50 Apps For New Droid Owners
| by Rob Jackson on November 6th, 2009 |
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With Verizon’s first two Android Phone’s launching today – the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris – there will be PLENTY of Android newbs trying to soak up all the Android Application goodness they can. But with so many applications on the market now… where do they look?
I can imagine many people feel like they’re being pulled in every which way with no clue where to go – like the Scarecrow in The Wizard Of Bots.
Fear not. Five Phandroid team members did some good lookin’ out and hand picked 10 applications each that they think you’ll want to check out from Android Market. There are overlaps/duplications but I thought it would be relevant to allow them… if more than one has it in their list it MUST be good, right?
Without further adieu:
John Ashton Edgar
About Me: Behind the scenes button pusher for a group of technology websites. Love wine, food, fellowship, and Android be thy name. In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas. Follow me on Twitter @johnashtonedgar!
- Amazon – They have a slick app and almost always the best pricing on everything. Need I say more.
- Astro – Sad to say but Android has lacked a file manager thus far, this fits the bill.
- Backgrounds – There is no better place to get your wallpapers to customize your desktop, sorry iPhone.
- Google Sky Map - Because it’s just cool!
- Google Voice – All my telephone numbers can be run through and controlled with GV.
- My Account – This is a T-mobile app that lets you work with your account.
- Shazam – Ever wonder who sings that song. This does that flawlessly.
- Shopsavvy – Scan an items bar code and it will tell you where to find it online or locally (mapping it as well) with the best pricing. Way cool!
- TED – The best minds in the world give lectures on Technology, Entertainment and Design. Above all, the most informative app.
- Twidroid Pro – This is a pay app but the best twitter client for Android. (@johnashtonedgar)
David Drwencke
Android History – Used G1, MyTouch 3G and have owned an Iphone.
- Pandora – (Free) The application works nearly flawlessly over 3G, EDGE and WiFi. The application incorporates your online account saving your stations and favorite songs. The Android version of this application allows you to do multiple things while the music plays, it truly is great.
- Facebook for Android – (Free) As a Facebook fiend there is no better option on an Android device then the Facebook for Android App. Update your status, post pictures, check out your friends profiles, make comments all from the comfort of your device. This is a must have if you have a Facebook account.
- Twidroid – (Free and Paid Versions) My experience is with the free version which has been fantastic. For me – who is a heavy user while not necessarily being a “power” user – it is perfect. There are push updates, I can make my tweets quickly and I think the interface is pretty straight forward. I also appreciate that the developers constantly update the application.
- FeedR – (Paid) As a fan of many different tech, sports and news pages/blogs I like to know I can gain access to all of the latest news with the click of one button. FeedR has a clean, basic layout, has many options to update on its own, or at my own leisure. Adding new pages is a snap and the pages load very quickly. If you need an RSS reader (with many other options) FeedR is your #1 option.
- Movies by Flixster – (Free) I consider myself a pretty big movie fan and I like to gain access not only to movie times/locations but also movie reviews from the critics and my friends. The newest version of this app ties into your Facebook account so that you can see what your friends have to say and vice versa, which is a cool feature. I can also track the movies I have seen and keep a list of those I want to see.
- Open Home – (Full & Paid) One of the best features of any Android Powered device is the ability to customize not only your “wallpaper” but also your icons, widgets and overall layout of your device. There are so many different themes and styles that just about every device can match its owners style and personality. Though there are other worthy options (Fresh Face to name one) my favorite and standby is Open Home.
- Sportstap – (Free) I am a huge sports fan and I happen to like different teams throughout the different leagues – sports taps allows me to be up to date with scores, stats and information with fast updates tailored to my interests. The navigation is simple and once you select your favorite teams Sportstap will do the rest.
- The Weather Channel – (Free) Its simple and straight forward but I can set a few important locations (home, work and other favorite cities) and I can always know what is coming up and will also be able to answer the question “What will the weather be like tomorrow?” The widget is plain but useful, and the “Weather Alerts” are also useful for when serious weather is heading my way.
- Shazam – (Free) Why? Even though I happen to have satellite radio in my car I still find myself forgetting that new catchy songs title when it comes time to download it. Shazam not only will keep a list of all the songs I tag it definitely is a “wow factor” application when you can use it with your friends at a store, mall, club when the music is playing and there is no way to get the title or the artist. This is an app you may not use every day, but I am happy every time I use it.n’t? Well now you can fix both of these issues with Visual Voicemail. The application is a bit boring looking, but ti is straight forward and it works as described.
- Wapedia – (Free) There are a few options out there when it comes to wiki-clients, however my favorite is Wapedia. The user interface (UI) is solid, articles load quickly. Likely more useful then simply “googling” a question or term.
Raji Aboulhosn
About Me: I’m a huge sports fan especially football and the Vikings. I currently have an iPhone 3GS (don’t hate me and yes AT&T sucks) and I will be getting the Droid when it comes out. I love Android because you can customize it your way and there is still so much untapped potential with this platform.
- Twidroid – Simply put the best twitter application for Android. Comes in either a free version or pro version ($4.89).
- Sportstap – A good-looking interface and a bundled widget make it easy to follow your favorite teams. (free)
- Pandora – You can’t really beat free music so enjoy it. (free)
- USA Today – The easiest way to get the latest news around the globe. (free)
- Shazam – I’m never good with remembering artists names or song titles. This app will come in handy more then you think. (free)
- WeatherBug – Wondering if you’re going to need an umbrella today? WeatherBug will let you know. (free)
- Where – If you travel a lot this might be your go to app. It will help you find a good meal, some good coffee, and will help you avoid traffic. (free)
- Movies by Flixster – Want to know what’s playing at the local theater? If not download it so you can kill some time by watching the latest trailers. (free)
- NBA game time lite (free) – It’s great to see professional sports leagues get on the Android fun. Now if ESPN could get off their ass and gives us a fantasy football app. (free)
- Open Home – Tired of your homescreen? Open Home allows you to customize fonts, colors, icons and much more. (not sure of the price)
Breon Nagy
My name is Breon Nagy and I’ve recently been drafted to write reviews for apps. I’m a self-proclaimed Android fanboy and others have called me a “mobile power users”. I love testing new apps and currently beta test several popular Android apps. My first Android phone was a T-Mobile G1 and I’ve since graduated to an HTC Hero on Sprint. I had a chance to test drive the Droid last week and I was rather impressed. Here’s a list of my MUST HAVE apps:
- Twidroid (FREE/€3.39 Pro) – Twidroid is a feature rich Twitter client. The Pro version allows for multiple accounts, Bit.ly URL shortening, and video upload. Both versions include sending and receiving tweets, @replies, direct messages as well as picture uploading and URL shortening (via several services). It has full search functionality and you can save searches too!
- Astro File Manager (FREE) – Astro is a file management tool that allows you to browse/cut/copy/delete files on your SD card (and read/copy files on the phone memory
. They’ve recently introduced other features such as an application manager and process manager. - G-Backup (FREE Trial/$4.95 Full) – G-Backup will automatically upload ALL of your SMS, MMS, Pictures, Videos, and your Call Log to your Gmail account. It will sort them into whatever Gmail labels you specify. This is a great way to go back in time to find an old text message or a picture that you deleted off of your SD card.
- Handcent SMS (FREE) – Handcent is an alternative to using the stock Messaging app. It allows you to send and receive SMS and MMS messages. It’s real beauty is in the customization. You can skin the app to look like other messaging apps (*cough* iphone/hero *cough*) as well as change the color scheme of all OR individual conversations.
- Hi AIM (FREE) – The Droid that I tested did not have the stock Instant Messaging client on installed (it may ship with the final build). Hi AIM is a simple AOL instant messaging client that includes some customization. One unique feature is it allows you to set buddy online/offline notifications. (note: there are other IM clients that also aggregate Yahoo/MSN/Skype/etc services)
- Taskiller (FREE/€0.70 Full) – Taskiller is a task manager that allows you to see all of the running apps and processes on your phone. You can kill apps/processes individually or all at once. There is an “ignore” list that will prevent your favorite apps from being killed with the “kill all” button.
- Light Racer 3D (FREE Basic/$2.99 Full) – “Futuristic motorcycles race to the death in a 3D arena”…need I say more? If you’re a fan of a certain ’80s movie that rhymes with Fron, then you’ll love this. If you’re not a fan of said movie, you’ll love it anyway. This is by far the best 3D game on the Market and it works great on the Droid.
- Foursquare – Foursquare is an addictive location based game. You sign up for an account at http://foursquare.com. When you go places, you check in to them. Restaurants, gas stations, retail stores, whatever! If your favorite venue isn’t on the list, you can add it for MORE points.
- Open Home (FREE/$3.99 Full) – Open Home is a Home replacement. It gives you up to 7 home screens (versus stock 3) as well as the ability to customize the look and feel of the app tray, fonts, and icons via themes on the Market.
- Ustream Broadcaster (FREE) – Broadcast yourself live from your mobile phone! Or you can record videos to your SD card for later upload. Ustream also allows you to broadcast from your computer as well. A great service.
Robfactory
About Me: Here are the apps I use often.
- Shazam – Being a Dj you have to stay current and play stuff that gets people moving. Shazam hears a sample of the song through your phone and tries to recognize the Artist, Name of the song, and Album.
- FML by Evan Charlton – This program logs onto Fmylife.com and picks up peoples comments. If you ever have a bad day all you have to do is open this app and laugh your ass off. The app also lets you forward the comments via text and email. It also lets you comment.
- TasKiller – having the G1 had a lot of perks, but memory was not one of them. With 192mb of Ram one needs all the memory one can get so the phone does not lag. TasKiller terminates any undesired program. (EDITOR NOTE: Your Motorola DROID has this by default in Android 2.0 in the settings)
- SportsTap – is a sports app that keeps you updated with sporting scores. It also lets you select which teams you want to get scores from and how often.
- iMusic – searches blogs and free music site to stream or download songs. It also reads what type of music you like and builds categories with top 50 and top 100.
- NubiNews- organizes a collection of news and information sites under one app and lets you switch from site to site without using the browser.
- Flashlight – I know kind of weak, but its been very helpful in clubs, late at night and in the dark.
- Healthy Recipes – has 5 different categories one can choose from. You can also type in which dish you’ll like to make and it will give you healthy alternatives as how to cook that meal.
- My Account – is a T-Mobile app that lets the user see how many minutes he or she has spent, also texts users when they are about to go over their minutes and texts. You can also pay your bill as well as see your payment history. Lastly, it also controls the phone’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Data Roaming, GPS and Screen Brightness.
- TV.com –is an app that connects to CBS and CBS owned channels and programming (Showtime, the CW, cnet.com, the insider, etc…). The program does not just stream previews, but full episodes of popular shows. Missed Dexter, well not anyone. You can stream through Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity.
So there you have it… a good selection of applications to start downloading and testing out, recommended by your friendly Phandroid experts. And remember… next time you feel lost in the Andoid World, tap your heels together three times… “There’s no place like Phandroid. There’s no place like Phandroid. There’s no place like Phandroid.”
Thanks to John, David, Raji, Breon and Rob for their work on this article!
1. Brandon wrote on November 6, 2009
Yes myAccount for T-Mobile will work great for those Droid owners. Really, you should edit the list to at least be pertinent to the topic.
2. paladaxar wrote on November 6, 2009
MyAccount? Really? Did you guys read the title of the post before you wrote for it? Sorry, I don’t mean to bash you guys, thanks so much for compiling these lists for newbs, but I think the myAccount might be a little confusing for a new DROID owner.
3. uncle wilco wrote on November 6, 2009
no flickr apps?
Iam happy with my magic but offical flickr upload is the only downside.
also I love spotify as here in the UK I have signed up to the premium and it’s “spotless”
4. Pablo wrote on November 6, 2009
Volume Widget Pro is also great. Paid app but worth it!
5. serg wrote on November 6, 2009
Movies by flixter is now called just “Movies”
6. PeDe wrote on November 6, 2009
i wonder if verizon’s equivalent version, My Verizon, will be in the market for droid and eris owners
7. schwiz wrote on November 6, 2009
I am gonna have to disagree with David, the official Facebook app is quite nice, however Babbler has a much better user experience, it can upload videos, you can see requests like event invitations etc. I do keep both installed though because of the official client’s live folder.
8. Brenton wrote on November 6, 2009
Use my FlashLight. Same thing, still free, adjustable brightness, better icon
http://www.androlib.com/android.application.com-android-flashlight-zAA.aspx
9. Don wrote on November 6, 2009
Ultrachron is one of the best stopwatch/timer apps for android.
Other apps I like are Astrid, SnapPhoto, Taskiller, Places Directory, The Weather Channel, Listen, and Facebook
Yes, this is a shameless plug for Ultrachron!
10. Collin wrote on November 6, 2009
Do you think that verizon will port all of there apps to the android market place? i was looking at one of there brochures yesterday and thay have a pretty wide selection of decent games….thoughts?
11. joe v wrote on November 6, 2009
Thanks for this post, new Droid user here.
12. Jason wrote on November 6, 2009
I like ShopSavvy the best. Has saved me bunches. Kids Love Santa Live. They cant wait till Dec 2nd happens and they can see him live.
13. Kalebdf wrote on November 6, 2009
I can’t believe the Locale app wasn’t mentioned with all of its conditional setting glory
http://www.twofortyfouram.com/
14. david wrote on November 6, 2009
thanks for the good info! Yes there is a MyVerizon app.
15. Steven wrote on November 6, 2009
Guys, I was hoping at least one of you would advise some multimedia apps except Shazam. I got 29Gb of music and so far iPhone could manage such loads much better with it’s cover-flow feature then anyone else on the market. I hope to see something like that on Android, cause I’m not buying anything that has Mac on it. Did you see any cool media players to replace the lame legacy player?
16. Artem Russakovskii wrote on November 6, 2009
Not really 50, is it? Lots of repeats.
17. kidphat wrote on November 6, 2009
@Collin, I think there is a common Android Market Place with an option for carriers to add their own application. All these apps should be available to Verizon users.
18. Dave Kaufman - Techlife wrote on November 6, 2009
I am a big fan for app review and this is a great list. I thought it would make sense to write my own. I tried posting it in the comments but all the links likely got it flagged as spam.
I wrote it as a full article on my syndicated column with full credit and links to Phandroid.
http://www.dkworldwide.com/techlife/archives/2009/11/06/techlife-top-10-android-apps/trackback
19. Rob wrote on November 6, 2009
@Collin:
That depends if they have the rights to them. If VZW is just serving as distro, then that would be up to the creator. If they own it outright, then I hope they do.
20. Frank TJ Makey wrote on November 6, 2009
Would have been nice to have some QR Codes here linking to the Android Market Place. :-/
21. JustinJames wrote on November 6, 2009
Thanks for the list of apps! already downloaded some of these on my new Droid last night at the 34th st NYC store, now to try out more.
@Pede They have a My Verizon App – It allows you to “Access your Verizon Account, find your balance, usage, payments, update Friends and Family and services.
22. Arno wrote on November 6, 2009
Rob, I think your recommendations are most adequate and useful. And I also think that having such reviews and recommendations about new/useful apps is great and we should have them more often.
Thank you for the outstanding work, as always.
23. Adobe Launches Photoshop Android Application | Android Phone Fans wrote on November 6, 2009
[...] find embed code. Any way you look at it this is pretty awesome. Today we had a few writers suggest applications for Droid newbies… add this one to that list. Positive comments are already piling on the Android Market [...]
24. Paul wrote on November 6, 2009
This is very helpful. Thanks.
25. Ilovemyeris wrote on November 6, 2009
I just got my htc eris.. and i’m having issues downloading applications.. anyone else having this problem?
26. kcw wrote on November 6, 2009
Check out Size Chart…..
Great Tool for shopping….
27. Graham wrote on November 6, 2009
I think you should have a list of favorite apps and another of favorite games. Apps for me are Shazam, Pandora, Twidroid (no surprises there). My favorite games are Spot the Difference, Jewellust and Abduction! World Attack.
28. Bizzle9 wrote on November 6, 2009
@Steven
MixZing is an excellent media player for Android. In my opinion, it rivals the iPod in features and interface. It isn’t quite as fast or elegant though.
29. ontheFritz wrote on November 6, 2009
@ilovemyeris I was thinking about getting an eris, but was going to wait to see what the htc passion had in store. From your name, I’m guessing you aren’t regretting the purchase? haha.
30. kappy79 wrote on November 6, 2009
Loving the Droid so far. Thanks for the software tips, it is nice to have a starting place! There is a my account app for verizon btw.
31. Chris wrote on November 6, 2009
Thanks for this article, gonna be picking up my Droid after work today. I read some articles that a lot of these applications aren’t updated to take advantage of Droid’s resolution, Android 2.0 etc.
Have you had an issues with these apps in terms of resolution, installation or anything else? (Sorry, new to the whole android/app thing).
32. Dennis wrote on November 6, 2009
In no particular order of importance.. Snappy Countdown (timer alarm app), TasKiller, Bonsai Blast (game), MixZing Lite (music player),gStrings (guitar tuner), WorldTour (wallpaper), Phandroid News (what’s that ?), StarTranslate, FX Currency, Clocks around the world.. There are more, these are just some that are not stock apps that I use with some frequency.
33. six41 wrote on November 6, 2009
not nearly my list of faves so i thought i would contribute.
touchdown (exchange mail)/
flyscreen /
advanced task manager /
calendar add event /
car mode /
superdial /
handcent sms /
bar control /
mybackup pro /
tone picker
34. Laura wrote on November 6, 2009
Thank you so much!!! I picked my Droid up at lunch today and am already in love. This list is super helpful since I’m new to the Android and smartphones in general!
35. Pete wrote on November 6, 2009
Thanks for posting this list! Please post comments of more apps to try. I ordered mine this morning and hope to get it tomorrow! Keep up the good work!
36. MarvinAndroid wrote on November 6, 2009
My favorites:
-NESoid and SNESoid: NES and SNES emulators which rock my world
)
-Facebook
-Google Sky Map (this is a cool one to show friends to make them jealous
-Qik (broadcast video live to the internet – cool stuff)
-Movies (movie listings near you)
-Phoneflicks (access your Netflix account and queues)
-Astrid (awesome Tasks app)
-AK Notepad (best notepad app out there)
-USA Today (good news and weather)
-Weatherbug
-Google Finance (stock info)
-Locale (knows where you are and changes phone settings)
-Ringdroid (make your own ringtones out of any MP3 etc)
-Layar (augmented reality – awesome)
37. ® wrote on November 6, 2009
Picked up a new Droid this morning and loving it so far. Thanks for the great post and all the recommendations in the comments. I’ll be reading phandroid from now on!
38. Stormy wrote on November 6, 2009
Thanks for the software recommendations. I am new to the android platform and have downloaded a few of them. Enjoying so far! I must say I really like Shopsavvy. I’ve found some great deals on products I already buy and am looking forward to the savings
Thanks also to the other folks who posted as well
39. chewtoy wrote on November 6, 2009
Wow, if this is really the top 50, then the market is in a sad state.
Many of those things should just be built-in — file browser, backup, facebook, movie schedules, task manager, exchange support. I mean, come on, how sad is it when someone thinks MyAccount is something to rave about!
And good grief — there’s still no android phone out there with an acceptable camera, even with the release of the droid. I was really hoping this holiday season would be the time of the androids, but so far all the handsets that have come out are just more of the same lackluster devices.
40. john the lesser wrote on November 6, 2009
i’d say the cameras are fine for what they are… phone cameras. the droid has a decent one with a nice interface, though i will be waiting till i can pick one up on the cheap and take it to sprint so as to avoid the big red pocketdrop. as for the myaccount thing, that just goes to show you that the contributers hit the crack pipe WAAAAAAY too hard before writing this. it’s a t-mo app, doesnt apply to the droid in any way, shape or form. they also left out layar and ringdroid, and i dont recall seeing where on the list either. not to mention the horrid repeats.
41. droidrocks wrote on November 6, 2009
Can anyone confirm snesoid, nesoid, and gensoid work on the droid? They all quit when I load a rom. As an old-school gamer
42. lina bryce wrote on November 6, 2009
haha the new apps are cute I wonder where is the the place to build em? I already have the SDK though… Oh, program-city here we go!
btw, here’s a detailed preview of what you have might missed during the droid release earlier today:
http://bit.ly/did-droid-conquered-USA-today
Hope Droid will serve as a hand of midas to Verizon Corp. Soweet
43. rich wrote on November 6, 2009
I just went and played with a droid at the verizon store, I downloaded a couple of my favorite games and none of them where working to good on eclaire, I wonder how many apps haven’t been updated yet. Id think google would want all the phones that are out to be running the same version of android, so the devs could be testing there apps on a real device. I think there might be some pissed off android newbies.
44. dadeboe wrote on November 6, 2009
Thanks for this…helped me add some new apps
45. a wrote on November 6, 2009
papijump! simple, but addictive.
46. Shark wrote on November 7, 2009
Tv.com is the best!
47. Chris wrote on November 7, 2009
must have games
Robo defense – best game (paid and free)
Bonsai blast -free fun game
Flying Aces lite – simple fun and addicting
Plox
Trap -free
48. kenbot wrote on November 7, 2009
I recommend the following apps
Torrent-fu
VLC Remote
NESoid Lite
FX Camera
Exflashlight (I like it better than Flashlight)
Tonepicker/Ringdroid
Ustream (if you’re into that)
Where
Freshface (only for MT3G phones)
49. Maj wrote on November 7, 2009
- FlyScreen (a very ambitious app and very original)
- Abduction (who doesn’t love that cute jumping cow)
- Blockx 3D (surprisingly a very good 3d tetris)
- Buka (fun game)
- Shackdroid (if you’re into Shacknews chatty, however you won’t find it in the market, you have to download it from the web)
- ShopSavvy (words cant describe this life savior app)
- Tunewiki (definitely the best MP3 player out there for the Android)
- SMS Popup (if you’re an ex-iphone owner like me then this is a highly recommended app for you)
- Weather Forecast Widget (i’ve tried almost all weather forecast widgets and none of them has a clean interface as this, not to forget that it allows you to customize the backgrounds and choose different skins)
- Archipelago (It may look ugly but i must admit it’s very fun)
50. ray wrote on November 7, 2009
Hey could someone help me! Im going to get the Droid but im worried about the music player being so plain and not very functional, are there any music players to download in the market???? Like the heros music player???? Thanks guys!
51. Fredric wrote on November 7, 2009
Spotify is by far one of the best apps for Android. You need a premium account though…
52. JonXP wrote on November 7, 2009
What? No one mentioned the Barcode Scanner app? That’s the first thing I install! Being able to share contacts or install software through a barcode is amazing.
53. hellyeah wrote on November 7, 2009
So its judgment day today for Droid, was it? According to Cnet it was a little bit slow nonetheless a good start of droid, other “critiques” says otherwise. But I say, “Hell yeah! droid conquered US for a couple of hours today”. We just hope that their ROI is profitable compare to the hunderds of thousand worth of ads they spend during the promotion period and err.. did I say, their impending “lawsuit” with AT&T too?
Collation of info about droid release today: http://bit.ly/did-droid-conquered-USA-today
Hope Droid will serve as a hand of midas to Verizon Corp. Soweet
54. Janiskfp wrote on November 7, 2009
1. Advanced Task Manager (auto frees up all your memory except the apps you specify, on your schedule. Widget, too.)
2. Swapper – a very, very close 2nd
3. Flashlight (by flash-the-brain.com, keeps the features from getting underfoot, but just enough of them)
4. AutoLock
5. Pager (canned sms, single-click from Home screen)
6. Bettercut (a little buggy, but I’m nuts about customization)
7. Swift Twitter App (free, solid, and pretty much offers everything Twidroid Pro has). Although I’m trying Xeeku Twitter. Swift is a must-try; you don’t have to like it better than Twidroid, but I”m convinced it’s very cleanly built.
8. Google Voice (limited call plan becomes unlimited, but I can’t really talk about how to do that. I’ll just say I have MyFavs plan.)
9. Weather Forecast Widget v2 (or at least iMap Weather app)
10. Greed. I’m also a sync nut. This feed reader allows other widget use, too.
And if you get a ROM that has Apps2SD, you don’t have to limit it to 10! AppControl offers app backup and batch app install and organization options. Opera Mini is FAST. Grocery King is now easy to use. Note Everything has everything. Klaxon Alarm never fails. SnapPhoto Pro simply takes the best pics. Traffic (Free!) offers one click to Google traffic map. BatteryLife is clean and tweakable. Apps Organizer lets you have desktop folders that have icons (no URL or non-app support though). Missed Call lets you customize almost all of your notifications and LED settings.
I use Bloo for Facebook; once I got it set up, it really does have the most to offer feature-wise.
And I agree, BarCode Scanner should be stock. I think we forgot we had to download it in the first place. I did the same thing with Rings Extended. It seems like that should be stock, too.
I like Meridian Music player, which does everything I need it to, and has great BT support. I dunno, most of my music playing is with the screen off, and video is full screen, so the actual interface doesn’t have to be flashy for me. Meridian is fast and stable.
Oh, yes, and Touch Timer wins the contest to mediate the dreaded time-outs. Not a must-have for everyone, but definitely for moms/dads/sitters.
Yes, Android is pretty bare bones on its own. It’s open source, and the whole point is to get devs developing. I like that, especially when you can backup and batch install your apps.
I noticed the title is just “50 apps.” It really is a great list to get users exploring, or just settle in with some confidence. I’m going to try TV.com sometime soon, really soon.
I couldn’t leave this without recommending Cyanogen’s latest ROM build 4.2.3.1. Not to mention getting out on XDA-developers.com will open your Android world (at least to apps that aren’t available on Market). Check for Advanced Launcher while you’re there.
55. Diabl0 wrote on November 8, 2009
The released app’s were cute but still very crude – I wonder when will be the contest for droid-app making?
We should realize that one must learn the basic of android 2.0 first before venturing on software production
What Android really does: http://bit.ly/android-2-0-for-newbies-and-pro
“The Fastest Mobile O.S on the Planet indeed”
56. Durf wrote on November 8, 2009
Is there a media player yet which will play divx/xvid movies?
57. exqueezme wrote on November 8, 2009
The shopsavvy app on the droid hasn’t worked well at all, camera has trouble focusing
58. Tor wrote on November 8, 2009
KeepScreen. Timeriffic. Y5. Trap!
All these should on your Android be.
59. gaswalla wrote on November 8, 2009
Pandora does not work on the DROID. Gives me an error everytime.
60. Tom B wrote on November 8, 2009
Didn’t read all the replies…new Droid here and my favorite app is Advanced Task Killer….closes all those programs running in the background that you have no idea how they turned on.
61. Tom B wrote on November 8, 2009
BTW..pandora has been working near perfectly on my droid…a few minor hesitations but not many…I’ve had it on a lot. Battery life..I played on the droid for a solid 6.5 hrs after it fully charged and still didn’t get a low battery warning although the icon looked near empty…and that was with many apps open including pandora.
62. Ben wrote on November 8, 2009
Multimedia apps:
Cinema: simple video player, like it better than stock… seek, just swiep finger, to pause, just tap screen
tunewiki: plays lyrics while playing your songs… comes with homescreen widgit
Rockon: music player, has album scroll like iphone
63. Andrew Zarian wrote on November 8, 2009
Some apps that I love are the Task Manager app that allows you to turn off Programs and save battery life and Picsay App that has Multi touch and Pinch and zoom enabled on it. really cool to see the phone do multi touch .. video below showing you how
http://www.guysfromqueens.com/?p=765
64. steve wrote on November 8, 2009
**New to smart phones. On my old cell phone when I turned the screen on I would see how many missed calls/text I had. Why do I not see this on my Droid? Can someone please help me?
65. helena MCR wrote on November 8, 2009
So its judgment day today for Droid, was it? According to Cnet it was a little bit slow nonetheless a good start of droid, other “critiques” says otherwise. But I say, “Hell yeah! droid conquered US for a couple of hours today”. We just hope that their ROI is profitable compare to the hunderds of thousand worth of ads they spend during the promotion period and err.. did I say, their impending “lawsuit” with AT&T too?
Collation of info about droid release today: http://bit.ly/did-droid-conquered-USA-today
Hope Droid will serve as a hand of midas to Verizon Corp. Soweet
66. Alex wrote on November 9, 2009
AndroZip is great utility for ZIP, RAR, 7Zip, TAR, GZIP, BZIP2 archives but also great file manager…
Love it!
67. lee wrote on November 9, 2009
Got a few nice apps without having to search blindly..
Thank you..
68. ajgrieve wrote on November 10, 2009
what format is supported to play the roms for snesoid
69. Robert Aitchison wrote on November 10, 2009
Swift is a better app than Twidroid IMO.
70. billy joe wrote on November 10, 2009
So after the “not so phenomenal” unveiling of Motorola Droid to USA yesterday http://bit.ly/did-droid-conquered-USA-today
Like us, other buyers are asking too, if did it really conquered america or not (like verizon promises to their “mocking” advertisement)
Now it seems, iPhone realize that they should try Verizon for a change? Dang.. shouldn’t they see what will happen to droid first? before making hasty testosterone induced decisions…
71. jober wrote on November 10, 2009
I’ve been playing with my new Droid since I got it on the release date. I had an iphone previously and so far I am ready to dump the iphone.
Only issue I have is that with the gmail app, it only notifies me on the first email that I receive. Subsequent emails do not generate a notice or audible sound. Anyone know of a fix for that, or an app that would let me change that behavior?
72. Matt wrote on November 11, 2009
Open Home is big drain on the battery..
73. jober wrote on November 11, 2009
Anyone that is frustrated by the same notification bug that I previously mentioned (gmail emails only generate 1 notification, after that there is no indication that more emails were received), please visit (and star):
http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=4190
74. Dillard wrote on November 12, 2009
I am picking up up my droid tomorrow finally! I purchased the storm 5 months ago and I am on my 3rd phone. So even though I paid 320.00 for my phone 5 months ago, I still have to pay some cash for the droid. I made a HUGE stink and instead of making me pay almost 400.00, I only have to pay 60.00. So as far as I am concerned, as long as I am away from the storm, I will be happy. Of course seeing the commercials here in the U.S., I was feeling goose bumps! Thanks for all of the 411 on the apps.
75. Richard wrote on November 13, 2009
Can you watch a slingbox on droid without wifi?
76. HELENA wrote on November 14, 2009
This is normal, a new OS might encounter a glitch just like any on the past. on the other hand, google should have pay attention for that problem. Anyway, I still keep good faith about android 2.0 OS as the fastest OS on the planet
http://bit.ly/android-2-0-flaws
Droid App creation here we go
77. Sling Me wrote on November 14, 2009
Sling…… PLEASE create a sling player app for the Droid!!!!!!
78. efan78 wrote on November 15, 2009
Hi Guys! Thanks for posting this – you inspired me to re-do my list into a top ten(ish – I got a bit carried away!) http://efan78.com/140/10Apps.
Ethan
79. Teresa wrote on November 15, 2009
New Droid owner here, looking for few apps, any suggestions would be great:
switch between open applications
read txt messages to me through my bluetooth (this was avail on the voyager)
thanks
80. J R wrote on November 15, 2009
Ive just had my Eris for about a week–but reading about and trying a lot of apps. Heres my pics and all are FREE:
BOB MARLEY CLOCK–choose clock#2 at 2×2–perfect.
1) SLACKER RADIO–more programable stations–less power.
2) WHERE– get gas prices, local news and has a chatroom
3) FOX NEWS SETTINGS–best news reader widget for free
4) ADVANCED TASK KILLER–easy to use and turn stuff off.
5) BACKGROUNDS– Easily find a new background you’ll love
6) SPORTSTAP—news and scores with updates
7) DROIDLIVE lite– Internet radio stations–awesome
9) COLOR FLASHLIGHT–also has a strobe,candle and more
10) AP MOBILE–newspaper reports even local and videos.
81. Philip wrote on November 15, 2009
Where is the Superfan Application for Directv??
Where is adobe 10. I am missing my NFL games and paying for them. I can’t see them on my phone.
Anyone know when we can watch NFL games on the DROID???
82. Andrew wrote on November 15, 2009
Is there an app so I can voice dial with my bluetooth?
83. Andrew wrote on November 15, 2009
is there an app to make my bluetooth voice activated ?
84. Beth wrote on November 16, 2009
does anyone know of a widget that will put your most recent text message on your home screen?
Or an app that will make your message notification bar bigger?
85. jaVi wrote on November 17, 2009
Flash support and directv superfan support will be available early 2010
86. Maxine wrote on November 18, 2009
I prefer Swift for my Twitter AP over Twidroid. Faster downloads and no buttons to hit for opening links.
87. Mary Beth wrote on November 18, 2009
I was hoping someone might direct me to a Good Feed Reader hopefully that will sync my Google Reader, and not something web based cause I can go online if i wanted that!
88. ferickson wrote on November 21, 2009
is there a version of skyfire for android? this is a truly amazing web browser with integrated flash so all of the websites look perfect, it will also request a page as a full blown browser like firefox if a mobile version is not available for that page, awesome love it on my window’s (pos) phone and would pay money to see this on android.
thanks
89. Marc wrote on November 21, 2009
For flashlight apps, MotoTorch Lite is the best. Its a widget you drop on your home page. One touch fires up the camera flash LEDs. Another touch turns them off. Works great!
90. Frank wrote on November 22, 2009
Is there an app for running? Specifically, will nike plus work on the droid eris?
91. Kelly wrote on November 23, 2009
How can i make my battery last longer? Is there an extended life battery I can get?
92. jpr wrote on November 23, 2009
and what about the flac support in an android application
.. coz the os is not flac compliant 
:(:(:
JP
93. Joe wrote on November 24, 2009
Good lists, I have to say that, though I did really love Open Home, I prefer Panda Home. Its more customizable, allowing you to have anywhere from 3 to 9 home screens, 2 every screen side docks, works with Open home themes, customizable icons… and free. Absolutely perfect alternate home program for me.