Essential Android Phone Apps?

[Tharic]

So over Christmas, I broke down and moved into the late 90's with a Smart phone. Don't get me wrong, I was tethered to a Crack Berry for many years with work and only with my current job a few years ago did I break that long chain of  addiction.

So now I've graduated up and have a Samsung Galaxy S3 from T-Mobile. Unlimited Data to boot. And yes, I am abusing it all to hell and back in terms of the unlimited data. Yes, this is the phone from this commercial.

So my question is, I'm looking for the best apps out there. Really for any purpose. I'm finding that I'm a bit of an app-whore, so I'd rather get recommendations from those that I trust as opposed to random comments on Google Play.

So here's my current list. I'm sure the vast majority of these are de facto standards that everyone has.

Angry Birds
Brightest Flashlight
Clean Master (Gotta clean that history somehow)
Dictionary.com
DirecTV app
Drudge
Facebook
Firefox
Flixster (not bad so far, little ad heavy in my opinion though)
Fox News
Grocery IQ (liked it at first, but had an issue with the list that got me in some trouble with the wife after missing half our shopping list over the weekend. May be dumping it in favor of Out of Milk below)
Hobbit: KoM (Son and his friends got me playing after taunting me that they could beat me.. sigh, the young.. I'm now destroying them in terms of might)
iHeartRadio (Honestly haven't used it at all since I installed it)
Jetpack Joyride (Both son and daughter got me hooked on this one)
Noom (nice weight loss couch and calorie counting)
Notes Lite (only notepad type app I've got so far. It's.. meh..)
Out of Milk (the possible replacement for Grocery IQ)
QR Droid
Root Uninstall (Uninstaller)
Shazam
Spotify (was loving the 48 hour trial until it expired)
SwiftKey 3 (using this instead of the standard keyboard)
Yelp

Then of course, the standard plethora of Google apps on Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean) such as maps, voice, etc..

So what are YOUR recommendations, [you]?

Jump in and let me know what you run and simply can't live without.

Thanks!
Tharic

[Caeli]

Ooh, yay. I love talking about apps.

I have two "sets" of apps - one set for my phone, which I try to keep as light as possible with essentials/other apps that I've come to realize are helpful or that I use the most often, and my tablet, which carries most of my memory-heavy games. I also don't have Facebook on my phone (the app sucks, so I browse with Chrome if I really need to check, which is rarely). For the most part, my phone sees the most use out of streaming music or playing audiobooks during my commute, talking on the phone, text messages, Google Talk, checking email, and playing an idle game.

I have many of these on my tablet also, but since my tablet is used at different times than my phone, I have a different core set of apps.
The games I don't exactly play regularly, but I keep them installed anyway. I have more that aren't installed, though.

Phone Applications Books & Readers Amazon Kindle Audible - Amazon's audiobook app Goodreads [redacted] - App for my county library system. SCViewer - Manga reader (though I use it more on my tablet, because of the bigger screen) Fitness & Health My Fitness Pal - Calorie counter. Zombies 5K and Zombies, Run! - Themed running app. Games (a small sampling) Abduction! 2 - You play a "climb the tower" game as a cow trying to rescue an assorted list of animals from aliens. Call of Atlantis - Match-3 game. Dragon, Fly! - Simple game involving you as a baby dragon trying to fly as far and high as possible (while running away from mama). Fruit Ninja - Violence against fruit. Humble Bundle Plants Vs Zombies - No description necessary. Rise of Blobs - New game, haven't had a chance to play it yet! World of Goo - Gorgeous puzzler with a lovely story and challenging (but also relaxing) levels. Wreck-It Ralph - Based off of the movie, you can play several themed arcade games. NoteTaking/Editors/Keyboards AnkiDroid - Droid Anki flashcard app. Evernote + Evernote Widget Swype Keyboard Online Storage & Syncing Dropbox Google Drive, Music Photography After Focus Camera360 Instagram Paper Camera Photo Grid Pixlr Express Pixlr-o-matic Productivity Google: Calendar, Gmail, Maps, Navigation Slice - Shopping receipt and shipping tracker. Time Recording Pro - Helps me track my hours for work; syncs my hours to my Google Calendar Social Google Talk WeChat Xabber Meetup Yelp Utilities & Finances Amex (American Express) Chase GasBuddy - Allows you to find gas stations locally, by location or by price. KP - Kaiser Permanente app Paypal Southwest - Airline app. Videos DramaFever - leading online distributor of international video entertainment, with a strong focus on Korean dramas MX PLayer - Alternative (and amazing) video player. TED - For my mobile TED Talk needs. Viki - Streaming video app. Google Play TV+Movies, Play Music System Alarm Clock Plus ASTRO File Manager Battery - Allows me to keep a discreet notification at the top left of my notification bar with the exact percentage of my battery. Beautiful Widgets - Awesome customizable clock/weather/date/time app for my landing screen. Flashlight Miscellany [redacted] - Regional transit app. QR Droid Private StumbleUpon - Fun during times of tedium.

Asus Google Nexus (Tablet) Applications Books, Readers, News Audible BBC News Currents Flipboard Goodreads Google Reader OverDrive Media Console [redacted] - Library App SCViewer - Manga reader Games Ayakashi Clash of the Olympians Eufloria HD Heroes Call THD Humble Bundle Machinarium Spirits Note-Taking/Editors DroidEdit Free Evernote + Evernote Widget Productivity Clock Google Calendar Google Maps + Navigation Slice Social Facebook Google Talk Meetup Skype Yelp System AdFree AndroZip ASTRO File Manager Battery Beautiful Widgets Pattrn StickMount - Allows me to mount USB sticks to my Nexus. SuperSU Swype Utilities & Finances Southwest Video DramaFever Google Play Movies & TV MX Player TED Viki YouTube Miscellany Instagram Dropbox Google Play Music StumbleUpon VGBA - Game Boy Advance emulator! I own all the games I usually play on my tablet. It's THE best one out there, though you do have to pay for it.

[Pyana]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Pandora:) Build your own radio station using music you like. Streaming music uses up a lot of data, but it sounds like you aren't too worried about that. Do be careful though and read the fine print. You DO get unlimited data. But after a certain amount of data your internet speed comes to screeching halt and crawls on a bed of glass till the next billing cycle.

[Caeli]

Well, I don't know about Tharic, but I don't use Pandora because it's really only useful if you listen to Western music. My music of choice is foreign, and there's really not a whole lot of it available on Pandora that I've seen.

[Pyana]

Hmm I haven't really tried for World Music on there, I have a pretty eclectic taste and can usually find stuff I like. Everything from Enya to Bob Marley to Papa Roach to Frank Sinatra.

[Caeli]

It's not really that I doubt I could find stuff that I like - I really enjoy most forms of music, in many different languages - but I have my own music that I enjoy, and playlists and specific songs that I can sing along to for whatever occasion I need to stream it for.

(Somewhat related: It is just about impossible to find indie artists not produced by big labels on Pandora.)

I have used Pandora in the past and liked it, but felt limited in what I could listen to and how often. I really just prefer to stream music I've purchased and/or uploaded to my Google Music account.

[Silver]

This is a list of my main apps. Note that I left out a few that are normally pre installed on the phone. I have quite a few games but I'm not going to name them all, nor my music downloaders as I don't know if that would be frowned upon or not.

AK Notepad
Amazon
Amazon Kindle
AndroIRC
Bank of America
Battery Booster
Bingo Blitz
CNN
Daily Horoscope
Dexter
Dolphin Brower
Facebook
Fandango
Furby(Mini Me)
Galaxy Tarot Pro
Gmail
IMDB
Instagram
Just Wink
Kronos(Work)
LittlePhoto
Lookout
Merriam-Webster
Yahoo Messenger
MyDays
Netflix
Noom
Pandora
Photo Grid
Photobucket
PicsArt
Pinterest
Ring tone Maker Pro
Scramble with Friends
Shazam
Skype(never use it)
SwiftKey 3
Textgram
The Weather Channel
Tumblr
Trulia
Tweetcaster
Urbanspoon
Words with Friends
YouTube

[Kythia]

Goddamn [ you ] tag.  Every single time I fall for it. 

Only ones I have that aren't mentioned are:

My Fitness Pal - a weight loss/calorie counting thingie
Map My Ride - a cycling app
G Strings - a guitar tuner

[Silver]

Oh I never re downloaded My fitness pal... That's the better app for counting calories while Noom has the better workout tracker....

[Caeli]

My Fitness Pal is a great calorie counter. I think my favorite feature was being able to scan the bar codes for food I was eating, and the ability to add my own workouts and exercises and recipes.

Can anybody recommend a good notetaking app? :/ I haven't really found one that resonates with me yet.

[Kythia]

I use the inbuilt voice recorder.  I tried loads and didn't get on with any of them.

[Silver]

My Fitness Pal is a great calorie counter. I think my favorite feature was being able to scan the bar codes for food I was eating, and the ability to add my own workouts and exercises and recipes.

+1

Can anybody recommend a good notetaking app? :/ I haven't really found one that resonates with me yet.

Like a notepad?? If so I would say AK Notepad. It's rather simple but I like it. I found it and love it, you can copy paste and what not, it's what I've used a few times in the last few days to write out my replies to stories, then copy and pasted it to E.

[Tharic]

Goddamn [ you ] tag.  Every single time I fall for it. 

:)

Caeli,

Wow.. It may take me some time to process through this all, but wow. Loving this thread so far, I honestly wasn't sure what sort of a reaction I'd get but so far this is exceeding it.

I'm switching over from Noom to the MyFitnessPal, see how that goes.

I can't believe no one has mentioned Pandora:) Build your own radio station using music you like. Streaming music uses up a lot of data, but it sounds like you aren't too worried about that. Do be careful though and read the fine print. You DO get unlimited data. But after a certain amount of data your internet speed comes to screeching halt and crawls on a bed of glass till the next billing cycle.

I actually missed that. I am running Pandora, I just happen to get a bit irritated when the specific band/song I want won't come up and I run out of skips - lol.

nor my music downloaders as I don't know if that would be frowned upon or not.

Hmmm... I may have to look into that. I tend to uhm, acquire my music from alternative sources, then I've been dropping it on to Google Play (again, thank you for that one Caeli.. I hadn't even UNLOCKED my Google Play account until last night when I uploaded 400 songs to it)

I use the inbuilt voice recorder.  I tried loads and didn't get on with any of them.

The Google Talk stuff? I use that all the time, even to send text messages.

[Kythia]

Just checked what it's called and its just on as "Voice Recorder" with an image of a tape.  I know I didn't download it so I'm just assuming it comes as standard.

[Silver]

I actually missed that. I am running Pandora, I just happen to get a bit irritated when the specific band/song I want won't come up and I run out of skips - lol.

Know what I do? I make more than one station so I can switch over to it, if I run out of skips and they start playing music that I hate. It something that I need since I am on the bus for about 4 hours a day when I am working..

Hmmm... I may have to look into that. I tend to uhm, acquire my music from alternative sources, then I've been dropping it on to Google Play (again, thank you for that one Caeli.. I hadn't even UNLOCKED my Google Play account until last night when I uploaded 400 songs to it)

We'll talk. There are programs that I loved which were taken down from the market but I found one that is amazing.. Caeli, you might even like it, I've gotten a bit of K-Pop and J-Pop from it..

[Caeli]

We'll talk. There are programs that I loved which were taken down from the market but I found one that is amazing.. Caeli, you might even like it, I've gotten a bit of K-Pop and J-Pop from it..

Really? K-pop and J-pop are what I listen to, mainly (along with a sprinkling of Chinese/Taiwanese pop, a bit of Hmong, sometimes French...)

[Tharic]

Just checked what it's called and its just on as "Voice Recorder" with an image of a tape.  I know I didn't download it so I'm just assuming it comes as standard.

Yea, that's standard. So is the S-Voice, if you use that.. I use both of them actually.

Know what I do? I make more than one station so I can switch over to it, if I run out of skips and they start playing music that I hate. It something that I need since I am on the bus for about 4 hours a day when I am working..

We'll talk. There are programs that I loved which were taken down from the market but I found one that is amazing.. Caeli, you might even like it, I've gotten a bit of K-Pop and J-Pop from it..

Wait.. I get skips PER STATION.. You just blew my mind Silver..

Now.. I'm not even sure what K-Pop and J-Pop are.. lol

[RogueJedi]

One of the best apps that I use ALL the time is GasBuddy. Being able to find the best gas prices is extremely useful. I also use MapMyRide and MyDays (don't think you'd need that one though ). The rest of them, I have on my Nook Color/Android Tablet but not on my phone.

[Silver]

Really? K-pop and J-pop are what I listen to, mainly (along with a sprinkling of Chinese/Taiwanese pop, a bit of Hmong, sometimes French...)

Yes! How I got the song 'Trouble Maker' my first find and have been hooked every since... Like I said we'll all talk. *states that whatever happens in music club stays in music club*

Yea, that's standard. So is the S-Voice, if you use that.. I use both of them actually.

Wait.. I get skips PER STATION.. You just blew my mind Silver..

Now.. I'm not even sure what K-Pop and J-Pop are.. lol

Yes skips per a station at least it's that way on my phone.. You didn't know that? I have 5 stations. I have my two 'Rap' Stations that I barely listen too. Dubstep, Skillrex and Benny Benassi, I listen too all the time, yes it's Techno and house but they play other songs as well.. example my Benassi station also counts as my Kid Cudi station as it mostly plays that often times..Pandora is weird...

One of the best apps that I use ALL the time is GasBuddy. Being able to find the best gas prices is extremely useful. I also use MapMyRide and MyDays (don't think you'd need that one though ). The rest of them, I have on my Nook Color/Android Tablet but not on my phone.

Oh I have My Days.. I love that thing...

[Tharic]

One of the best apps that I use ALL the time is GasBuddy. Being able to find the best gas prices is extremely useful. I also use MapMyRide and MyDays (don't think you'd need that one though ). The rest of them, I have on my Nook Color/Android Tablet but not on my phone.

My brain just started to go, "Wait, why wouldn't I need MyDays.." Then it clicked.. Ooohh..

I'm odd with gas though, it all goes on a Shell credit card that gets paid off every month so we can earn points on it, so I just always go to a Shell station. .lol

Yes skips per a station at least it's that way on my phone.. You didn't know that? I have 5 stations. I have my two 'Rap' Stations that I barely

lol, no. I said in the first post I just got this and I'm a nub! I've got one single station.. *sighs* I'll be fixing that soon though!

[RogueJedi]

Yeah, My Days is quite useful. But I don't think Tharic needs it really. *winks* Oh, another one I have is ConvertPad, which does all kinds of conversions. That's useful when dealing with people and things from different areas. :)

[Tharic]

Yeah, My Days is quite useful. But I don't think Tharic needs it really. *winks* Oh, another one I have is ConvertPad, which does all kinds of conversions. That's useful when dealing with people and things from different areas. :)

AND it tracks ovulation. .Whew! This thing is da bomb diggity! Makes me sad I got snipped! 

[Silver]

lol, no. I said in the first post I just got this and I'm a nub! I've got one single station.. *sighs* I'll be fixing that soon though!

Look I was giving you more credit least I be wearing cuffs again.. wait...I didn't say anything. *shifty eyes*

Oh, another one I have is ConvertPad, which does all kinds of conversions. That's useful when dealing with people and things from different areas. :)

That might be quite useful, I work retail but we actually have had people from other countries come into the store...very helpful... Thank You.

AND it tracks ovulation. .Whew! This thing is da bomb diggity! Makes me sad I got snipped! 

*just shifty eyes again and makes sure to keep in check*

[Silver]

Sorry for the double post but I must ask. Does anyone have the 'Song Pop' App?

I have it but kinda stopped playing, it actually a pretty fun game...

[RogueJedi]

Sorry for the double post but I must ask. Does anyone have the 'Song Pop' App?

I have it but kinda stopped playing, it actually a pretty fun game...

I did. But I stopped playing it. And you're welcome by the way about the ConvertPad. I deal with a lot of people from overseas with my job, so I use it frequently. :)

One app I really like (for myself personally) is my Adhan. But unless you are Muslim or like listening to the call to prayer (hey, Liam Neeson did)...you don't need that either.