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Best Free Android Apps
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Best Free Android Apps - Page Index
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How To Use This List
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This is a multi-page article. To quickly find what you want, either:
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Introduction
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Since Android was introduced, more than 700,000 Android apps have been developed and most of them are available for download from Google Play—the online store hosted by Google—but not all are free. To help you get the best of the free ones, we have selected some gems in each category and added them here in a convenient list with clear and brief descriptions of each application item. Like the apps and want to give them a try? Search them by tapping the default Play Store app, or use one of the following ways to install the apps on your mobile device, quick and easy. Quick Access to Android apps on Google Play:
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Android apps (short for applications) are mobile software designed for running on the Android operating system, which is one of the most popular platforms used in cellphones, tablets and other mobile devices.|
Summary
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This list of Best Free Android Apps now includes 215 apps in 118 categories. To read brief descriptions of the applications, click a page number or a category icon below.
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Page 2. Home and Office
Page 3. Image Tools
Page 4. Multimedia
Page 5. Disk and File Tools
Page 6. Desktop and System
Page 7. Security and Privacy
Page 8. Internet and eMail
Page 9. Phone & Messaging
Page 10. Network, Website & Server
Page 11. Personal Development
Page 12. Games|
Editor
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This list of Best Free Android Apps is maintained by volunteer editor Jojoyee. Registered members can contact the editor with any comments or suggestions they might have by clicking here. |
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Tags
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best, free, top, android, droid, mobile, smart phone, smartphone, tablet, app, apps, applications, software, freeware, program, list, google, play, market, store |
- Article type:
- Review,
- PC Freeware,
- Cleanup & Tuning,
- User contributed lists,
- Desktop & GUI,
- Android,
- Disk & File Utilities,
- Home & Office,
- Educational,
- Games and Diversions,
- Image View and Edit,
- Internet, Email & Messaging,
- Multimedia (CD, DVD, Video, Audio),
- Security,
- System and Performance Info,
- System Utilities,
- Software list
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Comments
Heartz deluxe a best app??? Seriously??? I used to love this app. But a recent update has made it hoRrible. It is unpalyable now. It is so.bad i had to uninstall it. Its too bad cause i really did like it. Not any more. Remove this one from your best list. Anyone thinking about installing it -DON'T. Youll be sorry.
If not mistaken, you probably refer to Hearts Deluxe.
I tried its latest version 1.7 and found that it still performed well. Unfortunately the current version was supported by ad but I didn't find it intrusive during my testing.
Some more apps
Befunky photo editor
https://market.android.com/details?id=air.com.befunky.BeFunkyPhotoEditor...
bacon reader for reddit
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.onelouder.baconreader&feature=...
Exdialer - seriously cool dialer replacement [ dialer one hasnt been updated in a year ]
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.modoohut.dialer&feature=search...
JAYS Headset Control - awesome
https://market.android.com/details?id=se.jays.headsetcontrol&feature=sea...
another photo editor
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.iudesk.android.photo.editor&fe...
Samsung mobile security ? never heard of it . i would ditch avg , lookout and comodo all in favour of avast - best interface with the best detection in the free division , just slightly lower than kaspersky .
and u havent mentioned which phone u have ? if u have a phone with atleast 512 mb ram then u dont need any task killer apps or memory manager apps , android handles that well .
Avast has a privacy advisor which tells u whch apps have what permissions !
Faster Drawer
https://market.android.com/details?id=org.snot.fasterpicker&feature=search_result
The faster than drawer. :)
Oh,yeah. I'm just forgot.
Please, add best free app drawer to the android list.
Verry good service
At last an Android App to read your tea leaves!
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.qsoft.android.tealeaves
Home2 Shortcut
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.eikatou0.appspot.home2shortcut&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5laWthdG91MC5hcHBzcG90LmhvbWUyc2hvcnRjdXQiXQ..
iSwing Lite
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.avalaa.iswinglite&feature=search_result
CMS
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.comodo.pimsecure&feature=search_result
Gesture Launcher
https://market.android.com/details?id=jp.shinji.android.app.launcher.gesturelauncher&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImpwLnNoaW5qaS5hbmRyb2lkLmFwcC5sYXVuY2hlci5nZXN0dXJlbGF1bmNoZXIiXQ..
If you smart!? you will launch gesture launcher shortcut via double press home key by use home2 shortcut.
home2 shortcut
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.eikatou0.appspot.home2shortcut&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5laWthdG91MC5hcHBzcG90LmhvbWUyc2hvcnRjdXQiX
quick,quik,and qwik. The fast access.
:)
Thanks for the recommendation on which anti-virus.
I mentioned the phone is a Samsung Galaxy SII, GT-I9100.
It has 1.45Gb internal device memory and a 1.87Gb (2Gb) SD card memory.
I have to disagree with you about Android handling apps and memory well - on a non-rooted phone, the apps can do what they want without the user having any control except install/uninstall. Andorid may only let them start up in the background for a few minutes, do their thing (which we users know nothing about) and then terminate them again, but the overall result is that the more apps you have installed, the heavier the battery use.
Also remember that not all app developers are the same - some produce excellent software which is functional, efficient and geared towards the user experience. Others may do their intended task well, but may be memory or data hoggers, be set to intermittently start up and check the ether for something and many (especially music players) do not terminate fully, they keep on running a service in the background.
Of course the user can go settings/applications/memory usage/running and then select/force close for each app, or a task-killer or memory manager or battery saver with a good schedule rate and an intelligent and customisable list of "do not kill" apps will automate this for you.
I stand my ground on this one - the battery lasts half a day longer when I schedule a task-killer. I've uninstalled the memory manager I was trying because it seemed to be mucking with the OS and causing problems - probably my fault for not giving enough time to calibrate it correctly.
My suggestions for a new category – Hardware Tools (i.e. that use the phone’s sensors. Not all phones or tablets have the same range of built-in sensors, but there’s nothing I can do about that)
A good range of free tools are provided by Smart Tools Co.
Screen Ruler: Puts a ruler on the screen, can be calibrated to correct screen size errors
https://market.android.com/details?id=kr.sira.ruler&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImtyLnNpcmEucnVsZXIiXQ..
Distance measurement: Uses the camera and trigonometry to calculate distance to an object
https://market.android.com/details?id=kr.sira.measure&feature=more_from_developer#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwia3Iuc2lyYS5tZWFzdXJlIl0.
Metal Detector: Uses the compass sensor to detect local magnetic interference i.e. ferrous metals
https://market.android.com/details?id=kr.sira.metal&feature=more_from_developer#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwia3Iuc2lyYS5tZXRhbCJd
Sound Meter: Reads the noise or sounds and gives a dB measurement
https://market.android.com/details?id=kr.sira.sound&feature=more_from_developer#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwMiwia3Iuc2lyYS5zb3VuZCJd
Vibration Sensor: Uses the movement sensor to display the vibrations – lay the phone flat not in your hand
https://market.android.com/details?id=kr.sira.vibration&feature=related_apps#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEwOSwia3Iuc2lyYS52aWJyYXRpb24iXQ..
For the Calculation Tools category (or sub-categories?)
For architects, solar panel installers, photographers, gardiners:
Sun Surveyor Lite: 3D compass with the overhead path of the sun. Can change date to get winter/summer extremes.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.ratana.sunsurveyorlite&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5yYXRhbmEuc3Vuc3VydmV5b3JsaXRlIl0.
Shadowfacts: a 2D compass with more accurate measurement tools
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.resmass.shadowfacts&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5yZXNtYXNzLnNoYWRvd2ZhY3RzIl0.
For engineers:
Frame Design 2D: a 2D frame structural analysis, allows versatile input, gives axial, shear, moments and reactions.
https://market.android.com/details?id=dako.dakosoftware.nl&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImRha28uZGFrb3NvZnR3YXJlLm5sIl0.
The same developer, CloudConstruct, also provides your frames to be backed up to a cloud server and generate QR codes for sending links to your peers.
https://market.android.com/details?id=nl.letsconstruct.cloudconstruct
Also a concrete section design module:
https://market.android.com/details?id=concrete.dakosoftware.nl
A steel section design module:
https://market.android.com/details?id=steel.dakosoftware.nl
and a few more handy gems. These are by default in Metric units but can be changed to US for people with 12 fingers, 14 toes , 16 teeth and who still hold a grudge against the crews who pilfered the goods on Atlantic voyages in the colony years.
On a different note, for video downloading, if you are tired of limitations of the default browsers compared to what you can do on your PC, there is a browser called VBrowser which has a greater range of streaming media decoders built-in and the ability to detect and download the video files. It is a little quirky in terms of the interface and is big on private browsing but the media features make up for this.
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.vxbrowser&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS52eGJyb3dzZXIiXQ..
I suggest
Faster Drawer
https://market.android.com/details?id=org.snot.fasterpicker
The best drawer, because is fast,easy to use,quick search app. You can launch it via Home2 shortcut or Swipe starter that can be download from android market.
Laputa? Really? You are recommending a program which is no longer being maintained, and can't be easily installed?
Moon+ Reader is OK, but nothing to write home about, in my opinion -- I tested several epub readers and found its full-formatting mode (what they call "publisher's formatting") -- which ditches any pretense of being an e-book reader and just loads it in a Chromium browser -- cumbersome and impractical.
One of the things that bother me about the whole e-reader market is that everybody focuses on flashy turn-page effects and the program's ability to overlay its own formatting over whatever the publisher has done, instead of checking how well it *respects* the embedded formatting. I mean, if the editor decided to highlight a passage by using a different font, there's a REASON for it. It shouldn't be all overridden by Droid Sans (which, by the way, in many readers can't even be made ITALIC, fer gossakes!)
Aldiko 2 and Mantano offer excellent support for fully-formatted books. Far better than than Moon+, in my opinion. Please consider them for the next update.
Study and learn about the daily astrological influences that affect you - personalized for your birth date.
https://market.android.com/details?id=anywheresoftware.b4a.transits
Thanks for your valuable comments MCBastos.
More ebook readers for Android will be considered as we set up a comparative review which is currently a stub here.
I think you could use some new categories you do not realize you need yet. See my Notes below for suggestions and quick reviews.
Best Wireless Network Analyzer
Fing - Network Tools by OVERLOOK
This excellent tool allows you to scan your wireless network and find rogue connections or items that do not belong. An excellent tool to help keep you safer. It can also be a great tool in tracking down network issues.
Best wi-Fi Connection Manager
WiFi Manager by Kostya Vasilyev
This app is a great way to manage your wifi connections, scan for networks and more. Includes a great desktop widget that will let you know about the network you are connected to.
ssLauncher
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.ss.launcher&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5zcy5sYXVuY2hlciJd
Beautiful concept and Fast!
Hi everybody! Thanks for an exelent review! I love Android apps but there are a ton of them and i cant known them all. Thanks to you i have installed some damm good Apps.
I would like to recommend a media player far far better than the one you have recommended here: Mixzing player: It has equalizer, folder reproduction, cover and lyrics search, its light on resources, its free, it has headset control (something fundamental to me). Well, here is the link:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.mixzing.basic&feature=search_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDEsImNvbS5taXh6aW5nLmJhc2ljIl0.
And again thanks for a great list!
I don't know how long it has been available - a couple of weeks ago it wasn't and today it is - OneNote for Android has shown up as a free download from Microsoft and it works great. Installed perfectly on Galaxy Nexus phone and on Asus Transformer Prime Tablet (both running ICS). The sync was fast and accurate. I've been using OneNote for about 6 years to get rid of paper on my desktop. This android app is going to make my life easier. (BTW, I went looking for this app this morning to see if it finally might be available because I was having ongoing issues with MobileNoter not syncing properly and also with MobileNoter's somewhat awkward interface). If your OneNote 2010 is shared and synced on Skydrive through Live, everything works well. Hurray!
Swiss army knife
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.digital_and_dreams.android.swi...
Reddionic
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.Young.reddionic&feature=search...
Network Monitor Mini
https://market.android.com/details?id=info.kfsoft.android.TrafficIndicat...
Best app lock right now
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.domobile.applock&feature=apps_....
NOt sure if this has been asked before - but can there be a special section or area for Android Apps that don't need special permissions? Even if the app does not have as many bells and whistles I think the NSP apps are preferred by a good deal of people. They are hard to find in the Market so a special section to keep them for future reference would be great.
Is there any way I can get some of these great apps for my new Xperia Arc without having the irritating intrusion of google demanding I have an account with them first? Its bad enough I cant get rid of apps I dont want on the phone in the first place!
Cheers
Unfortunately, that's the way it is. I too got a new phone recently, and found out that only way to install legitimate apps is from Android Market, and for that you have to have an account.
And the pre-installed apps on the phone can only be uninstalled if you root the phone. Welcome to Android :D.
I have "Lookout" downloaded on my phone and have had it for about 6 months. It really is a great free app and it really does protect your phone. With the free version it not only protects against malware and all that good stuff, but you can make your phone "scream" from their website so you can find it, even if the phone is on silent. Also, if you lose your phone, you can go to their website and it will pinpoint where it is for you. It's not hard to install or uninstall (I had to do it today because of a problem on my behalf and it tells you how to do it. Anyways, hope it helps!! And they have this for IPhone and Android.
[edit] Details about commercial version removed. Please keep discussion to freeware only.
Oh, and sorry, you do have to have a google account but it's really no big deal
Best calculator on android.market so far is Calculator++
https://market.android.com/details?id=org.solovyev.android.calculator
I cannot understand the people's love to the RealCalc (UGLY, lack of functionality) and to handyCalc (bad user interface)...
Shiftlines - Simple but addictive game I've found on Market.
http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.kargolabs.shiftlines&hl=de
I like any.Do : http://www.any.do/ as a simple ToDo list and egoTimer : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.timleg.egoTimerLight for the more complex stuff