We test and rank the best Google Android apps for handsets including the Motorola Droid, HTC Hero and Motorola Cliq.
When T-Mobile launched the very first Android-powered handset – the G1 – back in 2008, the app library to go along with it looked like a minimart beside Apple’s Walmart. But the past few months have been kind to Google. The recent release of several new high-profile Androids handsets like the Motorola Droid, HTC Hero and Motorola Cliq have turned that initial drizzle of apps into a torrent. Now with over 10,000 apps and counting, Google’s Android Marketplace offers applications for just about everything – sometimes making it difficult to choose. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up our favorites in several different categories to give new users a rough guide to getting the most from their phones, and experienced users a heads up on some apps they may be missing out on.
Editor’s Note: The Android Marketplace is a rapidly changing environment, so the favorites shown here will evolve and change over time. Additional categories will be added as testing is completed.Utilities
Weather Channel, Free
This is the weather app you’ll find yourself checking before you even crack the blinds in the morning. Besides offering accurate current conditions with extreme detail down to wind speed, humidity and UV index, the Weather Channel’s app offers hourly and 10-day forecasts for planning ahead, plus advanced features like animated weather radar.
Open Home $3.99
Make your phone yours. Open Web acts like the Window Blinds of Android, allowing you to reskin the interface and tweak options Google never dreamt possible.
TasKiller Free
No self-respecting Android owner should be without TasKiller, which is so essential it really should have been bundled with the OS. Opening the app allows you to view all the open apps clogging up your phones memory and kill them in a single click, freeing up memory to speed up your phone.
Open Table Free
Headed out for a night on the town? Open Table goes a step beyond the likes of review-centric apps like Yelp, allowing you to actually view available dining times and make reservations online at some of your favorite restaurants. Yes, you could do the same thing over the phone, but isn’t doing it online just so much cooler?
Dial Zero Free
Robotic corporate answering systems, meet your match. DialZero keeps an index of over 600 companies’ customer service numbers with explicit directions for how to cut through the automation and get a human, right off the bat.
