Support NeoGAF

[ThatObviousUser]

Developed by the Open Handset Alliance, Android brings Internet-style innovation and openness to mobile phones.

Android™ delivers a complete set of software for mobile devices: an operating system, middleware and key mobile applications. The Android Software Development Kit (SDK) is now available.

Open
Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It was built to be truly open. For example, an application can call upon any of the phone's core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that was designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android is open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.

All applications are created equal
Android does not differentiate between the phone's core applications and third-party applications. They can all be built to have equal access to a phone's capabilities providing users with a broad spectrum of applications and services. With devices built on the Android Platform, users are able to fully tailor the phone to their interests. They can swap out the phone's homescreen, the style of the dialer, or any of the applications. They can even instruct their phones to use their favorite photo viewing application to handle the viewing of all photos.

Breaking down application boundaries
Android breaks down the barriers to building new and innovative applications. For example, a developer can combine information from the web with data on an individual's mobile phone -- such as the user's contacts, calendar, or geographic location -- to provide a more relevant user experience. With Android, a developer can build an application that enables users to view the location of their friends and be alerted when they are in the vicinity giving them a chance to connect.

Fast & easy application development
Android provides access to a wide range of useful libraries and tools that can be used to build rich applications. For example, Android enables developers to obtain the location of the device, and allows devices to communicate with one another enabling rich peer-to-peer social applications. In addition, Android includes a full set of tools that have been built from the ground up alongside the platform providing developers with high productivity and deep insight into their applications.

- Official Android Website​

This thread is designed as the go-to place for anything relating to Android itself: the operating system, the pastry-themed updates, rooting, and of course, the applications. Everything on the software side, essentially.

NeoGAF users have demanded and deserved this thread for much too long. When there were only one or two Android phones, it made sense to talk about OS updates and app recommendations in the thread dedicated to each. However, Android is growing up, and many people are latching onto it as it grows. The Android community on NeoGAF can no longer remained fractured.

This thread is also the culmination of my "Android Trilogy" of threads here on NeoGAF; development, hardware, and now software are all present and accounted for. However, it is not the conclusion of my effort to increase Android's appeal here - the hardware thread is (as its title suggests) yearly, and special handsets deemed "hype-worthy" will still get their own individual threads, both by me and (more often) by others. But even not taking those into account, I'm excited at how connected the Android community here on NeoGAF is now. I thank everyone for their kind words towards my other threads, and those who made other Android threads themselves. This thread really wouldn't be here without all of you. I'm serious, too.​

 

[ThatObviousUser]

• Overview
  Android is a mobile phone operating system designed by Google, and it uses a Linux kernal combined with a custom interface and virtual machine. Android itself is open source, with the code powering all Android devices today available for download and enhancement freely by anyone. Android can run on almost any hardware - phones, standalone media players, netbooks, and even set top boxes.
  
  Google creates and maintains its own set of apps separate from the Android source code. They negotiate deals with hardware makers to preinstall these applications on the devices; Gmail, Google Apps, the Android Market, and some others are not open source. This is an important distinction when it comes to the topic of rooting, which is covered below. This distinction also means that companies that don't negotiate a deal with Google, such as Archos for its Archos 5 Internet Tablets or Creative for its Zii Eggs, cannot preinstall those applications. And in fact, that remains the only "legit" way for Android users to enjoy Google's apps.
  
  To be more optimistic, Android also represents hope for a much brighter mobile ecosystem. Android will eventually trickle down to "dumphones" and pay-as-you-go phones, as well as reach the higher end (as it is starting to now.) Because all these handsets will run Android, they can all use the same apps and the development process for reaching millions (perhaps billions later on) of phones and non-phone devices is streamlined. Granted, some devices may leave features out, such as GPS or a camera, and thus apps relying on those features won't run on such devices. However, I have faith that app developers, combined with Google's steady hand, will be able to face these challenges, and deliver a future where thousands of different phones all have access to the same core apps, the same Internet, and the same promise.

• Versions
  • Year One
    
    

    

    
    "Hell yeah Google is Batman," is actually a real comment I made on Digg a little bit ago. To extend this analogy further, Android's origin story lasted a full year before it became what we know today. It actually enjoyed almost a full year of public release before any phone running it was in consumers' hands. On November 5, 2007, Google and the Open Handset Alliance (which maintains Android) officially revealed Android to the world, after weeks of "GPhone" rumors.
    
    There were three sequential main, and hugely different, versions of Android released before the big 1.0. These versions were really developer-only (only available through the emulator in the SDK) and were not open source, which happened later. The first released was called m3, which was released a couple days after Android was revealed on November 11, 2007, and is the first image above. In the first video demonstrating Android, it's hugely apparent that Android back then was really, really, bare-bones. In fact, back then it had more in common with the old BlackBerry operating systems and Windows Mobile than with the iPhone (with which comparisons are made between the two today.)
    
    The second release was m5, released early in 2008. It is the second-pictured screenshot above. This version somewhat more resembled what we had today, with the HVGA resolution being the default (as opposed to QVGA with m3.) I didn't really like this version, so I don't remember too much about it now.
    
    The final release before Android 1.0 shipped on handsets was 0.9 Beta, which is not pictured above. 0.9 Beta was nearly identical to 1.0. Instead, what is pictured above is a mystery version Google was internally developing into 0.9. It was shown during Google I/O in May 2008, along with the Pac-Man app and Google Maps' compass view mode, which drew laughs and awe from the audience, respectively.
    
    0.9 Beta was released in August 2008 as Google worked towards creating an OS that could actually keep up with the pace of a contemporary smartphone user. It is notable for removing the Bluetooth API, which was not added back in until Android 2.0. Other than that, it was remarkable to me how well Google was able to develop the APIs themselves. There were tons of changes between m3 and 0.9 to be sure, but you could very well see they had a clear vision for Android's internals from the outset.
  
  
  • Android 1.0
    
    

    

    
    Android 1.0 was released in SDK form (which is what these dates will go by) in late September 2008 and was deemed "final" and ready for shipping on actual devices by Google. When consumers bought a phone with Android 1.0, they were buying a phone that was both limited and limitless. While Android in its first final release was lacking in a few areas (like widgets, non-HVGA resolutions, Bluetooth, Exchange, software keyboard, thousands of apps), Android 1.0 was a very strong initial release. Because Google from day one was goading developers into making Android applications with the Android Developers Challenge I, hundreds of apps were available at Android's launch. Android also launched concurrently with its version of Apple's successful App Store: the Android Market, making Android the only smartphone operating system to ever launch with an application store with third party apps.
    
    Android 1.0 also delivered a great WebKit-enabled browser and a competent interface for navigating apps and making phonecalls. Android also introduced a fantastically intuitive and much lauded notification system, bringing its multitasking capabilities full-circle. Finally, Android 1.0 was open-sourced in late October under an Apache Licence, meaning companies can take it make commercial modifications. All subsequent releases have been contributed to the open source codebase.
  
  
  • Android 1.1
    Android 1.1 was released in February 2009 and was almost exactly the same as 1.0. It fixed some bugs and added the ability's to use marquees in application layouts.
  
  
  • Android 1.5 "Cupcake"
    
    

    

    
    Android 1.5 was released in April 2009 and, in my opinion, is still the biggest version-to-version upgrade for Android yet. For starters, it finally introduced the software keyboard for users, and its counterpart the input method framework for developers. Not only that, it finally opened up the Android widget system for third parties. Another hugely anticipated feature added to Android with this release was video recording.
    
    These were the three most wanted features for Android users up until this point, and after months of speculation on the release, Google finally unleashed them. This release also opened up "live folders" to third parties, as well as audio and video recording APIs.
    
    Android 1.5 also marks the first time the source code codenames were made public. These cutesy names are named after desserts and sweets (which this thread takes its title from), and correspond alphabetically to version releases. "Cupcake" and its brethren however do not necessarily translate 1:1 with numbered releases; instead, they are merely branches in the Android repository, and some features in them may or may not make it into a specific version release. With that said, there hasn't been a true schism like this occur as of yet - when someone mentions an Android release by branch codename, you can pretty much bet those features will make it into the actual version release.
    
    All Android devices today run version 1.5 or higher, even those released before it.
  
  
  • Android 1.6 "Donut"
    
    

    

    
    Android 1.6 was released in September 2009. This release was not so much aimed at improving the experience of existing Android device owners, but bringing Android up to pace so that it could reach a wider number of users. However, it did include some nice tweaks for those already running Android.
    
    "Donut" attempted to extend Android's reach by including the ability to run on three separate screen sizes (QVGA, HVGA, and WVGA; previously, Android was restricted to HVGA), the ability to use Virtual Private Networks, and support for CDMA devices. With these key inclusions, Android finally became ready to overtake the global phone market.
    
    For people who were using the GSM and HVGA devices that were already released, Android 1.6 delivered a completely renovated and more usable Android Market (now finally with app-screenshots), a universal search widget (with voice control and expandability to third parties), a better camera/camcorder interface, a battery usage indicator, and text-to-speech and gesture engines for application developers. It also came bundled with a new nifty widget for turning off key radios like GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi for one-touch power management right from the homescreen.
  
  
  • Android 2.0 "Eclair"
    
    

    

    
    Android 2.0 has been unofficially billed as the moment "Android grew up." It was released in October 2009 and had a focus on capturing the business side of the smartphone market with native Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support (including calendars), multiple GMail account support, an improved Calendar app, and a refined, very modern OS interface. All stock icons were replaced with front-facing ones and changed to a muted blue or green color scheme.
    
    Additionally, Android 2.0 introduces a "Quick Contacts" menu that pops up whenever you tap a contact's icon. This menu then lets you communicate with that contact any way you can via your installed apps. Developers can also add their apps to this menu and likewise implement the Quick Contacts menu into their own apps.
    
    The Browser app was enhanced with HTML 5 database, cache, geolocation, and «video» tag support. It also sported a refreshed interface with a bigger URL bar that included favicons, double-tap to zoom, and visual bookmarks with thumbnails. The Camera app was enhanced with digital zoom, scene mode, white balance, color effect, and macro focus options. It also supported flash.
    
    For developers, "sync adapters" were introduced that allowed an app to do two-way syncing with any backend; important, because in the future some people will own multiple devices running Android, and keeping settings sync'd is important. Sync adapters were used officially by Google to include the native Exchange and Facebook support. The Bluetooth API was finally added back in after its removal in 0.9 Beta, with the hope that Android will now get some local multiplayer games.
    
    Maybe most importantly, multitouch was finally enabled in the core Android system and opened to developers, though Google has not yet implemented it in any of its own apps due to possible patent conflicts with Apple. There is some dispute over whether the keyboard in 2.0 is multitouch; Google says that it is, but Engadget has proven that it isn't (at least on the Motorola Droid.) Third party developers however are unsurprisingly starting to take advantage of this feature in their apps.
    
    Lastly, it added one more resolution, FWVGA (854 x 480), which is simply WVGA but in 16:9 widescreen.
  
  
  • Android 2.0.1 "Eclair"
    Android 2.0.1 was then shortly released for all 2.0 devices in December 2009, and it patched a few bugs and improved performance a little. It also changed the standard lock screen. Almost all devices that ran 2.0 have now been updated to 2.0.1.
  
  
  • Android 2.1 "Eclair"
    
    

    

    
    Android 2.1 was a modest bump to Android 2.0.x that was released in January 2010 and included several improvements to the stock Android experience. The app launcher that until 2.1 was a tab at the bottom of every home screen was replaced with a square grid. When pressed, the list of apps installed would fade in and scroll vertically on a 3D-esque plane. Another improvement was that the amount of screens on the home screen was (finally) increased from three to five, the first time stock Android did not have three. To help navigate the new screens, dots similar to the iPhone and Palm WebOS home screens were added to the bottom, and long pressing these presented a small card-based overview of all the screens at once.
    
    Speaking of the home screen, Android 2.1's most eye-catching feature was live wallpapers - installable "apps" that were not only animated, but could also interact. One shot out different colored blips when you touched an empty part of the home screen; another interacted like a visualizer when the Music app was being used. Android was finally getting the eye candy it deserved.
    
    To top it all off, the default Gallery app for viewing photos and videos was completely replaced with one Google contracted Cooliris to create. It includes Picasa web albums sync, copious beautiful effects and transitions, and a couple neat tricks like keeping pictures level even when you rotate the phone (based on the accelerometer.)
    
    This marked the first time an official major-numbered Android release did not use a different branch name, it was still based on the "Eclair" branch of the Android source code.
    
    
    Android 2.1 Update 1
    
    Barely one month after Android 2.1 debuted on Google's own Nexus One phone, Google issued an update that finally, after two and a half years, enabled pinch-to-zoom inside the Browser, Google Maps, and Gallery apps. Why it was implemented at that specific time remains to be known, although the reveal of the iPad and Apple CEO Steve Jobs' explosive comments regarding Android could be seen as the wake-up slap Google needed.
    
    While the Browser and Gallery apps' versions are linked to the version of Android they run, Google's own apps are not, thus an update to Google Maps on Android 2.0 and 2.0.1 devices was issued that enabled pinch-to-zoom for their Maps apps also.​
  
  
  • Android 2.2 "Froyo"
    
    

    

    
    Android 2.2 focuses on speeding Android up and introducing some long-awaited features. As mentioned, Android 2.2 drastically increases the speed at which applications are launched and can be used, thanks to FroYo switching the virtual machine powering apps from Dalvik to Dalvik Turbo.
    
    A huge feature that also breaths life into older handsets running Android 2.2 is the ability for application developers to opt-into having their apps installable on external storage, such as SD cards. The first generation of Android phones, like the T-Mobile G1, had a criminally small amount of on-board storage space available for apps (around 75 MB), so although high-end devices coming out have fantastic storage (like the 8 GB on the Droid Incredible), this feature gives a severe boost to handsets which weren't so gifted.
    
    A key feature of Android 2.2 is the "cloud-to-device messaging" API, which allows developers to use Google's server to link web and desktop apps to Android. A demonstration of this featured a Chrome extension pushing a link to an Android phone, and having it appear there in less than a couple seconds. Cloud syncing is becoming baked-into Android with this release.
    
    Probably the most consumer-friendly feature FroYo introduces is the ability for all phones running it to act as portable hotspots for other electronics, allowing anyone with a FroYo phone and 3G connection to browse the internet on their laptop. While this feature may be removed by some unscrupulous wireless carriers, it's still a big addition to the source code.
    
    Lastly, there are several improvements to Microsoft Exchange support, bringing Android almost on-par with the Blackberry devices as far as that's concerned. The Camera and Gallery apps were also improved with a modest amount of new features, like an LED flash option and "peek into picture stacks" functionality. The launcher at the bottom of the homescreen was modified to include quick access to the Phone and Browser apps as well.
  
  
  • Android 2.5/3.0 "Gingerbread"
    
    

    

    
    The upcoming release of Android is codenamed "Gingerbread" and is rumored to be "laser-focused" on renovating Android's UI, which is consistent with the fact that a Palm WebOS UI engineer has traded camps to Android. Rumors pin this release in October and having high required specs.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

• Flavors
  • Google Experience
    
    

    

    
    Google's own version of Android, dubbed "Google Experience," is unsurprisingly mostly the same as "stock" Android from the Android Open Source Project. More unsurprisingly, it contains all of Google's great apps that you can't find in the open source version - including Google Maps and Android Market.
  
  
  • HTC Sense
    
    

    

    
    HTC Sense was the first publically revealed modification to Android by a hardware manufacturer, and set the trend to follow when it was first shown on the HTC Hero in July 2009. Having honed their OS skinning skills years earlier with TouchFlo and TouchFlo 3D on their Windows Mobile handsets, the first company that delivered Android devices to the world stepped up its game and released HTC Sense - a bold reimagining of Android into something glossy, social, and entirely customizable.
    
    HTC Sense is perhaps the most immediately striking of all modifications when compared with stock or Google Experience flavored Android; it's very glossy, very black and green, and overall very appealing.
    
    HTC bundled in more than a few very high-quality widgets for the weather, toggling off various radios (before a similar all-in-one widget was introduced in Android 1.6), stocks, visual bookmarks, visual contacts, and much more. It also includes enhanced social support, with widgets for and native integration of Twitter, Facebook, and other social networking websites. The homescreen on HTC Sense also has seven screens for widgets and icons, and several sets of these, called "scenes," can be switched depending on your environment (clocks and stock widgets for "work," visual bookmarks for "home," etc.)
    
    Most importantly, it was the first (and only, until MOTOBLUR 1.6) distribution of Android that includes Adobe Flash (Flash Lite 3.1.) It was also the first and only version of Android to have multitouch pinch-to-zoom until Google finally debuted it in an update to Android 2.1. Some say HTC Sense is the definitive version of Android and makes even phones with modest specs very desirable.
  
  
  • Archos OS
    
    

    

    
    In September 2009, Archos introduced its own version of Android for use on its Internet Tablet series. The Android running on these devices was originally based on Android 1.5, which was odd because the tablets it's running on is WVGA - Archos went ahead of Android 1.6 and hard-coded their own solution to their resolution problem. However, Archos later updated their OS and it currently runs 1.6 with official resolution support.
    
    Archos didn't stop there. They took their older OS used on previous tablet models and stitched it together with Android to deliver the media capabilities they wanted. The result was very bittersweet; Android gained vastly improved media capabilities, including the ability to play Matroska (.mkv), DivX, and Xvid videos without conversion. It can also play and output 720p video via the included HDMI port. On the other hand, it's not pure Android, as playing any of these videos takes you out of Android and into Archos' OS. It's sometimes jarring despite how similar Archos wanted the two to appear.
    
    Unfortunately, this flavor of Android is the only one on this list to be based purely on "stock" Android from the Android Open Source Project, meaning none of Google's apps are included, including the Android Market. Archos foresaw this and created their own application storefront, AppsLib, with the goal of consolodating Android apps designed for higher resolutions. Still, it is a tad disappointing considering that AppsLib has only 1000 or so apps, while the Market has well over 12,000. Archos' official explanation is that they were denied by Google because their devices lacked a compass and a camera. Hopefully in the next iteration Archos can secure Google's apps, as they are a huge selling point and Android feels empty without them.
    
    In general, Archos' Android flavor seems a bit crudely stitched together, though this is forgivable once you realize all that Archos was able to add to Android by themselves; Archos isn't exactly the largest company, certainly nowhere near the size or scope of the other manufacturers on this list. Archos has historically had issues with supporting older devices, but if they continue to iron out the unrefinements and deliver these fixes to existing users, Archos may definitely become a huge success.
  
  
  • Canvas
    
    
    Canvas is T-Mobile's own custom skinning of Android, currently exclusive to T-Mobile UK but expected to debut in other markets in 2010. It's not really an in-depth customization of Android, instead recoloring the interface to be predominately black or pink. However, it is notable for making the standard Android homescreen a 2 by 3 grid instead of a single row like the other flavors. In order to navigate this, they gave you a soft button at the bottom of the screen that displays an overhead zoomed-out view of all the screens.
  
  
  • MOTOBLUR
    
    

    

    
    MOTOBLUR is Motorola's facelift of Android, debuting with Motorola's first Android phone, the Motorola Cliq in October 2009. MOTOBLUR features a "brushed" aesthetic, counter to HTC Sense's gloss, with a huge focus on social networking integration. Several widgets are included that consolidate one's social life; all the message's of one's Facebook mails, Twitter direct messages, and emails feed into one widget, while Facebook status updates and Twitter tweets are fed into another. The homescreen on MOTOBLUR has five screens due to the increased focus on widgets.
    
    While not really a defining feature yet (Motorola seems to be waiting to see which is a bigger hit - MOTOBLUR or Android 2.0), MOTOBLUR could someday evolve into the de-facto Android flavor for social networking junkies.
  
  
  • TouchWiz
    
    
    TouchWiz is Samsung's customization of Android, borrowing its name from the popular operating system they use on their Omnia handsets. It debuted on the Samsung Behold II (the first Behold was not Android, curiously) in October 2009. TouchWiz for Android differs little from Google Experience Android, with a couple exceptions. The homescreen has a row of four key commands along the bottom (in place of where the usual "app drawer" is), while the app drawer itself is relegated to the lower left side of the screen. Lastly, a "Cube" app is included that emulates the most popular feature of the other TouchWiz OS - a cube is displayed in full 3D, with nine customizable spots for apps.
    
    Samsung showed that you don't have to go "all the way" in customizing Android, sometimes a little is just fine.
  
  
  • Timescape & Mediascape
    
    

    

    
    Timescape & Mediascape, originally called Nexus UX but retitled after Google launched the Nexus One, is the official name for Sony-Ericsson's in-depth Android customization, and it will debut on the Sony-Ericsson Xperia X10 in early 2010. It is designed for WVGA resolutions and takes every advantage of the extra pixels. It is definitely not light on the eye candy, with in-depth skinning of even the Contacts app to make it appear elegant and stylish, though it remains to be seen if this impacts usability.
    
    Timescape & Mediascape also up the ante on Android's media capabilities, reskinning (or replacing) the default Music and Gallery (now split into Pictures and Videos) apps to be something you might actually want to use. It is definitely a high-class OS that Sony-Ericsson intends to be paired with high-end hardware to create an Android-powered media bliss. Let's hope they succeed.

• Rooting
  Rooting is the process of an end-user attaining total control over their device. Similar to "super users" or "administrators" on other operating systems, root users on Android devices can do certain things normal users cannot. Specifically, you cannot run custom installations of Android if you do not have root access. There is a huge community of people working on optimizing Android to its fullest specifically for HTC devices on the XDA Forums, doing such things as allowing apps to be installed and run from the SD card, and just speeding up the Android codebase in general. As for other manufacturers, there isn't really as vibrant a community anywhere. However, that will likely change as time goes on.
  
  I'm sorry I can't provide in-depth rooting instructions here, but the process is ever-so-slightly different for every device. Not only that, it's just not a scene I follow. If a rooting expert could maybe fill this section out more, just post so.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

• Comics
  • No Apps Recommended

• Communication
  • AndChat by Al. R.
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    AndChat is a free multiserver IRC app for Android.
  
  
  • chompSMS by chomp SMS
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    SMS heaps? Then chompSMS is for you: It's got a great user interface, chat style SMS bubbles, lots of customizations & heaps more great features! It's a free app and SMS are sent normally via your carrier tariff; or there's the *option* if you pay high SMS rates (e.g overseas) to send them cheaper via the chompSMS network.
  
  
  • ConnectBot by Kenny Root and Jeffrey Sharkey
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    ConnectBot is a powerful open-source Secure Shell (SSH) client. It can manage simultaneous SSH sessions, create secure tunnels, and copy/paste between other applications. This client allows you to connect to Secure Shell servers that typically run on UNIX-based servers.
  
  
  • Transdroid by Eric Kok
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    A remote torrent client manager for µTorrent, Transmission, rTorrent, Vuze, Deluge or BitTorrent 6. You can show and manage torrents, add them via URL or integrated torrent search. A home screen widget is included.
  
  
  • twidroid for twitter by Zimmermann & Marban
    Free
    + 2 / - 0
    Twidroid is the leading full-featured Twitter client for Android.

• Demo
  • No Apps Recommended

• Entertainment
  • GeoBeagle (beta) by Stephen Ng and the GeoBeagle community
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Get out and cache! Geocaching is the game of finding objects ("geocaches") craftily hidden in the real world under bushes, behind signs, etc. With more than 800,000 geocaches worldwide, there are probably some near you right now! Email any questions....
  
  
  • Movie Finder by ikamobile Limited
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Going to see a movie? Use ikamobile Movie Finder to quickly find showtimes and movies. Watch high-quality trailers and find theatres/cinemas near your location.
  
  
  • Movies by Flixster Inc.
    Free
    + 3 / - 0
    Movies by Flixster, the #1 movie app for iPhone & Facebook is now on Android! Get showtimes for the top box office movies, view local theaters, browse 65,000 DVDs, watch 15,000 trailers, and read reviews from Rotten Tomatoes.

• Finance
  • Finance by Google Inc.
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Finance for Android brings you streaming real-time quotes in this stock quote and portfolio application. It synchronizes with your Google Finance portfolios, allows quick access to charts and lets you view the latest market and company news.
  
  
  • Tap Money Tracker by Josh Chang
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    This is a powerful and easy to use application for money track.

• Health
  • CardioTrainer by WorkSmart Labs Inc.
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    CardioTrainer is your training partner for running, cycling, hiking, and other cardio fitness activities.

• Lifestyle
  • Ecorio - Travel Green by Ecorio, Inc.
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Go green with your Android phone! Ecorio turns your cellphone into a tool to take action on global warming. Track and reduce your carbon footprint, and share ideas to inspire others from around the world.
  
  
  • My Tracks by My Tracks Team at Google
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    My Tracks records your GPS tracks and shows live statistics such as time, speed, distance, and elevation – while hiking, cycling, running or participating in other outdoor activities. Once recorded, you can share your tracks, upload them to Google Spreadsheets and visualize them on Google My Maps. Share using Twidroid too.
  
  
  • OpenTable by OpenTable, Inc.
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Find the 100 closest OpenTable restaurants in the US, Canada, UK/Ireland, Mexico and check availability. Plan ahead and book reservations in another city. Refine: filter results by cuisine, price, availability. View restaurant menus (press menu!) - where available. View fresh reviews from recent OpenTable diners.
  
  
  • Ultimate Stopwatch & Timer by mippin.com
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Graphical Stopwatch and Countdown timer. Can run in background and you can save lap times to compare later.

• Multimedia
  • Listen by Google Inc.
    Free
    + 4 / - 0
    Listen from Google Labs brings podcast search, subscribe, download and stream to your Android-powered device. Subscribe to programs and searches to create a personalized audio-magazine loaded with fresh shows and news stories whenever you listen. This release searches thousands of popular English-only audio sources.
  
  
  • Mediafly Video+Audio Podcasts by Mediafly, Inc.
    $0.99 / 0.67€ / £0.60 / ¥91.02
    + 1 / - 0
    Mediafly Mobile is your way to organize and discover podcasts, audio, video, radio & streams from your Android phone. Includes full offline support: download or stream, intelligent search, personalize channels on device or at Mediafly.com for free, popular channels list to get started, and sync with other devices (e.g. iPod.)
  
  
  • MixZing Music Player by MixZing
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    MixZing is simply the most advanced music player around! Includes: Mood Player: play a song and MixZing plays more like it; home-screen widgets with album art; automatically download missing album art; get recommendations for new music; get artist info, videos, photos; genre and video browsing; and specify music folders.
  
  
  • Photoshop.com Mobile by Adobe Systems
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Transform photos with essential edits like crop, rotate and flip. Drag your finger across photos to adjust saturation and tint. Auto–upload and share your photos with a free Photoshop.com account. From Adobe, the makers of Photoshop.
  
  
  • Qik - Share the Experience! by Qik, Inc.
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Qik lets you share the experience with your friends, family and the world – LIVE from your mobile phone. Show your baby's first steps to loved ones. Share your travels from wherever you are. Keep your friends in the know by sharing your Qik videos to your favorite social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
  
  
  • Ringdroid by Ringdroid Team
    Free
    + 2 / - 0
    Create your own ringtone by editing a music track in your library, or record a new one directly from the phone. Now includes support for non-protected AAC/M4A (iTunes) files and other user interface improvements and bug fixes.
  
  
  • Shazam by Shazam Entertainment Ltd.
    Free
    + 3 / - 0
    Create music moments. With Shazam you can identify music tracks, store them, and buy them; plus you can learn more about the artist and connect to their MySpace page. Start your music journey now. Use is subject to T&Cs at shazam.com/android.
  
  
  • Slacker Radio by Slacker Inc.
    Free
    + 3 / - 0
    Listen to free personalized radio on your mobile phone. With millions of songs from thousands of artists, Slacker Radio is the best way to discover new artists and hear your favorite songs. Listen for free to over 100 expert-programmed radio stations from every genre or create your own custom stations.
  
  
  • TuneWiki by TuneWiki
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    TuneWiki is the winner of 3 international prizes. Its patented technology allows you to listen to music while watching subtitled lyrics, translated to 40+ languages. Features include Music Maps, Top 50 Charts, Shoutcast, Last.fm, and music videos.
  
  
  • Ustream Broadcaster by Ustream.tv, Inc.
    Free
    + 2 / - 0
    The Ustream Broadcaster allows users to stream live mobile video to Ustream from the Android via 3G or WiFi and record in high-quality videos and upload to Ustream later.

• News & Weather
  • Express News by Handmark
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Express News offers the best news on the mobile web without the hassle of a browser. Open Express News and you have instant access to over 300 news channels, from providers such as Associated Press, Canadian Press, Press Association, STATS, and AFP.
  
  
  • NewsRob (Google Reader / RSS) by Mariano Kamp
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    NewsRob is a RSS/Atom reader that auto syncs with Google Reader. It can be set to sync the most recent 50-1000 articles. You need a GR account to use it. Includes two-way background sync, ability to download full & partial feeds for offline use, star, Share, Send articles, and Locale Integration.
  
  
  • The Weather Channel by The Weather Channel
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Industry leader in weather forecasting & technology for the globe. Use GPS to find your local Wx fcst, current conditions, US severe Wx alerts. Unique TruPoint(sm) maps, cameras & Wx widgets.
  
  
  • USA TODAY by USA TODAY
    Free
    + 2 / - 0
    The latest news stories, scores, weather and photos you've come to expect from USA TODAY are now available for your Android device. Staying informed on the go has never been this quick, easy, or enjoyable.

• Productivity
  • Astrid Task/Todo List by we <3 astrid
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Astrid is the highly-acclaimed open-source task list that is simple enough to not get in your way, powerful enough to help you get stuff done! Tags, reminders, RememberTheMilk sync, Locale plug-in & more!
  
  
  • Advanced Task Killer by ReChild
    $4.99 / 3.35€ / £3.05 / ¥458.75
    + 1 / - 0
    This tool is also known as ATK. It is a tool to kill applications running.

• Reference
  • ColorDict Dictionary Universal by Social & Mobile, Inc.
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Fast search offline & online dictionaries at once, includes words suggestion, StarDict compatible dictionary, ability to download free dictionary on the market & the internet, English, thesaurus, bible, etc. Best free dictionary on the market.
  
  
  • Google Sky Map by Google Inc.
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Google Sky Map: A star map for Android. Google Sky Map turns your Android-powered mobile phone into a window on the night sky.
  
  
  • Note Me by Paramvir Bali
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Multi Tags per note; Mail,SMS,share with other apps; Multiselect opratns(mail,sms,export)on notes; Search; Reminders; Shortcuts; Themes; Import/Export notes; Touch screen UI ctrls; Customize UI; Sendto Calendar; Config font size

• Shopping
  • Barcode Scanner by ZXing Team
    Free
    + 2 / - 0
    Scan barcodes on CDs, books, and other products, then look up prices and reviews, or search for a word in a book and find where it occurs. You can also scan QR Codes containing URLs, contact info, calendar events, and more.
  
  
  • ShopSavvy by Big in Japan, Inc.
    Free
    + 4 / - 0
    Barcode scanner for savvy shoppers. ShopSavvy uses the camera to scan the barcode of products to find the best prices on the internet and at nearby, local stores.

• Social
  • Bump by Bump Technologies, Inc
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Bump™ makes swapping contact information and photos as simple as bumping two phones together. No typing, no searching a list for the right person, no mistakes.
  
  
  • DroidTracker by Olivier Bonal
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Share your location using SMS, Mail & Twitter. Even your grandma who has no computer/smartphone but an SMS phone can know where you are! Contacts send a request SMS to your phone and receive your location back (once or periodically). Lost/Stolen mode & more. Take pics & send to Picasa
  
  
  • Facebook for Android by Facebook
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Facebook for Android makes it easy to stay connected and share information with friends. You can share status updates from your home screen, check out your news feed, look at your friends’ walls and user info, upload photos and share links.
  
  
  • FBook by BryBam
    $1.30 / 0.87€ / £0.79 / ¥119.51
    + 1 / - 0
    FBook is back! Very simple app that brings you fast and easy access to your: News Feed (comment/like), inbox (sent/receive), view your friends list/profiles, view/accept friend requests, view and RSVP to events, Search, and view notifications.
  
  
  • Foursquare by Joe LaPenna
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Foursquare helps you find new ways to explore your city. See where your friends are, learn about the places they frequent and unlock rewards as you travel through the city.
  
  
  • Pixelpipe Post & Upload Pro by Pixelpipe
    $0.99 / 0.67€ / £0.60 / ¥91.02
    + 1 / - 0
    Upload Photos, Video, Audio and post to Blog & Status services directly from your Android with Pixelpipe and get your content out to your favorite social network, blog and photo/video sites. Over 95 supported services: Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, Blogger, Twitter, Photobucket, Evernote, drop.io, blip.tv, hi5, Ovi, Pixel Pipe.

• Software Libraries
  • No Apps Recommended

• Sports
  • Scoreboard by Google Inc.
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Access daily sports scores, schedules, standings and news for Auto Racing, Baseball, Basketball, Cricket, Football, Golf, Hockey, Rugby and Soccer. Get live in-game notifications for your favorite teams.

• Themes
  • No Apps Recommended

• Tools
  • Advanced Task Manager by Arron La
    $0.99 / 0.67€ / £0.60 / ¥91.02
    + 1 / - 0
    End applications, speed up phone, and save battery! Includes Auto-End Service; Terminate and switch to apps and processes; Shows Memory info; Bulk select and exclusion; Widget form for one-click end all; and Quick Uninstall.
  
  
  • Any Cut by Jeff Hamilton
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Any Cut allows you to create Home shortcuts to anything! Popular shortcuts like directly calling a phone number or sending an SMS are supported. To use, just long-press an open area in Home & in the menu select Any Cut under the Shortcuts heading.
  
  
  • FBReader by Geometer Plus
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    An ebook reader. Supports epub, oeb and fb2(.zip) file formats. Visit http://feedbooks.mobi for a large set of e-books. Click an "epub book" link, select FBReader and read the book! Or put a file manually into Books directory on your device.
  
  
  • Handcent SMS by handcent_admin
    Free
    + 3 / - 0
    Handcent sms is a free sms tools for android,it full unleash the power of your phone: Full support SMS & MMS ,great customize options, different style (iPhone, Handcent, Android) and power function (search content by keyword, SMS popup, speak SMS and T9.)
  
  
  • Locale by two fourty for a.m. LLC
    Free
    + 2 / - 0
    Locale dynamically manages your phone settings based on conditions, such as Location and Time. Never worry about your ringer going off in the wrong place or at the wrong time again. You can set it and forget it!
  
  
  • Metal Detector by Kurt Radwanski
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Turns your cell phone into a metal detector, and makes people with iPhones jealous.
  
  
  • NetCounter by Cyril Jaquier
    Free
    + 2 / - 0
    NetCounter is a simple network traffic counter for EDGE/3G and Wi-Fi. It shows your data usage. Data are persistent and you can set the counters (monthly, last 7 days, today, etc) you need.
  
  
  • SMS Popup by Adam K
    Free
    + 2 / - 1
    An app that allows in depth customization of SMS/MMS notifications including a popup dialog that shows when a message is received.
  
  
  • Spare Parts by Android Apps
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Spare Parts allows you to enable some of the settings that are not found in the default setting menu. I ripped this out from the android source repository, if you like it, support my other apps. I am not responsible for what it does or does not do.
  
  
  • TaskPanel by sychee
    Free
    + 2 / - 0
    TaskPanel is an idiot-proof Task Manager that let you kill/switch between tasks. It can be registered as an Ongoing Task for instant access or setup to kill tasks in the Wanted List.
  
  
  • Timeriffic by Alfray
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Time: Finite...and now well managed. Control mute, vibrate, brightness, wifi and airplane on/off custom to your schedule. Create your own profiles, by time and day. Simple. Easy. Timeriffic. Example: unmute volume @ 7am on way to class. vibrate @ 8am, then full volume @ 9am.
  
  
  • Unit Converter by AmmiSoftware
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Unit Converter is handy little app comes to the rescue to help you convert one unit of measurement to another.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

• Travel
  • BreadCrumbz by BreadCrumbz Ltd.
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Because a picture is worth 1,000 nav directions. With BreadCrumbz, you can navigate using pictures and a map. Picture routes can take you off-road or inside buildings. Create your own picture routes and share them with your friends and the world.
  
  
  • GPS Status by EclipSim
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Display your GPS and sensor data: position and signal strength of satellites. Check your position, GPS accuracy, speed, acceleration and bearing. Includes a compass showing both magnetic and true north. Use it as a leveling tool or share your location with friends. Mark your location and navigate back later.
  
  
  • Where by where
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Restaurant reviews, movies, local news, gas prices, weather, friends... WHERE has it all. WHERE is great travel companion and the most complete local search utility. WHERE helps you discover places and things and connect with people around you. Visit us at where.com! Check out Voice search widget.
  
  
  • Wikitude World Browser by Mobilizy
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Wikitude World Browser presents the user with data about his/her surroundings, nearby landmarks, and other points of interest by overlaying information on the real-time (augmented reality) camera view of a smart-phone.

• Widgets
  • Battery Widget by mippin.com
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Graphical Battery Widget showing the exact battery level in 1x1 space.
  
  
  • Fotki Mobile by Mobile Dynamix
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Fotki Mobile brings convenience of browsing and uploading photos to your Android powered phone.
  
  
  • Twidgit Lite (Twitter Widget) by Disretrospect
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    A Twitter homescreen widget that keeps you up to date where ever you are. View tweets, reply, favourite, retweet, dm, set your status and upload pics, share web pages and youtube videos!

• Non-Android Market
  • PdaNet by June Fabrics Technology Inc.
    Free / Trial
    + 3 / - 0
    This famous PdaNet program allows your computer to go online through the Internet connection on your Android phone. Currently supports USB Tether and Bluetooth DUN. PdaNet does not require root access on Android OS.

• Arcade & Action
  • Bazooka Rabbit by Andrea Paiano & Karles Sanz
    Free (Demo) / &#8364;1.00 / $1.49 / £0.91 / ¥136.82
    + 1 / - 0
    Bazooka Rabbit is a fantastic adventure. The challenge is to reach the final surprise. You have to shoot balls trying to link together more than 3 balls with the same color in order to make them explode.
  
  
  • Hyperspace LITE by Psychotron
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    A fast action 3D tilt-control ball-and-platform game which shows off Android's capabilities. Nearly 6 months in the making. Demo, 5 levels.
  
  
  • Radiant Lite by Hexage.net
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Take your stand against the alien horde in a pure arcade/action space shooter. Cut through hundreds of creeps to face giant monsters in unique bossfights. Collect special weapons and power-ups, upgrade your ship and save your homeworld!
  
  
  • Robo Defense Free by Lupis Labs Software
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Robo Defense is the ultimate portable tower defense experience. Featuring open maps, upgradeable towers, stat upgrades, achievements, and nice graphics. The free version features 1 map with 11 difficulty levels.
  
  
  • Space War &#26143;&#38555;&#20043;&#25136; by Lim Thye Chean
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Space War is the space arcade game for Android! Fly through the space and destroy waves of attacking aliens! Be prepared for the final battle! Developed by Virtual GS team Lim Thye Chean and Lim Ding Wen with soundtracks from the Apple IIGS legend FTA!
  
  
  • Speed Forge 3D by Awesome software S.A
    Free (Demo) / &#8364;1.99 / $2.96 / £1.81 / ¥272.27
    + 1 / - 0
    Important game features: Full 3D graphics, realistic physic simulation, 6 very different tracks, 3 vehicles (each with different physical properties), weaponry: mines and homing rockets, and 3 difficulty levels.

• Brain & Puzzle
  • Coloroid by Benjamin Lewis
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    A puzzle game where your goal is to fill the board with a single color. Start in the top-left and work your way through the board.
  
  
  • Jewels by MHGames
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Jewels is a simple, yet quite polished puzzle game, more specifically a Bejeweled -clone. Anyway, the game is still quite fun to play. Try it if you like match-3 type of puzzle games!
  
  
  • Mystique. Chapter 1: Foetus by bendroid
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Check out the first chapter of the epic horror story!
  
  
  • Scrambled Net by Moonblink
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    You are given a computer network with the connections all scrambled; rotate the tiles to connect all the terminals to the server. See if you can make your way through the 5 difficulty levels. This is a port of the KDE game "knetwalk".
  
  
  • Torect by CPedia Mobile
    $0.99 / 0.67&#8364; / £0.60 / ¥91.02
    + 1 / - 0
    1000 LEVELS! The game is inspired by Phit and Tetris,the rules of it are quite simple: just slide the blocks to form a rectangle. The number on the upper right corner tells you how many bricks altogether. The game time has no limits,and the game saves automatically.

• Cards & Casino
  • Solitaire by MEDIAFILL LLC
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Free to the first 10,000 users! Full featured solitaire (Klondike) card game. Solitaire, Spider & Freecell, Vegas style, draw one, draw three. Fully featured Solitaire card game! Based on the opensource "solitaire for android" project by Ken Magic. A great playing cards game!

• Casual
  • Abduction! by Phil Symonds
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Your friends have been abducted by aliens! Follow the ufo into space, picking up power-ups as you go, but watch you don't fall... If you like this, you might like to buy the full game, Abduction! World Attack, available on the Android Market now. This update adds 7 new levels, and inserts experimental ads on the main menu.
  
  
  • Bonsai Blast by Glu Mobile
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Experience the Zen of pure gaming bliss! In Bonsai Blast, shoot to match colored balls in groups of 3 or more. The action gets increasingly more intense as you play. This is one game you won&#8217;t be able to put down!
  
  
  • Buka Lite by Hexage.net
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    BUKA makes stars go boom! BUKA is a little planet set on a quest to find The Happy Place. Protect her with powerful explosions and shockwaves you can create with a single touch.
  
  
  • Gem Miner by Phil Symonds
    Free
    + 1 / - 0
    Dig a mine to find ores, metals and gems and make your fortune! Buy upgrades from your profits and dig even deeper, whilst being careful not to get stuck down the mine, fall down chasms or be crushed by rockfalls!

 

[ThatObviousUser]

• Where can I view the Android Market online?
  You have three options: AndroLib, AppBain, or DoubleTwist. AndroLib, while cluttered, is currently the de-facto source of stats on the Android Market. AppBrain is probably the most useful of the three for recommendations, and DoubleTwist (both the desktop software and online search engine) give the Market a very nice and usable interface.

• Wait, Android apps can't be installed or run from the SD card (officially)? Doesn't that, like, cripple Android phones?
  No they can't, yet - Android 2.1 and below do not include this feature. However, we do know it's definitely coming, it's just a matter of patience. Some expect it in Android 2.2 or whatever Froyo ends up being.
  
  As for this annoyance "crippling" Android phones, don't be silly. The biggest apps you'll see on the Android Market are around four megabytes, and most are much less than that at usually a couple hundred kilobytes. Games and other apps that require a lot of storage space already download their assets to the SD card, leaving only a couple megabytes at most on the device itself. When this would begin to be a problem, Google's fix should be already released. Don't sweat it anymore.

• Where can I find a nice case for my Android phone?
  This isn't really the place for that... If you have such inqueries, please see the thread for your specific device. If there isn't one, then you're probably on your own.

• When will X software update come to my phone?
  I don't know. Well, I probably do know, but it would probably be better to ask others who have your device - I've found these people to be most observant when it comes to the technical aspects of the phone they own. Go figure, huh?

• How do I recommend or un-recommend an app or game? What's the format?
  Here's the format:
  

  [b]Name of App[/b]
  App or Widget or Game?
  Price
  Plus or Minus / For or Against / Yay or Nay
  Optional short review of app.

  That's all I really need for the OP. If others are interested in your more in-depth thoughts, please feel free to post them. Also, be careful and thorough when suggesting or un-suggesting an app or game.

• What if I already recommended an app or game in Ludi's cool and fresh Android Market thread?
  All apps and games recommended in post 82 and below were factored into this OP. Meaning, for the love of everything named *droid, please don't re-recommend an app or game in this thread if you've already done so there. It will be very tiring to always check recommendations against what's been posted by you in that thread. However, if you feel I missed something, or mis-attributed a recommendation, please feel free to point it out.

• What's gonna happen to Ludi's thread anyways?
  I don't know. It could be more people use his thread for app recommendations and reviews. If that's the case, then I still think this thread will be very useful for tracking OS updates. I apologize to Ludi if it seems I'm steamrolling your thread, but please understand, this thread has been "in the works" since the Summer (well, the thought of it anyways.) I do appreciate that thread though, it was valuable in "beefing up" the recommendations in this OP.

• There's way too many Android threads! I can't keep track! (and/or I'm an iPhone fanboy)
  Well, this is the current setup, the only thing left to do is get used to it, I suppose. I think Android is too big for one or two threads - three is the bare minimum. And beyond that, I do think it is sometimes necessary to post a new thread for a particularly exciting new handset so that it gets exposure on NeoGAF. It may seem unfair at times when some mobile platforms are constrained to one or two threads at most, but hey, this is Android. This is the way Android is supposed to work.
  
  As for keeping track of things, if you're an Android newbie or looking to get into Android, there's just two threads for you to juggle: this one and the hardware one. If you're an Android newbie and your shiny new phone has its own dedicated thread, then obviously that's included too. So we're talking two or three threads max. Not really a big deal.
  
  Beyond that, I think constraining Android to one thread would do it injustice, and as Android grows, there's no way you'd be able to sift through info that's most pertinent to you. Categorically division is always best, in my opinion. So, I apologize if you feel you're being overload; this is a particularly exciting time for Android and so there's a lot of threads for it being made. But I intend on focusing on just my three threads, my "trilogy" as you can see below. The occasional device may get its own thread, too. But, I think this completes things nicely and brings my work full circle.

• How do I shot root?
  Rooting is a different process for each specific phone; even two phones from two different countries who have the same model in name could have an entirely different rooting process. Best to be safe and make an inquery in this thread before going ahead with anything. Hopefully, this thread will have attracted some root experts by then.

• Don't you think thread took too long?
  Yes, a thousand times yes. This thread from the start was selfishly motivated, as I thought I'd make it whenever I got my own Android phone. But as time went on and that dream kept slipping away, I ran out of excuses. So, I apologize this much-needed thread wasn't here earlier.

• Official Websites
  • Official Android Site
    The official website for Android.
  
  
  • Official Android Development Site
    The official website for downloading the Android SDK and related tools, along with a great blog with posts from the Android development team, and other assorted goodies.
  
  
  • Official Android Market Site
    The official site of the Android Market, which for some reason doesn't list all the apps available, but instead merely highlights what Google deems as the top ones. You can also publish your apps here or buy a developers phone if you're a developer.
  
  
  • Official Android Open Source Project Site
    The official website for contributing to Android's source code. Anybody, from individuals to corporations can do so. Google regularly drops huge loads of code at once after they've developed it internally, meaning they're still the primary developers behind Android, but anyone can still participate. For instance, Apps2SD is now being added to the source by people outside of Google.

• Notable Fansites or Blogs
  • AndroidGuys
    AndroidGuys is definitely the highest-quality website dedicated to Android on the web currently. Sporting up-to-date news, great exclusive news, and fantastic editorials, AndroidGuys has cemented itself on the Android scene for quite a while to come.
  
  
  • Phandroid
    Phandroid prides itself on being "the first Android fansite in existence," created way back in November 2007 when Android was first shown. It gets some pretty good exclusives on a timely basis, and while the content isn't the most professional, it's usually worth reading.
  
  
  • Android Forums
    A large forum for discussing Android, and a sister site to Phandroid.
  
  
  • DroidDog
    DroidDog is a PhoneDog spinoff blog focused on, well, Android. For now it seems to be rehashing articles on other websites, but it has gotten a couple good exclusive stories, and the regularly-excellent PhoneDog videos definitely make it worth following.

• App Review Websites
  • Android Tapp
    AndroidTapp is really the only website dedicated to Android applications and games right now, but even still the website layout is great, and while I find the reviews a little short, at least it has the reviews.
  
  
  • Gizmodo's "This Month in Android Apps"
    Gizmodo dedicates one post a month to highlighting the best Android apps, and they usually pick out some good finds, too.

• NeoGAF Android Trilogy:

• Android Development Thread - Open Development Ftw
  The official thread of programming apps and games for Android using Java and the free, open-source Android SDK.

• Android Hardware Thread - 2010 Edition - 2009 Edition
  The single, all-encompassing thread for Android hardware announcements and speculation, for all devices and all carriers.

• Android Software Thread - Tasty Desserts, Tastier Apps
  Apps, updates, rooting and more are covered and discussed in-depth in this thread for the Android operating system.

• Individual Device Threads

• Meet The T-Mobile G1 (Reviews are in!)
  The official thread for the unveiling and subsequent launch of the T-Mobile G1/HTC Dream, the first handset ever released to run Android.

• Meet the HTC Magic (Reviews are in!)
  The official thread of the second released Android handset, the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G/HTC Magic, which is the first such to have no hard keyboard.

• Meet the HTC Hero
  The official thread for the unveiling of HTC's third Android device, the HTC Hero which debuts HTC's custom Android interface, "Sense" - including multitouch, Adobe Flash, and a slick customized user interface.

• Meet the Motorola Cliq
  The official thread of the first US Android device not made by HTC, the Motorola Cliq, which includes the company's custom Android interface, "Motoblur" - streaming all your social networking lives into a single device.

• Meet the Motorola Droid
  The official thread of the first Android device to include Android 2.0, free Google Maps Navigation, and a gorgeous WVGA screen, the Motorola Droid.

• Sony Ericsson’s XPERIA X10
  The official thread for Sony-Ericsson's stunning first Android device, the XPERIA X10, which includes a sleek profile, ridiculously high-end specs, and their custom interface "Timescape & Mediascape" - transforming Android into an elegant work of art as only Sony-Ericsson can do.

• Meet the Google Nexus One
  The official thread for the real, actual, in-the-flesh Google Phone: the Nexus One, boasting an AMOLED WVGA screen, a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, and the beautiful Android 2.1. Sold by Google itself, with no other branding, this handset can be bought either unlocked or with contract from a US GSM provider.

• Meet the Droid Incredible
  Self-described by HTC and Google as the Nexus One's cousin, this powerful Verizon-exclusive touch-screen Droid counterpart actually exceeds Google's own phone certain specs.

• Other Threads:

• The cool and fresh Android Market Thread
  Ludi's Android Market-focused thread for app recommendations.

 

[Skittleguy]

You're a saint.

 

[stressboy]

My Droid and I both thank you.

 

[jenov4]

Kick ass thread. Will be here when I get a droid. Thanks OP!

 

[Totakeke]

Holy crap.

Are you going to include in development stuffs and things for rooted phones like Droid Explorer here?

 

[SSGMUN10000]

Awesome thread Andrex. I have had the Hero for 2 weeks now and love it. Sense UI is really gorgeous(cant believe I said that) that for me its the phone to get for all android phones.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Thanks all!

Holy crap.

Are you going to include in development stuffs and things for rooted phones like Droid Explorer here?

Maybe. The rooting area is the weakest part of the OP and I do hope to expand on it later on.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

This is a thread I will visit frequently.

 

[SSGMUN10000]

Is there an app that can take a screenshot of your phone desktop?

 

[Totakeke]

Is there an app that can take a screenshot of your phone desktop?

Someone try this out and see whether it works on Eclair. Android Screencast

 

[SimleuqiR]

Holy shit! My eyes! They are melting due to the awesomeness of the OP!!

UX "Rachael"

"UX" is the official name for Sony-Ericsson's in-depth Android customization, though internally (and eventually, probably publically) it is known as "Rachael," and it will debut on the Sony-Ericsson Xperia X10 in December 2009. UX is designed for WVGA resolutions and takes every advantage of the extra pixels. UX is definitely not light on the eye candy, with in-depth skinning of even the Contacts app to make it appear elegant and stylish, though it remains to be seen if this impacts usability.

You will be mine! Someday!

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Someone try this out and see whether it works on Eclair. Android Screencast

Isn't that a desktop control app?

For taking screenshots, you either need a rooted device or the Android SDK. Further instructions are available if you have either, it's not terribly complicated.

In fact, I should put this into the FAQ. I was meaning to but forgot...

 

[Totakeke]

Isn't that a desktop control app?

For taking screenshots, you either need a rooted device or the Android SDK. Further instructions are available if you have either, it's not terribly complicated.

In fact, I should put this into the FAQ. I was meaning to but forgot...

Yeah it is, but you can easily take screenshots with that. It doesn't say whether you need a rooted device so I'm not sure. But it seems to me it's much easier to use than the other method using the SDK itself, which is this. Taken from the Droid thread http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/07/2...ots-of-your-android-based-phone-from-windows/.

Edit: Actually, I guess they're not that different after all.

 

[ZeoVGM]

Good lord, this thread rules.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Yeah it is, but you can easily take screenshots with that. It doesn't say whether you need a rooted device so I'm not sure. But it seems to me it's much easier to use than the other method using the SDK itself, which is this. Taken from the Droid thread http://www.simplehelp.net/2009/07/2...ots-of-your-android-based-phone-from-windows/.

Edit: Actually, I guess they're not that different after all.

Hrm I'll have to look into that when I get my Droid.

Spoiler

Whenever that's gonna happen...

 

[Voltron64]

Nice thread! Bookmarked.

 

[DrForester]

So late. Will read this tomorrow.

Any good video playing apps yet?

 

[Pctx]

Andrex,
Quality thread as usual. Keep up the work and let us know if we can help you with anything.

 

[jersoc]

I'd like to recommend Where.

The app is bad ass. You basically tell it your zip code or have it to always use the GPS location, which is what I do. Then you can quickly find anything around you. Restaurants, theaters, and gas prices are some examples. You can get traffic updates from people who post things the road conditions, so it's fairly handy in that respect too. You can quickly search the yellow pages from a link within the app too. It features voice search as well. There's also a side bar menu that you can make a list of restaurants and shops for quick finding them later. You can set specific favorites up too. Want to go some place new? Just bring up Guesswhere menu and it'll randomly select a restaurant for you! Very cool app.

Man I love my android phone.

 

[Totakeke]

I'd like to recommend Where.

The app is bad ass. You basically tell it your zip code or have it to always use the GPS location, which is what I do. Then you can quickly find anything around you. Restaurants, theaters, and gas prices are some examples. You can get traffic updates from people who post things the road conditions, so it's fairly handy in that respect too. You can quickly search the yellow pages from a link within the app too. It features voice search as well. There's also a side bar menu that you can make a list of restaurants and shops for quick finding them later. You can set specific favorites up too. Want to go some place new? Just bring up Guesswhere menu and it'll randomly select a restaurant for you! Very cool app.

Man I love my android phone.

That sounds like what Google Maps/Navigation does already?

 

[ThatObviousUser]

So late. Will read this tomorrow.

Any good video playing apps yet?

None have been recommended yet, no.

Andrex,
Quality thread as usual. Keep up the work and let us know if we can help you with anything.

Thanks, and sure thing.

I'd like to recommend Where.

The app is bad ass. You basically tell it your zip code or have it to always use the GPS location, which is what I do. Then you can quickly find anything around you. Restaurants, theaters, and gas prices are some examples. You can get traffic updates from people who post things the road conditions, so it's fairly handy in that respect too. You can quickly search the yellow pages from a link within the app too. It features voice search as well. There's also a side bar menu that you can make a list of restaurants and shops for quick finding them later. You can set specific favorites up too. Want to go some place new? Just bring up Guesswhere menu and it'll randomly select a restaurant for you! Very cool app.

Man I love my android phone.

Adding nao.

 

[ZROCOOL]

Andrex thank you for this.

<33

 

[Totakeke]

Here's an app that lets you edit extra notification settings and assign stuffs like led, color, and sound for each notification.

http://www.androidtapp.com/missed-call/



Other than the numerous android apps articles you can find simply by googling, you can also check out the respective XDA forums (HTC devices) for widgets, apps, and themes that might still be in development or not in the market. This one is for G1/Dream.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/forumdisplay.php?f=475&order=desc

 

[El Papa]

Epic OP.

Bravo Andrex.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Of all the ones I've tried Meebo is the best instant messaging client.
It's super barebones.. but I like that in an IM client.
There aren't fancy text bubbles or ridiculous bullshit, just a white list full of contacts.
It's also extremely stable and works with nearly every service.

http://www.meebo.com/android/

 

[DrForester]

What was that website the allowed you to browse the android market on a home PC? I know the official one is lacking, but remember seeing one in one of the thread at some point.

 

[Earl Cazone]

www.cyrket.com iirc

 

[Qaz Kwaz]

ColorDict
App
Free
+
Awesome free dictionary. You can download thesaurus, other language, and Wikipedia add-ons.

Foursquare
App
Free
+
This is a cool app to learn about local hotspots. You also "check in" to places you've visited, and whoever checks in the most becomes the "mayor". Fun for locations you frequent, but also good for learning tips for places you don't.

Locale
App
Free
+
Locale is amazing for automatically adjusting your phone's settings. I've got locations set up for my home, work, and during weekend/weekday sleep hours. This automatically adjusts the volume/network/display based on time/GPS/battery power. A must have.

OpenTable
App
Free
+
The Android app for the website. Perfect for making reservations on the go.

Ringdroid
App
Free
+
Great for custom ringtones/alarms.

ShopSavvy
App
Free
+
The perfect shopping tool. Plus it's cool.

Slacker Radio
App
Free/$3.99 mo
+
Slacker Radio is Pandora plus. It's got a huge catalog of music, and with a premium subscription you can seriously customize stations, or create your own. This is my go-to radio--much better than Pandora.

Spare Parts
App
Free
+
Great for tapping into "hidden" settings.

TaskPanel
App
Free
+
I like this much better than TaskKiller, because you can set up memory thresholds (30/50/70 Mb free). When you cross the threshold TaskPanel will automatically close any apps/processes that you've marked as "wanted". Add apps to your "ignore" list and automatically clear all background processes with one click. Great for memory management.

Twidroid
App
Free/Premium
+
THE Twitter app for Android.

Ustream Broadcaster
App
Free
+
This is great for recording local video or streaming live to ustream.tv. This worked much better than Qik--extremely smooth, even over the mobile network. It has great Twitter integration, as well.


Thanks for putting together this awesome thread!

 

[jonnybryce]

Wow this thread is bursting of Android awesomeness. Great work.

I <3 the part on Sense. It is the best Android UI so far imo, especially after seeing how much Touchwiz Samsung added to Android. They literally just shoved the Touchwiz Behold OS into a blender with Android and what came out seems incomplete and confused, imo. I mean...it has two menu screens, a Touchwiz menu and an Android menu. Why is this necessary.

Anyhow,

Slacker Radio
App + widget
Free
For
Slacker app for Android. If you don't know Slacker, or use Pandora, consider the switch. It'll make stations based on your favorite songs or artists like Pandora, but it also has predetermined stations like Comedy or Top 40, so it's Pandora + free internet radio. Must have, imo.

Bazooka Rabitt
Game
1.99 Eur (i believe) but free demo
Yay
It's the snood mechanic, but with a rabbit who uses a bazooka. So...win.

Bump
App
Free
For
Bump files to other Androiders, or people with iPhones.

Express News
App + Widget
Free
For
The best news app, imo. Very polished and easy to use.

Speed Forge 3D
Game
For
3d "Wipeout" type racer, tilt controls, nice graphics and fun gameplay.

Jewels
Game
Free
For
Free Bejeweled clone.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

Adding now. Qaz Kwaz, I think I counted you as already suggesting Locale.

www.cyrket.com iirc

Yeah, right after I posted the thread I checked, and apparently that domain is up for sale. Wonder what happened to the dude.

 

[Hawkian]

Thread is win, Andrex. Can't wait to start combing through it now that I can use this stuff.

 

[Tashi]

Wow, amazing OP.

 

[Tworak]

ConnectBot
App
Free
+
ConnectBot is a Secure Shell client for the Android platform.

NewsRob
App
Free
+
NewsRob is a Google Reader client

 

[ThatObviousUser]

So I was thinking about the next versions of Android, and I'm hoping it breaks down like this:

Android 2.1

• Bug fixes, primarily for the Camera app.
• Pinch-to-zoom in Google's apps and the Browser.

Android 2.5

• Renovated Music app, separated Gallery app into full-fledged Pictures and Videos apps.
• Expanding on that, just an increased focus on media in general. Android 1.5 introduced video recording and video/audio recording APIs, and I think 2.5 should follow suit. Google should definitely ratchet up the amount of codecs and bitrates supported in 2.5.
• This should carry over to the browser, with more HTML 5 support. Syncing with Chrome Bookmarks also should be implemented.
• Ability to install and run apps from the SD card. It would be great if this was 2.1, but the initiative only officially started a couple weeks ago, and it's being primarily coded by individuals, not Google. But I think 2.5 would be the perfect time to spring it.
• Improvements to the Exchange support, making Android on par with Blackberry.

Overall, I really hope Google slows down in introducing new fangled APIs with 2.x. Sure, they've been great so far, but let's see what app developers had to contend with in 1.0 to 2.0:

• Widgets API
• Live Folders API
• Video/Audio Recording API
• Quick Search API
• Quick Contacts API
• Bluetooth API
• Not to mention two/three new resolutions (QVGA and WVGA/FWVGA).

I think Google should take this time to simmer down. Not to stagnate, nobody wants that, but to let everyone catch up. These were all really big APIs that were practically sprung on app devs right before the versions came out.

ConnectBot
App
Free
+
ConnectBot is a Secure Shell client for the Android platform.

NewsRob
App
Free
+
NewsRob is a Google Reader client

Added.

 

[BlueMagic]

Awesome thread, very useful.

 

[Hawkian]

Nice new Av.

SSH on my Droid? Count me in.

This thread is forged from the great fires of awesome, pounded with the cold steel of win and cooled in the glistening waters of excellence.

 

[santouras]

NewsRob is awesome, such a good app.

If you're not in the US/UK/Germany you also can't see last.fm app on the marketplace, but you can download the apk setup files from here http://www.csmarshal.com/android I'm in AU and last.fm works perfectly after doing the manual install

Some other great apps I can recommend

Wapedia
Wifi Analyzer
NetCounter
Bonsai Blast
Abduction!
FxCamera
KeepScreen (great for using with Google Maps)
Places Directory

 

[El Papa]

Robo Defense Free by Lupis Labs

• GAME
• FREE
• Hell Yeah!

QR Link

Robo Defense is the ultimate portable tower defense experience. Featuring open maps, upgradeable towers, stat upgrades, achievements, and nice graphics. The free version features 1 map with 11 difficulty levels.

Best tower defense game on Android. Hours of entertainment. Might be easy at first, difficulty ramps up. Achievements and stat upgrades keep you coming back.

Mystique. Chapter 1: Foetus by bendroid
QR Link

• GAME
• FREE
• Yay!

You regained consciousness in dark room, that appears to be some sort of abandoned bathroom. What is this place? Why don't you remember anything? What is that - a blood marks on the walls? What's going on here?

Try to find the answers to the questions in a first herald of the upcoming horror - a first part of the terrifying game series "Mystique" - "Chapter 1. Foetus". If you dare...

Featuring:

• First Android game ported to Iphone OS more
• Fully 3D world that you can interact with
• Room escape-like game
• Horrifying atmosphere
• The first episode of the epic story

Pretty cool room escape game, all in 3D. Writing is a little rough, puzzle can be a little esoteric, but a pretty impressive effort with some scares!

Buka Lite by Hexage
QR Link

• GAME
• FREE
• Yay!

BUKA makes stars go boom! BUKA is a little planet set on a quest to find The Happy Place. Protect her with powerful explosions and shockwaves you can create with a single touch.

SHARP graphics and animations, nice music, touch based "casual" game. You can move the little planet "Buka" around to avoid asteroids and blow them, up with your finger. The longer you touch the screen the more powerful your explosion will be. Production values on this are impressive. Pretty entertaining.

Radiant Lite by Hexage
QR Link

• GAME
• FREE
• Yay!

Take your stand against the alien horde in a pure arcade/action space shooter.

Cut through hundreds of creeps to face giant monsters in unique bossfights. Collect special weapons and power-ups, upgrade your ship and save your homeworld!

Relive the classics revamped.

Another impressive game from Hexage. Again, the production values are fantastic, controls are responsive, graphics and animations are superb, music is great. You can use credits to upgrade your ship. Great game.

Scrambled Net by Moonblink
QR Link

• GAME
• FREE
• Hell Yeah!

You are given a computer network with the connections all scrambled; rotate the tiles to connect all the terminals to the server. See if you can make your way through the 5 difficulty levels.

This is a port of the KDE game "knetwalk".

Pretty fun puzzle game. The description above gives the details.

---

I've reviewed and linked to the free versions of some paid games so you guys can try them out, then buy if you like. If there's a "Lite" in the title, there's a full paid version available.

I personally would pay for Robo Defense and Radiant. I'd like to try the sequel to Mystique, I dig the room escape games and Chapter 1 was a bit creepy.

 

[Robert-GCA]

This thread now bookmarked...wow. I'm asking for a Droid for Christmas and it will be my first venture into the smart phone world. This thread will definitely come in handy.

 

[Zozz]

Awesome thread!!! I'm really digging my Droid and finally feel good about jumping into the Android community.

 

[∀ Narayan]

Marvelous thread.

 

[ZeoVGM]

So I'll be getting my Droid today in the mail.

First 5 apps I should get? Go. :]

 

[ZeoVGM]

Actually, I have a better question: are there any AIM apps that allow you to go into chat rooms? That was a reason why I enjoyed my Sidekick. The AIM program on Sidekicks would let you enter chats. And there's a chat room on AIM I've gone to since like 1998, so it was cool being to enter on the go.

As far as I know, none of the iPhone apps let you do that. What about Android?

 

[Saerk]

I just see sad faces on those HTC sense pictures.

 

[thirty]

by the time my contract expires in 2011 (tmobile/blackberry), i truly feel android will be the number 1 mobile OS out there. yes, even bigger than the iPhone.