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Top Ten Apps Week 2.

mofokk

Lurker
Sep 27, 2010
8
2
Ok, been browsing these forums for the last month or so as a guest.
while i awaited my wildfire turning up.

After having lots of my initial questions answered by others posting on here i felt it only fair to give a little back. so here is my top 10 apps list at this time.

these are apps that improve the phone in my opinion.
(not just lame games i like)

1. _Dropbox_ this lets you share a folder on your PC (or multiple pc's) which you can access at anytime from anywhere via your phone. no more usb required for phone to PC transfer \o/

2. _visual task switcher_. this lets you see all running apps and you can either tap the one you want to jump to it. or hold on the screen to close the chosen app. much better than advanced task killer etc as it doesn't mess with your alarm (advanced task killer will disable any alarm you set when it cleans.)

3._Astro file manager_. this ones a must have. this lets you browse the contents of your phone/memory card in a way very similar to a windows PC. a must have.

4. _Battery monitor_. not sold on this one quite yet but have yet to find anything better. does what it says and gives you a percentage readout of your battery. also lists the items on your phone that have been consuming the most power.

5. _WiFinder_. ok this could just be the geek in me but there's something kinda entertaining using this app as you walk around to find open networks you can use. its quite surprising how many there are.

6. _Aru Ringtones_ sure there's plenty of sites/apps offering similar but this is the best iv used so far. the ones among you happy to transfer files etc will know you can simply use your own audio for ring tones and things but i like to download these because more often than not the 20 second ring tone you download is the best bit from the song.... no editing required:)

7. _backgrounds_ lets you browse and select wallpapers via the internet and set them as your home screen or lock screen. yes you don't need an app to do this but i change mine often and appreciate the ease with which the app lets me alter them.

8. _PRemoteDroid_ one to show off to your friends with. this lets you control your PC by letting you move your cursor around like you would with your mouse. you have 3 click buttons as you do with most mice and some options to tweak things.

9. _Alarming_ pretty much what you would expect in that its a alternative alarm clock. but with a few more options than the default alarm clock.

10._Maps_ OK OK. i know this comes with the phone so not really fair to be included but i wonder how many people know the power and features available in this app. full Gps capability right down to street level. even tell it if your on the road or walking on foot. with down-loadable speech to tell you which way to turn. who needs a 300$ navigation system.


iv only had my phone for a few weeks now and im sure this list will change over time but for now these are the things helping me really enjoy owning this phone.
 
Hi.

Thanks for sharing.

I personaly use Alarm Clock Extreme. ( i did not tired Alarming_ )

&

Did you made it like a common GPS navigation app ?
How can i download with speech to tell you which way to turn ? I went through settings but ... nothing

Thanks in advance for your answer!

Regards

once you select a destination and show street level it askes you to download a file ( speech ) , make sure your route is slected via road as you can ask it for directions via walkways and everything.
 
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2. _visual task switcher_. this lets you see all running apps and you can either tap the one you want to jump to it. or hold on the screen to close the chosen app. much better than advanced task killer etc as it doesn't mess with your alarm (advanced task killer will disable any alarm you set when it cleans.)

It is still a task killer. Tasks do not need to be killed. Android manages background tasks fine. The only time you may need to force close something is if you have a badly coded app. In this case you can close it from settings>applications>manage applications.

Task killers often waste battery if they are constantly monitoring.

Have a read of this for more information:

Droid Den - Android Guide: Should I Use a Task Killer - Droid Den


4. _Battery monitor_. not sold on this one quite yet but have yet to find anything better. does what it says and gives you a percentage readout of your battery. also lists the items on your phone that have been consuming the most power.

Be aware that many things that monitor actually consume battery power.

Most battery monitors I have tried actually worsen the life of the battery (not permanently).

The only one I found to be ok was "Battery Droid".
 
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It is still a task killer. Tasks do not need to be killed. Android manages background tasks fine. The only time you may need to force close something is if you have a badly coded app. In this case you can close it from settings>applications>manage applications.

Task killers often waste battery if they are constantly monitoring.

Have a read of this for more information:

Droid Den - Android Guide: Should I Use a Task Killer - Droid Den

Completely agree!! Nother article on the subject
Android Task Killers Explained: What They Do and Why You Shouldn't Use Them


O yea, this thread has been moved to apps section
 
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I still don't know how can you make " Maps " to give you vocal indications as a common gps ... :thinking:
Technically it's a separate program called Google Navigation. Should be in the market if its not preinstalled, not sure but there should a navigation icon 'in' maps that will let you switch too voice turn-by-turn. Look for a triangular arrow
google_navigation.png

Is the Free "Astro File Manager" ok or is it best to pay , and where to purchase and download ...... Oh , and does it use lots of battery and can you see the SD card ?

The free version is more than enough, its battery consumption is minimal (and thats only when your actually using it) and yes it can 'see' your SD card
 
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