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Advanced Task Killer - strangely there is no native way to kill an app on android, at least not that I could find
ASTRO file manager - lame that Android OS doesn't have file manager by default
handyCalc - very handy, especially unit conversion, much better than built in calculator
MissedCall - if your phone is stupid and doesn't flash light on missed call, etc
Opera Mini - if you want to
Timeriffic - lets you automatically set profiles based on time of day. There is another app which sets profiles based on your GPS location, but that requires GPS turned on which is additional drain on the battery
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That's a great list, man - thanks!
I wouldn't have figured that they didn't include stuff like a task killer, file manager, etc. Of course, I'm a smart phone newbie, which is why I asked.
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Christopher Duncan wrote: didn't include stuff like a task killer
Actually, my bad on that one. You can stop an app if you go into settings>applications>click particular app>click to stop it, but that's not very convenient if you have used a bunch of apps and want to kill them after you're done with them.
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Task killers in Android are unnecessary, aside from the fact that Android manages them pretty well, there is a built in manual task killer. Menu->Settings->Applications->Running Services
He who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.
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i like "AK Notepad". it's a simple note making app - great for shopping lists or to-do lists or whatever. it also does reminders and can talk with Facebook et al.
this takes the place of the little scraps of paper that i used to use.
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I don't have an Android phone, but I saved this in del.icio.us just the other day: Top 25 Android apps: The best of the best[^]
HTH
Cheers,
विक्रम (Got my troika of CCCs!)
After all is said and done, much is said and little is done.
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As above, Advanced Task Killer is a nice one to have, extended the battery time on my evo quite a bit. Below are others I use that are all free or have a free version.
3Banana - Note program that allows you to tag your notes in categories '#category' style as well as mark them private.
Barcode Scanner - Use it to transfer pages/links to apps/contacts with friends that use Android by creating a 2D barcode.
Bartender - I am the designated mixer when friends and I get together.
Bubble - Bubble level, useful for hanging things so the GF can tell me they aren't straight anyway.
Bump - Okay, I got this jokingly, your phone has to have a solid connection, but it handles transferring data very smoothly otherwise. Wish it could use wifi/bluetooth.
Dolphin Browser HD - I prefer this to Opera
Bookmarks to SD - In combination with Dolphin, backs up your bookmarks to your SD card
Gigbox - Keeps track of up to 50 bands and lets you know when they will have a gig in your predefined distance.
Goggles - Uses your camera to take a picture and Google search based on it. Useful for well known items, doesn't work for everything.
Google Translate - Translation program, useful for when I forget a word in Spanish, usually accurate
Grocery IQ - Lets you sync grocery list between phones, could use a few tweaks such as using the barcode scanner
Howcast - 'How to' video service, sometimes it is easier to show someone how to do something than explain it.
Kindle/Nook - Your choice, supposedly integrates with your device so you can read in either place.
Listen - Podcasts
Movies - Uses rotten tomatoes for movie reviews and works with Google Maps to find theaters and showtimes and if the theater allows it, even buy tickets
Pandora/Slacker Radio - I like Slacker as it allows my stations to have a bit more customization on the station level.
PDF Viewer - No explanation required
Shazam - Listens to music, tries to figure out what song it is. Doesn't work with humming a tune, doesn't work with more obscure stuff either.
ShopSavvy - Kind of like Barcode scanner, but when scanning, it searches the net and your surrounding area for prices of said item. Supposedly will search with pictures as well but I haven't tried that.
Speed Test - Speedtest.net's upload/download speed test
Sweet Dreams - Allows you to have the phone automatically turn off ringer/change to vibrate/change volume at certain times of the day or location based. Useful for ignoring those emails that come in at 3am from Barnes and Noble.
Wifi Analyzer - Scans for all broadcast connections in an area, shows signal strength, if they are open or not, what they are encrypted with.
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Shop Savvy - online price comparison tool etc..
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If you're into the tech blogs, Gizmodo has a weekly (I believe) top apps list for both IPhone and Android. I've found a couple of great apps there. They give a pretty good summary of what the app does, why its awesome, and how much it costs, if applicable. Also, they've been doing it for a while now so you probably have maybe half a years worth of apps check out.
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I've on;y had mine for a couple of weeks but have downloaded the following:
eBay
Unit Converter
Currency Converter
BBC News
WeatherPro
Shazam
Guitar : Solo Lite (guitar sim)
Advanced Task Killer
Sky+ (allows me to remote record TV shows)
SDrescan (rescans the SD card and updates media content - can be useful if you mess with album art, etc.)
Catch That Bus UK (bus timetables, uses GPS)
FBReader (used to read Project Gutenberg books)
Digg
Kindle for Android
Google Sky Map
Guitar Chords Lite
Google Shopper
Barcode Scanner
Daily Dilbert
Sky News
WeatherBug
IMDB
ColorNote Notepad
Compass
Tuner - gStrings (guitar tuner)
Sudoku Free
National Rail (UK rail timetables, updated live, worth every penny of the £5 it cost.)
Solitaire
Google Maps
Spotify
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I have an iMac, an iPad and an iPhone. I detest the iMac, vaguely use the iPad and love the iPhone. What I cannot abide is the quality of the software. I get crashes, I get the pinwheel of doom, I get menus that are blank, apps that lock up, and constant, never ending updates for minor things that still involve hundreds of MB downloads.
And the reason for this rant? Yet Another Update on the iPhone has just turned my phone into a brick. Halfway through the update to 4.0.2 the phone shows the "connect to iTunes" screen and shows a helpful "Unknown error" error. I've been slowly working through the help page on Apple ("restart your computer", "Troubles on XP" etc) but so far no luck.
cheers,
Chris Maunder
The Code Project | Co-founder
Microsoft C++ MVP
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This is why I love my BlackBerry.
------------------------------------
I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
CCC League Table Link
CCC Link[ ^]
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I just checked the calendar to see if it was April 1st. I'm really having a hard time believing anything you said. I'm a Windows guy, and as we've been told over and over again, Apple stuff Just Works. Clearly, you're holding it wrong.
I'm in the process of putting my Blackberry to one side for testing purposes and getting an actual smart phone. Android won out for a few reasons. First, while I love Steve Jobs as a geek hero, I detest Apple and all that their draconian little world stands for. Even if they do make insanely cool stuff. Add to that the fact that I can't swap my SIM at will from the Blackberry or an Android. Apple uses a mini SIM. They truly are the American Express of the geek world.
I'll bite the philosophical bullet to buy an iPod Touch just so I have an Apple device to test my web site and video stuff on. And I might even like it. But I'll never admit that in public.
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we've been told over and over again, Apple stuff Just Works.
Apple Motto: "It Just Works, (lower voice to a whisper) Except When it Doesn't"
Steve
_________________
I C(++) therefore I am
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What I don't like about my iPhone 3G (not the 3Gs) is how slow it becomes after a week of usage. At that point it needs a reboot to get back to normal speed.
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It takes a whole week for yours to become slow? There must be something wrong... your iPhone is underperforming. My iPhone 3G only takes 1 day (2 tops) to require a reboot.
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You probably have the 3Gs then.
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Nope, 3G. I expect the 4G would have even better performance... might require a reboot every hour.
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Do you run windows for a week without rebooting ?
Christian Graus
Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista.
Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
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Christian Graus wrote: Do you run windows for a week without rebooting ?
I've never had a Windows phone so I can't answer that.
Unless you meant my desktop, if so yes - I never shut down my primary desktop except when an update forces me to. At night it just goes into hibernate mode.
But again, I am really talking about a mobile OS here. And typically they are kept thin and nice so they can run for months before you have to reboot.
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Nishant Sivakumar wrote: At night it just goes into hibernate mode.
I don't even do that much; I just leave them running and turn off the monitors.
The only times I have problems are when either adobe or Java apps play up, because they almost invariably take the computer down with them (slowly and unrecoverably, like a cliff collapsing).
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Not my experience.
I rarely have issues with my iPhone or MacBook (and older PowerBook).
Maybe because I'm not the head of an empire like CP ...
Watched code never compiles.
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Maximilien wrote: I rarely have issues with my iPhone
Are you taking full advantage of its features? For example, do you have 100 apps installed and use at least 10 of them regularly (email, todo list, maps, music, shazam, clock, weather, calendar, phone, messaging, camera, photos, Safari)? I think that's why I have problems so often... it can't seem to keep up with my usage (e.g., apps are retained in memory and don't leave room for others to launch).
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Having tons of applications on the iPhone (and any other "intelligent" phone) is plain and simple stupid; there seems to be a race to see who's moron enough to have the most application and prove the iPhone (and other phones) does not work as advertised
I have maybe 12 applications that I use on a regular basis (out of maybe 30 downloaded, but not actually _on_ the phone); I do a lot of house-cleaning.
Heck, even on my personal desktop I only have has less than 20 applications installed at one time since I owned a computer; and use 3, 4 on a regular basis (excluding browsers, email clients, ... )
Watched code never compiles.
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