Are you jealous that the iPhone and iPad get all the fame and glory? Sometimes it seems like all the fun and cool apps are for the iOS.
I’m intensely in love with my Android smartphone. I take it with me when I lay down with my toddler for his twice daily naps so I won’t fall asleep next to him. I have no idea how I survived without it.
The apps are what makes owning an Android fun so much fun. There’s plenty of apps available in the Android Market as well as the Amazon Appstore. Downloading apps can also be friendly to your wallet. There are plenty of free apps and Amazon offers a free (normally) paid app everyday.
Here’s 4 Android apps I can’t live with out:
- SwiftKey This app replaces your onscreen Android keyboard. I’m really happy with the text prediction. If I type “Thank,” in the following set of options is the word “you.” However, I typed in “Tim” last night and my next choice was “Burton.” Interesting. The interface is clean and simple. I can also long press to type numbers and symbols which saves time. Cost: $1.99 in Amazon app store or in Android Market. A free version is also available.
- Zilch Free is my guilty pleasure game. It’s a quick, mindless dice game. Its the same rules as Farkle It’s perfect when I’m waiting at the drive thru at the bank or only have a few minutes to burn. You can play against the computer (I swear it cheats) or with up to 3 others who are physically next to you. I play this game the most. Free
- NPR I’m an NPR junkie. I don’t get to listen live as often as I’d like but when I’m laying down with my son for his afternoon nap, I’ll scroll through the news stories. It defaults to the top news stories but you can also look up other categories such as books, business or science. Keeping up with current events makes me feel less isolated as a work at home mom. You can also listen to the stories or listen to podcasts of your favorite NPR shows. I don’t use the listen function since I try not to wake up my toddler. Free
- Angry Birds Rio Before my phone’s software upgrade, I couldn’t play Angry Birds apps. Which made me very very sad. Yes, I know that Angry Birds Rio is basically an advertisement for the movie of the same name, but freeing caged birds is a nice change of pace from green pigs glaring at you (in the previous versions). My husband and I will sit and take turns knocking and crashing into stuff. Currently Free
I’m always on the lookout for new apps that will make my life easier or more fun.
What apps can’t you live without?
Thien-Kim Lam tries to set her phone away at night so she can read print books. She also blogs about parenting and her inner tech geek at I’m Not the Nanny and is constantly taking pictures of her dinner for Cup of Creativi-Tea.
