Email

Normally I would recemmend K9 Mail and Exchange By TouchDown, but the latest operating system offers multiple email boxes and Exchange email support!

Social Media

I Tweet! and TwitterRide for Twitter… Bloo Native Facebook App, Facebook for Android and Babbler for Facebook  for Facebook.

Android Games

Although the OS is suffering overall in this department, there are a few stand-outs to check out… You need time wasters like Solitaire, Suduko, Chess or Checkers; but also see Mystique. Chapter 2: The Child and Mystique. Chapter 1: Foetus suspense puzzles, Colorix Tetris spin-off, extend to NES and SNES games with Nesoid (NES emulator) and SNESoid, for tower defense Robo Defense, Retro Defense and Plox.  Wixel word game, Abduction accelerometer game, Jewellust iPhone clone, Buka action game, Spades for Android and Texas Hold’em Online card games. 

Music & Media Players

Give Pandora Radio, iMeem, Last.fm Personal Radio free person music players, DroidLive and StreamFurious  Internet radio players, Meridian Player and RockOn Music Player a shot!

Home Screen Customization

aHome, Open Home and FreshFace. 

Blogger

Sorry Automattic hasn’t blessed Android with an official Wordpress app, but Dan Roundhill did with wpToGo!

Weather

The are many but check out WeatherBug, The Weather Channel or Beautiful Widgets (although not a traditional weather app, has geo-location based weather with HTC Sense inspired time display).

RSS Readers

Check out FeedR News Reader over Google Reader.

Podcasts

Try DoggCatcher and Mediafly Video+Audio Podcasts.

Geo Location

There are many cool geolocation app in many niche areas; Aloqa – Always Be A Local, Sherpa – Discover Your World, and WHERE.

Augmented Reality

Layar Reality Browser, Google Maps StreetView Compass Mode, and Wikitude. 

Stocks

Google brought out Finance or an alternative is Quote Pro.

Sports

SportsTap has a bunch of leagues with scores and more as well as Google’s Scoreboard. 

Health & Fitness

CardioTrainer, Buddy Runner and FitSync can keep you in shape.

Sorry for the Android App overload… but there are many more good apps to list… Have you tried any of these, give your feedback below in the Comments!  

You’ll have an advantage over the rest of the cellular carriers as the phone debuts with the last Android version OS release, Version 2.0 which has goodies like native Exchange email support, multiple email account sync, and integrated contacts (phone, email, Facebook, Twitter all associated with one person). Another wing up you’ll have is Google Maps Navigation (what has GPS makers livid) as Google is offering turn-by-turn directions on it’s prized Google Maps platform free (and you don’t have to pay for Verizon’s proprietary version). Do check out Compass Mode in StreetView for cool augmented reality as well as upgraded maps to include public transit and walking directions.

For social networking, there’s a slightly improved Facebook app Google created which you can integrate Facebook contact numbers and photos to your address book. The web browser has been upgraded and includes Adobe Flash 10 support (but you wont see it until Adobe officially releases it).

Back on the hardware side a bit; the vivid 480 x 854 screen will make any app or photo pop, the 5 megapixel camera with led flash with make photos more vibrant when sharing, and you won’t have to scour eBay looking for USB to 3.5mm headphone jacks like I did with HTC phones.

Go… enjoy and tell us in the comments about the phone!

Price: $0.99

AndroidTapp.com Android App Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Loaded with features; personalize channels, more than podcasts but video too, auto downloads, and favorites
• Many channels and types to choose from or search for podcasts
• Stream now or download podcasts for later

Cons

• In my evaluation some videos didn’t load… got “Sorry, this video is not valid for streaming to this device” errors or black screen (damn you Android for not supporting many video formats!)

Features:

Mediafly Video+Audio Podcasts Android App is loaded with features for podcast enthusiasts! Not only can you listen to podcasts or watch video, but stream now or download podcasts for later (even set favorite shows for automatic download). You can personalize your channel and sync to MediaFly’s website. Plus there are a lot of channels to choose from or you can search for podcasts. There is also a free version of the app in the Market only limited to audio podcasts: Mediafly Audio Podcast Client.

Usefulness & Frequently Used:

DoggCatcher Android App is useful for Android users who listen to Podcasts often.

Ease of Use:

The app is pretty straight forward, browse a channel or search a podcast, tapp Play on Net button. See auto download under Options button.

Interface:

The user interface is optimal for mobile use. I like the feature when listening to a podcast, you can still navigate to other shows you may be interested in and the player docks to the bottom.

Price: Free, $2.99

AndroidTapp.com Android Game Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Fun and challenging game
• Interchangeable weapons via sell back or upgrades
• Save game progress in paid version

Features:

Robo Defense Android App is your classic tower defense game yet adds monetary value to build your arsenal. The more waves of enemy combatants you eliminate, the more money you’re awarded to purchase artillery. The objective is to last as long as possible and gain as much money as possible completing levels.

I like this tower defense game the most of all others because the challenge level of enemies (some slow, fast, aerial, heavily armored, etc).

Hint: I find strategically positioning cannons to force enemies to run thru a maze to force a bottlenecks works.

Fun Factor & Addictive:

Robo Defense Android Game is addicting by nature, just when you think you’ve got a good defense going, the attacks will change up (best to be keep adding more and upgraded artillery in good positions).

Graphics:

The gaming graphics are decent, comparable to that of SNES.

Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:

The game uses sound effects when shooting (an option you have to enable). 

Below are technical specs for the DROID by Motorola:

Video: DROID by Motorola

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDviTGDCvGM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPYM-XTqcec (Check out witty response vid)

Photos: DROID by Motorola

P.S. I like the competitive ad campaign Verizon is unleashing on AT&T and Apple. “There’s a map for that…” and “iDon’t…” classic 

Price: Free

AndroidTapp.com Android App Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Convenient way to access apps and services without opening separate apps or web browser
• Launch many 3rd party services without locking your phone

Cons

• Registration and login required to use the app
• Creates extra or altered steps when unlocking phone. Either triple tapp Menu or Home + Menu button (versus double tapping Menu by default)
• Currently can’t change the background, theme it or customize it. (However I did find a 3rd party developer at ModMyFlyScreen.com offering a way to customize it a bit…)

Features:

FlyScreen is a cool idea for adding news, sports, RSS, social media, SMS text messages, email and more on the unlock screen of Android phones. Get News, RSS, social media, SMS , email and more all from one convenient screen. Similar to Motorola’s proprietary “MotoBlur” software debuted on the Motorola Cliq.

The Tagging feature is convenient for marking content for reading later and integrates with other RSS reader apps. You can even share content with Facebook or Twitter. Search to launch Google in a web browser.

I really like that you can custom set update intervals (so notifications wont disturb you at night) in addition to manual updates and you can exit the app.

Video: FlyScreen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuIbvAMTXs8

Usefulness:

FlyScreen Android App is very useful for keeping up with services you otherwise have use many different apps to access.

Ease of Use:

There some usability quirks with organizing your screens, but a quick review of the help section should ease this pain. Don’t forget you have to register and login just to use the app. 

Frequently Used:

Accessed every time you unlock your phone.

Interface:

The user interface is the driving factor in this app. Some widgets are a bit inconsistent but a good attempt to organize your unlock screen.

Price: Free

AndroidTapp.com Android App Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Really cool concept and fun way to find information or interact
• Many 3rd party plugins to integrate; Local search, Wikipedia, Yelp, Tweetmondo, Brightkite, Flickr photos, etc

Cons

• Sometimes it does not find obvious searches
•  A taste laggy

Features:

How cool is it to launch an app, turn in a certain direction, and see a historic landmarks on the virtual screen, then learn more about it. Or see how close others Tweeps are to your vicinity, find a house or play a game. Layar Reality Browser Android App is one of the coolest ideas to hit the Android phone! Augment reality using the phones camera and location-based data to find local businesses, historical facts, Flickr photos, Tweeps, and more. 

Usefulness:

More WOW factor than useful but definitely worth checking out.

Ease of Use:

Similar to using Google Compass Mode with StreetView for Android. Launch the app, select a module and turn in a specific direction…

Frequently Used:

Frequency of use is user dependent; most likely occasional or to show off to your friends.

Interface:

Most of the user interface is organized, most of the interaction takes place on the virtual screen.

Price: Free

AndroidTapp.com Android App Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Wealth of sports types and leagues to track scores
• Set Favorite teams with alert notifications
• Home screen Android Widget

Cons

• Although not really a con, simply a feature lack… all this app is missing is video highlights

Features:

SportsTap Android App is one of the best mobile sports app (even voted best sports app by You the Android Community in our first Android Network Awards). Obtain a wealth of information on practically any sport or league you may favor from your Android phone. SportsTap is an excellent personal aggregate of sports related information. For example, tracking NFL football returns in-game plays and stats, Top Stories with photos, News, Standings, Season Leaders, Team Statistics, Team Schedules, plus more.

Set Favorite teams across many sports types and receive alert notifications. There is even a home screen Android Widget to get a quick glance at your favorite team(s). Even go more granular and track local teams specific to your location (if applicable).

Usefulness:

SportsTap Android App is very useful and convenient for the sports enthusiasts… great for fantasy league players too  :-D

Ease of Use:

The app is very simple and intuitive. To set your favorite team, simply visit the Settings menu and navigate to select  your team(s) narrowing down by sport type, league, and so on.

Frequently Used:

Frequency of use is user dependent; most likely occasional use.

Interface:

The user interface is simple and formatted for the small screen.

Price: Free, $1.99

AndroidTapp.com Android App Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Wealth of weather information
• Location specific weather updates
• Set ad save location profiles
• Severe weather alerts

Features:

WeatherBug Android App is one of the best mobile weather apps around (even voted best weather app by You the Android Community in our first Android Network Awards). The app offers a wealth of weather information from today’s forecast to 7 day forecast, temperature, wind, humidity, dew point, etc. Get the days forecast or swipe for forecast by the hour. View weather on Google Maps, get severe weather alerts and a cool feature to view snapshots from local weather stations. WeatherBug boasts their forecasts can be more specific to your location offering more accurate information and the ability to update more frequently.

Usefulness:

Weather apps and mobile phones go together like babies and pacifiers… extremely useful for most people!

Ease of Use:

The app is pretty easy to use. By default, opening the app will generate the current forecast for your location with more information in the tabs along the bottom.

Frequently Used:

Used at least once daily; potentially multiple uses daily.

Interface:

The user interface is slick and organized, offering animated transitions when swiping between menus. Optimized for mobile use.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I have been a developer for over 15 years. This project was my own idea and has been ongoing for over 2 years. I worked on most of the code for primospot and still make changes all of the time. My background is working in various IT roles for non-profit and for-profit ventures. I have been part of many start-up companies, but this is the first one I have started on my own.

Why did you create your app?

This app is an extension of my web site (service), primospot.com. It helps people park in a more efficient way. The great thing about Android and smartphones in general is it allows us to take our service to the next level of convenience. Utilizing GPS for current location and memory store to remember things like where the customer parked, make these mobile applications a big key to our success.

What technology did you use in creating your App and why?

Android SDK
Google Maps SDK for Android
Flurry

We need an interactive map to show our on-street and garage data in the best way possible. Showing our dataset is just not as useful.

We are using flurry to track bug / crashes and user usage trends. We are undecided on using Skyhook to non-gps location searches.

About how long did it take to create your App?

We worked on this app part time for about 3 months.

What is a cool uncovered tip or trick you can do with the App?

The google maps API provides us searching with history which was a feature we had to manually implement on the iPhone and the back-end web service.

What other interesting uses can come from the App?

Since the GPS gets a fix so much faster on the Android phones, we decided to make current location on startup ON by default. Other than that we tried to replicate our iPhone offering as much as possible.

Can you tell us about future feature enhancements with your App?

We plan on adding in SMS (and maybe push) reminders. This would allow the users to get a reminder when its time to move their cars. We will also be adding in discounts for the parking garages once we get the contracts in place with the operators.

What did you really like about creating Apps on the Android platform?

The ease of testing out the code on the phone itself. The code signing / provisioning is much easier to deal with than the iPhone platform. Also publishing to the market was a breeze.

What are some things you would like to see improved with Android?

The google maps API needs alot of work. More animations and UI elements offered in the SDK.

What is your opinion of the Android App Market’s distribution method? In comparison Apple’s model (strict control over the iTunes store) or the Windows Mobile model (no store at all).

So far the Android Market distribution model is my favorite. My least favorite part of the iTunes distribution is the wait time for publishing and the reporting is horrible. I like the fact that google checkout lets you see your stats in real-time. We do not currently support WinMo.

What is your Opinion on the state of the Rating/Feedback system in the App Market?

Seems good to me so far. Our app has not been out long enough to form a good opinion.

Do you have plans on releasing Apps for other markets (i.e. iPhone, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, etc.)?

We are planning a BlackBerry version of our parking app next.

Your app is a paid app, why did you choose this model over the free model, and how to you project its success?

(spelling / syntax error in the question?)

We have a unique offering with our information (hand-built dataset).

A paid app is part of our business model. Our users are willing to pay for the convenience features the mobile apps provide, which helps us to continue adding features and expanding the service to other metropolitan areas.

Must-have Android Apps?

Google places. Very useful.

What advice would you give to another aspiring mobile application developer?

Release early and update often! Test out your app with as many people as possible before releasing.

Can you tell us what future Android Apps you have brewing?

We have a bicycle only version of our app in the works. This new app will be map driven and show the bike lanes, bike racks, and places to get air or a repair.

Thanks Mike for your time and a cool and useful app! Don’t forget to check out the PrimoSpot Parking app for Android we’ve reviewed!!

• Where can I find the best place to park for free in the NYC Metro Area?
• Where did I leave my vehicle?
• Where can I compare prices of the garages in NYC?

Price: $1.99

AndroidTapp.com Android App Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Cool and useful parking assistance app
• Upfront parking information with pics and prices (when applicable) for street, garages and bike racks!
• Advice on whether you should park in a found spot or not
• GPS with directions

Cons

• Limited to a few US cities; New York and Boston Metro Areas

Features:

PrimoSpot Parking Android App is very cool and useful for those who drive/bike in New York and Boston metro areas in need of parking. It’s like your personal inside tipper on where to find parking. The app offers details with most findings such as address, alerts whether a bad or primo spot, rules, photos, (for garages) contact information and parking rates.

Usefulness:

Very useful app for finding a sweet spot to park!

Ease of Use:

PrimoSpot Parking is very easy to use, simply launch the app… whether you’re driving or biking, it’ll find and direct you to available parking.

Frequently Used:

Frequency of use is dependent on your need and if located in the coverage areas. Could possibly be used daily.

Interface:

The user interface is sleek and organized. You can view parking locations on Google Maps with 3D building view or as a list.

Price: Free

AndroidTapp.com Android Game Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Fun game using phone’s accelerometer

Cons

• Basic game with no other added extras

Features:

PapiJump Android Game is jumping accelerometer game to get the high score while trying to reach the top. It is very similar to Abduction! World Attack Android Game, yet like a predecessor of the game. Tilt your phone as the ball bounces on the blocks, you can tilt far left to be reinserted on the right and vice versa.

Fun Factor & Addictive:

PapiJump Android Game can be fun and addictive, plus challenging to see if you can reach the top or highest online score.

Graphics:

The gaming graphics are very simple.

Accelerometer, Vibration & Sound:

The primary use in this game is the accelerometer.

Price: Free

AndroidTapp.com Android Game Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Play Chess on phone
• Suggestive moves

 Cons

•  Possible to tapp wrong piece due to small squares (however you can use the trackball to pinpoint your moves)

Features:

Chess for Android brings a ancient game of military strategy to Android devices. The game has different levels of complexity and an “Auto-Play” mode; where you can watch the computer battle. Switch sides of play within the match, see suggestive moves for pieces, and Undo moves.

Fun Factor & Addictive:

The same challenge and excitement of table top Chess, just ported to the small screen.

Price: Free

AndroidTapp.com Android App Review:

Pros & Cons:

Pros

• Connects to your Facebook account
• No dealing with Permissions issues
• Has an Android Widget with quick link to open full app (Wall entries)
• Likes and Wall Comments are available
• It’s speedy

Cons

• Inbox (actually there’s a loop hole to get to it via checking Friends Profile… see small link to Inbox. Of course the Mobile Facebook app displays as referred to my rant on Babbler Android App Review)
• Can’t view friends or your photo gallery
• Can’t send/accept Friend Requests
• Limited features

Features:

The app that dupped us all into thinking it was the official Facebook app for Android, yet a 3rd party developed Facebook app. The app is pretty limited in features in comparison to top apps like Babbler and Bloo. Upload photos, take a pic and upload, view your Feed, read/write to your Wall, Comment on Friends Wall, Like and Dislike comments.

Video: Facebook for Android

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn90BPNLNSg

Usefulness:

Facebook apps have such a high demand because so many people use the social network.

Ease of Use:

The app is intuitive and easy to use.

Frequently Used:

Possibly multiple times daily.

Interface:

The user interface resembles what could come from Facebook’s brand. Clean, organized, and mobile optimised.