HELP: Android

Kim · 08-08-2011, 05:18 PM

I have just upgraded from a shitty, $30 pay-as-you-go phone to an Android, which is a pretty substantial level of improvement.

But now there are all these apps and they do stuff and I have like five screens to fill with apps and oh my god i cant handle this oh no

What sort of apps should I put on my new phone?

Stuff I already have: SoundHound, Pandora, Google Music, Angry Birds, Email, Twitter, Tumblr.

Bells · 08-08-2011, 05:40 PM

Oh mah gawd your phone has an Email App?!!!

No, but seriously, i don't know if it's your cup of tea, i've been eyeballin some Android phones myself... but if i could pick from tons of Free Apps, i would certianly look around for a Gameboy Emulator, if only so i could play Pokemon Yellow on my Phone just for the heck of it...

Also, what sorts of Apps would be usefull for you?

synkr0nized · 08-08-2011, 05:47 PM

~~I don't really download apps.~~ OK so I apparently I am a liar. Compared to most folks I know with smartphones, I have what seems like relatively few downloaded apps, but I've still got plenty (seriously people I know seem to download like every app ever for no reason; they use maybe 4 of them). I have little to nothing when it comes to movies, games, or music, though, as I don't use my phone for that kind of thing. I mean, for me the email, calendar, and browser are what I actually care about, things like that.

A few other things I've installed for giggles:
- Ringdroid - lets you edit audio files to make notifications and ringtones on the phone itself; fairly intuitive for being on a small touch screen
- Alkido [I think?] -- ebooks; not much is free, though
- Latitude / Maps / Navigator / Places -- these are technically separate apps but they are so integrated to one another that I kind of view them as different ways to get to the same thing - the benefits of Google Maps paired with your location data. I don't recall which of these was already installed and which wasn't. I like not only getting free GPS directions but being able to see where the nearest gas station is, hotel, restaurant, bar, etc. And then sharing your location with friends can be fun for trips. I am not one of those people that uses this to "check in" and post location spam to social networks, but you can do that, too.
- Google Sky Maps -- Hell yes. Make sure you calibrate your compass, though (basically just waving your phone around in figure eights so it better detects your movements as you rotate the device and point it at things and all that; it really improves apps like this that pair motion detection with location information)
- Words with Friends -- got sucked into long-range Scrabble battles; this app works across Android and iPhone OS devices (i.e. includes iPads and shit, too)
- Google+ -- maybe I'll use it more now that it's one my phone.
- Barcode Scanner -- This is great. It takes the device's camera and uses it to scan bar codes and those mobile codes you see all over now. After a successful scan you can, depending on what you scanned, look up product information, find where items are sold near you / price compare, and look up and download software. Must have for sure (though there may be multiple apps for this, this scanner was no frills and quick).
- Fuck. I could go grab my phone, but it is all the way in the living room. There's an app that can listen to audio and try to identify songs. It's kind of rad in those rare circumstances you'd need it.
- Skype. It came pre-installed for me, but I am pretty sure it's free now. You can basically avoid using your minutes if you still have a plan where that matters or want to get in a conference call with friends on the go.

There are other things, I guess (e.g. tried out various weather widgets, news readers, and frivolous clocks [EVA Unit 02 clock, for example]), but I don't feel like I am being that interesting or that they need to be discussed. I also haven't mentioned the various things that come with Android OS devices (such as gTalk or widgets to toggle the various signals on and off and so forth), but they can vary based on the manufacturer.

As I mentioned, I don't play games on my phone. It's an Internet-capable email and location-sensitive computing device for me, not a game or music player. There may be many options here that interest you, such as emulators, but *shrug*.

I have been told that I should be wasting my phone's screens with tons of apps and widgets, and I've had a few friends borrow my phone and ask why I didn't have tons of icons all over the place and such. loliphoneusers
Much like with my computers' lack of icons on the desktop, all of my seven screens on the phone have few icons so I can see the wallpaper. Rainbow Dash is still making this computer and my phone about twenty percent cooler.

Fifthfiend · 08-08-2011, 06:30 PM

So far the mp3 player i'm happiest with is Cubed, running in Boring mode.

Astrid is a decent little productivity app if you're looking for like stuff that can fill up some of your empty screens, basically a to-do list with some useful features.

I know some people swear by Evernote but I've never used it much.

Mr.Bookworm · 08-08-2011, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by synkr0nized

- Fuck. I could go grab my phone, but it is all the way in the living room.
There's an app that can listen to audio and try to identify songs. It's kind of rad in those rare circumstances you'd need it.

Shazam, which is definitely good, yes.

Spotify is pretty awesome, but you have to pay to get the mobile version. I'd at least check out the free version on the computer, though.

My dad is one of those people Fifth mentioned who swear by Evernote, so it's supposed to be pretty good.

rpgdemon · 08-08-2011, 08:18 PM

Shazam is the magic-identify-song-app.

Azisien · 08-08-2011, 08:19 PM

Apps I didn't see mentioned yet (I have everything Synk has pretty much):

Amazon Kindle (syncs with anything else on your kindle account, also some good books there for free. reads damn easy)

Google Reader (sync all your news in one spot)

Flashlight

Currency Converter

ConvertPad

YouTube (usually faster than going through a browser and loading the webpage)

IMDb (quick way to check on movies)

Google Shopper (good for on-the-go price checks)

Rage Faces (because why use written language when a rage face quickly sent through messaging will do?)

Lost in Time · 08-08-2011, 08:35 PM

He already has SoundHound, which in my opinion, is better than Shazam.

Other apps that I use frequently are:
Wikidroid (For on the go shaky fact checking)
Tweetdeck (For twitter/facebook reading)
Doggcatcher (Pricey, but I love it for my addictive podcast listening)
Pulse (Pretty looking rss feed catcher)
Beautiful Widgets (Good looking home screen widget and my at-a-glance weather update)

I'm one of those people that downloads pretty much every app, just in case I need it. But these are the ones I use daily and are on my home screen.

Overcast · 09-03-2011, 05:55 AM

FPse: A PSX emulator. If you have a suitably capable phone it runs pretty good, and even if you don't it runs well enough to play all those old RPG's from way back when that you love. Though note that ROM's for PSX games are kinda big, so you'll need a suitable SD card.

TDK · 09-06-2011, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Liz

$30 pay-as-you-go phone to an Android

I pay $30 a month for my android service.

Necessary (well. Not necessary persay, but) apps:

Metal detector - Did you know these phones have fucking magnetometers? This shit is crazy.

Barcode Scanner - These goddamn phones, seriously. Crazy shit.

Google Sky Map - Some pretty boss shit. Not overtly useful but fucking pretty cool.

C:Geo - If you geocache, this app is indispensable.

If you're a massive nerd like me, then you also need the following:

Dicebox - For all your polyhedral needs!
Spellbook - FANTASTIC DnD app. Spell reference so you don't have to go through the spell list in the phb every eight seconds.

08-08-2011, 05:18 PM	#1
Kim adorable Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 12,950	HELP: Android I have just upgraded from a shitty, $30 pay-as-you-go phone to an Android, which is a pretty substantial level of improvement. But now there are all these apps and they do stuff and I have like five screens to fill with apps and oh my god i cant handle this oh no What sort of apps should I put on my new phone? Stuff I already have: SoundHound, Pandora, Google Music, Angry Birds, Email, Twitter, Tumblr. __________________ this post is about how to successfully H the Kimmy

08-08-2011, 05:40 PM	#2
Bells That's so PC of you Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: In a Server-sided Dimension where time is meaningless Posts: 10,490	Oh mah gawd your phone has an Email App?!!! No, but seriously, i don't know if it's your cup of tea, i've been eyeballin some Android phones myself... but if i could pick from tons of Free Apps, i would certianly look around for a Gameboy Emulator, if only so i could play Pokemon Yellow on my Phone just for the heck of it... Also, what sorts of Apps would be usefull for you? __________________ *BELLS STORE : Clothes! You wear* them! Free US Shipping Subscription System? WTF?! Zazzle Black!**

08-08-2011, 05:47 PM	#3
synkr0nized synk-ism Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: throughout the Wired Posts: 6,857	Relish that you can actually exit programs and not have them running all the time. ~~I don't really download apps.~~ OK so I apparently I am a liar. Compared to most folks I know with smartphones, I have what seems like relatively few downloaded apps, but I've still got plenty (seriously people I know seem to download like every app ever for no reason; they use maybe 4 of them). I have little to nothing when it comes to movies, games, or music, though, as I don't use my phone for that kind of thing. I mean, for me the email, calendar, and browser are what I actually care about, things like that. A few other things I've installed for giggles: - Ringdroid - lets you edit audio files to make notifications and ringtones on the phone itself; fairly intuitive for being on a small touch screen - Alkido [I think?] -- ebooks; not much is free, though - Latitude / Maps / Navigator / Places -- these are technically separate apps but they are so integrated to one another that I kind of view them as different ways to get to the same thing - the benefits of Google Maps paired with your location data. I don't recall which of these was already installed and which wasn't. I like not only getting free GPS directions but being able to see where the nearest gas station is, hotel, restaurant, bar, etc. And then sharing your location with friends can be fun for trips. I am not one of those people that uses this to "check in" and post location spam to social networks, but you can do that, too. - Google Sky Maps -- Hell yes. Make sure you calibrate your compass, though (basically just waving your phone around in figure eights so it better detects your movements as you rotate the device and point it at things and all that; it really improves apps like this that pair motion detection with location information) - Words with Friends -- got sucked into long-range Scrabble battles; this app works across Android and iPhone OS devices (i.e. includes iPads and shit, too) - Google+ -- maybe I'll use it more now that it's one my phone. - Barcode Scanner -- This is great. It takes the device's camera and uses it to scan bar codes and those mobile codes you see all over now. After a successful scan you can, depending on what you scanned, look up product information, find where items are sold near you / price compare, and look up and download software. Must have for sure (though there may be multiple apps for this, this scanner was no frills and quick). - Fuck. I could go grab my phone, but it is all the way in the living room. There's an app that can listen to audio and try to identify songs. It's kind of rad in those rare circumstances you'd need it. - Skype. It came pre-installed for me, but I am pretty sure it's free now. You can basically avoid using your minutes if you still have a plan where that matters or want to get in a conference call with friends on the go. There are other things, I guess (e.g. tried out various weather widgets, news readers, and frivolous clocks [EVA Unit 02 clock, for example]), but I don't feel like I am being that interesting or that they need to be discussed. I also haven't mentioned the various things that come with Android OS devices (such as gTalk or widgets to toggle the various signals on and off and so forth), but they can vary based on the manufacturer. As I mentioned, I don't play games on my phone. It's an Internet-capable email and location-sensitive computing device for me, not a game or music player. There may be many options here that interest you, such as emulators, but shrug. I have been told that I should be wasting my phone's screens with tons of apps and widgets, and I've had a few friends borrow my phone and ask why I didn't have tons of icons all over the place and such. loliphoneusers Much like with my computers' lack of icons on the desktop, all of my seven screens on the phone have few icons so I can see the wallpaper. Rainbow Dash is still making this computer and my phone about twenty percent cooler. __________________ Find love. Last edited by synkr0nized; 08-08-2011 at 06:16 PM. Reason: blufdh

08-08-2011, 06:30 PM	#4
Fifthfiend for all seasons Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 19,409	So far the mp3 player i'm happiest with is Cubed, running in Boring mode. Astrid is a decent little productivity app if you're looking for like stuff that can fill up some of your empty screens, basically a to-do list with some useful features. I know some people swear by Evernote but I've never used it much. __________________ check out my buttspresso

08-08-2011, 08:18 PM	#6
rpgdemon Not a Taco Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 3,313	Shazam is the magic-identify-song-app. __________________ I did a lot of posting on here as a teenager, and I was pretty awful. Even after I learned, grew up, and came to be on the right side of a lot of important issues, I was still angry, abrasive, and generally increased the amount of hate in the world, in pretty unacceptable ways. On the off chance that someone is taking a trip down memory lane looking through those old threads, I wanted to devote my signature to say directly to you, I'm sorry. Thank you for letting me be better, NPF.

08-08-2011, 08:19 PM	#7
Azisien wat Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 7,177	Apps I didn't see mentioned yet (I have everything Synk has pretty much): Amazon Kindle (syncs with anything else on your kindle account, also some good books there for free. reads damn easy) Google Reader (sync all your news in one spot) Flashlight Currency Converter ConvertPad YouTube (usually faster than going through a browser and loading the webpage) IMDb (quick way to check on movies) Google Shopper (good for on-the-go price checks) Rage Faces (because why use written language when a rage face quickly sent through messaging will do?)

08-08-2011, 08:35 PM	#8
Lost in Time Fungus Among Us Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: On Your Nightstand Posts: 1,967	He already has SoundHound, which in my opinion, is better than Shazam. Other apps that I use frequently are: Wikidroid (For on the go shaky fact checking) Tweetdeck (For twitter/facebook reading) Doggcatcher (Pricey, but I love it for my addictive podcast listening) Pulse (Pretty looking rss feed catcher) Beautiful Widgets (Good looking home screen widget and my at-a-glance weather update) I'm one of those people that downloads pretty much every app, just in case I need it. But these are the ones I use daily and are on my home screen. __________________ Eat me!

09-03-2011, 05:55 AM	#9
Overcast Cinderella Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Trespassing in the graveyard Posts: 3,076	FPse: A PSX emulator. If you have a suitably capable phone it runs pretty good, and even if you don't it runs well enough to play all those old RPG's from way back when that you love. Though note that ROM's for PSX games are kinda big, so you'll need a suitable SD card. __________________ Time to bust out the glow sticks!