Top 5 Android Apps Of 2012
I have been an Android user for more than
a year now and have seen the ecosystem progress from Eclair to Ice
Cream Sandwich. The platform has indeed gotten better with age and now
looks like an offering which will give Apple and iOS a lot of headaches
in the near future. Like the iPhone, the heart of Android are the apps.
Android, however in contrast to iOS is much more customizable thus
making it a clear choice for ‘Open ecosystem’ enthusiasts like me.
So let us quickly get into my top 5 Android apps list.
1. Pocket:
There
are many read-it-later apps out there but Pocket on Android is simply
the best app for information junkies who don’t find the time to always
be hooked to their smartphone. Before Pocket, I used to be always on my
smartphone consuming content and conveniently forgetting that I had a
day job. Now with Pocket the situation is much more stable.
With
Pocket, you can simply save the everything that you want to read on the
net for later reading. Are you on your desktop? No issues, you can
install the browser plugin. You can use Android’s built in sharing
function to save every piece of web or app content onto Pocket. Pocket’s
interface is the best and the app also allows tagging and archival. It
is free to download, so go get it.
2. TuneIn Radio:
Smartphones
do indeed bring out the music junkie in you because of the easy
availability of music streaming apps. One app that caught my attention
was TuneIn Radio, which is actually the best radio and music streaming
app there is on the platform. However varied your tastes may be, the app
will get you the music that you love without any hassles. It even has
News, Podcasts, Sports, Trending and Local Radio features.
The
app comes in both the paid and free versions but I suggest that you go
for the full version to unlock all the features in the app.
3. Endomondo:
If
you have resolved to get fit and workout when the New Year starts, then
this workout tracker is the best thing there is. It has all kinds of
crazy features which track every single aspect of your workout
experience. It covers all kinds of workouts and sports right from
windsurfing to boxing and many more.
The
app uses GPS to track your distance and the calories you burn during
each workout. This gives you some very good looking reports along with
Google maps integration. The best part about the app is the social
network that comes with it where you can add workout buddies and connect
with many other people.
The app is available in Pro and Free versions but I recommend using the Pro version if you are serious about your workouts.
4. Pixlr Express:
Although
Instagram remains the most talked about photo app this year, I have to
say that the Pixlr Express from Autodesk is the best photo editing app
on Android. The app has all the usual filters but also adds a bevy of
awesome effects and edit options which let you touch up the images and
correct them for contrast, color, red eye, sharpness and everything
else.
Adding
filters and effects is a huge bonus. Incidentally, this app has more
filters than Instagram. You can also add cool effects and borders to
your images. There is no social networking backend like Instagram but
there are social sharing functions included. The app is free to
download.
5. Wunderlist:
I
tend to forget a lot of things and this has previously wreaked havoc in
my personal and professional life. So I finally started searching for
apps that would help me remember tasks easily and efficiently. Even
though Evernote seems to be the favorite for remembering things, I found
another very competent app that was completely cross platform and
nicely designed. It is called Wunderlist and has currently been upgraded
to Wunderlist 2. The new version brings with a lot of features and
design tweaks. The app is designed to do one thing – remember tasks and
it does a really good job.
You
can have many lists like personal, work, food etc.. and keep setting
tasks for yourself. You can choose to set reminders to these tasks along
with due dates. The app sends you a notification using push
capabilities of Android. It also helps in collaboration with other
Wunderlist users and is a cheap and good way for teams and groups to get
their stuff done. The app is free and is available for almost every
mobile and desktop platform.
So
these were the top 5 apps I discovered this year. I have not included
apps like Gmail, Whatsapp, Twitter etc. because these are common and
everyone uses them by default.
So what are your top 5 Android apps? Tell me in the comments.
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