Android has entered the scene quite fast, and a lot of people were asking themselves whether it would survive, with most opinions being negative. But as more and more device manufacturers, cell phone operators and other companies joined the Open Handset Alliance, which currently owns the Android operating system, the OS became popular, its development continued successfully until finally, the 2.0 version arrived.
That was the game changing release of Android, because with it, a lot of new powerful smart phones and Mobile Internet Devices appeared, powered by Android, able to compete with the iPhone, Windows 7 Phone and even the iPad.
So, just as the HyperTransport technology survived (for those who don’t know, this is the main technology that AMD uses to replace the aging Front Side Bus; more information is available on Wikipedia), so did the Android OS, and its future looks better than ever.
The current 2.1 version of the operating system is stable, reliable, consumes few resources, is very easy to use and completely customizable, and, what’s more important, it has over ten thousand useful apps on its Marketplace, for almost any purpose, from web surfing (there are multiple browsers available, unlike only the Safari for the iPhone) and media players to document, photo and even video editing tools (like Documents to Go, PicSay and Qik).
If you’re just getting started with the Android OS or just want to know more about it and the apps it has available for it, here’s a list of some of the most useful Android apps currently on the marketplace.
ActionComplete.
This is one of the best and most advanced task and project management apps for Android. It gives you a high degree of freedom when managing your To Do lists, with a lot of detailed fields, alarms and notifications. It’s based on the Getting Things Done system, which is great for workflows, and it has a few very unique features like the location aware manager, which allows you to load up different tasks, projects and To Do lists based on where you are (using your GPS; so if you’re at a meeting, it can display only a “To talk about” list, if you’re at your workplace, it can show only business related tasks and projects, and if you’re home, it can display only your personal tasks). This is very useful when you have a lot of projects and tasks and want to be able to manage them easier.
ActionComplete-Android Apps
Astrid.
Astrid is another great task management application, but unlike ActionComplete above, it is geared towards simplicity. That is not to say that it doesn’t have advanced features – it does, but they’re all neatly hidden behind menus and can be optionally enabled on the main screen. It lacks a detailed project manager, instead focusing on day to day To Do lists and tasks planning, which it does perfectly. It also has a lot of various alarms, reminders and notifications, so you won’t miss a single deadline.
Astrid-Android Apps
Twidroid.
If, like millions of people around the world, you’re using Twitter and you own an Android phone, this app is definitely for you. Twidroid is the most advanced and popular Twitter client for Android, and it provides any and all the features you might need. You can use it to read and search tweets, post tweets, upload pictures, shorten links, follow, unfollow and do anything else Twitter related. The application was voted the best Twitter app by a lot of online sites and magazines, and is, as of now, the most used Twitter client on Android.
Twidroid-Android Apps
Note Everything.
This is an amazing note taking tool that can rival and even supersede Evernote, the most popular iPhone and desktop note taking tools. It allows you to write, record, draw and snap (with your camera) notes and save them for later reviewing in organized folders for easy search and access. You can also import and export your notes to and from the SD card for backup, and set up encryption, passwords and various reminders and notifications for some or all of your notes.
Note Everything-Android Apps
3banana Notes.
3banana is a simpler note taking and storing application than Note Everything, but that doesn’t make it worse. It’s more than enough for the most basic notes like text and photos, and it allows you to sync all of your information with your online 3banana.com account, so it’s available for browsing and editing anywhere, anytime and from any computer or mobile device.
3banana Notes-Android Apps
Snap Photo Pro.
While the default picture taking application on many Android phones is enough, sometimes you just need more control over your results. Snap Photo Pro allows you to do just that. Using it instead of the standard app, you get the ability to change shutter speed, adjust the brightness and contrast, improve stability, take timed and multiple shots, and do a lot of other things that the default application just can’t give you. With this app, you may be one step closer to finally dropping your point and shoot camera and using only your Android smart phone for taking pictures.
Snap Photo Pro-Android Apps
There are many more great useful application for Android on its Apps Marketplace, just perform a search for whatever you need (for example, “games” or “productivity app”) and you’ll most definitely find something that will suit you. This year also promises to be a great year for Android apps, with hundreds of new ones coming out every season, so you can be sure there will be even more to choose from in the future if you buy and Android phone or MID now.
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