Android Market is still new, only got 20,000++ apps on it, and got to admit, there were also lots of junk apps in there and that makes you confused of what apps that you should download to your brand new Android phone. Don't worry we are here to help you pick up 10 apps that you should have on your Android phone.
Without further ado, here are 10 free Android apps that you should have
- Astro:
It's a file manager, and not just any file manager, it's probably the best & most powerful file manager for Android. You could do some basic features like, copy, paste, rename, move and delete some files or folder on your SDCard. Astro also allows you to backup your installed apps onto your phone SDCard and then restore them when you need it. Astro could also open a .zip files straight from the apps, so you don't need to extract the .zip file to see what's inside.
Other similar apps: Linda File Manager. - 3Banana:
3Banana is a note taking application for Android. You could take a notes in form of text, voice, take a photo notes and even scan a barcode then store the info as a note. The great thing about 3Banana is that you could sync all your notes with your Google account, this way all of your notes will be stored in the cloud, so you don't need to worry about loosing any of your notes. 3Banana also has a widget, so if you're in a hurry, just add the widget to your homescreen, tap the textfield and then start creating a note.
Other similar apps: AK Notepad, or Evernote (no offline reading). - Astrid:
If you're a Task junkie and need everything scheduled. You might wanna try Astrid. With Astrid, you could add a tag for your to do list, set a reminder and even sync it with your Remember The Milk account.
Other similar apps: OI Shopping Lists, CloudList or Mobisle Note. - Seesmic:
Personally I'd prefer Twicca as my best Twitter client for Android, but since Seesmic supports 'Reply All' feature, Seesmic is the clear winner here. If we talk about Twitter client for Android, there's a lot of other alternatives out there such as, Tweetcaster, Swift, TweetsRide and of course Twidroid. But I personally think Twicca & Seesmic has a better features & especially a better UI than the others.
Other similar apps: Twicca, Twidroid, TweetsRide, Swift, Tweetcaster, Touiteur, HootSuite and the list goes on.. - Newsrob:
It's simply the best RSS feed reader app for your Android phone, why? first, you can sync it with your Google Reader account, and second, it's free! Sure there's other alternatives like Greed or FeedR, but both of them are paid apps. - 3GWatchdog:
With 3G Watchdog, you can monitors your mobile internet traffic usage. You can set the quota of your data usage, set a notification and also turn off the data (3G & GPRS) if the usage has or near its quota limit. You can also set a status icon on the notification drawer for a quick access to 3GWatchdog. - APNDroid:
It's a complementary apps for 3G Watchdog. Say that you don't want your Android phone to use any data when it's not necessary (duh), the only way to turn off your data completely on your Android phone is by deleting the APN name. But the process to do that is a pain in the a**, you need to do the tap dance to do that, tap the settings, tap the wireless & networks, tap the mobile network, then tap the Access Point Name, then delete it. With APNDroid you don't need to do the tap dance, just tap the APN Droid icon then it will turn off your data (3G & GPRS) completely. Tap the icon once again to turn it on. You could also add the APNDroid widget to your homescreen for an easy access. - Abduction:
So you want Doodle Jump game on your Android phone, but paid apps isn't available on your country, yet. Meet Abduction, it's a pretty similar game, your goal is to jump from one platform to another without falling by tilting your phone to the left or right. There's only a couple of level on the free version but I think it's a pretty good time waster. - ACV or Droid Comic Viewer:
ACV or Droid Comic Viewer is an apps that allows you to read a comic, straight from your Android phone. It supports a couple of file extensions such as, .CBZ/ZIP, .CBR/RAR, .ACV, .JPEG, .PNG, .BMP and also image folders. ACV also allows you to read a comic from your SDCard, so all you need to do is download a comic from your browser then open the file using ACV. It's a bit slow navigating from one page to another (it's definitely faster if you're on N1, Milestone or Xperia X10) but I think it's a pretty decent comic app for Android. - Foyage:
With Foyage, you could check out any nearby places from your phone. It includes places like ATM machine, Bank, Restaurants, Cinema, Hotels and even a Gas Station. You could also rate and give some review of that place.
Other similar apps: Places Directory or buUuk.
There you have it, those are my ten must have apps on your Android phone, some might ask why I didn't put any IM application? My answer is pretty simple, if I want to chat I'd rather use the built in Google Talk apps, it's the most reliable IM apps for Android. I'm not saying the other IM apps isn't reliable, it's just not good enough for me. But if you want to have an IM apps, you could always try e-buddy or Meebo, both supports multiple account and has a very intuitive UI.
Other apps that I didn't mention but you should definitely try are, Google Sky Map - you could check out the stars and planets from your Android phone, Barcode Scanner - Allows you to scan a barcode then search the item via your browser, Dolphin Browser - alternative browser for your android, it supports multi touch and gestures.
