You’ll want a good file manager (Astro File Manger, AndroXplorer, ES File Explorer) if you’re carrying miscellaneous data around on your phone.
If you’re using the cloud, I’d recommend FolderSync as a one-stop app in place of the various dedicated ones. If you’re using the cloud for anything important, you’ll want encryption with support at both ends (a file manager that can open encrypted zip/7z files will do for basic security, a dedicated app like Boxcryptor if you want to minimize the hoop-jumping to read/view files).
You’ll want e-book apps for any online ebook stores you use, or one in any case to read free public-domain stuff.
I just had to go looking for a new calendar app – somebody at Google has been puffing on the crack pipe and decided that the week is only five days long and that nobody needs to see what’s going on for the whole month. So far, Today Calendar is serving as an adequate substitute (though I’ll have to shell out six bucks after the 30-day trial unless Google has a come-to-Jaysus moment on this issue before then).
Get in the habit of keeping an eye out for mentions of apps that will be useful to YOU specifically.
I know that sounds obvious, but it took me a while to get into the habit. Lots of great suggestions here (and I’ll be checking some of them out myself), but some of my most used apps nobody here would mention because they’re too specific. For example, NJTransit now allows you to buy train tickets on your phone. You just show it to the conductor. I love that. NJT Light is a great little app to find train schedules. I have a NYC subway map app that shows you service alerts. Those are only useful if you take NJTransit and the NYC subway, but I’ll bet there are things out there that will be similarly useful for whatever it is you do regularly.
If you are looking for a good calendar app that can function for a whole family, I recommend Cozi. Each member of the family can access the file on their device or on computer, set appointments for themselves or for all, send reminder emails to anyone or everyone in the family.
It also comes with some nice list functions that we use for groceries.
Amazon is running a promotion today and tomorrow for a bunch of utility-style apps for free. I recommend that you “buy” them on your regular computer rather than via your phone or the Amazon AppStore Android app. If you buy them all via your phone, it will attempt to immediately download and install them all. If you buy them via your computer, it will simply flag them as purchased and available for downloading onto your phone at your leisure.
I’m not saying any of those app will change your life but you lose nothing buy claiming them and trying them out if they look interesting. Amazon runs these promotions fairly often as well as having a “Free App of the Day” (which, statistically, is nothing great more often than not)
A better text messaging app - I use HandcentSMS
Shazam - for figuring out what song’s playing on the radio
Your bank app - for cashing checks etc
A flashlight - once you have, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without i
A better browser - Dolphin or Opera
Zedge - if you want custom notification sounds
A volume control app - to customize volume for system sounds, notifications, incoming calls, etc
Maildroid - for email
Alarmdroid - for setting alarms and countdowns
Weatherbug - Weather updates
Ulysses Speedometer - Useful for seeing how fast you’re actually going, and average speed over your trip. Eats battery though
Swype - for entering text much quicker
As mentioned a smartphone is about as versatile as a PC, in some ways even more.
So what are your interests? Pretty much whatever they are there will be something interesting available on your smartphone.
Since you have an Android , a general tip: look for scrollable widgets to display your content whether it’s your calendar, twitter feed, news etc.
Google Play Newstand: this may already be installed. I like it for news and magazines.
For those of you advocating having your WiFi on all the time, Life hacker has an article you may want to read.
“Nordstrom, the store that the New York Times focuses on in its piece (although it’s not the only one doing this) installed sensors around some of its stores that would scan for smartphones with Wi-Fi turned on and scanning for networks. The sensors would then make note of the device’s MAC address (an address that’s unique to your phone) and use it to identify and follow the device as it moves about the store. Information about how frequently that MAC address visits the store, which departments it visits when it’s in the store, how long it stays in each department, and how long it stays in the store. Granted, you are not your phone’s MAC address, but if you carry your phone with you all the time, you may as well be.”
I turn on my WiFi and location info when I need it, not on constantly for Google’s and other retailer’s data mining.
Get the Clean Master and CM Security apps,the for general cache and junk file cleanup and the second for device security and autostart control on an app by app basis. Autostart control simply means you have the choice of not having an app start up by default, whenever you turn on the device.
One caveat, though–I’m on an older device still using Jellybean; not sure how well these apps work with KitKat or Lollipop.
I don’t know what you people are doing to your phones that you have to constantly have it charged, but I can go about a day and a half or so on one charge on my Galazy 4, and have since I got it.
Maybe the reason you have to constantly have it charged is because you never let the battery drain and the battery’s memory got shot to all hell. I’m not constantly on my phone and playing games for hours on end or anything, but I also don’t ignore it either, and I’ve only had battery problems after about 2 or so years.
But put a memory card into it before you upload all the music from your computer, or you will exhaust the internal memory. It probably also has a setting that automatically saves pictures to the memory card. Use this setting.
Get Angry Birds.
I have the Netflix app, and I love it. I also have the YouTube app. I love being able to hand them to my son when he’s bored somewhere, like when a quick trip somewhere ends up being two hours, and he doesn’t have his tablet or a book, and I use Netflix occasionally myself. The screen is small, but the resolution is great, and it satisfies that old childhood desire to have a TV in your pocket.
I have an old car that doesn’t have a beeping fob, so I now have a car-finder app, and don’t lose my car in parking lots anymore.
If you like board games to pass the time, there is a free Monopoly app that mimics real game play very well, and several good chess, checkers, backgammon, gin, euchre, etc., all free.
Did not know about this. Is it just called “guitar tuner”?
The best game for Android (and now IOS too) is Ingress. It’s like Geocaching meets capture the flag out in the real world, using your phone’s GPS.
Join the Enlightened (green) faction and help humanity evolve with the help of extradimensional aliens, or join the Resistance (blue) faction and help an escaped AI take over the world.
In my case, a lot of radio streaming, podcast download/playback, photography, basic browsing, or using content provider apps in place of browsing…you get the idea. It is true I’ve had my phone for nearly two years, so there’s probably been some minor deterioration in battery charge duration, but considering how heavily I’ve been using the device, I don’t complain.