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  • Android apps - reviews and suggestions

    I know there's already an android thread, but that one focuses on rooted devices, and I don't plan to do that. So here's where we can review our favorite android apps and whatnot.

    Incidentally, if anyone has texts on an old iphone they want to have for posterity, http://www.iphone-sms.com/ did the trick. Texting has become so frequent that I'm excited to have most of the history of my relationship with the gf saved now.

    Anyway, I've found the following apps helpful (they're all free):

    Astro file manager - allows viewing and organizing of files on your phone, perhaps most useful for me in that it allows the storage and viewing of pdf files and photos in an organized way.

    dropbox - I haven't tried to add anything to my dropbox, but it's been great being able to view the files in there.

    Google Voice - a nice visual voicemail app, since the Galaxy Nexus didn't come with one. I like that it attempts to transcribe voicemails so I can get a sense of what it's about if I can't listen to it right away, but the transcripts are unreliable to say the least.

    Weatherbug - similar to the weather channel app I had on the iphone, but I like it a bit better.

    SoundHound - same as Shazam without the spam.

    Where's My Droid? - if you send a text or email to your phone containing a certain phrase, the phone ring at the loudest setting so you can find it, or upon receipt of another certain phrase, it will text you back with lat/long and nearest address.

    Llama - knows where you are and switches your phone's settings (ring volume, ring tone, etc.) depending on whether you are home or at work or time of day.

    Yelp, Flixter, Google Shopper, Facebook, Al-Jazeera, Pandora, ESPN Scorecenter - for the usual reasons.

    Colornote - a simple note program for when I want to write something down. I suppose voice memos

    Google Music - works fine as an itunes replacement, but it's annoying that it doesn't seem to be as optimized for use with the headphone button. I can stop playback, but starting it up again works only occasionally. Also, it goes back to the menu when you stop, rather than assuming you would want to keep listening to whatever you were in the middle of, which seems really dumb. Since I don't store any of my music in the cloud, I'll probably end up finding a different music player soon.

    I still need to find an audiobook solution. The 2x playback speed on iphone was really nice, and it seems that there isn't a great way to do that on android. I was really surprised by this. Akimbo seems like a decent audiobook player, although it costs 2.50 for the full version, and apparently it can do faster playback speeds if you also have a separate utility called Presto, which costs 4 bucks. I'll probably give that a try, although it seems the implementation isn't terribly slick and it only works for a couple file formats. The lack of this feature on android seems like an awfully big error, if the number of people complaining about it online is any indication. Surely Apple doesn't have a patent on this technology?

    Anyone have android apps they've found especially useful?

  • #2
    Voxer turns your phone in to a walkie-talkie.
    *Banned*

    Comment


    • #3
      Emit. Streams almost any video from your PC to your phone. I think its a pay app, but I don't remember how much (which means it couldn't be much). Also needs a server app to be installed on your PC. Like Air Video for iOS.

      Elixir - a nice widget app that lets you customize and cram a ton of widget info into a fairly small space. I've got my internal/external storage, 4g on/off, wifi on/off, gps on/off, volume/silent buttons all crammed into a slim bar.

      Stake Central. Like LDS tools, but LDS tools doesn't work as well for me as it does on the iOS devices. Stake Central is better, IMO.

      Google Shopper - scan barcodes and get local prices (and internet ones too).

      Titanium backup - requires root. Will batch backup all your apps + data.

      Alchemy - game where you combine different elements to make all sorts of stuff.
      Ain't it like most people, I'm no different. We love to talk on things we don't know about.

      "The only one of us who is so significant that Jeff owes us something simply because he decided to grace us with his presence is falafel." -- All-American

      GIVE 'EM HELL, BRIGHAM!

      Comment


      • #4
        I use stitcher to listen to podcasts on my commute in my car.
        "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

        "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

        Comment


        • #5
          Another one for those of you with new years resolutions.

          It is a Calorie Counter by Fat Secret.

          The difference between this and all the others is you can scan your packages with a bar code scanner and it will upload the nutrition information.
          *Banned*

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by falafel View Post
            Emit. Streams almost any video from your PC to your phone. I think its a pay app, but I don't remember how much (which means it couldn't be much). Also needs a server app to be installed on your PC. Like Air Video for iOS.

            Elixir - a nice widget app that lets you customize and cram a ton of widget info into a fairly small space. I've got my internal/external storage, 4g on/off, wifi on/off, gps on/off, volume/silent buttons all crammed into a slim bar.

            Stake Central. Like LDS tools, but LDS tools doesn't work as well for me as it does on the iOS devices. Stake Central is better, IMO.

            Google Shopper - scan barcodes and get local prices (and internet ones too).

            Titanium backup - requires root. Will batch backup all your apps + data.

            Alchemy - game where you combine different elements to make all sorts of stuff.
            holy crap stake central is good app.
            "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

            "And here’s what life comes down to—not how many years you live, but how many of those years are filled with bullshit that doesn’t amount to anything to satisfy the requirements of some dickhead you’ll never get the pleasure of punching in the face." – Adam Carolla

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Mormon Red Death View Post
              holy crap stake central is good app.
              Stake Central is fantastic. It pwns the Church's app. I have been using it for a year and a half now. Gets better with each update. It's pretty flawless.
              "Nobody listens to Turtle."
              -Turtle
              sigpic

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Surfah View Post
                Stake Central is fantastic. It pwns the Church's app. I have been using it for a year and a half now. Gets better with each update. It's pretty flawless.
                What is the difference between this and Ward Central. I have that and love it. Am I missing out?

                I have premium and I am not really missing out on much.
                Last edited by BigPiney; 01-10-2012, 01:16 PM.

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by BigPiney View Post
                  What is the difference between this and Ward Central. I have that and love it. Am I missing out?
                  At the risk of stating the obvious, it has stake information. Names and callings and numbers for all units in the stake.

                  Basically, ward central plus stake info.
                  Ain't it like most people, I'm no different. We love to talk on things we don't know about.

                  "The only one of us who is so significant that Jeff owes us something simply because he decided to grace us with his presence is falafel." -- All-American

                  GIVE 'EM HELL, BRIGHAM!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by falafel View Post
                    At the risk of stating the obvious, it has stake information. Names and callings and numbers for all units in the stake.

                    Basically, ward central plus stake info.
                    Thanks - I actually didn't realize that I did not have the Stake info until this discussion started.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Crackle - a Sony app that lets you watch some of their movies and tv shows for free. Has a bunch of Seinfeld episodes and a few decent movies (a long with a ton of lame ones). Free. I think its on iOS too.

                      Edit: Talladega Nights is on there right now. Not bad for FREEEEE.

                      [YOUTUBE]Bkv-UTKIZtg[/YOUTUBE]
                      Last edited by falafel; 01-10-2012, 01:55 PM.
                      Ain't it like most people, I'm no different. We love to talk on things we don't know about.

                      "The only one of us who is so significant that Jeff owes us something simply because he decided to grace us with his presence is falafel." -- All-American

                      GIVE 'EM HELL, BRIGHAM!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        I like songbird as an iTunes replacement, it's got a corresponding PC or Mac desktop app you can use to sync music.
                        SENT FROM MY SAMSUNG-GALAXY-S2
                        Last edited by ewth8tr; 01-11-2012, 10:30 AM.
                        "I don't mind giving the church 10% of my earnings, but 50% of my weekend mornings? Not as long as DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket is around." - Daniel Tosh

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          I just got a Galaxy S3. It's cool, but I have to say that there are some disappointments compared to my old iphone 3g. A lot of the reason behind that is just because I am used to the iOS and Droid is unfamiliar to me, but it is enough that I am considering paying the $35 restocking fee to switch to an iphone 4s.

                          One example of a disappointment: no visual voicemail box. If I want to find out who left a voicemail, I have to call in, type in my passcode, and listen to all of the messages like some sort of caveman. Or I can pay $3.99/month to Verizon for a visual voicemail box, which I cannot bring myself to do.

                          Are there any visual voicemail apps on the Droid that will help me want to stick with the Droid?
                          "Seriously, is there a bigger high on the whole face of the earth than eating a salad?"--SeattleUte
                          "The only Ute to cause even half the nationwide hysteria of Jimmermania was Ted Bundy."--TripletDaddy
                          This is a tough, NYC broad, a doctor who deals with bleeding organs, dying people and testicles on a regular basis without crying."--oxcoug
                          "I'm not impressed (and I'm even into choreography . . .)"--Donuthole
                          "I too was fortunate to leave with my same balls."--byu71

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Lost_Student View Post
                            I just got a Galaxy S3. It's cool, but I have to say that there are some disappointments compared to my old iphone 3g. A lot of the reason behind that is just because I am used to the iOS and Droid is unfamiliar to me, but it is enough that I am considering paying the $35 restocking fee to switch to an iphone 4s.

                            One example of a disappointment: no visual voicemail box. If I want to find out who left a voicemail, I have to call in, type in my passcode, and listen to all of the messages like some sort of caveman. Or I can pay $3.99/month to Verizon for a visual voicemail box, which I cannot bring myself to do.

                            Are there any visual voicemail apps on the Droid that will help me want to stick with the Droid?
                            You can try YouMail. I have not tried it myself. Visual voicemail isn't important to me. Mostly because the accuracy is terrible. Another option is to setup a Google Voice account which has free voice to text.
                            "Nobody listens to Turtle."
                            -Turtle
                            sigpic

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by Lost_Student View Post
                              I just got a Galaxy S3. It's cool, but I have to say that there are some disappointments compared to my old iphone 3g. A lot of the reason behind that is just because I am used to the iOS and Droid is unfamiliar to me, but it is enough that I am considering paying the $35 restocking fee to switch to an iphone 4s.

                              One example of a disappointment: no visual voicemail box. If I want to find out who left a voicemail, I have to call in, type in my passcode, and listen to all of the messages like some sort of caveman. Or I can pay $3.99/month to Verizon for a visual voicemail box, which I cannot bring myself to do.

                              Are there any visual voicemail apps on the Droid that will help me want to stick with the Droid?
                              I get visual voicemail free with T-Mobile. I also get faster 4g speeds here in Boise than my friends that have Verizon.

                              Google voice will do what you want and will also provide a text transcription of your voicemail for you.
                              Last edited by Slim; 07-14-2012, 08:45 PM. Reason: auto correct fail

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