Useful Android Apps Round Up

APN Droid

This app tops my list of favorite Android apps for the simple reason that it saves me a huge amount in mobile data charges. In case you’re not aware or have not used this app before, it’s a pretty simple app that lets you easily and quickly disconnect your Android phone’s 3G/EDGE/GPRS connection with a single tap. To make it even more useful, you can add it as a home widget so you don’t have to fire up the apps anymore. It also lets you disable your Android phone’s MMS, notifications and all APNS. (Download link)

Barcode Scanner

While this is primarily a shopping app, what I find this app useful for is when I stumble upon some nice new apps via PR releases and blogs which include the QR codes for the apps. I immediately scan the QR codes which will then give me the download links for these apps. Hence, I don’t have to search for the app anymore using the Android Market’s search facility. Saves me a lot of time. But the app is equally useful when you are out on a shopping spree. You can scan product barcodes to get useful information about products that you plan to buy before you actually purchase them. (Download link)

TweetDeck for Android

While still in beta mode, TweetDeck for Android is already a full-featured Twitter app for Android. It’s almost as good as the official Twitter app in terms of bringing all the functionalities of the Twitter web client. What I really like about TweetDeck for Android is that is supports four of my most used social networking accounts - Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz and FourSquare. This means that I don’t have to open each of the Android apps for these accounts to update my status, share links, post photos and reply to private messages. I can do it just by opening TweetDeck. The app also has a great interface and each of the supported social networking apps are color coded to distinguish their respective news streams. (Download link)

ES Task Manager

ES Task Manager also made it to my favorite Android apps because it helps me save battery juice on my Nexus One Android phone. The app lets you kill specific apps running on your Android phone or simply kill them all at the same time. This is very important since most Android phones are real power hoggers. So, you need to monitor the apps running, whether visible or in the background, and kill those that shouldn’t be running at all. Unless of course you don’t mind running out of battery after 4 or 5 hours. (Download link)

FX Camera

There are several camera apps for Android but FX Camera became my favorite the first time I used it. It’s a simple camera app for Android featuring various photo effects - ToyCam, Polandroid, Fisheye, SymmetriCam, Warhol and Normal. The app also gives you the option to turn-off the camera effects, auto focus sound and auto-rotate pictures. (Download link)

Shelves

This app lets you manage your collection of apparel, gadgets, music, movies, tools, video games, toys, and software on your phone. It’s like having a catalog of things to help you better manage and organize your collection. It lets you sort, search and tag items to retrieve them easily later on when you need to. What made Shelves one of my favorite Android apps is its simple and yet highly functional interface. And the app is not boring to use either. Just the cute icons representing the different categories will entice you to use the app continuously. (Download link)

Proton

This Android app goes by the monicker - “the last speedometer you’ll ever need.” Yes, it is a speedometer app for your Android phone. This is very useful for runners like me whether doing your regular running, biking or driving exercises or you just want to measure and monitor the speed that you are going. What’s good about this app is that it gives you the essential speedometer information in a simple to understand display. Just the basic facts - no flavor, nothing fancy. Plain and simple functional speedometer app. (Download link)

Tumblr

In case you’re not aware, there’s another great micro-blogging/social networking app aside from Twitter which interestingly functions a lot like Twitter. If you’re a Tumblr user, well you’d be glad to know that you can now do your Tumblr activities - posting photos, videos, updates and more on your Android phone. The Tumblr Android app is a pretty sleek and very functional Android micro-blogging app. Now you can post to your Tumblr account even while on the move. (Download link)

Twitter for Android

While TweetDeck for Android is already a pretty good Twitter app, some of you may want to use an app dedicated solely to Twitter. Of course probably the best Twitter app is the official Twitter app. Twitter for Android is equally as great as its iPhone version. What I appreciate about Twitter for Android is its home screen which features real-time updated Twitter feeds. If you’re an ardent Twitter user, you’ll love to have this app running on your Android phone. (You’ll find it at Android Market or https://mobile.twitter.com/)

PingChat

PingChat is one of my favorite Android apps for the simple reason that as a cross-platform chat client, it is definitely a great app. The app lets you send unlimited texts, photos, voice notes, and videos to your chat buddy. It also lets you start group conversations among your friends. And the app also sends push notifications when you have just received messages from your friends. (Download link)