Favorite Android Apps??
 

I finally got rid of the Windowsphone7.5 - man does that thing have almost unsolvable bugs, making it useless without notice.

So, I now have a LG Enlighten Android "smart phone" and am looking at apps, and was wondering if folks might share their favorite apps, bicycling, general navigation, whatever, etc.

I have installed Yelp, and an elevation app, but that is about it so far.

Would you be so kind as to do that???

For cycling Strava is excellent. Also Mapmyride is a close 2nd.

Google Maps is great for navigation, especially with the bike route mode

If you have AAA they have a couple good apps. One for road service and the other for AAA discounts.

I do, how would I access them?

I just switched to a Samsung Nexus Galaxy (Android). Great phone and tons of apps. There are a number of sunrise/sunset apps (free) available - handy for cycling. Accuweather has an app that is very nice. Everynote or Colornote for quick notes; I use is for tracking cash expenses. I'm only just figuring this thing out.

Go the the apps icon on your phone.....my Droid is called "Market". Do a search for AAA and the discounts and roadside apps should come up. Click on them and it will give you the option to install them.

I use the AppBrain front end for Market. To me, it's easier to search and filter your results. Also, in no particular order:

• xScope Browser - My favorite Droid web browser
• ConvertDroid - Every conversion imaginable
• GPS Test - For those, "is it my GPS or is Google Maps just being goofy again and not syncing" moments
• KeePassDroid - I use the PC version of KeePass as well to store passwords and other sensitive info, and it's nice to have a secure copy of that info on my phone just in case
• SportsTracker Pro - There's a lite (free) version as well, but this was only a couple of bucks
• Stats Free - Keep track of mobile data usage, WiFi usage, messaging, etc.
• WeatherBug Elite - Also has a free version
• MySword for Android

MyTracks by Google. Its free and does a great job of recording your rides with stats. I trust your smartphone has a GPS. I also put in "Big Buttons Keyboard Pro" ($3.00) and found it makes typing much easier. I installed a bunch of news feed readers for when I ride in and I am at the coffee shop before going to work.

Don in Austin

Welcome to planet Android. :) I've had the original Droid for almost 2 years ... these are my most-used apps:

Google Sky Map - Point your phone at the sky (with the screen facing you) and it will ID the celestial objects in that direction. You can search for objects and it will help you find them. It's free and fun to show your friends and family.

GPS Test

MyTracks

For notes I use Catch or ColorNote, sometimes Springpad. I haven't figure out which one I like best.

Favorite free games (all highly rated): Solitaire, Coloroid (highly addictive), Sudoku Daily, Math Works (to sharpen my 50+ brain)

GasBuddy - Locate the best gas prices near you (using your GPS location).

Google Maps - With very few exceptions it has not failed to lead me/us to an unfamiliar destination; at times I'd be lost (pun intended) without it!

Amazon Kindle

If you read the Bible: DailyBible, or The Bible App

Astro File Manager

LauncherPro (customizes the environment and has a really cool 3D app drawer)

I would add the following:

- INRIX (Shows traffic density on the roads around you)

- Tip N Split (VERY quick / easy calculator for calculating tips for waiters)

- B&N Nook or Kindle (For reading books - I prefer Nook)

- USA Today (cool app for quick news)

- Facebook (If you do FB...)

- Winamp (A fer better music player than the default player on your system)

- eWallet (An excellent system that synchs with your PC - add all credit cards, bank details, frequent flyer cards, details about your cars, drivers licenses, and various bits of personal info that you always need but have to look up. I've used it in various forms for 10 years.)

- Pandora (Create your own radio station. Very cool.)

And ... be sure to set up your E-Mail to come to your phone. Very handy.

The only functions of my stupid phone that I really enjoy using are the "vibrate only" setting on the ring volume and the "power off" button.

The coolest app I have found is this communication app. It is really cool. It lets you contact any other user and in real time, when you talk, they can hear you, and when they talk, you can hear them. No texting! What will they think of next? :bang:

I use the My Tracks app every time I ride.

Ride On!
-Spoke

"The coolest app I have found is this communication app. It is really cool. It lets you contact any other user and in real time, when you talk, they can hear you, and when they talk, you can hear them. No texting! What will they think of next?"

I think you're on to something, Spoke. And it would be great if you could just use it in the privacy of your own home and not have to carry it everywhere with you.

Lots of cool suggestions. I'd add "Poynt" as another app the gives best prices on gas, locations of nearby restaurants, listings of events in the area...all great for when traveling.

Some good suggestions here that I need to try out. Some others: There are free text programs that use your data connection instead of SMS to send text messages, so I don't have to pay for text messages. I use Kik Messenger to text with my daughter, but there are other programs. For those of us gravity-challenged, I use MyFitnessPal to track diet and exercise -- you can point your camera at a product label to record the junk food you just ate. Ouch.

I have found Google maps very dangerous to use.They say the cycling mode is in beta stage. I'd say Llama stage. That's what you will need,aLlama,a sherpa,a weeks worth of food,wool blankets....

On the other hand I have a very nice food & exercise diary for free. It's called Calorie Counter by Fatsecret.

Marc

I have no doubt that just about all mapping / GPS packages can fail in spectacularly bad ways, but I see them as tools for confirmation of what I already know, not as completely trustworthy guides. I never leave the house without knowing where I'm going - I just use the GPS (even my Garmin) for updates on my progress. Then again, I've always loved maps and such.

I've found that Google Maps on my Droid takes longer than any other GPS-enabled app to sync up. I wouldn't think that would be true, since the GPS is hardware, but others tend to locate themselves far more quickly in general for some reason. GPStest can show multiple satellites in use, etc., but Maps still chugs along trying to figure out where it is, for some reason.

I really don't use the Google Navigator app, since (as far as I've been able to discover) there's no way to alter the route it gives you. But as I mentioned, I've always loved maps and enjoy picking my own routes, anyway.

Free apps from the market.

- My Tracks, uploads tracked rides to Google Map
- Advanced Task Killer, kills running app's, supposed to help with battery life.
- WeatherBug. Only weather app I've seen that shows wind speed and direction. Useful before setting out on a ride, if you have direction choices.
- GDocs Notepad, local Doc writer, stores data on the phone, so functional with no data service, syncs with Google Docs.
- Calendar Pad. Much better calender viewer. Syncs with Google Calendar.
- Google Sky, Star viewer
- AVG Antivirus for Android, can't hurt
- Dolphin Web Browser. Better then the stock Google version. Can sync and/or backup/restore.
- WiFi analyzer, tells you if there's decent wifi.
- Convertpad, assorted conversions, metric, temperature, etc...
- Flashlight. One of the most damned useful thing. Turns your LED camera flash into a flashlight.
- Angry Birds.

Thanks all for the suggestions.

The LG Enlighten only has 150 mb of internal memory. In addition, I have installed 8 gb on a removable sd card. I'm not sure just how many apps I can have!!

I'll give My Tracks a try based on these recomendations. I hope it works better than the thing I tried before, which would work great at times and not work at all other times, with no indication when it was going to work or not. Maybe this is more reliable?

I use sportypalpro along with a bluetooth HRM. Works pretty reliably and uploads to their website or you can export the gps data to other programs.

Roger

Quick Settings: Best simple general app there is.
Wordfeud: Because Words With Friends sucks.
My Tracks: Simple, easy to use. No bull crap. Map My Ride is just too goofy to set up.

Android doesn't need an app killer. The system takes care of all that by itself.

Friendcaster for Facebook. MUCH faster than the 'official' Facebook app.

As many as you want. Just do as my youngest son does, get more sd cards and be willing to swap them in and out. He actually carries three sd cards with him. One in the phone and two with different apps in his wallet. It's a brave new world out there, and youth is grabbing it at a very fast pace.

Droid X: SD card: 14.83GB total space. 74 apps. 1,000+ pictures. Little/no music on it(get bored with all that real quick) 5.00 GB left to use. :)
Internal phone memory left: 5.85GB :)