Be sure to check out Top 10 Google Android Apps - Part 1 and if you've already read the first part of this series i'll be rounding out my Top 10 Google Android Apps in the spaces below. Enjoy!
6. Video Player - When I first heard that the Google Android OS didn't come with a video player I was confused, after all most mobile carriers push multimedia features more than any other aspect these days, then I came across the free Video Player download in the Google Android Market and all was right in the world..well sort of. The Video Player App is great for basic video playback, essentially you see a list of your files stored for instance on your MicroSDHC card and you choose the file to play, you can then fast forward, rewind, pause, play and stop the file, that's really about it. It also have very limited files support, but it works and for right now that was enough to make the Top 10 Android list. I'm sure i'll be replacing this app when something more robust comes along, but for now the generic video player does a good job of handling basic functions.
7. Shazam - Have you ever been listing to a song and you want to know who sings it, or you can't remember the name of the song. Well if that's the case Shazam can help you end the wondering. By holding your device up in the air the microphone on your phone pulls in the songs tunes and analyzes them using your devices data connection, it then comes back to tell you the artist and song name. The device will even find Youtube videos with the artist and song and guide you to their MySpace page. For quick downloading the app will even take you to the Amazon MP3 store so you can purchase the song in a matter of seconds.
8. Locale - Imagine this your about to go into a movie theater and you forget to turn off your devices ringer, the movie starts and gasp...a phone call. Yet your phone silently answers and then pushes the caller into your voicemail. Or you're on your way to class and as you enter the building for that class your phone shuts down. This is the basic, yet useful nature of Locale, a location based service that allows users to tell their devices how to react in certain locations. Whether its at the office, or on the go you can change alot of your devices abilities. For instance you may want your devices wallpaper to change from Heavy Metal to a more business friendly offering when you're in your office, with Locale you can. From ringers to profile modes to backgrounds its all possible and more with this Location based mobile gift from a group of MIT graduates.
9. WikiTude - This is a great travel companion. Using Location based services the program will plot important location information directly on Google Maps for you to follow, including photos when available via WikiPedia. Since the information is coming from WikiPedia directly you can be pretty sure the information will be correct and offer you some excellent spots to stop locally along your trip.
10. BreadCrumbz - This is a cool app that lets you leave "bread crumbs" of your recent trips. Using your devices GPS receiver you can tag locations you travel too while leaving voice and photo markers along the way. Whether people follow your bread crumbs or you're just trying to set up a scavenger hunt this is a cool app mostly because it shows off the distinct emphasis Google has placed on geo caching technologies.
With most Top 10 Mobile App articles I write I tend to focus on many more Business and Game Apps, but Google Android is still so new that finding those apps has proven more difficult then other Mobile Operating Systems. However, the emphasis on diversified applications and clearing the current bar set by many mobile operating systems already established on the market may be what propels Google Android based devices to the head of the market.
I'll continue to update this list as new apps become available.