45+ Cool Google Android Apps – The Perfect iPhone Replacement

Is the mobile operating system Android a threat to the iPhones high standing in the marketplace? Not quite, but it could be. The only phones that Android is available on are the G2 Touch, HTC G1, Samsung 7500, HTCMagic and most recently, the HTC Hero (which I bought).It has been gaining popularity slowly, but surely.
Certainly, the volume of Android apps currently available pales in comparison with the iPhone, Android is still an infant. Thats not to say that the apps are not powerful, they are, very much so. And eventually, with the open source nature of Android, and developer support, will produce better and even more powerful apps than the iPhone (thats a little controversial).
In this post you will find 45 Google Android Apps that demonstrate the potential power of Android. And yes, it is the perfect iPhone replacement.

What is Android?

Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It was built to be truly open. sFor example, an application can call upon any of the phone’s core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that was designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android is open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.
(Source: www.android.com).

Andoroid 1.5 Video Demo

The latest version of the Android platform brings new features, improvements, and enhancements to Android-powered phones. View some of these demos below.

Android Utilities

Astrid – Simple Task Recording Dashboard

At first glance Astrid appears to be a basic Task Manager. It is so much more. Astrid is a very easy to use and feature rich task or tracking system designed specifically to make you more productive with minimal fuss.

Astrid Video Review/Demo

Visual Voicemail Client

YouMail Visual Voicemail lets you see, play, read, and manage your YouMail voicemail, directly from your phone. Be warnrd, it does not work with all mobile carriers.

Visual Voicemail Client Video Review/Demo

AndFTP – FTP, FTPS and SFTP Android Client

AndFTP allows you to manage several FTP servers simultaneously, it provides you with both a device file browser and a FTP file browser, it also provides download and upload features with support for easy download resuming. You can use the device menu to rename, delete, copy, set permissions and it can also create folders.

No Signal Alert

No Signal Alert detects when your phone is in a “dead zone” or with zero bars and immediately sends a customized alert to the user, notifying him or her that the phone currently has no service. The alerts are customized by the user, which means that you get to pick how you want your phone to alert you that there is no phone signal.

Waze:Way To Go

Waze is a social mobile application providing free turn-by-turn navigation based on the live conditions of the road.
100% powered by users, the more you drive, the better it gets. Join the community of drivers in your area today and experience the power of Waze for yourself.

Mobile Defense: Recover and Protect

Mobile Defense displays real-time location information of a lost or stolen phone on an interactive map. In addition to locating your phone, Mobile Defense offers a robust set of tools to safeguard your privacy and data: Remotely lock and backup, notification of suspicious activity and fraud detection, monitor SIM card changes, proximity alerts, and other unauthorized actions.

Mobile Defense Video Review/Demo

chompSMS

Want more features for your SMS messaging? Then chompSMS is for you, with lots of extra features like chat-style bubbles, contact pictures, quick reply, signatures, heaps of customizations, and more!
You can use chompSMS as a replacement to the built-in Messaging application, and send SMS messages via your mobile carrier as you normally do. Or, if your mobile carrier charges a lot, you can buy credits to send SMS messages via the chompSMS network, which can be much cheaper.

Enkin: Navigation Reinvented

“Enkin” introduces a new handheld navigation concept. It displays location-based content in a unique way that bridges the gap between reality and classic map-like representations. It combines GPS, orientation sensors, 3D graphics, live video, several web services, and a novel user interface into an intuitive and light navigation system for mobile devices.

Enkin Video Review/Demo

Wiggle

Wiggle is an application for Google’s Android OS that allows you to set phone profiles based on the wireless networks in range. You do not need to be connected to a network in order for your profile to be applied, all you have to do is be “in-range”.
Wiggle uses your phone’s Wireless to detect networks in range, as well as networks that you have connected to in the past. When you start the application for the first time, you are presented with a list of “Remembered” networks and “Available” networks. A third option “Connected” will also appear if you are currently connected to any network. “Remembered” networks are those networks that you’ve previously connected to and are currently saved on your phone. “Available” networks are those networks that are currently in range.

Foursquare

Foursquare’s a fun location-based social network that quickly shows you what your friends are doing. It also doubles as a game, where checking into locations earns you different badges and points toward your city’s leader board. Now Google Android users can get into the game, with a gorgeous Android app that makes even the iPhone version of Foursquare look a little shabby.

Layar Reality Browser

Layar Reality Browser 2.0 is an app that will bring you real time digital information on top of reality from your camera screen.

Layar Reality Browser Video Review/Demo

City Audioguides

City Audioguides uses the Android frameworks positioning and other technologies to improve your travelling experiences by delivering audio content relative to your current physical location. Bringing museum-like audioguides to a larger scope.

WordPlayer v3

WordPlayer is a book reader. You can download from amongst thousands of books in seconds or load from your SD card. Its page navigation, bookmarking, and many customizable settings make reading a breeze.

Rotary Dialer

Are you bored of your traditional touch button keypad? Roll back the years and download this retro Rotary Dialer for Android.

Compass for Android

Compass for Android is a navigational instrument for determining direction relative to the Earth’s magnetic poles.

fBook

fBook is an Android app that wraps and optimizes the Facebook iPhone website for your Android phone. In addition to the features available from Facebook’s iPhone web app, fBook adds several important new features.

fBook Video Review/Demo

GPS Status 1.4.1

GPS Status is an application which displays the information received from the phone’s GPS receiver. In addition to the basic location information it can extract and display the state and location of each visible GPS satellite which is displayed on a simple sky view. The outer circle represents the horizon while the center corresponds to the zenith right above your head. The little blue arrow represents true north, while red means south.

My Tracks for Android

My Tracks is an application that enables you to record GPS tracks and view live statistics – such as time, speed, distance, and elevation – while hiking, biking, running or participating in other outdoor activities. Once recorded, you can share your tracks, upload them to Google Spreadsheets and visualize them on Google My Maps.

My Tracks Video Review/Demo

PicSay

With the free edition of PicSay yu can spice up the pictures on your Android mobile by adding word balloons, titles, graphics, and effects like distortion, color correction and highlighting. All in a fun, intuitive, and easy-to-use interface.

Media Androids Apps

Shazam on Android

Shazam is one of the coolest apps available for your Android phone. With Shazam you can identify music tracks, store them, and buy them; plus you can learn more about the artist and connect to their MySpace page. A must download.

Last.fm Android

With the Official Last.fm Android App you can choose an artist or genre and Last.fm builds the perfect playlist just for you, fresh every time, featuring your favorites and new discoveries powered by millions of Last.fm users sharing the music they love. You can skip any song and find out about concert dates, too.

TuneWiki

TuneWiki is an application that downloads songs lyrics from the web and shows them synched with the song in real time, karaoke-style.

TuneWiki Video Review/Demo

Meebo for Android

The Meebo service lets you access your buddies on all the major networks (AIM, Yahoo!, MSN, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber) and gather them into one single and easy to manage buddylist.

IMEEM – What’s on your playlist?

imeem is a social music service, enabling music fans to discover, interact and express themselves with music and playlists, and connect with other people based on shared tastes and interests. With the downloadable Android app you can create stations with free streaming music from your favorite artists, stream the music you’ve uploaded, discover new music through recommendations and features, share your favorite songs with friends via email and you can also buy songs from Amazon MP3 with one click. Cool.

AudioManager

AudioManager is a home-screen widget that allows you to get live readings of your current volume levels on your Android phone (similar to your computer’s Volume Mixer). The widget shows the current volume for the following streams: Music and media volumes, as well as controlling alerts, voice, alarms, system and voice call volumes.

Qik – Share Live Video

Qik enables you to share your video moments live with your friends, family and the world—directly from your mobile Android phone.

Spotify

Spotify is a digital music service that gives you access to millions of songs. Online the service is free, via your mobile you need to signup for a premium membership. Mind you at $10 a month its not a lot for what you get.

Spotify Video Review/Demo

Social Media and Services Android Apps

Babbler – Facebook Android

With Babbler you can see your newsfeed and your friends’ walls, comment & like wall posts, change your status, write on walls, view friends’ profiles, view events, browse friends’ photo albums and tagged photos, background notifications, background photos/videos uploads, share links from Browser or Youtube and also share photos/videos from the Gallery.

Cutewit

CuTewit comes with choice of two home screen widget. A 4-icon wide widget allows you to scroll through 20 twits right from the home screen. You can also post a quick update right from the widget. A micro widget shows you profile image of latest twit and count of unread twits. It occupies only a single icon space.

Twidroid

Twidroid is an award winning Twitter and identi.ca application for Android. There are two versions available, premium and free. The powerful free version is packed with all the features you would excpect from any Twitter client and is sufficient for any everyday user. The premium version, which is only $5, gives you added features like video-posting and multi account suupport iand is aimed more for the Twitter power user.

Tidroid Video Review/Demo

Pocket Auctions for eBay

Pocket Auctions for eBay lets you bid, compare prices, and search active and completed items on eBay all from your mobile phone! View pictures, read item descriptions, check on items you’re bidding on, watching, and selling in My eBay, and receive automatic phone alerts when you are outbid or when your items sell.

PayPal Application for Android

This application will give you easy access to your PayPal account right from your Android phone. Features include: Direct integration with the contact list, recent history and balance checks.

iCraigslist

iCraigslist was intentionally designed and implemented for iPhone usage, but it works really well and looks really nice in any modern PC browser and Google Android gPhone as well, offering a neater, tidier and more organized new look & feel compared to the original version.

wpToGo

wpToGo is a small application that allows you to publish posts on your WordPress blog. You can upload new posts including the title, content, tags and select multiple categories with multiple wordpress accounts. You can also upload a full size image and thumbnail, customize the thumbnail size and you also have the option to publish instantly or to save it as a draft.

Aloqa

Aloqa is a mobile service that proactively notifies you of interesting places, events, and Facebook friends near you. Instead of having to search, you can just look at your phone and see your favorite hotspots, friends, events of interest, and recommended bargains close by. Whenever You Want. Wherever You Are.

WikiMobile

With WikiMobile, you access to all 2 million Wikipedia articles, including pictures and quick facts. Bookmark your favorites for quick and easy tracking.

Google Android Apps

Google Sky Map

With Google Sky Map you can discover and browse the night sky just by pointing your phone to space. Using the phone’s orientation sensors, you can view a star map for your location. Explore planets, stars, constellations, and a hell of a lot more.

Google Sky Map Video Review/Demo

Google Maps

Google Maps on Android uses the built-in GPS to show your location on the map. And if GPS reading is temporarily unavailable, My Location shows your approximate location on the map. So you can always find where you are.

Google Maps Video Review/Demo

Google Voice

Places Directory

Places Directory allows you to browse nearby places in categories like Restaurants, Movie Theaters, Hotels and Banks. You’ll see distance and directions to the destination, and if you tap on the listing, you will receive ratings and photos. You can also call the business or view its location on Google Maps.

Places Directory Video Review/Demo

Voice Search

You can start searching by voice with just the touch of a button. On the home screen search widget, look for the microphone button right next to the search box and the search button. Press that button, wait for the “Speak now” prompt, and then say your query. You’ll soon see search results formatted for the Android browser.

Google Voice Search Video Review/Demo

Internet and RSS Android Apps

Opera Mini

If in the off chance you don’t like the minimal functionality of the web browser (Chrome) that is packaged with Android, you might like to try Opera Mini. Opera Mini is the closest fully functional desktop-like web browser that you can find.

Android-RSS

This fully functional Android RSS reader was originally created as a way to learn the new Android platforms SDK. Its simplicity and minimal features are what I loved about this app, sometimes you just want the headlines and not an overblown feature heavy app that takes an eternity to set up.

OI News Reader

Get the latest news to your phone with the OpenIntents News Reader. Subscribe to popular feeds or add your favorite blogs RSS feeds and you will always be up-to-date with its automatic updating. You can also read the feeds offline.

….finally

Rounded Labs Widgets

Android app developers, Rounded Labs, have recently released five small individual, but very useful apps. They are ringer, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, brightness and GPS toggle widgets. I have found that these are the apps that I use the most frequently.

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