The Android App Thread
 

So, some of you may have heard that I got a Nexus One (no, really?). I'm quite pleased with it over all, but have been exploring the Marketplace and the whole concept of apps.

I thought perhaps we could do with a space to discuss and share and perhaps even post links.

I'm still new to the whole smart phone experience, but I have managed to find a few fun items in poking around.

The first isn't strictly for smart phones, but counts because it has an Android app: Slacker internet radio. I commute to work via bus every day, and I'm loving the fact that I can now take my customized radio stations with me. When I get to work I turn off the internet radio on the phone and turn it on on my desktop. Bam! Seamless music for the whole workday. It doesn't get any better than that.

It's free for the Americans out there. Canadians can have a free 30 day trial, and pay around $50 per year for the Pro subscription, which gets you a bunch of nifty extras, like unlimited skips and mobile caching (so I can continue to listen on the subway, for example). Given that we can't get Pandora up here, this is a thoroughly decent substitute.

Another app I've been playing with is Poynt. I actually first encountered this one via my mother's Blackberry, but it's one of the first things I grabbed when I got my own phone. It's simple and to the point -- local restaurants and movies in one convenient location.

Who else has recommendations?

MyLock is a must for anyone with a Droid who suffers through their touchscreen coming on during calls and accidentally dialing/opening apps, etc.

Robo Defense is probably the best Android game out so far, even now.

PDANet is the best tethering app out there. It lets you use your phone internet connection for a computer for free.

I'd say Angry Birds is.

I was convinced to root my phone. Best thing ever. I already had froyo but to ne able to tether for zero cost was attractive. PDAnet still costs something to get a registered copy.

I love tapatalk which I am using right now.

Add to that there are the news apps that keep me reading current events. Aldiko for reading in conjunction with calibre.

Angry birds gets lots of screen time.

I love having my phone rooted. Being able to have custom firmware (bugless beast v.0.5) is awesome.

I've got an intercept (pre-cortex low end android) so no froyo or GPU reliant toys for me but I still rooted it so I could install hebrew font support and thanks to inxane's kernel and recovery the whole phone seems a lot faster. I haven't figured out what the major difference between inxane and squeak is but they're both apparently good kernels.

Appwise I've got a lot:

Astrid for task management, syncing with Producteev
Dropbox's mobile app
GroceryIQ for grocery list management
Shopsavvy
Ebuddy for chatting
Tricorder for fun
Gstrings for guitar tuning (works on almost anything stringed)
Ratetip for quick tip calculations when I need to split it arbitrarily
Tasker for everything from an in-class mode to anything else i can think to program
Anysoft instead of the regular keyboard
and lastly GPS status in case I ever just want a compass or to check the sats


I also use titanium backup for deleting bloatware and managing backups of things but thats a Root utility.

Hmm, need to check out some more of these. I need more productivity type app's on my phone, I tend to get stuck just downloading games.

Edit: I have a Droid Incredible

Here's some game recommendations:

Abduction! World Attack
Air Control
AirAttack
Dungeon Hunter
HomerunBaseball
Nova
Winds of Steel

There's demo's for a bunch of them, and at least a fewof them aren't available through the market, I believe they're from Com2US and Gameloft and they have a separate installation platforms.

Otherwise in non game stuff what I use the most is:

Swype(when it worked before I upgraded to Froyo and broke it) =(
Movies
and mostly the basic mail and maps applications.

I recently acquired a Samsung Galaxy S (woohoo), which is now running Froyo. The apps I like most are:
- Allshare, to play movies from my PC.
- Googly Sky map, if only to impress people. :)
- Beautiful Widgets, for the pretty clock + weather widget, and the buttons for things like wifi on/off.

I'll take a look at the other apps mentioned here. :)

Thank you so much for getting me hooked on Angry Birds. :rolleyes:

My top includes Angry Birds, PDAnet and the Verizon FiOS TV remote control and DVR application.

These days I use Tapatalk a lot to browse the forum and keep up on threads while I'm away from home. I also use Pandora pretty often-this is where I pick up most of my new music.

Other than that, I have a barcode scanner I use every so often to compare prices when shopping, I play Minesweeper now and again, and I love the Wifi, bluetooth and sound widgets for managing different connectivity and sound profiles.

I just found out my phone (Motorola Backflip) is getting an upgrade to its OS, which is fantastic, because that's the only failing I find with this phone, currently.

Tapatalk doesn't make any real sense to me but then again after the horrible monster that the old blackberry curve browser was having the android one render basically a (tiny) real working website kinda seems like perfection has been achieved, so I guess I'm a bit biased...


Personally I added Google Shopper to compare to Shopsavvy. So far I think google shopper is faster but shopsavvy is a bit better overall and shows local results.

shadow, I use both to view here because there are a few features I cannot access via tapatalk like blogs.

But tapatalk is a really nice app because it just gives you a very simple yet robust interface to interact with forums.

To track your member of Congress as well as info on status and votes on bills:

Android App - Congress - SunlightFoundation.com

But probably only of interest to policy wonks.

Interesting app. I'll have to check it out.

I'd be interested in a Canadian equivalent to this, but I suspect it doesn't exist.

I'm too wimpy to root, but here are some others that I currently enjoy for free:

Alchemy - interesting game
IMDB - good for movie geeks
Pandora
Shazam/Soundhound - alternate these as each allows only 5 or so uses per month for free but will give you artist/track info by listening to a few notes of a song
Wordfeud - similar to iPhone's Scrabble-type app that you can play with friends and strangers

All available, no root, through Market. More, please!

I just got the Samsung Vibrant (Galaxy S) this week. Being new to the whole android phone craze I really have no idea how to work it. I'm taking it up to RougeGypsy this weekend so he can learn me. (makes note to ask what "rooting" is)

However, I did manage to figure out a couple of things and Slacker music player is the first thing I logged into. I have been using it for a few years now on my computer at work and love it! I much prefer it to Pandora.

Angry Birds was on the demo phone in the store, and yes it's on my phone now too. That is an awesome game!

Paper Toss - For idly passing the time while I'm on a break from work I play Paper Toss, I am hooked on that simple toss the paper into the trash can game. I would recommend it!

Just think of it as a small computer instead of as a phone that "does things" and you'll be fine.

The biggest reasons I use tapatalk is because it's simply faster to load pages, and it's also easier to navigate than scrolling through the whole forum.

My Epic 4G is the cat's meow. No regrets.

First thing I did was load up the best $15 I've ever spent:
- NESoid (NES emulator)
- SNESoid (SNES emulator)
- GENSoid (Genesis emulator)

Then a few of my favorite DOS classics:
- OpenTyrian (superb vertical shoot-em-up with an even better musical score back in the day)
- Ur-Quan Masters (port of Star Control 2 - it's still a little buggy, but it's getting there. Truly epic.)

Can't wait for the DOSBox port to be finished... I'm a sucker for abandonware.

Ditto on Tapatalk. I use its widgets to easily access several forums I monitor while on the move - a real lifesaver.

I can't stand playing SNES and NES games on my phone. Touch screens are terrible for those games.

LauncherPro Plus [website, appbrain]. The free version is alright, but pay the couple bucks to use the Plus version - it's worth it! If I seem excited about this app in the following description, that's because I am. It is one of only a few apps I've felt worth paying for in the past 6 months.

LauncherPro is based on the stock Android launcher, but extends the functionality quite a bit. For awhile, I was sticking to HTC Sense for the widgets and a few other features, but then LauncherPro Plus added similar widgets and even more features. Now, the only feature I miss from HTC Sense is scenes. If you're not using HTC Sense, there's really no reason at all not to switch to LauncherPro Plus.

There's a lot to love about LauncherPro, but I'll try to keep this relatively concise:

Customize the number of screens
With LauncherPro, you can choose to have anywhere between 1 and 7 home screens.

Fully customizable, and scrollable, dock
This is one of the best features of LauncherPro. The dock on the bottom of the screen is a great combination of simplicity and power. It has a total of 15 customizable slots. Five show at a time, and you can scroll the dock to the left or to the right. Add whatever apps you want, and free up space for more widgets!

There's more, though. Maybe you're thinking that you need to take up a slot for the app drawer and to display which screen you're on? Nope. As you scroll through screens, a bar moves across the bottom to indicate your location. As for the app drawer, each slot in the dock can be customized with an action for when you swipe upward. What I've done is set every slot to open the app drawer when I swipe up, so I don't have an app drawer icon anywhere, but if I swipe up from anywhere on the bottom of the screen it opens!

Maybe you'd prefer some other activities when you swipe up? For example, maybe you'd like swiping up on your browser icon to display your bookmarks? It can do that too, and much more!

http://www.launcherpro.com/wp-conten...screenshot.jpghttp://www.launcherpro.com/wp-conten...reenshot_1.jpghttp://www.launcherpro.com/wp-conten...reenshot_2.jpg

Hide apps in the app drawer
This is pretty simple, but a great feature nonetheless. It's less of an issue on the Nexus One - you don't have pre-installed crap from your carrier - but even so there are some apps that show up and the app drawer and just don't need to. For example, why display apps in the app drawer when they're already on your homescreen? Hide them, and make browsing the remaining apps in the app drawer that much easier!

HTC Sense-like widgets and widget resizing
This is what got me to finally switch. I liked what LauncherPro had to offer, but I just couldn't go without the HTC Sense calendar widget. Then LauncherPro Plus got widgets, and the calendar widget is even better than HTC Sense now!

Is there a widget that you think is too big or too small? LauncherPro lets you resize your widgets however you choose!

There are a lot more customization options, from icons to docks, and there is even a nice website to get some of those things: http://launcherpro.droidicon.com

Here are some more screenshots, since a picture says a thousand words...

http://androidforums.com/members/ord...-organizer.pnghttp://s1.appbrain.com/screen?id=568...9012322233&i=2http://s1.appbrain.com/screen?id=568...9012322233&i=1http://www.launcherpro.com/wp-conten...creenshot2.jpghttp://www.launcherpro.com/wp-conten...screenshot.jpghttp://www.launcherpro.com/wp-conten..._widget_11.jpghttp://www.launcherpro.com/wp-conten...s_widget_2.jpghttp://www.launcherpro.com/wp-conten...creenshot2.jpghttp://www.launcherpro.com/wp-conten...creenshot3.jpghttp://www.launcherpro.com/wp-conten...ers-300x61.jpg

Is the swipe-up a plus only feature?

Yes, sorry, should have clarified. My suggestion, of course, is to try the free version first. It's already pretty damn good that way, and you can get a good idea of how you might use it. The widgets are only available in the plus version, but I think the screenshots give a good enough idea of how they work before buying. It's worth noting, since I didn't mention it explicitly before, that the widgets are scrollable.

---------- Post added at 07:55 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:52 PM ----------

I just read that your phone is older, so you might want to wait until sometime around the end of the year. The developer of LauncherPro is rewriting it from scratch (up to now it has been based on the stock launcher) to improve speed, reduce size, and add more features.

Anyone know of an app, that will turn on and off the ringer based on time, so when I go in to work I will not accidentally forget to turn phone on to vibrate.

For that you want Locale or Tasker. Both paid apps, Locale is easier to use but Tasker is more powerful (and cheaper).

I've had an HTC Droid Incredible since earlier in the summer. I wouldn't call myself a power user and haven't rooted—don't know if I will—but here are the apps I've acquired so far and use with some frequency:

Amazon.com
ASTRO File Manager
Barcode Scanner
Dropbox
Google Chrome to Phone — I wish this went both ways, as in being able to send links viewed on my phone to a signed-in browser, but I can share links via Google Tasks.
Google Goggles
Google Sky Map
Google Tasks
Mobile Metronome
MyTracks
Seesmic — much preferred over HTC Sense's included Peep Twitter app.
Shazam
USAA Mobile — mobile check deposits FTW!
Watchdog Task Manager
Weather.com
WeatherBug — these two each have their respective advantages. Bike commuting requires some vigilance about the weather, so both weather apps get a lot of use.
White Noise — nice noise machine program; this is the only downloaded app I have paid for.

What would really be nice would be an iTunes counterpart for Android to enable purchasing/renting TV shows and movies in addition to music. Does something like this already exist and I just don't know about it?

You don't need a task manager if you're at least 2.1, the OS will automatically shutdown inactive things when it needs more memory.

Also Tasker is by far the single best app I have. I've programmed my phone to do everything from ask me if class is still on and if so or not to put itself into a "don't get me in trouble" mode to automatically toggling GPS periodically to keep my stuff updated in the background while massively improving battery life. The only way to improve it that I can think of is to basically go all out with AND-OR-NOT support.

Hmm, you've got a point there. I'm spoiled by my slide-out keyboard.

No worries - how about:

- Gem Miner: Explore a huge mine to find ores, metals and gems and make your fortune! Buy upgrades from your profits, but be careful not to get stuck down the mine, fall down chasms or be crushed by rockfalls! (free version available)

- Pocket Legends: a free-to-play 3D MMORPG a la Diablo 2/Dungeon Siege. You tap your screen to move around, kill enemies, talk to NPCs, other players, etc. You'd need a fairly recent phone to perform well with the 3D, I imagine.

by far my favorite app. very much worth the money.


Timeriffic might be something you're looking for.

---------- Post added at 02:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:31 AM ----------

Pocket Legends is fun! thanks!

Thx, Shadow. Duly noted.

Finally had some time to do some homework and check it out. Definitely cool, easy to use and yes, I will likely go for the paid version. Top quality and it actually enhances my phone.

Thanks for taking the time to write this one up! :thumbsup:

Whispersystems offers some great security apps for your phone, if you're into that. Red Phone lets you make encrypted phone calls to any other Red Phone user, and does it over straight WiFi/3G, not using your minutes. TextSecure encrypts all your incoming and outgoing text messages.

Whisper Systems

I had to make a snap decision on my phone replacement: I chose the Sony Ericsson X10 (Android) over the BlackBerry Curve. I hope I made the right decision. I figured the Android system is better for my uses (casual/geeky) over the BlackBerry (enterprise/business/productivity oriented).

Now I have to get all caught up on this whole smart phone dealio, specifically the Android. I'll have to peruse this thread for app recommendations.

I feel so 21st century now.

:) first is angry birds.

Always with the angry birds....

I've been looking into squeezing as much as possible out of battery life. The X10 has a big screen that seems to take a lot of battery power. I've done the usual settings adjustments such as dimming the screen, reducing the screen timeout, and decreasing the frequency of network updates (e.g. Facebook/Twitter).

However, I found a couple of apps that seem to be useful to get even more out of the battery:

• Advanced Task Killer
• JuiceDefender

The first one is a simple app that lists what apps are running. You check the ones you want to "kill" and press the kill button and it shuts them down. I'm still learning how Android works, but it's my understanding that the OS automatically multitasks apps when you launch them. That is to say, if you launch an app, it will in most cases reside in memory until you actively close them somehow. Advanced Task Killer is a quick and easy way to drop things out of memory to keep things fast and to save your battery power.

JuiceDefender is a bit more obscure to me. It resides in memory and actively conserves power based on usage. For example, if you aren't using your phone, it will preserve power. One way it does this is downgrading your network connection to 2G when not in use. It does other things too such as reducing CPU load while the phone is idle. The full version (under $5) gives you more control over wi-fi and data connectivity when idle. Even with the free version, I have noticed an increase in battery life. However, this is likely in conjunction with Advanced Task Killer. It's been getting good reviews, which is how I found it.

Truly the only way to get the most out of battery life is via rooting. you need to be able to throttle your CPU usage along with your task killer. There are certain tasks no matter how much you kill them and how much you don't want to use them will continue to come up by themselves.

I rooted, but I didn't do it for those purposes, I did it for the hotspot ability and not pay Verizon for the using the feature that is available on my phone.

I'm not all that concerned. I see a noticeable increase in battery performance with what I've done. I don't want to get into all the customizations associated with rooting. I'm not that keen on wrangling with the technology.

Oh, and I've been reading that Sony Ericsson has made the decision not to upgrade the X10 past the current installation of Android 2.1. They cite reasons of their UI setup making it too difficult to upgrade further. Of course, you can call bullshit and point accusingly at their shiny new Arc that might come loaded with 2.4, but whatever.

It looks like I'm stuck on 2.1. It will be fine for the most part. My only real concern is not having access to certain apps down the road. What are the implications of this? Are most apps going to be backward compatible?

Rooting Apps:
Superuser Permissions
Root Explorer
Terminal Emulator

I used these to delete the horrible and loud startup and shutdown audio files as well as to delete just about all of the crapware the phone came with.

Others I like:

RealCalc - scientific calculator
Gas Record - track fuel MPG
Audio Manager - easy way to change volume levels

With the Froyo update removing the control buttons at the top of the notification bar I've had to resort to a few stopgaps, I've also picked up another app or two since then.

I now use Appbrain instead of (or rather with) the default market, which gives me a MUCH better idea of how good an app is and much better searching. I've also replaced GPS/Bluetooth/Wifi controls with a (more accurate) Battery Monitor Widget that sits quietly on my primary screen, switched from launcherpro for several reasons to the newer and imho much faster Zeam, and lastly I've got Android Agenda (a widget) sitting on my main screen as a 4x2 widget. It's a nifty little calendar+agenda widget that ties right into just about anything directly.

Your understanding is correct but your conclusion is wrong. Apps are stored in memory, yes, but it doesn't work like a computer. You're not losing any extra juice having that memory full, it saves processor power to have things stored that way, and if necessary android will intelligently close things by itself.

You can find many dozens of explanations ranging from about as detailed as my previous sentence to flowcharts of the actual underlying processes but here's a nice middleground between all technical explanation and "bad droid".

A short highlight:

Also keep an eye on data usage when you're wirelessly tethering with something like barnacle, if you start youtubing that way on a laptop odds are your Cellco will notice the massive data use and guess what you're up to. They'll never be able to PROVE it since its all the same on their end but they've got enough regulatory capture that the contracts are basically one-sided anyway.

shadowex: Not sure why you left in the first place, but you might want to retry LauncherPro once Federico finishes the rewrite. As of Jan 10, development on Zeam has been halted while the developer focuses on real life.

---------- Post added at 12:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 PM ----------

Another great Android app is Audiogalaxy, which allows you to stream music directly from your PC. I don't even store music on my SD card anymore, because I have access to everything that is saved on my desktop computer, no matter where I am (so long as the desktop is on and connected to the internet). There are other apps that do the same thing, but Audiogalaxy is great for its simplicity.

Thanks for the info. I'm an Android newb.

---------- Post added at 01:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:25 PM ----------

This is fantastic. They have it for Mac too. I'm firing it up right now! :thumbsup:

Though it would be nice if you could stream locally via wireless connection (i.e. not waste bandwidth when you are at home). EDIT: Wait...it lists wi-fi in the description. Does this mean a wi-fi only option?

Also, there's this:
My public library recently gave all members access to the Naxos Music Library, which allows you to stream hundreds of thousands of tracks of classical and jazz music.

They have an Android app too. It's handy, as it has built-in playlists that work a lot like browsing genres, etc., in your iPod. Add in a search feature for their entire library, and bam! I now have less of a need to load classical music up on my iPod or my phone. I have the app on both devices.

A number of reasons. LP has been getting more bloated and unresponsive with each patch and on top of that there's the "HAHA GOTCHA BITCH" smug nature of only telling you which features are pay-only AFTER you try to use them combined with the recent phone hijacking mess.

Now I do try to follow Hanlon's Law wherever possible and not assume malice where stupidity would suffice but both of those TOGETHER points to a developer that is just the wrong combination of careless and entitled.

What are your favorite chat clients? I've tried Meebo, Trillian, eBuddy and not thrilled with any of them. I'm debating trying something called fring, but guess it's probably more of the same.

I want to be able to chat with friends and family and, of course, everyone uses a different service. I'm not thrilled with the idea of trying to recall a username or password from years ago or setting up a new account at each one just to do this.

Am I dreaming, not doing it right, or is there really a client that will allow me to do this from my Android?

I tried meebo but it kept losing connection and not automatically reconnecting to whatever client got dropped so now I use Ebuddy, which imho has a better interface as well. Ofc for some reason ebuddy won't play any sounds even when I tell it to... but at least it vibrates.

Also Ebuddy and Meebo both allow you to set up one main account with each of their services that auto-logs into all of the individual clients.

I got Winamp for Andriod today, it is much better than the stock player. The stock player wasn't easy to navigate, this is much better. It works perfectly with the bluetooth audio and steering wheel controls on my car as well.

I have an HTC Incredible. It looks like I am late to the thread here, but I would recommend rooting to anyone with an Android phone. Rooting is not very difficult with all of the tools out there today, e.g. unrEVOked.com, and it allows for Custom ROMs which can change your okay phone into your dream machine!

As far as apps go--it looks like all of the great ones have been posted, but I have found appbrain to be the best app/market for finding new applications.

Clockr is my favorite clock widget. It displays the time in text, e.g. nineFORTYtwo

Titanium Backup is a must for all Rooted phones.

Google Voice is great for anyone who wants to save money on texting and wants a better phone experience in general.

Trillian is the best multi chat program, imo... but I just use gtalk.

The stock Android browser is nice and has always gotten the job done for me, but I recently tried two browsers which are competing for default status on my phone:

Dolphin Mini

Miren Browser

Both browsers are attractive, relatively lightweight, and add features without sacrificing simplicity. I strongly encourage anyone to try them out and decide which one is best for you.

If you're looking for a more full-featured browser - including extensions - then you should check out Dolphin HD if you haven't already. It's a little clunky in my opinion, and the Dolphin Mini UI is more attractive to me, but it's definitely the most feature-full browser I've tried.

Opera and Firefox are both promising, but neither is ready for prime time on Android for a variety of reasons. Skyfire might be good if you're looking for a social browser with Facebook integration, otherwise there's no reason to use it over the others mentioned above.

I used to use Opera but on 2.2 the stock browser really is more or less the fastest in most situations.

Seconded - I deleted Opera yesterday, as I realised I hadn't used it since the upgrade to Froyo on my HTC Desire.

I don't know if Dolphin Mini or Miren are faster than the stock browser, but they're not any slower as far as I can tell. The main appeal, for me, is that they add features without sacrificing the agility of the stock browser. Much, MUCH easier tab management (which is almost non-existent in the stock browser), a speed dial feature for easier access to common websites without wasting homescreen real estate, better data management, private browsing mode (in the case of Dolphin Mini), and a whole bunch of other features - all while remaining lightweight and fast.

Don't get me wrong, I think the stock browser is great and I would always return to it after trying out different browsers... which is why it's a big deal for me to recommend Dolphin Mini or Miren. They're literally the only two alternative browsers I've ever considered using full time. I just haven't settled yet on which one it will be.

My problem with the stock browser on 2.2 is that the number of tabs is limited to 4.

Well I know for a fact that Dolphin Mini supports infinite tabs. I'm not sure if there is a limit to how many tabs can be used in Miren, but I if there is I haven't run into it.

-----

On the music player front, I still like Winamp the best, but Songbird recently came out with a beta of their upcoming Android app and it looks promising. Even RealPlayer's Android app is pretty nice. Neither supports last.fm scrobbling at this time, though, and that is a make-or-break feature for me.

Here's a nice and free customization icon I've just started using: Desktop VisualizeR - Android app on AppBrain

Since I've been using AppBrain instead of the Android Market, Plume instead of Twitter, and now either Miren or Dolphin Mini instead of the stock browser, I've had to look at the app-specific icons instead of the function-based icons that Android came with. No more!

Desktop VisualizeR allows you to customize the icon with your shortcut, and it even allows you to use icons from other installed applications. Now AppBrain uses the standard Market icon, Plume uses the standard Twitter icon (it is installed as well), and when I decide on Miren or Dolphin Mini I will set my choice to use the standard internet icon.

It has features beyond that which I have yet to explore. There are other popular apps with the same functions - BetterCut comes to mind - but the nice thing about Desktop VisualizeR is that it's free. If you've ever wanted a little more power to customize your homescreens, definitely check this out.

I'm pleased with the Goodreads Droid app.

It has a barcode scanner.

Yes, I'm pleased.

Looks nice, I'll have to check that out. I wish there were a LibraryThing app :(

EDIT: Oops, didn't realize it was a paid app. I don't use Goodreads so it's not worth it right now, but maybe if I start in the future.

I just started using Goodreads. I tried it out when the Visual Bookshelf app/site was temporarily down. I had visited the website several times from random Google searches about books, and I finally gave it a whorl.

I've used LibraryThing in the past. I like Goodreads very much. I don't recall liking LibraryThing as much, and I like Goodreads more than Visual Bookshelf.

Thanks for the tip. I've had a Shelfari account for years but like this better.

Downloaded Dolphin mini, I like it so far.

I have a Dinc, and rooting it was worthwhile just to remove all the stock bloatware. 19 stock apps that couldn't be removed otherwise really cuts down on the clutter. The only app I have that hasn't been mentioned here is the TeslaLed flashlight app. It is brighter than the stock flashlight which is handy for those times where you just need a flashlight for less than the minute it would take to go and find a real flashlight. I'm having a hard time getting wireless tether to work though, it would be nice to have as a backup internet access source, since I'm at the outer reaches of my apartment complexes free wifi.

I'm getting rid of dolphin. Recently it started having to reload all tabs when I go back and forth between apps. It also started reloading previously closed tabs when I start the browser. Hopefully miren will be better.

I also flashed the bionix-v rom and I love it so far

I've made some changes as well: I've given up on Zeam as I was constantly getting low memory warnings from Tasker with it and the development's gone dead.

I ditched appbrain's app because it never seemed to work anymore, wouldnt install or update anything, and the fast web installer STILL didnt work so with the new market improvements it's fairly redundant on the phone (still wins on the computer though).

I'm also growing more pissed off with ebuddy every day. Aside from the fact that it never seems to consistently vibrate OR play a sound and even when it does often plays the sound at a ridiculously low volume it's also had this horrible set of facebook chat glitches where it floods the phone with DOZENS of messages (my record was near 100 for over 12 people, nearly crashed my phone) from every single person I've spoken to in weeks and constantly randomly resends me the last few things someone said.

In terms of new apps I've got Connectbot for SSHing and two sleep related apps: Sleep Bot Tracker which records when I sleep and for how long so I can track sleep debt and sleeping patterns, and ElectricSleep which is supposed to be a movement sensing alarm clock that wakes me up when I'm in a good stage of sleep... although I can't tell you how well it works because I keep waking up like clockwork between 8 and 9 every day at only 6ish hours of sleep (or less). Maybe it's just really good... or there's something up with me since my sleep motion graph looks like a night-long earthquake with no breaks.

I've been having that issue as well and also solved it by switching to Miren.

Miren started annoying me also. The problem is that if you double tap a tab it closes it. Sometimes it doesn't respond and I tap a second time, this then causes the tab to be closed.

I just switched to dolphin HD, I'll let you know what I think after I have some time to evaluate it.

Digitally Imported Android App Pleased with this so far.

Cool thread..

For those that are new to the system but want to learn more and how to tinker with your phone, check out XDA...great source for unlocking the potential of your smart phone. Brilliant folks there.

As for browsers I'm pretty happy with stock, but I do use dolphin HD occasionally. I used Mirren for a while but found the data usage surprisingly high.

I was using winamp as my music player and although it was a significant improvement over the stock music player, there were still some annoyances. The biggest issue I had was that when I'd scroll through the albums in the library the app would freeze up every 10 albums or so. Extremely annoying. Also, if you enable the lock screen during playback, you still need to clean the stock lock screen after you clear it.

The other day I downloaded the trial of PowerAMP and I'm very impressed. I don't have the album scrolling problems I had with Winamp. The lock screen allows you to bypass teh android lock screen so that is more convenient, and even better, the lock screen has a bunch of controls on it that winamp didn't have. With Winamp you have play/pause, prev track, next track. Power amp allows you to FF or Rew, skip to next o previous folder, repeat, and shuffle. It also displays the album art much better. You can also rewind from teh start of one track back through the previous track, something I've missed since I moved from CD's to MP3's. Playback isn't gapless but the pause is very short.

For settings, there is a 10 band eq with preamp control. You can save custom eqs and have them apply exclusively to headphones, bluetooth, etc. There are tons of customization options, it is intimidating at first as was navigating but now that I've gotten used to it I like it more than winamp.

The trial lasts 2 weeks and the app is about $5. I don't usually get paid apps but I'll make an exception for this.

I liked PowerAmp when I tried it, but not enough to pay for it. I've been using Songbird since they came out with an Android app and I have been pleased with it. There are still some features I'd like to see them add, but I'll stick around and see where the development goes.