Favorite Android/Optimus V Apps - List Yours

[TVCCS]

Since every forum seems to have a thread like this...and I've found some useful things on them elsewhere...might as well add one here...here are some of my early favs as an Android Noob:

Free Apps

EasyTether (Lite...full version is $9.95)
Google Navigation
Google Voice Actions
Vlingo
Easy Filter
Color Flashlight
Quick Settings
Lookout
App 2 SD Free (by Sam Lu)
VM Minutes Checker

Dropbox (allows easy moving/sharing of files to/from PC's)

BBC News
NY Times
MSNBC
NPR News

Weatherbug
TV.com
Real Player Beta

Olive Office Editor
AAA Roadside
Scanlife

TiKL
eBuddy

Toggle AirplaneMode On Boot

 

[markmandue]

"auto mount your sd card" app works great if you are a mac user. just turn on the app and plug in your phone to your mac, the phone then shows up as a removeable drive on your desktop.

 

[adam97202]

Handcent for text messaging - COMPLETELY customizable

K-9 Mail - many more options than the built-in Email program, including "Empty Trash" and delete from POP server

Note Everything - memo pad, can't believe something like this isn't included

Simple Sound Profile Widget - does just what it says

 

[atraum]

Not in any particular order (all freebies):

1) Handcent - Simply the best SMS for customization
2) App2SD by Sam Lu - Sure, 2.2 has the ability built in but not as intuitive as this. Also notifies you on install if the app can be moved.
3) Folder Organizer Lite - Why scroll through an endless app dump when you can categorize your apps on install and build dynamic folders on your home pages. Why Google didn't include this in the OS is beyond me but they should pay the developer (Fabio Collini) for this and include it in future versions!
4) ES File Explorer - Yeah, I tried Astro as well but this one works great for me and browsing shared folders on my home network needed no additional plugins and went quite a bit smoother.
5) handyCalc - Need a calculator? This one does it all!!!!
6) Pulse - RSS feeder, just testing it out but I believe I like it
7) QQPlayer - Media player (movies). I tried RockPlayer as well but had better luck with this one.
8) Winamp or MixZing - Hmmm, not sure yet they both have a place on my Optimus for now.
9) Aldiko - Sweet eBook reader. If you have several eBooks already in different formats pair it up with the PC soft called Calibre for conversion options out the wazooo.
10) AppBrain - Almost a given, even with the new Market.

I could go on and on but would like to see what you have experience with so I can find some more gems.

FYI - Anyone hear if Android Forums will get an app similar to HowardForums? Sure it's Tapatalk but free, it would be sweet if Android Forums was able to do the same thing!

Thanx!

 

[TVCCS]

FYI - Anyone hear if Android Forums will get an app similar to HowardForums? Sure it's Tapatalk but free, it would be sweet if Android Forums was able to do the same thing!

Thanx!

Try the Suggestion Box & Feedback forum for that one...lots of info there. There is a beta of Phandroid that allows forum access downloadable via the Market. There has also been a lot of Tapatalk discussion, and there's a beta of that as well, it appears.

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.blau.android.phandroidnews

 

[atraum]

Thanks for the info. I did a search for Android Forums on the Market prior to submitting the comment and then after the fact found it by doing a search for Phandroid. The Tapatalk interface makes the forum experience sooo much better and although the $3 cost is minimal I'm only active in HowardForums and now Phandroid. Who knows, if I start branching off into other forums Tapatalk might be the way to go.

Thanks Again!

 

[Rezin]

I installed "Fancy Widget" and like that so far for the clock and weather.

Of course I have "quicksettings" for control over the phones free hotspot feature.

I also have good ol "Barcode scanner" set up, so I can scan codes as needed.

For myself, I also use the PayPal, TD Bank, Compass, Google Sky, Pandora and a Police scanner app too.

 

[gvc]

Mutipicture Live Wallpaper:
yes , live wallpapers seem to drain battery but what good is a smartphone if you cant use it to its full potential? this app allows you to set up a different wallpaper for each homepage and its highly configurable with transitions and auto pic changes, etc.

ESFileExporer:
what I really like about this app is the ability to explore your home network easily . its great for apps you may download to your home computer and want to install. just go to the folder you downloaded the apk , select it , and it will automatically copy it to the sd card and ask if you want to install it.

Android Assistant:
lots of info , task manager, autostart mgr, and more.

 

[RocketFoot]

I'm just getting started but I am currently using these:

PayPal
Ebay
Facebook
Twitter
Handcent
Quick Settings
Weather Bug
DropBox
Youtube
Adobe Reader
AVG Antivirus

...and on the hunt for more!

 

[jayleekay]

OP I notice you put Blacklist in your list. I am having a heck of a time getting a call blocker to work (pick up/hang up). Does it work for you on your OpV?


*Edit. I have tried to get Blacklist working and it's actually not doing anything. Doesn't even attempt to pick up the call or send it to voicemail. weird

 

[TVCCS]

OP I notice you put Blacklist in your list. I am having a heck of a time getting a call blocker to work (pick up/hang up). Does it work for you on your OpV?


*Edit. I have tried to get Blacklist working and it's actually not doing anything. Doesn't even attempt to pick up the call or send it to voicemail. weird

I've been running into the same issue, actually...and am switching to find something else. There's another call blocker program that's been having trouble as well...I'm trying out some other programs.

 

[redsand26]

I'll list some apps I use that aren't already posted,

Go Launcher - First launcher i've tried. Customizable dock, app tray has a task killer in it, more usable screen space with 1x5 rows, lots of other options.
wp clock - Stylish live wallpaper showing date, time, battery level, includes animations, etc,
Widgetsoid - Highly customizable widget docks. Includes brightness, wifi hotspot, flashlight, sound, screen lock widgets and many more all in one dock or multiple if needed.
Smart Shortcuts - Group together apps under one specific icon on the screen. When the icon is pressed, the group of apps will pop up in a box for selection. Great for organizing apps and reducing clutter on the screen.
Colornote - I use it for to do lists, passwords, account #'s, etc. Set reminders for a specific time or place a note in the notification bar.
Swarm - Torrent client for android, works great under both wifi and 3g.
PowerAmp - Best sounding music player, up to par if not better than my ipod. Nice widget as well.

 

[jayleekay]

I've been running into the same issue, actually...and am switching to find something else. There's another call blocker program that's been having trouble as well...I'm trying out some other programs.

let me know if you find anything. I have literally tried at least 6 of the free apps. I've had a few pick up the phone but they don't hang up. None work so far.

 

[RocketFoot]

I'll list some apps I use that aren't already posted,

Go Launcher - First launcher i've tried. Customizable dock, app tray has a task killer in it, more usable screen space with 1x5 rows, lots of other options.
wp clock - Stylish live wallpaper showing date, time, battery level, includes animations, etc,
Widgetsoid - Highly customizable widget docks. Includes brightness, wifi hotspot, flashlight, sound, screen lock widgets and many more all in one dock or multiple if needed.
Smart Shortcuts - Group together apps under one specific icon on the screen. When the icon is pressed, the group of apps will pop up in a box for selection. Great for organizing apps and reducing clutter on the screen.
Colornote - I use it for to do lists, passwords, account #'s, etc. Set reminders for a specific time or place a note in the notification bar.
Swarm - Torrent client for android, works great under both wifi and 3g.
PowerAmp - Best sounding music player, up to par if not better than my ipod. Nice widget as well.

Do you happen to have a link for WP CLOCK? I can't seem to find the one you mentioned...

 

[Rezin]

Do you happen to have a link for WP CLOCK? I can't seem to find the one you mentioned...

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.tomanyz.lockWatchLight

 

[TVCCS]

Another app I've found useful is Silent Boot. It gives you the ability to turn off the "Virgin Mobile!" audio when booting up, as well as an option to clear it when shutting down, without having to turn off your other audio notifications (as in Silent Mode).

https://market.android.com/details?id=com.antweb.silentboot

 

[WvGoDFather]

Just got my Optimus a week ago.
These are the apps currently installed on my phone.

Aim
Alarm Droid
AppBrain
Battery Indicator
Ebay
FaceBook
FourSquare
GO Launcher
GoogleSky
HancentSMS
ICQ
Lookout*
Market History Eraser
ShopSavy
Square
Trapster
Twitter
UrbanSpoon
US Traffic
Vaulty
VidTrim
WeatherBug
Winamp
Yellow Pages
Youtube

*App is awesome. Especially if you misplace or lose your phone alot.

 

[lindend]

Even with the move to SD option, I'm finding the limited internal memory of the Optimus V limits the # of apps I can install as lots of apps still only want to exist in internal memory. Is there any way around this without having to root the phone?

 

[TVCCS]

Even with the move to SD option, I'm finding the limited internal memory of the Optimus V limits the # of apps I can install as lots of apps still only want to exist in internal memory. Is there any way around this without having to root the phone?

In short, no. There's only around 150MB of space reserved for apps, and even with rooting, some apps cannot be moved to the card. To me, that's the biggest limitation of these lower end Android phones...the amount of usable memory to install apps.

 

[Cars066]

Why does my phone seem much slower with more apps on it?

Not to encourage illegality (it is legal if you own a hard copy of the game, according to some DRM laws) I promote Gameboid and EmulatorROMs - combined for some nostalgia in the form of FF1 and 2

Also, idk about you guys but the custom launchers like lancherpro seem to lag a tiny bit. not so noticable, but just enough to keep me minimalist - for now.

 

[aldamon]

Also, idk about you guys but the custom launchers like lancherpro seem to lag a tiny bit. not so noticable, but just enough to keep me minimalist - for now.

Launcher Pro doesn't lag at all if you disable transitions (Homescreen) and maximize opening speed (Advanced).

 

[RocketFoot]

I can put up with a little lag if the payoff is something cool like a fancy UI or something! I like that flashy stuff...LOL! I just wish i had more memory for apps also!

 

[Rezin]

wanted to add "Pulse" to my list of favs. I am a newshound, and this is a great little news/feed app that you can set up to your own taste.

 

[lpnalda]

My favorites so far:

Realcalc
Text enlarger- though it may not work with all apps, has the option to be turned on the incompatible ones.
Tris
Aces Solitaire
AK notepad
K-9 mail
Talking clock
Google Voice Actions
Talking caller iD free
Silicon Oxide- a Korg Kr55 drum machin emulator
Ideal magnifier- turns phone camera into a magnifying glass.
Tune in Radio
News and weather.

 

[cpht]

All Free
Advanced Task Killer- I know google says you don't need task killers, but I don't remember leaving 12 apps running all at the same time (elixir widget confirmed the amount of free memory before and after killing all of those running apps)
Silent Boot - Love it, I hate that VM jingle
Barcode Scanner - love comparing prices while shopping
Elixir and Widgetsoid - numerous options for switches and device status, I use both
ES File Explorer - easier than astro and found my home wifi with ease
Lookout
MixZing Basic - FREE music player with graphic equalizer, not too many of them out there
Handcent SMS- still don't know about this one yet
Apps2SD
Pandora
Paypal
Google Shopper
TiKL- walkie talkie style, use data instead of minutes to talk to other TiKL users
Weatherbug - they have a weather station at my kids' school
WF & Clock Widget - flipclock widget with weather
1080 TheFan - ESPN radio, why would I pay for their app when this is free?
Launcher Pro and Desktop Visualizer - customization options I really haven't played with yet, but thanks to aldamon I will now