Top 10 Google Android Apps - Part 2

In the first part of this series, we looked at some of the must have apps for your Android phone, including social networking, productivity, and music players. In this second part, there are four more apps that you should have running on your phone, including a game, video players, and some extras to help you along.

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As I mentioned in the first part, my Android phone isn't just a phone - it's an all in one player. Sadly, Android devices don't come with a video player or rather, the video is played back within the stock music player. That's all fine and all, but what about formats that it might not play? Like AVI files?

While trying to figure out an issue with one of my video podcasts not playing I came upon Mobo Player. Mobo is a video player that doesn't need to convert videos and is pretty good at playing all formats (I've yet to run into a video it couldn't play). Not only does it play video files, but it can play movies too (if your phone has enough storage for movie files).

The app is free from the Android Market.

Mobile gaming is on the rise, with a big portion of smartphone users using their phones to play games. And why not? If you're stuck in a long line or you're waiting for class to begin, games can easily take the long wait away by making it fun. There are a load of Android games that are both free and paid.

I resisted as long as I could, but in the end I had to try this Angry Birds game that everyone was talking about. And you know what? Not only is it addicting, it's fun. This is physics based destruction with birds, as you need to send some angry birds barreling through the pink menace who stole their eggs. Becoming a hit on the mobile scene, you can actually play a desktop version through your Chrome browser (if you use Chrome).

Word to the wise - you need to make sure that your phone's processor is able to handle the graphics and motions of the game. The game played poorly on my phone (a Transform), but plays great on my friend's Nexus.

If you haven't noticed by now, you'll soon discover that while smartphones are great to have, they don't last very long. You'll find your battery might start hitting the half way point by lunch or you've still got files left over from apps you've gotten rid of. To end this second portion of the best Android apps to have, we'll look at some ways to manage your new phone.

Best Management

Astro File Manager - Astro is a file manager that gives you a little more control over your files than the stock manager does. Not only can you view all the files sitting on your SD card, but you can edit, move, and delete them as well. As with anything, make sure you know what file goes with which folder when you delete items -- deleting something crucial to your system could brick your phone.

Quick Settings - If you're in a hurry to turn off your sound or to get your GPS settings, you'll find that having to go through settings and then applications, etc can be time consuming. With Quick Settings, it's just that - quick. This app gives you quick access to commonly used settings, like your ringer volume, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. With a quick tap, you can turn these settings on or off and even control how they act.

These are just some offerings that a new Android users should consider when trying to figure out what they should install on their phone first. Again, the Android Market has a plethora of different apps that can suit you; I didn't even touch on some of the health and diet apps that you can use to watch your caloric intake or help you with your fitness, or even those that can help you figure out tonight's dinner.

There are also collaboration apps that you can use with co-workers from your office, IT apps to help monitor and help your company, and even apps that let you log in remotely to your home or work computer. There are also fun apps, like Google Sky Map or Google Goggles that let you have fun when you're out and about in the world.

The best thing is that, with apps, your phone isn't like anyone else's - while you may use it for work, someone else may use it to monitor the house. It's up to you how you use your new Android. Have fun!