Is this your first Smartphone and Android is something new for you? Do you have too many apps on your mobile? Are you tired of scrolling and scrolling through all the pages? Ever have one of those embarrassing moments where you’re scrolling and scrolling and scrolling .... and once you find the app .... you realize you’ve scrolled over it a few times?
Here’s a tip. Divide the apps into groups! It’s simple.
Group 1: Communication, Information & News
The idea here is: apps where you can communicate with other individuals, visit general information places, news and social media. As an example, here’s my list of apps:
• Gmail (E-mail from Google)
• Yahoo! Mail (E-mail from Yahoo!)
• Internet/browser (The app for browsing websites)
• Google Reader (App for reading RSS feeds from Google)
• Skype (Audio and video chatting)
• facebook (Social media)
• twitter (Social media)
• Google Maps (Interactive map from Google)
• Google Navigation (Interactive map for navigation from Google)
• Nu.nl app (Reading main stream news articles)
• Train times app (Real time info about public transportation train times)
• Monsterboard.nl app (Job searching)
• Google Play Store (Formerly known as Android Market)
Group 2: System, Security, Connectivity & Usage Tools
These are apps that show information about the hardware and software used on your Smartphone. Key words here are memory, battery, processor, Wi-Fi and 3G. With these tools you can also tweak and analyze the usage of your plan with the provider. Firewall and anti-virus apps also.
• Task manager (The standard one that comes with the phone)
• Settings (The standard one that comes with the phone)
• 3G Watchdog app (Call, SIMS & internet data usage)
• PhoneUsage app (Call, SMS & internet data usage)
• Android assistant (tweaking the hardware & software)
• avast! Mobile (Security)
• Wi-Fi Analyzer (Analyzes all the Wi-Fi connections in your area)
• Samsung Kies Air (Transfer files & other data from your phone to a desktop PC or MAC)
• Phono app (Shows the signal strength of the GSM connection and much more)
• Speed Test (Test your download & upload speed)
• Downloads (Shows all the software installed. The standard one that comes with the phone)
• Vodafone app (Clumsy app from Vodafone)
Group 3: Office apps
Things that are very useful when you work in front of a computer a lot ... in the office.
• Calculator
• Clock (From Samsung. Contains a handy timer)
• Jorte (Agenda)
• Currency Converter
• Polaris office (To modify all those Microsoft Word and Excel documents)
• My Files
• Google Documents (Same and edit office files from the Google server or cloud)
• Bankieren (Internet banking app of your bank)
Group 4: Music & Audio apps
All things Audio. Music players, sound analysis & making music!
• PowerAmp (I’m a greedy guy and this the only app I bought | worth every cent)
• musiXmatch (app for finding & downloading lyrics for a song)
• Music player from Samsung
• Piano Pro (Shows a 1 octave piano that you can play)
• Speech Recorder
• gStrings (App for tuning your guitar)
• Geluidsmeter (Measures the sound coming through the microphone and translates it’s loudness into decibels)
Group 5: Pictures & Video apps
Making and editing pictures and videos.
• Camera
• Gallery
• Photo-editor
• Skitch (Picture editor)
• Video’s
• Make a video
• YouTube
Group 6: Whatever you want
This page can be used for whatever you can think of. The idea is that if you have many apps that fit within a category, group them together and make a page for it. I use it for games and app testing. Apps that come with the phone and are unwanted for whatever reason, neatly placed in a folder called “Useless”. If the app is useful, I’ll give it a spot on one of the other pages. Or make a new one.
If you don’t have enough space on the page for all the apps, you can consider 4 options:
1. Install a shell which can tweak the amount of tools (icons) you can place on one page
2. Install a customized ROM which can tweak the amount of tools (icons) you can place on one page (Warning! This void’s the warranty of your phone!)
3. Create a folder to place the apps you rarely use. Or apps that came with the phone and cannot be removed
4. Create a new page and sub-divide the group
Here’s a tip. Divide the apps into groups! It’s simple.
Group 1: Communication, Information & News
The idea here is: apps where you can communicate with other individuals, visit general information places, news and social media. As an example, here’s my list of apps:
• Gmail (E-mail from Google)
• Yahoo! Mail (E-mail from Yahoo!)
• Internet/browser (The app for browsing websites)
• Google Reader (App for reading RSS feeds from Google)
• Skype (Audio and video chatting)
• facebook (Social media)
• twitter (Social media)
• Google Maps (Interactive map from Google)
• Google Navigation (Interactive map for navigation from Google)
• Nu.nl app (Reading main stream news articles)
• Train times app (Real time info about public transportation train times)
• Monsterboard.nl app (Job searching)
• Google Play Store (Formerly known as Android Market)
Group 2: System, Security, Connectivity & Usage Tools
These are apps that show information about the hardware and software used on your Smartphone. Key words here are memory, battery, processor, Wi-Fi and 3G. With these tools you can also tweak and analyze the usage of your plan with the provider. Firewall and anti-virus apps also.
• Task manager (The standard one that comes with the phone)
• Settings (The standard one that comes with the phone)
• 3G Watchdog app (Call, SIMS & internet data usage)
• PhoneUsage app (Call, SMS & internet data usage)
• Android assistant (tweaking the hardware & software)
• avast! Mobile (Security)
• Wi-Fi Analyzer (Analyzes all the Wi-Fi connections in your area)
• Samsung Kies Air (Transfer files & other data from your phone to a desktop PC or MAC)
• Phono app (Shows the signal strength of the GSM connection and much more)
• Speed Test (Test your download & upload speed)
• Downloads (Shows all the software installed. The standard one that comes with the phone)
• Vodafone app (Clumsy app from Vodafone)
Group 3: Office apps
Things that are very useful when you work in front of a computer a lot ... in the office.
• Calculator
• Clock (From Samsung. Contains a handy timer)
• Jorte (Agenda)
• Currency Converter
• Polaris office (To modify all those Microsoft Word and Excel documents)
• My Files
• Google Documents (Same and edit office files from the Google server or cloud)
• Bankieren (Internet banking app of your bank)
Group 4: Music & Audio apps
All things Audio. Music players, sound analysis & making music!
• PowerAmp (I’m a greedy guy and this the only app I bought | worth every cent)
• musiXmatch (app for finding & downloading lyrics for a song)
• Music player from Samsung
• Piano Pro (Shows a 1 octave piano that you can play)
• Speech Recorder
• gStrings (App for tuning your guitar)
• Geluidsmeter (Measures the sound coming through the microphone and translates it’s loudness into decibels)
Group 5: Pictures & Video apps
Making and editing pictures and videos.
• Camera
• Gallery
• Photo-editor
• Skitch (Picture editor)
• Video’s
• Make a video
• YouTube
Group 6: Whatever you want
This page can be used for whatever you can think of. The idea is that if you have many apps that fit within a category, group them together and make a page for it. I use it for games and app testing. Apps that come with the phone and are unwanted for whatever reason, neatly placed in a folder called “Useless”. If the app is useful, I’ll give it a spot on one of the other pages. Or make a new one.
If you don’t have enough space on the page for all the apps, you can consider 4 options:
1. Install a shell which can tweak the amount of tools (icons) you can place on one page
2. Install a customized ROM which can tweak the amount of tools (icons) you can place on one page (Warning! This void’s the warranty of your phone!)
3. Create a folder to place the apps you rarely use. Or apps that came with the phone and cannot be removed
4. Create a new page and sub-divide the group
