So you've got Samsung Galaxy S2, and now you need to fill it with best Samsung Galaxy S 2 apps. But with more than 200,000 apps available in android market, it’s difficult to judge that what are the best android apps to get and are there any that take advantage of the new features of Samsung smartphone.
We've researched and tested huge collection of android apps available in android market see what's on offer and what you should download.
Recently Android Market reached a Milestone of 50,000 apps in the Market Place. Although it’s from an Un-official source, but still Androlib can’t be way too wrong. Google decided to not to react to this news but it’s really nice for all the android owners. Still far behind it’s counter competitor, but the growth is mind blowing and it’s all too good for Android.
And with over 60% of Free apps on the Android Market, it’s much more pleasing.
Now with such a huge no of Apps it’s hard to find the best among them for your needs. So, i decided to review most of the similar apps. Will keep you posted bout those. For now I’ve complied a list of Must have android apps for your Xperia X10. And all of them being Free makes it even more tempting.
When browsing Android market here in India where i can view only Free Apps, I stumbled across few apps that took more than 50% of the time share i spend on my Xperia X10. In short i can’t live without those apps on my phone now.
Here is a must have Top Ten Android Applications for your Xperia X10. 1. Handscent SMS
Well, as i do a lot texts with my phone, so i wanted a better messaging app than the stock android sms app. Although the Stock android SMS app does the job pretty neatly but i wanted something more, like bubble style sms or the chat style sms.
And i searched the Android Market for it and found two apps that could well satisfy my needs, Handcent SMS and ChompSMS.
But digging deep into both of them made me stick to the handscent SMS. For more info bout the Handcent SMS you can watch my Somewhat immature review bout it here. Latest Version : Handcent SMS 2.9.37 Author Website : Handcent SMS
2. Astro File Manager
The most basic and important feature missing in the Android system is a File Manager. There are a lots of apps in the market which offers you different ways to manage your files on your android device. But the most classic File Manager on Android is the Astro File Manager. It does almost all the jobs of a File Manager form cut,copy paste,move, rename, zip, image viewing, etc. The Big Plus to it is the ability to install and uninstall apps that are not from the market. ( Outsourced Apks ). Latest Version : Astro File Manager 2.3
Author Website : Astro File Manager for Android
3. Swype
Well, does the name tell you all bout it? If it doesn’t then you’re seriously missing out something really cool on your Xperia X10. You must have heard a lot bout the Xperia X10 keyboard issues which was there in the Firmware R1FA014 and was significantly reduced in the Firmware upgrade for Xperia X10 with R1FA016.
So, eventually people tend to ditch the standard keyboard of Sony Ericsson on Xperia X10 and look out for alternatives in the Android Market. And trust me there are some fabulous alternatives in the Android Market ranging from Keyboard with skins to T9 keyboards. ( Will touch upon that in detail in some post later, let me know in comments if you want me to! )For now, this alternative is the one you should try out. The first reaction of everyone i showed it to, was like “thats freaking amazing man!”
It does take keyboard input to another level by their patented technology of swyping across the alphabets to type the word. Like if you want to type, Gadgets, just touch the alphabet G and drag your path through the letters a,d,g,e,t and s. to get it registered. It works really quickly and does wonders to your typing speed even if you are new to touch screens. Latest Version : Swype 1.25.16 Author Website : http://www.swypeinc.com/ QR Code : Not Available as the program is in beta and you download it from the author’s website. 4. Free Advanced Task Manager
Although you’ve a wide variety of task managers, this one does the job perfectly and without any errors on the Xperia X10. With android having all the background apps always running might considerably eat your battery and hamper your experience with the device. Hence, it is highly recommended to use this app on your xperia x10. but please exclude the default apps from sony ericssion as some of them contain important plugins for the Timescape and Mediascape to work properly. In-fact Timescape widget will stop updating if you kill all the apps. So, be careful. Latest Version : Free Advanced Task Manager V1.6.1 Author Website : Free Advanced Task Manager
5. Gesture Search
Well, Google recently launched their new app with gesture searching capabilities on the Android Market. It was first only for Android 2.0 and above but they later optimized it for Android 1.6 as well and Xperia X10 owners got lucky.
This one is a great app and lets you reach your contacts, songs, pictures, etc in style.
I use it daily and it works quite quickly on the xperia X10. Guess if it’s next version could recognize the Numbers as well and that would rule out any other smart dial app on the market. Latest Version : Gesture Search V1.1 Author Website : Gesture Search V1.1
6. Google Maps
With Google Maps announcing the Turn By Turn navigation for Android 1.6, Xperia X10 Owners are once again in luck and it becomes the most hottest application for your Xperia X10 now.
Even if you don’t have Turn By Turn Navigation for your country, you can enjoy this app, and it won’t let you down.
Another highly recommended app for your Xperia X10. Although, this comes pre-installed on your Xperia X10, but still this would make it to the top ten list. And if you’ve updated it to the Latest Google Maps V4.1.1 version, do it now. Latest Version : Google Maps v4.1.1 Author Website : Gesture Search V1.1
7. DroidLive Lite
So, Finally FM comes to Xperia X10 and that too in style. The most cool looking Streaming Fm Player on Android. I was blow up the interface of the app. And it does provide you with lots of FM Stations world wide. It is powered by SHOUTcastRadio.
The streaming is quite nice. So, the whiners who don’t like Xperia X10 just because X10 doesn’t have a Fm, give this app a try and you might fall in love with the Xperia X10. Latest Version : DroidLive Lite v2.0.6 Author Website : DroidLive Lite v2.0.6
8. Where’s My Droid
Ever thought what would happen if you somehow forget your Xperia X10 somewhere and it gets stolen. Well, this is not ultimate app for your stolen Xperia X10 like the Wave Secure app is. But this does a pretty good job if someone is trying to trick you up. Or if you tend to keep your phone somewhere in your house and forget where it is. This app makes your phone Xperia X10 ring loudly even if it is on silent on receiving a code word in the message. Quite cool, isn’t it? So, go download it now. Latest Version : Where’s My Droid v2.6.0 Author Website : Where’s My Droid v2.6.0
9. Dolphin Browser
Although, i would never like to find an alternative for the default browser on my Xperia X10, but this one does some functions. It’s gesture thing is quite nice with the tabbed browsing makes the whole experience really enjoyable. Although Dolphin browser is famous for it’s Multi-touch capabilities and it’s default nature of supporting Pinch Zoom. but as i’ve said before, X10 doesn’t support Multi-touch, so we might never experience that feature of this app. Latest Version : Dolphin Browser v1.2.99 Author Website : Dolphin Browser v1.2.99
10. Barcode Scanner
Some of you might be wondering of what to do with those weird looking doted symbols after each Android App i Listed? Well those are the QR codes of the apps, which is similar to Barcodes and you can use this app to scan these codes or any other bar codes to find relative information bout the product or whatever it is. This is pretty cool app and is really quick on the Xperia X10. There are a few contenders which offers nice additions to what this app offers. ShopSavy is a nice alternative to this app and you might like to try it out as well. Latest Version : Barcode Scanner v3.22 Author Website : Barcode Scanner v3.22
I am always on the hunt for the newest and greatest apps and GPS services are no exception. Are phone based GPS apps really better than personal navigation devices? I believe they are. Phone based GPS systems have the ability to do much more complex tasks that would be impossible without a wireless data network. With five different GPS apps available to Android, which one is best? Note: To make this easy I have listed the apps below in order from my highest recommendation to lowest recommendation.
Google Maps Navigation
Google Maps with navigation is available for Android 1.6 and higher. This suite has proven itself and is currently the most popular GPS app for Android 1.6 users and above. It includes many features that no other GPS apps are able to provide, such as Street View and Satellite views. Another nice feature is that it integrated with Google Buzz, which allows you to view “Buzzes” right on the map, at the location they were posted. Google Maps also features reviews on many of the points of interest. Pros:
Most Points of Interest
Live Traffic
Offers a street view of your destination
Satellite views
Maps are very detailed and up to date
Free
Cons:
Maps are not stored on the device so if you lose cell phone reception and leave the route it caches, things can go very wrong.
The text to speech engine can be hard to understand at times
No way to display your current speed
Can only navigate you to one place at a time, you cannot do multi-destination routing
CoPilot
If you do a lot of traveling and often travel off your planned routes CoPilot is for you. CoPilot’s software works on maps that are downloaded to the SD card on the phone. The larger storage of a SD card allows you to fit the maps for all of North America on the phone. CoPilot also has a nice interface that is easy to use while driving. If you are used to a conventional GPS system like a Garmin, CoPilot is the closest you will come in terms on interface. I also prefer the voice alerts much better on CoPilot than on Google Maps. Copilot does everything you need in a GPS app, even thought it may not include some of the fancier features like Street View. Pros:
Maps stored on SD card
Live features such as weather, traffic and fuel prices
Most driver rriendly UI
Supports multi-destination routing
Cons:
Price, the app costs $29.99 USD but is only a one time fee
Requires an SD card with at least 2GB of free space
Waze
The best way to describe Waze is GPS mixed with Google Buzz and Twitter. People who use Waze are called “Wazers”. Every Wazer is shown on the app, so when you are driving you can see other people using the app near you. Wazers can post anything from speed traps to car crashes on the map (you can even include pictures). You also have the ability to message other people on the map inside the app. In areas with many Wazers the maps works great and sometimes even has more up to date traffic then Google Maps. The Waze app also turns driving into a game by letting you drive over virtual objects which give you points. There is even a leader board for this point system. Currently I wouldn’t trust the app to navigate me to places of importance, but it makes driving much more fun. I believe that in a few years time this app will be very popular and become more accurate as more people begin to use it. Pros:
A very social GPS app that can integrate into Twitter
The ability to see other people around you using the app
Report traffic and even take pictures of the incident and post it to the Waze Map
Driving becomes a game, which makes trips fun
Free
Cons:
GPS maps are not very accurate in places with few or no Wazers
Does not always take you on the best route
UI needs improvement
Occasionally crashes or lags
Waze doesn’t allow routes longer than 200 miles
Wisepilot
WisePilot is another GPS app for Android. Honestly I feel this app doesn’t set itself apart from any of the other GPS apps enough to justify a $69.95 per year price tag. Yes, it does get you to point to point. It does have points of interest and voice alerts, but so do the free apps along with CoPilot. The one thing that it does do, is it lets you manage all your routes online. This can be a very nice feature if you are planning a trip. You can map out an entire trip from start to finish, including places to eat and the gas stations you will have to stop at, all on their website. Pros:
Manage tripsand favorites on their site via MYWISEPILOT
Cons:
Pricey, The app costs $69.95 per year
UI not as polished as I would like
Doesn’t set itself above any other GPS apps
Telenav
Telenav was the first big thing for GPS apps on Android. Many G1 users began to use this app before Google Maps integrated navigation. Telenav gives you access to over 10 million points of interest, gas prices, traffic and much more. Although it was once the most popular GPS app, it has now fallen to the bottom of the list. Due to its high price tag and lack to support all devices, Telenav has earned itself my least favorable GPS app of the group. Pros:
Easy to use
Audible directions that make sense
Cons:
No support for more recent devices
Most expensive app at $69.99 per year
Conclusion
Out of all the GPS apps I reviewed, I am still partial to Google Maps Navigation. For me this app does exactly what I need it to. It functions as my yellow pages and also gives me reviews on places I might go. I don’t travel much out of town, but if I did I could see how paying for CoPilot would benefit me and I would recommend this option to anyone who needs the maps to be stored locally. CoPilot also has several features Google Maps does not offer such as fuel prices and multi-destination routing.
