr.am, PicPlz is a simplified way of taking and sharing photos on social networks. It includes a handful of reasonable filters for tweaking your photos to make yourself look like a better photographer than you are, and connects to numerous social networking sites including Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook.

Goo.gl

Everyone has their preferred URL shortener. Increasingly I find myself using Google’s Goo.gl shortener because it is connected to my Google account and allows me to get some stats on the links I send out. The Android app is simple to use and condenses any long URL down into just a handful of characters which can be shared through Twitter, Facebook or any other social network. I like Goo.gl’s simplicity and that it is no more than a two-click operation to post links online.