Little Bro’s Android App Tips

Yes, you read the title correct.

As a serious BlackBerry abuser I have been rather vocal about not switching platforms. However, I have been enlightened. If you have not yet heard the news, I am soon to be making the jump to “the darkside” aka Android. I know this is a shock to many and a major “honey I told ya so” for my lovely Wife. (More to come later on what caused this “out of the blue decision”)

I have surrounded myself (as any good tech abuser does) with a multitude of talented and knowledgeable people willing to teach those that are willing to learn. Least of which is my Little Brother.

The following is from an Email I received from Little Bro this afternoon. On opening his Email I was pleasantly surprised to see he had taken the time to write a “book” covering the android applications he figured I would be most interested in. Far be it from me not to use Little Brothers “book” as part of my first Android post. Stay tuned and enjoy the ride as this will be a very interesting journey. That journey being the quest to learn “all things Android” as I have done with BlackBerry.
—@QBall45

Applications

Alarm Clock Plus – the only alarm app I haven’t gotten completely frustrated with.

Battery Calibration – self explanatory, use after installing on new ROM, right away after getting your phone, and whenever you think it needs it.

Bookmark Tree – if you like them organized.

Dropbox – obvious.

ES File Explorer – it’s not Root Explorer, but I like the GUI and use it to manage my SD card.

Go SMS Pro – hands down, the best texting app for Android, and it’s free! I’ve tried em all too. Handcent is a decent second place, but the GUI isn’t as polished and it doesn’t have in-app backup.

Hybrid Stopwatch – slick retro-like GUI.

ICE – In Case of Emergency – obvious

Juice Defender – helps with battery stamina. The UltimateJuice app is $, but gives you a massive amount of control.

MultiPic Slideshow – just a widget, but puts a slideshow on one of your homescreens, good for pics of the kids!

MyVerizon – it’ll be on the phone stock, but you’ll have to download after switching ROMs, still useful.

OfficeCalculator / Real Calc – if you need more than simple math.

PowerAMP – at $5, it’s expensive, but if you really like music, it’s really the best option beyond the stock app.

RadarNow – it’s only a weather radar map, but it always works and works well.

QuickPic – if u don’t like the stock gallery app, give this one a try.

Quick Calendar – if you organize a lot with appts, meetings, etc then you’ll want this. It’s just a homescreen icon that launches u directly to the new appt screen.

ROM Manager – you’ll need it

Root Toolbox – useful, but you can get yourself into trouble with this one. “You must use your power wisely, young padawan”!!

SwiFTP – if you don’t like taking your SD card in/out and you have WiFi at home, then you’ll want this.

TinyPassword – I really think there’s better options out there, but I haven’t put in the research time yet. This one does work decently well, though.

Transdroid – if you download a lot or torrents, then this is awesome.

TV Listings – pain to setup, but it’s really nice after that.

Unified Remote – if you have a pc connected to a tv, then this app is a goldmine.

WeatherBug – I don’t know if it’s really better than the other options out there, but it’s solid and I like all the widgets that it has.

Widgets

AIX Weather – I rely on this one like crazy. Gives a nice graphic of the next 24 hrs showing temperature and sun/rain. The only thing it doesn’t do is geolocation. (it won’t “follow” you)

Simple Calendar Widget – lets you see upcoming appts on a homescreen, very configurable & looks good.

Launchers
ADW Launcher and LauncherPro set the bar that everything is measured against. The free versions are both solid, the paid versions are out of this world awesome. I’ve paid for both, currently use ADW Launcher EX. That said, Go Launcher is a good alternative. Actually, everything Go makes is either good or awesome.

What else?
Everything that Google puts on the market. Maps, Nav, Places, MyTracks, Voice, Google Search.

Edit to add Tue, Jun 21, 2011
Plume Little Brothers favorite twitter client. Based on ratings alone this is worth looking at.

Circle Launcher A cool looking widget that puts your preferred apps in a circle. Recommended by Jenny Bucket.

Metamorph An interestin app recommended by Jenny Bucket. Root required & advanced users only.