Try the swype keyboard. Must get beta from their website. Give it two weeks of use to learn and you will never go back.

 

if you can't get in on the Swype beta, try downloading FlexT9. It is available in the market and offers Swype style input that is on par or better than Swype itself. I have used both, and i prefer Flex, not only because it offers more input options, but because i feel that the word detection/prediction is more accurate that Swype as well.

my $0.02.

 

I'm in the Swype Beta and have it on my OG Droid, but I've read from a few places that if you switch phones, then Swype won't let you use their software on your new phone. This is one of the small concerns I have when I get the G-Nex. If someone could confirm this true or not for me, I would be appreciative.

If it's true, then hopefully they open the Beta back up for people soon after launch of the phone so I can create a new account with the G-Nex.

Also, I got that FlexT9 keyboard on Amazons App Store (free app of the day) a while back and it ran like crap on my OG Droid. I can't remember exactly what it was doing wrong, but the experience definitely wasn't as good as Swype for me. But I'm sure my Droids ancient hardware wasn't helping it either.

 

I have managed to do it before when I switched from my HTC Magic to ZTE Blade, but can't figure it out this time round?

 

Handcent SMS is an awesome text app that I use over the stock android app. I don't know what the ICS app is like but I've been using handcent for years. It even has themes/skins that look like the Iphone.

 

nice thread, djwoody.

i have to say splashtop remote is one of my favs. i find myself not getting up to use my computer as often now that i can control it from my phone with zero lag.

i use minimalistic text for most of my widgets. you can do a whole lot of stuff with it.

 

BTW, you can get Beautiful Widgets for free through the GetJar market.

 

1. Gpush

2. Simplytweet

3. Facebook

4. MobileRSS

5. RSS Player

 

Evi - similar to Siri,
Lookout - incase you lose your phone,
Navfree - fairly good free satnav,
Tune in - great internet radio,
CarHome Ultra - nice & easy car mode app.

 

Beautiful Widgets (cool for big clock and weather forecast widgets)
SwiftKey-X (very cool predictive keyboard)
Google Voice (for voicemail if nothing else, though it can do a lot more, and it's free)
Google Navigator (best navigator I've found and it's free)
Google Translate (very accurate translation app, also free)
Google goggles (pretty cool app which can search by pictures taken from the camera, also it can read barcodes and QR codes.)
Office Suite (great for viewing MS-Office files, and even doing minor edits.)
Kindle (this app works just like a real Kindle, and you can even view books you have on a real kindle, or you can buy them directly to your phone.)
Netflix (awesome if you have a Netflix account)
TweetDeck (great Twitter and Facebook app rolled into one.)
Slacker Radio (streaming radio, I have the paid version and I use it all the time)
System Panel (good for seeing which apps are running and force-stopping them if necessary)

Widgets are awesome, and like s.m.knipe said earlier they go on your desktop screens and offer valuable information right away without having to open an app.

Here is an example.
The big white clock and date and weather at the top of my screen is one of many widgets that come with Beautiful Widgets. Also even this widget can be skinned to look however you want pretty easily.

And if I click on the weather icon it will open up a 5-day forecast.
And if I click the date it will open the calendar.
And if I click the clock it will open my alarm clock settings.

 

Edit: Leaving my original post below, but just saw that this thread was revived today after being dead for several months, so I suspect our advice is less useful to the OP than it would have been in December.






On a GNex, I would definitely start with Nova Launcher, because it offers more customization than the stock launcher (like getting rid of the Google search bar and easily changing icons). It works fine without root, but it works slightly *differently*. Basically, to get to your widgets, you long-press the homescreen instead of finding them in the app drawer.

I see no one has mentioned Zedge or any alternatives for finding tons of ringtones and wallpapers easily, right on your phone. If ringtones are your thing, I'd also suggest Ringtone Maker which lets you cut out whatever part of a song you want and use it as a ringtone. It can do it with any song you have saved on your phone, IIRC.

If you're a Twitter user, twicca is my Twitter client of choice. It's gorgeous, quite full featured, and it works. No multi-account support, however. Or if you're feeling adventurous, what I'm using now is a brand new app designed for ICS called Boid, but it's currently in the alpha stages, meaning it crashes often and lacks notifications, so it's probably not the best choice for someone new to Android.

+1 for Lookout mentioned above. Great all around security app. Also reminds me, since you're coming from an iphone, the whole app thing is a bit different in some ways. Google doesn't have to expressly approve every app before it hits the Play Store, but instead they offer you more control - when you go to download an app, it will display permissions it needs to run on your phone. I can't stress this enough: Actually read these permissions. If you don't understand why an app is asking for permission to do something that seems unnecessary, check the reviews from other users, or come here and ask if you still feel unsure. We're not going to steer you wrong; this is the best forum community I've ever seen.

 

I would recommend AirDroid

 

Zedge is really cool although I really wish there was an option to just "Save as..." instead of everything being "Set as..." Every time I grab a new alert sound for Light Flow I have to go back into general settings and disable it after


Anyways, in my <month of experience my favorite apps so far...

AdFree, ASTRO, Cerberus, Dolphin Browser, DroidWall, Dropbox, Evernote, Fing Network Tools, handyCalc, Light Flow, Minimalistic Text, Swype, Widgetsoid

 

I recommend SMS Popup.

You will miss your pop up notifications when you get a text. This will notify you.

 

Where's My Droid is the top alternative for Find My iPhone.

 

Swiftkey for keyboard and Foxfi for wireless tether.

 

I don't have 5 apps to list, but instead just one that I use all the time: Desksms. If you use Chrome (which, you're an Android user now, you should be lol), go download the extension. What it does is when the app on your phone and the extension are both installed, the texts are pushed right to the browser. It makes it possible to leave your phone in you pocket or backpack or bag or whatever and text from Chrome. When I'm in class, it gives a popup in the corner of my screen and I just go to my Chrome and answer it. It makes it a lot easier and less rude looking than picking up your phone. Or, I can leave my phone charging in another room while I am on my computer. It's just something I feel should have been included on the phone itself.

It should have a 14 day trial and if you like it and it's useful it's 5 dollars for a years worth of use. Well worth it imho.