# Cool (free) Apps for Android Phones
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [October 7, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320 "2010-10-07T01:58:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/1 "2010-10-07T01:58:06Z")
It may have been done before, but I’m late to the party.
What are some of your recommended cool applications?
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### Author:  [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/2 "2010-10-07T02:11:32Z")
Tweetdeck - Facebook and Twitter and maybe other stuff
fring - All major IM systems, plus 1 cent per minute voice calling over IP
Aldiko - eBook reader (ePub format)
Kindle - eBook reader (Amazon Kindle format)
Pandora - streaming music of stations you define (go to [Pandora.com](http://Pandora.com) to see)
HomePipe - stream music and photos from your home computer (and maybe video too?)
Google Earth
Google Sky Map
Stitcher - podcast streamer
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### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/3 "2010-10-07T02:49:25Z")
XKCDviewer
Baseball Superstars Lite
Where’s My Droid?
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### Author:  [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/4 "2010-10-07T03:43:04Z")
Definitely Google Sky Map, and Aldiko.
Advanced Task Killer - saves a TON of battery life.
Dalai Lama quotes (hey, for me that’s cool!)
Mabilo Ringtones - tons of free downloadable tones.
NFL Mobile.
NFL News.
Pandora
Shazam - identify any song by holding the phone up to the source.
These are specific to my interests:
Wine Free - organize tasting notes and wine information
BJCPDroid - the Beer Judge Certification Program cheat sheets for different types of beer. Came in handy at the Great American Beer Festival last month 😃
Open Sudoku - wastes time while I’m waiting in line places
Newspapers - loads online versions of LOTS of different newspapers
I also have a dictionary, compass, periodic table, and U.S. Constitution app.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/5 "2010-10-07T03:52:09Z")
Everyone always recommends Advanced Task Killer. How is it different then the built in task manager? I can go to that and easily see what’s running and kill it from there.
Also, I really annoyed they got rid of the comments in the Android Market. The stars are nice, but I always got a better feel for the product from the reviews. It was especially nice when you’d read through the reviews and half the comments would be something along the lines of “This is [nice/ok/crap] use \_\_\_\_\_ instead, it’s much better”
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### Author:  [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/6 "2010-10-07T03:56:44Z")
Air Control
Splash Piano
Classic Simon
Google Goggles (visual search and lots more)
Congress
Toddler Lock (seriously)
Tricorder
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### Author:  [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/7 "2010-10-07T04:19:43Z")
[PDAnet](http://www.junefabrics.com/android/index.php) is a tethering app so you can use your Android phone as a wireless modem.
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### Author:  [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/8 "2010-10-07T04:55:14Z")
> [@Kolga](#):
>
> Advanced Task Killer - saves a TON of battery life.
[Not necessarily.](http://androinica.com/2010/08/09/froyo-update-kills-android-task-killer-apps/)
For me:
Moon+ Reader - general ebook reader (epub, txt, html, others, connects straight to Project Gutenberg)
Chrome to Phone - you can get an extension to work with Firefox too
Onion News Network
[Audible.com](http://Audible.com) player
Yelp - augmented reality business locator
It’s not free as such, but Tasker is always worth a mention if you like making the phone itself your bitch.
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### Author:  [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/9 "2010-10-07T10:50:53Z")
I use Dolphin HD as my browser. It has many extra features, including the ability to exit properly.
MixZing to play music. It has EQ.
MyBackupPro which backs everything up, either on line or to the SD card.
Another vote for the Kindle app. I’m always surprised how readable it is on such a small screen.
WaveSecure. Extensive security including locking and tracking your phone.
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### Author:  [@BlackNGold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackNGold)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/10 "2010-10-07T11:39:15Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#):
>
> Everyone always recommends Advanced Task Killer. How is it different then the built in task manager? I can go to that and easily see what’s running and kill it from there.
>
> Also, I really annoyed they got rid of the comments in the Android Market. The stars are nice, but I always got a better feel for the product from the reviews. It was especially nice when you’d read through the reviews and half the comments would be something along the lines of “This is [nice/ok/crap] use \_\_\_\_\_ instead, it’s much better”
They didn’t get rid of the comments, just moved them to a separate tab.
---
### Author:  [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/11 "2010-10-07T11:41:05Z")
> [@NineToTheSky](#):
>
> I use Dolphin HD as my browser. It has many extra features, including the ability to exit properly.
>
> MixZing to play music. It has EQ.
>
> MyBackupPro which backs everything up, either on line or to the SD card.
>
> Another vote for the Kindle app. I’m always surprised how readable it is on such a small screen.
>
> WaveSecure. Extensive security including locking and tracking your phone.
Oops. Missed the word ‘free’ in the title. Still good apps, though.
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### Author:  [@Sticks\_and\_Scones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sticks_and_Scones)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/12 "2010-10-07T12:03:31Z")
Retro Camera!
Some guy told me how cool RingDroid was but most of my music wasn’t in the correct format to be used with it and after I’d spent countless hours picking out songs and putting them on two different phones, I was too tired and worn down to figure out how to change the format of all my music so it would work.
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### Author:  [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/13 "2010-10-07T12:32:10Z")
I’ll add:
GPS Status and toolbox - lots of odds-and-end statistics displayed, like GPS coordinates, compass, pitch/roll, accellerometer, …
Jewels - “bejeweled” game.
(Any) one of the many calculator apps.
(Any) one of the stopwatch/timer apps.
Schottgunn - turns your phone into a shotgun.
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### Author:  [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/14 "2010-10-07T13:24:52Z")
Great suggestions so far. The GPS Status & Toolbox thing is cool.
Pandora isn’t available outside the US, unfortunately. When it originally came out I was able to use it, but they cut off non-US IPs a long time ago. Is there a similar free music player app that I might access in canada?
Keep 'em coming!
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### Author:  [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/15 "2010-10-07T14:12:19Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#):
>
> Tricorder
I just downloaded this. Coolest. App. Ever. Even if you’re not a Trekkie. And it’s free! Thanks!.
ETA: If you download this, make sure you get the one from Moonblink. His is free, better, and displays actual information.
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### Author:  [@ElectricZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElectricZ)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/16 "2010-10-07T14:41:03Z")
Wordup and Word Drop, two amazingly fun and addictive boggle-style games.
Bubble Blast is also a fun puzzler.
Cestos is a quick and fun billards-type game where you try to knock opponents balls into the pocket while keeping your own on the playing surface. It’s also one of the few games where iPhone and Droid players can play against each other.
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### Author:  [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/17 "2010-10-07T15:18:22Z")
The official Skyp app for Android has been released a few days ago. It’s in the Market now.
Haven’t really used it yet, though, but I like the idea of making skype calls using my phone instead of my laptop.
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### Author:  [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/18 "2010-10-07T16:04:58Z")
Oops, I forgot to mention:
(Any) one of the many “flashlight” apps.
I mean, if you ever get stuck in the sewer system with evil zombies chasing you…
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### Author:  [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/19 "2010-10-07T17:32:28Z")
> [@NineToTheSky](#):
>
> I use Dolphin HD as my browser. It has many extra features, including the ability to exit properly.
Good call. I just installed this and it looks a lot better than the pre-installed browser.
Firefox will eventually make its way onto the market (named Fennec). That should be good too.
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### Author:  [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)
#### Post date: [October 7, 2010, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cool-free-apps-for-android-phones/556320/20 "2010-10-07T22:44:16Z")
[ul]
[li]NewsRob - There is an ad supported free version, and a pay version, but the free one works fine. It pre-caches RSS feeds and articles (syncing to google reader) so that you can read feeds without using up your data allotment.[/li]
[li]Tapatalk RO - The free version doesn’t allow posting. It lets you read SDMB, and others, in a useful mobile interface.[/li]
[li]FbreaderJ - an ebook reader. Others have been mentioned, so I wanted to get my favorite on the list.[/li][/ul]
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