# Android Apps



## squib (19 Nov 2010)

Who uses android phones and whats your favourite app?
My favourite is google sky map followed by my compass and then the shake to answer app. 8)


----------



## Gary (19 Nov 2010)

Whats an app?

Can I get one for my Nokia 5210?


----------



## LuptonM (19 Nov 2010)

App= application

Its a computer program like MS word. However these days its usually applied to the mini programs available for download on Iphones. Other platforms have got a sniff of the money and have mimicked the Iphone


----------



## Gary (19 Nov 2010)

LuptonM":1ivmtxpz said:


> App= application
> 
> Its a computer program like MS word. However these days its usually applied to the mini programs available for download on Iphones. Other platforms have got a sniff of the money and have mimicked the Iphone



:lol: I know, but you had that didn't you? :lol:


----------



## Chems (19 Nov 2010)

Angry Birds, guaranteed to make you un-productive


----------



## DeanN (19 Nov 2010)

Just had a session on angry birds, and as you've stated, very addictive. I downloaded a range finding app that I'm hoping will be useful when out shooting, but I've not had chance to test it yet.


----------



## ColeyS1 (19 Nov 2010)

Its got to be talking tom. I even paid for the full version- really cracks me up :lol: Shopsavvy's great as well- great for when i buy something then find i could have got it cheaper 5 minutes away. Angry birds is very addictive. I've found if you press the pause button you can restart the level quicker after you have FAILED the ruddy level- all good fun !

I'll be watching this thread with interest, you can never have too many apps :-$ 

Coley


----------



## squib (20 Nov 2010)

On the desire you have to unlock the phone to answer a call which in the workshop is not ideal on a touch screen phone when you are gluing or painting so the shake to answer is brill you just shake your phone and guess what...I think this is old hat to iphone users.


----------



## woody67 (20 Nov 2010)

*Instant buttons* is a good un if like me you have a childish streak! It's one of the good soundboards, including the Benny Hill theme........

Mark


----------



## samharber (22 Nov 2010)

Google Sky, Connect 4, Zombie Run*, Remembeer and Battery Graph

* All the others are fairly self explanatory, but Zombie Run needs explaining. It needs GPS and a data connection. It loads up Google Maps based on your location and asks you for a destination. It then loads up the map with zombies that will track you and try and eat your brains. You have to get to your destination without falling foul of the zombies. Great fun if you've nothing better to do on a Saturday afternoon in a major city.


----------



## hivisvest72 (22 Nov 2010)

There's a cracking one called "*Tasker*" which you can use to program loads of functionality based on events and other things happening.

For example, switch off Wi-Fi during certain hours (eg night time) to save battery

Detect when headphones plugged in an automatically launch music app

Use location services so that if you are home, switch on wi-fi, turn down call volume etc. If you are at work however, switch off wifi, turn ringer up (or off depending where you work etc).

You could also program it to do the "shake and answer" thing that someone else mentioned.

I also use various "to do" lists (*superlist *being the main one) that allows you keep track of to do lists both on the phone and on the web.

"*Lookout*" is an anti-virus scanner that scans e-mails and apps being downloaded, especially important given the open source approach to application development.

I also use the "*Sky+*" app to browse the schedules and set programmes to record if I happen to be out of the house and don't want to miss something.

Favourite games include *Angry Birds *of course, although one called "*Colors*" is also a good time-waster. Also like one called *Word Up*, and also *Word Feud*, which is a Scrabble game that you can play against friends who also have the app.

Lastly, I use one called *CardioTrainer *to monitor cycling trips and walking/running - good motivational tool.

Phew, that was a list and a half - I must admit I'm a huge fan of Android, I have a Desire myself.

Also, I'm also a freelance developer and intending to get into Android app development, so if anyone has spotted anything that they think is missing, let me know and I'll see if I can come up with something.


----------



## duncanh (22 Nov 2010)

I installed one last night that appears to work really well - Alarm Clock Plus (free version)

Amongst other things it lets you set it so that to switch off or snooze and alarm you must correctly answer a maths question of selected difficulty. You can also select how many questions you have to answer.

Another app I use regularly when I go geocaching is Geobeagle


----------



## Anonymous (22 Nov 2010)

InvoiceMe - is a great app, can invoice a client there and then after you have done a job.


----------



## Lord Nibbo (23 Nov 2010)

Google Goggles unbelievably clever. A quick explanation, you take a snap shot of the object i.e. book title, brand name, or even it's bar code. Goggle then analyzes the picture and gives you all the info of the object, where it can be bought etc etc. great at telling you what drugs the doctor trying to fob you off with  or if your browsing Currys-Commet looking for the best deal on a new TV, just analyze the bar code then it will tell you where to get the best buy.  

You might get chucked out of ASDA or TESCO if you go around checking the bar codes.... not by the management but by your better halves who will soon get fed up with you saying you can get that cheaper at Morrisons  

you can download it here 
http://www.google.com/mobile/goggles/#text


----------



## eggflan (24 Nov 2010)

Navfree , free sat nav on iphone , i tried the first version of this and it was not so clever but the latest version is great , full sat nav for free with all the benefits of much more expensive ones :wink: 

Oh and angry birds / ninjump can waste your day away i speak from experience


----------



## brandy20 (24 Nov 2010)

Do you know about apps related to woodworking, such a shrinkage calcuator or wood movement? I'm going to buy a smart phone in the next future and I'm still deciding between Android and Iphone.


----------



## miles_hot (24 Nov 2010)

eggflan":1n49s9dx said:


> Navfree , free sat nav on iphone , i tried the first version of this and it was not so clever but the latest version is great , full sat nav for free with all the benefits of much more expensive ones :wink:
> 
> Oh and angry birds / ninjump can waste your day away i speak from experience



What's ninjump? I can't find it on the market..

I love Google Navigation - fantastic (free) app which in addition to being pretty good at the basic stuff gives you three choices or route and allows you to review the street view of any section of the route etc.

I use EZCam for speed detection - this is for a small fee - which can use one of the best databases I know of (Pocket GPS World) and runs in the background popping over Google Nav when you're about to pass a camera pointingy your way.

Love the augemnted reality app Wheres the Tube

WeatherBug and Rain Watch seem good for weather, BBC News is a nice app and Tricorder is just silly. Also Silly is Moron Test (free) which takes a little while to work through (say an hour or so).

HTH

Miles


----------



## eggflan (24 Nov 2010)

Miles , Ninjump is on the free iphone apps in the apps store , your a little ninja running up buildings trying not to die :lol: :lol: 

Its worth a look and is free :wink:


----------



## miles_hot (24 Nov 2010)

eggflan":hezl6nst said:


> Miles , Ninjump is on the free iphone apps in the apps store , your a little ninja running up buildings trying not to die :lol: :lol:
> 
> Its worth a look and is free :wink:



Ah I see - but this thread was about Adroid not iphone which is what foxed me 

Sound fun though - hopefully it will come over soon.

Miles


----------



## woody67 (24 Nov 2010)

*Big Sport Fishing* is a good one for any anglers (I'm not one btw) but it's a good time waster.  

Mark


----------



## eggflan (25 Nov 2010)

miles_hot":3fg694w4 said:


> eggflan":3fg694w4 said:
> 
> 
> > Miles , Ninjump is on the free iphone apps in the apps store , your a little ninja running up buildings trying not to die :lol: :lol:
> ...




  my mistake :lol:


----------



## StevieB (25 Nov 2010)

There's an addictive little game called Alchemy. Very simple - you start with 4 elements and have to combine them to make new elements eg fire + water = steam. There are 300 to get in total and its kinda fun seeing what you can come up with. I have 157 at the moment - some are logical and some not. My favourite so far - Dinosaur plus fire = dragon  Plus the pics are cool to!

Steve


----------



## andycktm (26 Nov 2010)

ES file explorer, enables you to get "public" files off pc's/laptops wifi


----------



## duncanh (29 Nov 2010)

andycktm":3tyhmtsv said:


> ES file explorer, enables you to get "public" files off pc's/laptops wifi



I also use this regularly and it works really well. Just tried it with FTP and that was simple. I can't remember the last time I needed to connect the phone to the PC for file transfer.

Another app I tried over the weekend is Subsonic which sets up a media sever on your computer. There's an Android (and iPhone/iPod) app that lets you connect over the net (I used wifi but 3G also available) and listen to streaming media. I just about have signal in the shed and was streaming music without a problem


----------



## superunknown (13 Feb 2011)

I remembered this thread as I was planning to get myself a new phone with android. That's ordered now and should be here Monday. Can't wait  Anyway just thought I would bring this thread back to life as there are some amazing ideas and apps mentioned here. Any new ones that can be recommended?


----------



## Chems (13 Feb 2011)

Which one did you get?


----------



## superunknown (14 Feb 2011)

Motorola defy. Mainly for the dust and scratch proofing. Hope for it to be better in the workshop. My old touch screen looks bad.


----------



## Michael7 (14 Feb 2011)

duncanh":1kd3pha6 said:


> I installed one last night that appears to work really well - Alarm Clock Plus (free version)
> 
> Amongst other things it lets you set it so that to switch off or snooze and alarm you must correctly answer a maths question of selected difficulty. You can also select how many questions you have to answer.
> 
> Another app I use regularly when I go geocaching is Geobeagle



Im a bit late at asking for a reply but which phone do you use for geocaching. I got a Samsung Galaxy S but the GPS was terrible so left it back within the 14 days cooling off period. I had a go with a HTC Desire the other day and it was really good, I would say that I could leave my Garmin eTrek H behind and just use a Desire but I hear a Desire 2 is on its way.

Michael

Wood enigma was a little puzzle game that I kept coming back to and the children liked Prism 3D.


----------



## Lons (14 Feb 2011)

You're a sad lot - that's all I can say :lol: :lol: :lol: 

Still, I'm going for an iphone when my contract is up for renewal in a few months so I'm sure I'll turn into an apps geek as well  

Bob


----------



## Chems (15 Feb 2011)

Michael7":1kozv3x6 said:


> duncanh":1kozv3x6 said:
> 
> 
> > I installed one last night that appears to work really well - Alarm Clock Plus (free version)
> ...



I've got a Desire and a Sony Ericsson Xperia, both top line phones. Both have pretty poor GPS capabilities when I've used them around the town as a GPS even thou the desire is marketed as one of the best SatNav phones. It could be down to the beta google navigation thou.

If your waiting to buy for another phone, don't with the speed that they are advancing there is no way you'll get one thats top for more than a few weeks. Just make sure you get a dual core one with Android 3.0 at the moment, best you can do. But the next SnapDragon chips are already slated to be 4 core so that dual core won't be top for long!


----------



## Michael7 (15 Feb 2011)

What!! Quad core, i wonder why the need. Phones will soon be quicker than my PC.


----------



## studders (15 Feb 2011)

I use mine, £14.99 Nokia from Argos, to make Phone calls, crazy I know but I like to live life at the bleeding edge.


----------



## superunknown (15 Feb 2011)

studders":2m7uzsqo said:


> I use mine, £14.99 Nokia from Argos, to make Phone calls, crazy I know but I like to live life at the bleeding edge.




Whats the OS on that and any good apps?


----------



## studders (15 Feb 2011)

It's so Bleeding Edge that it's classified I'm afraid. I could tell you but........


----------



## Chems (15 Feb 2011)

Michael7":ynofaf8e said:


> What!! Quad core, i wonder why the need. Phones will soon be quicker than my PC.



Phones will be powering your PC! Microsoft have announced they have a version of windows 7 that runs on the Arm chips that runs the current generation of smartphones. Uses a fraction of the power so it will save the planet! The best bit about it is that its turned the tech world upside down the Arm chip, and it was invented in Cambridge. But you watch, give it a few years and the americans will claim all the glory!


----------



## miles_hot (15 Feb 2011)

for GPS issues there is an app - TrackerBoost which may help...


----------



## Chems (15 Feb 2011)

I'll give that a go an see if it improves. Thanks


----------



## seanybaby (15 Feb 2011)

Does anyone know of an app to record a phone conversation to the memory on the phone?


----------



## Chems (15 Feb 2011)

Im sure I heard of one, it may have been on here someone saying about recording phone conversations with Insurance companies. Just do a search on the market place.


----------



## seanybaby (15 Feb 2011)

Chems":2wvwwxr3 said:


> market place.



Do you mean this? http://marketplace.windowsphone.com


----------



## seanybaby (15 Feb 2011)

https://market.android.com/ (hammer)


----------



## Vormulac (23 Feb 2011)

Chems":195bq64d said:


> I've got a Desire and a Sony Ericsson Xperia, both top line phones. Both have pretty poor GPS capabilities when I've used them around the town as a GPS even thou the desire is marketed as one of the best SatNav phones. It could be down to the beta google navigation thou.
> 
> If your waiting to buy for another phone, don't with the speed that they are advancing there is no way you'll get one thats top for more than a few weeks. Just make sure you get a dual core one with Android 3.0 at the moment, best you can do. But the next SnapDragon chips are already slated to be 4 core so that dual core won't be top for long!



I had a Desire and now have a Desire HD, I have never found the GPS to be problematic, I even ran the Desire HD alongside my wife's Garmin satnav unit the other day and the phone gave the exact same route, sometimes with more detail! (although the voice on the Google Navigation was a bit harsh)


----------



## chippy1970 (23 Feb 2011)

mark270981":23og94tj said:


> InvoiceMe - is a great app, can invoice a client there and then after you have done a job.



How does that work then does it email the invoice to them ??


----------



## Michael7 (23 Feb 2011)

I went out and got myself a HTC Desire and I'm well pleased with it. Only for the pathetic GPS I would have kept the Samsung Galaxy S, the battery and speed (and looks) of the Samsung are better than the Desire. I took the Desire and my treking GPS out to find a couple of geocaches and the Desire was every bit as good as the other, even under dense leaf cover.


----------



## Vormulac (24 Feb 2011)

Interesting, I found the Desire faster than the Galaxy S, although it has to be said, that AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S is gorgeous.


----------



## Chems (24 Feb 2011)

All a bit old hat now thou, both the Desire and Galaxy S are old models now.


----------



## chippy1970 (24 Feb 2011)

I think im going for the Motorola Defy as an upgrade in 2 weeks  on paper its less powerful than the Desire but in tests it has come out on top. Its running Android 2.1 but is being upgraded to 2.2 very soon so will be even better . I like that its dust, water and scratch proof too so great for work. The battery puts me off the Desire lots of people on the net saying it wont even last a day :shock: :shock: :shock:


----------



## Vormulac (24 Feb 2011)

I've had bad experiences with Motorola phones in the past, perhaps their smartphones are better. It's fair to say that with heavy use a Desire won't last 24 hours, but I've yet to find a smartphone that will (by that I mean network and wifi connected all day, email, live content, GPS and widgets active all day and lots of browsing, playing games and so-on) but at least with the Desire changing the battery is nice and easy, so I just carried a spare in case I ran low on juice - the batteries are so small you can carry one in your wallet!


----------



## andycktm (24 Feb 2011)

Construction master pro is a nice app.
Ohms law.
Picsay.


----------



## Dodge (24 Feb 2011)

I was looking at Android phones today - wifes just got an Iphone and must admit thought I would go for one of the motorola defys when my contract comes up - dustproof/waterproof/drop proof etc. Has anyone got one? are they any good?.

In the meantime if anyone has upgraded their iphone and has an old unlocked one they want to exchange for a few beer tokens let me know - i'm on orange.

cheers

Rog


----------



## andy king (24 Feb 2011)

Hi Rog,

my daughter now has the Motorola Defy as she's always dropping and breaking mobiles!
Despite the claims, she's managed to get two scratches on the screen already from just general wear and tear, chucking it her handbag etc, so the screen at least is maybe not quite as durable as the manufacturers claim. (she's had it for just over two months)
It's survived a few bounces though! :lol: 
hope this helps

cheers,
Andy


----------



## wardroom (24 Feb 2011)

good deal at the mo with three (3) they have 3gs i phone for £30 p/month unlimited internet (no limits) + many other add ons.
i have the Htc desire and love it but the battery is no good


----------



## chippy1970 (24 Feb 2011)

andy king":97bdo3re said:


> Hi Rog,
> 
> my daughter now has the Motorola Defy as she's always dropping and breaking mobiles!
> Despite the claims, she's managed to get two scratches on the screen already from just general wear and tear, chucking it her handbag etc, so the screen at least is maybe not quite as durable as the manufacturers claim. (she's had it for just over two months)
> ...



Yeah I had heard that they do scratch even though they are scratch resistent  :lol: I will probaby get a screen protector anyway.


----------



## Vormulac (25 Feb 2011)

My first act upon getting a new smartphone is putting a Zagg Invisible shield on it, it can be a bit of a pipper to apply but it makes it virtually unscratchable.


----------



## chippy1970 (25 Feb 2011)

Vormulac":24bov7ed said:


> My first act upon getting a new smartphone is putting a Zagg Invisible shield on it, it can be a bit of a pipper to apply but it makes it virtually unscratchable.



I put one on my Nokia 5800 when I got that 2 years ago but not that impressed with it for what it cost. It has orange peel sort of finish on it and I did apply it properly before you ask also it has a sort of tear in it where it rubbed against something in my pocket which it shouldnt have if its as good as they say. The life time warranty seems to be only if bought in the USA as well.


----------



## Vormulac (25 Feb 2011)

That's interesting, I haven't seen anything damage one of my phones with a Zagg skin on it. I know what you mean about the 'orange peel', but it's so slight you have to look pretty closely to see it.


----------



## knappers (25 Feb 2011)

I have been playing with an htc desire today. Trying to figure out whether to get our sales team android or wp7 handsets. I like it. Wouldn't necessarily swap it for my iPhone, but It's much better than the trophy 7.
What email app do people use, as I notice it won't show HTML mail using built in app?
Si


----------



## Vormulac (25 Feb 2011)

I just use the built in client, I haven't had any trouble displaying mail.


----------



## Terry Smart (15 Mar 2011)

My old phone finally gave up the ghost the other week, so I've gone out and got an HTC Desire. Pretty happy with it so far and have resisted getting loads of games for it.
One question though, and possibly looking for a recommendation...
Crazily, it doesn't have voice activated dialling, which I find ludicrous. I guess there's an app to deal with this, I'm after one that works via Bluetooth, has anyone got one they can recommend?

Thanks.


----------



## Vormulac (15 Mar 2011)

Apparently it does support voice dialling over bluetooth, I wouldn't know as I don't use it.

http://developer.android.com/sdk/androi ... ights.html

ETA: Actually, come to think of it I think Google Voice does this too.


----------



## chippy1970 (15 Mar 2011)

I have decided to wait for the Desire S to come out next month.


----------



## Chrisnw (19 Mar 2011)

Morning All,

I've got a Google Nexus One and i've been really happy with it.

My preffered apps are:

OS Map - it displays UK O|S Maps which can be pretty useful from time to time, even if you don't get to store the maps offline.

MMTracker - I'm only just trialling the free version at the moment but it allows me to view my existing O|S maps that I had for a programme on the PC called memory map which I can store on the phone. I've started to use it instead of OS Map because I don't have to try to download data in the middle of nowhere.

I've had a couple of free pdf file creators too. these have been pretty handy - if i want to scan a document but don't have a scanner in my pocket then I can take a number of photos and combine them as a pdf file. It's pretty good for documents as the file size is low.


I'm sure there are more but my phone is switched off, charging, upstairs, so I'm working from memory.

Chris


----------



## Michael7 (20 Mar 2011)

A good PC program that apps can use is Mobile Atlas Creator http://mobac.dnsalias.org/
This program creates maps for use offline. A variety of maps can be selected so I downloaded google maps and set the program to convert the maps for Maverick. It runs very well but takes up quite a bit of space. Just to give you an idea of the space needed I downloaded all of Northern Ireland with all the zoom levels minus the two closest levels and it ran to over 12gb :shock: :shock:

Michael


----------



## Chrisnw (20 Mar 2011)

Michael7":2796axhs said:


> A good PC program that apps can use is Mobile Atlas Creator http://mobac.dnsalias.org/
> This program creates maps for use offline. A variety of maps can be selected so I downloaded google maps and set the program to convert the maps for Maverick. It runs very well but takes up quite a bit of space. Just to give you an idea of the space needed I downloaded all of Northern Ireland with all the zoom levels minus the two closest levels and it ran to over 12gb :shock: :shock:
> 
> Michael



Thanks for that Michael. Hadn't seen that before - will take a look.


----------



## chippy1970 (8 Apr 2011)

chippy1970":cwlzzqu9 said:


> I have decided to wait for the Desire S to come out next month.



Well I waited and finally got my hands on a Desire S yesterday my first Android phone and so far Im very pleased with it. Much faster than anything Ive had before.


----------

