The Official Android Apps Thread

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Games, Apps, and goodies for the Droid (Milestone)
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ASTRO -- Good File Manager
Advanced Task Killer -- Close pesky background programs
PicSay Pro -- Really good quality picture editor
Robotic Guitarist -- Guitar strummer with rich, fantastic audio
Ringdroid - Clip out music segments to create ringtones


RETRO:
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Frodo - Play C64 *.dsk and *.prg
Snesoid - Donkey Kong Country @98% speed on a phone. Nice


I must say, the display and audio quality on the "droooid" is superb

[Womp]

With a lot of people getting new Droid's over Christmas as gifts I thought I would share this app list of what I have installed...

TONS of free crap...Let me list what I have currently installed (95% of which are free!) at the moment:

Abduction! - A cute little freeware/paid gaming distraction that uses the Droid's accelerometer to bounce a cow into space to save his herd from aliens. Similar to that one WarioWare boss stage.

Aldiko - Awesome eBook reader that supports .epub format import and also has a built in free library full of old classics to download straight into it. Highly recommended.

Astrid - Easy to use ToDo list maker with widget.

ASTRO - Great file manager and backup app!

AudioBooks - Librivox audiobook streaming, listen to tons of free volunteer read literary classics.

Backgrounds - Quick and easy place to snag and import custom made for the Android wallpaper.

Barcode Scanner & Shop Savvy - Scan and search product barcodes and links to marketplace downloads (Found in these links I am posting).

BlueRSS - I've tried them all and this is probably my favorite free RSS reader outside simply bookmarking a Google Reader web link to your home screen. Comes complete with Google Reader importation as well.

DailyStrip - Much like Manga Droid except with your favorite newspaper strips such as Peanuts and Calvin & Hobbes. The Droid's hi-res screen makes it look fantastic too.

DiggDroid - Nice Digg Reader.

DoggCatcher - The best Podcast podcatching app available on the Android platform at the moment IMO. It's not free at the $6.99 price but after you've tried and eventually uninstalled all the freebies out there the chances are you'll have to buckle up and make the purchase. As a big podcast listener this simply does everything I need to do. Add streams via search or manually, auto update and listen/resume. It is the closest I have found to what I used to do on my Touch for podcasting. My first Android app purchase and well worth it.

DroidLive Lite - Shoutcast streaming app that allows you to listen to Howard 101 for free...Nuff said.

GiantBomb - Similar to the paid app over on iTunes but free for now on the Droid since it is in alpha stages. Watch videos, read reviews etc etc straight from the GiantBomb dudes.

Google Goggles - Google's new take a pic and search app...Still in it's infancy but really cool.

Google Sky Map - With Google Sky Map for your Android phone you can discover and browse the night sky just by pointing your phone to space. By using your Android phone's orientation sensors, we can show you a star map for your location. Explore planets, stars, constellations, and more! Learn the name and location of space objects and impress your friends.

gsDroid for XBOX Live - Browse your XBOX Live friends list and your achievements right on your droid with up to the minute updates! I paid $1.99 for something similar on my iPod Touch - On here? FREE.

Jewels - Freeware Bejeweled clone that is actually better than the Android version of Bejeweled (Sloppily done port).

Keeper - Free password/login saver for your websites and accounts etc. Uses government encryption. Coming from a Blackberry with a similar app preinstalled out of the box, I needed this.

Layar - Layar is a free application on your mobile phone which shows what is around you by displaying real time digital information on top of reality through the camera of your mobile phone.

Layar is a global application, available for the Iphone 3GS, T-Mobile G1, HTC Magic and other Android phones in all Android Markets. It also comes pre-installed on the Samsung Galaxy in the Netherlands. How do you use Layar? By holding the phone in front of you like a camera, information is displayed on top of the camera display view. For all points of interest which are displayed on the screen, information is shown at the bottom of the screen.

Manga Droid - Stream issues of manga series straight into your Droid and with the amazing resolution it puts out. Awesome stuff and I am not even a manga reader. Although I have gotten sucked into Claymore. :P

Meebo IM - Seems to be the best multi IM client app on the Android platform at the moment.

Meridian - A decent (VLCesque) video player.

MixZing Music Player - Fantastic audio/music player replacement that takes a cue from iPod in presentation and UI. Can automatically download cover art among other neat features.

Movies by Flixster - View movie times, trailers, upcoming release lists for theater and DVD etc etc.

NewsRoom - I was on the fence with this originally. It's an RSS reader that lacks Google Reader import (Although the devs try to explain why), however I got sucked into it's GUI and the way it allows you to seamlessly slide through stories with a flick of the finger. The presentation looks fabbo and outside the mentioned drawback of importing from GR, it works great. The key reason I prefer this app over the others is also the fact that it will store all articles onto the SD card rather than resident memory - Something you cannot do with Google Reader through a browser. I linked to the lite demo but ultimately it is $4.99 for full. Give it a try and see if it is for you. It makes RSS reading even more fun IMO.

1/9/10 - Update> I've been having issues with this app over the past couple of weeks in terms of it not updating properly or even allowing me to open certain feeds. It also doesn't seem to collect many of the feeds either for each of the sites I've added. Bookmarking Google Reader is still the best news reader IMO either way.

1/31/10 - Update 2 > I haven't used this in quite awhile and considered removing it from my list here, however it started out as a pretty decent app and I figure since it has a demo version available that it is worth at least giving a try. I've become a bit disenchanted by it's lack of 'power user' options and it's total disregard of certain feeds even functioning or updating properly yet that work fine under Google Reader.

I still prefer simply bookmarking Google Reader.

Pandora and Slacker - Pick your poison. Both offer fantastic internet music streaming right over your Droid phone and thanks to the insane awesomeness of the Droid's external speaker, no separate speaker required!

Photoshop.com Mobile - Don't be fooled, this isn't Photoshop shrunk into your palms, but it makes a great little editor for quick touch ups of your pics you've taken via your built in camera.

RemindMe - A quick and lightweight app to set up future reminders of things you don't want to forget. Get alerted by status bar, alarm or LED. Better than tying a string around your finger.

PKT Auctions eBay - eBay mobile and it works awesome!

Seesmic - If you asked what the best Twitter app is that's available on the Android platform, most would say TwiDroid. Seesmic kind of came out of nowhere and seems to be the defacto app that many are now heading for. Granted I don't use Twitter for anything but following a few gaming news sites, but it looks like Seesmic is bursting to the lead pretty quickly with features that meet TwiDroid (Which is a premium paid app if you want all the features). From my standpoint it seems to run a little smoother, you can now search twitter from the app itself and I simply just like how it looks a little more. Try both and see what you think.

The Weather Channel - My favorite weather app on my iPod Touch is now my favorite on my Droid phone. Simple, fast and easy to use.



Tricorder - A geek toy for the trekkies -- turn your Android device into a working tricorder! Display the local grav and magnetic fields, geo information, and radio signals from your phone's real sensors. Solar data panel displays real sunspot info. Lots of fun and a really cool way to show off the tech that is behind your phone.

TubeDroid - Just like MXTube on a jailbroken iPod Touch, this allows you to search and then download HQ YouTube videos straight to your SD card storage! People have questioned why bother but it is great at keeping my son busy for long waits at the doctor's office with an entire library of Pixar shorts via this great little app. At $1.99 it is only one of three paid apps on this entire list.

EDIT: Replaced by the free and much nicer Tube Downloader.

USA Today - Read USA Today straight from your Android phone. I don't need a bunch of news apps and this one is extremely polished and easy to use covering all the top stories in every genre.

WiFinder - Another app whose functionality I had to pay for over on the iPod Touch but is free on Android. WiFi scanner that allows you to connect all WiFi networks: Open, WEP, WPA, WPA2. Great to have handy when you need to resort to your phone's WiFi signal for browsing etc.

WikiDroid - Great way to view Wikipedia Mobile all formatted nicely for your Android phone.

Word Search - Free word search game. Simply drag your finger over the hidden words to find them.

YellowBook - The Yellow Pages on your phone!

Android Comic Viewer - Awesome and robust CBR etc viewer that allows you to read comic books right off your SDCard!

Thomson Reuters News Pro - Fantastic news app that provides a nice range of up to the minute news headlines.

Camera Zoom FX - Paid app. A wonderful and full featured alternative to the stock Google camera app. Tons of options and preset image effects. Lots of free add-ons as well.

JustPictures! - I use and have used Picasa for a long time now and this at the moment is the best way to view, save and integrate my account there on my Droid. Great stuff!

Whew...All done! I actually have a few other little ones on there as well but these are the biggies that I always come back to. Great stuff and people who say that the Android Marketplace cannot compete with the Apple App Store are full of **** IMO. Functionally speaking there is a lot to compete with here.

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Womp,

That's a terrific post of yours, A big app listing complete with info and links. There goes the rest of my week(!)

I just wanted to say "thanks" too


If you like games or casual entertainment you can't go wrong with:

Flight Director - Guide the airplanes and helicopters for landing by drawing their flight paths
Robo Defence (Free) - Defence tower style game. Nicely done
Labyrinth - Tilt action operated game. Enjoyable and really sensitive

Other worthy contenders:
Speed Forge 3D - Impressive 3D demo. Shows off the power of the droids 3D capabilities
Klondike - Your typical card game but its all good with touch control
MotoTorch - Hardware LED control --> on/off, strobing, morse code blinking ... quite bonkers!

and thanks to the insane awesomeness of the Droid's external speaker, no separate speaker required!

Absolutely. The droids in-built audio quality is two thumbs ups

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Shazam -- Holy cow. now thats an impressive app. I just tested it by monitoring 3 music tracks playing on the radio and it identified each one straight off the bat!

Look into an app called "Screebl" as it lets you set the boundaries of normal use that prevents the phone from 'sleeping'

I use Screen Mode which performs the same function (screen always on) as well as offering a "Stay Awake" mode. In this mode the auto-lock swiping thingy does not appear every time the device sleeps

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Okay. I'm tired of Abduction and I don't like Bejweled. I need new Droid game ideas

There is a brilliant new game called ShootU! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chtjv...layer_embedded
Its a ragdoll shooter but the implementation is sweet

See also Space Physics if you like the Crayon Physics type of game - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydaSx...eature=related

Another one I find addictive is Trap! (which I can't put down at the moment)

Flight Director / Flight Control are also good. Manage the incoming planes landing them on the various strips and avoiding collisions

Not strictly a game but bags of fun is Metal Detector. It really works too!
The Milestone/Droids accelerometer has a magnetic sensor which is located below the camera (when viewed as landscape). Placing metal objects there causes a "detection" by the software. It's crazy what you can do with this phone

[Shane R. Monroe]

We have a Droid thread, but its kinda ... hard to find apps in ... So here is a dedicated Apps thread (Apple people, feel free to make one for the iPhone if there isn't already one).

Keep the hardware and firmware stuff in the OTHER thread.

I should have my Droid by Wed - and I'll be able to contribute too. I'll move the good posts from the other thread here.

[Womp]

Jesus, he's becoming a whore and doesn't even own the thing yet. I wonder if you will make it past the 30 day 'trial' period.

Adding to that above list...

Mini Info Widget - A simple little battery/memory status widget that gives you a quick look at your battery percentage along with internal/external memory usage. Much more accurate than the stock battery in the notification bar.

Buzz Deck - Nice random site aggregator based around customizable 'cards' that list 20 of the latest news stories happening around the web on the subjects that interest you (For me it is tech/gaming). Sort of like an RSS reader for dummies but great for a quick read on the crapper.

[bitblt]

These have already been listed above but I highly recommend them:

ASTRO File Manager (essential)
AndExplorer (does some things better than ASTRO)
Google Goggles (amazing picture, cover, logo, barcode, recognition scanner)
Pandora (fantastic streaming radio app/widget)
Shazam (impressive song identification app)

Some things that haven’t been mentioned yet:

APPS:

Advanced Task Manager – This is my favorite task killer app/widget. It also provides system info, backups, and will quickly remove unwanted apps from your phone.

AndroZip File Manager – Works with zip/rar/7zip and other archive files. Works as a plug-in for other file managers like ASTRO and AndExplorer.

Backup for Root Users – Like the name says this is for ROOT users only. This will do a backup of everything inside your phone to your SD card. This app can be dangerous if not used correctly when restoring. I use the apk restore option when experimenting with different Android ROMs. Also see Titanium Backup (root) for backup/restore of individual apps and data.

BeamReader PDF Viewer – This is a pretty decent free PDF viewer with a nice search and zoom interface.

Benchmark (by softweg) – Measure and compare phone performance. Also see apps BenchmarkPi and Neocore.

ES Task Manager – A simple but aggressive task killer app/widget. The widget is nice because it displays memory info and kills all tasks with a single click. The app allows you to select certain tasks to be ignored.

Free Memory (by CocoNuts) – A widget with a transparent look that simply displays free memory.

Home++ An alternative Home screen app launcher with lots of features: Configure from 3 to 7 home screens, handy visual screen switcher, screen wrap around, advanced widgets, advanced power strip, hide/unhide notification bar, built-in task manager, etc. (Personally I think the power strip is too busy and I disable everything but five buttons: dialer, browser, apps tray, task list, and notification button. Note long holding some buttons provides extra functionality.) Home++ works well with most Android phones. Home++ is not compatible with Live Wallpaper (yet) and does not support skins and themes like other Home Launchers such as Open Home and aHome.

Open Home – This is another alternative Home/Launcher that focuses more on appearance than extra functionality. You can create custom themes by downloading hundreds of free/paid skins, icons, and fonts from the Android Market. Open Home is even compatible with aHome themes. Open Home is by far the most popular and supported alternative Home/Launcher. Open Home also supports Live Wallpaper.

Note Everything – A handy little app that organizes text, paint, and voice notes.

OverclockWidget This is for ROOT users only. This widget monitors and displays current CPU speed and gives older Android phones like G1/Dream/MyTouch3G/Saphire extra CPU speed. It can also be configured to under-clock when the screen is off to conserve battery life. Not compatible with some optimized Android ROMs but is otherwise safe to experiment with. Has a skin option.

PhoneFlicks – Manage your Netflix account and queues more easily than using the browser.

Remote Desktop – Remote control your Windows PC. Works pretty well but is overpriced IMO. Also see free VNC apps.

Weather Widget (Android Apps version) – This is another one of my favorite widgets with a nice transparent look. This widget displays weather information in various widget sizes. The paid version has a combo Weather & Flip Clock that also displays the date and looks almost identical to the HTC Hero Flip Clock. There is also a plug-in for this widget called Weather Widget Forecast that displays nice transparent weather animations when activated.

Wired and Wireless Tether – Root users only. Use your phone as a 3G internet gateway for your laptop while on the road.

GAMES: (excluding many emulators)

PAC-MAN (by Namco) – This is a decent port of the arcade classic. Free to T-Mobile uses.

Frogger (by Konami) – Another decent port of an arcade classic.

Mistique chapter 1 – Download this free for a limited time. Not bad for a free point and click type 3D adventure game.

Robo Defense – Simple yet surprisingly addictive tower defense type game. Not bad for free.

ScummVM – Need I say more? Play classic Lucas Arts point and click adventure games etc.

[Shane R. Monroe]

Any "Seek and Find" games on the Droid? I know Womp's wife is a slut for them - my wife is too. With the higher res, it should prove cool.

[bitblt]

Any "Seek and Find" games on the Droid? I know Womp's wife is a slut for them - my wife is too. With the higher res, it should prove cool.

Oh sure I've seen those kinds of games. I can't recommend a specific one ATM.