ZILA WIKI

The Android Market may not have as many apps as the iPhone App Store yet, but there are still more than enough to be overwhelmed, and it continues to grow at a breakneck pace. To help you sort through them all, here is my latest list of the 20 most useful Android apps (this is an update of my 2010 Android list). I’ve also recently updated my list of the most useful iPhone apps and you’ll notice several of the same apps on both lists.
Remember that I primarily had business professionals in mind when making this list and also keep in mind that this is a snapshot in time. The Android platform is developing so quickly that I guarantee my home screen will look different a month from now.
Still, here’s my list of tried-and-true Android apps that I can highly recommend.

Photo gallery

The best way to view this is the companion slide show of screenshots from all 20 apps. But, you can also view the full text of the list below, including links to download each of the apps from the Android Market.

1. Google Voice

Google Voice is a service that is so useful I consider it one of the top benefits of Android itself. The service gives you a phone number that can ring to multiple places or devices and it allows you to access all of your voicemail and text messages from the Web. The Android app integrates even deeper. It can make outgoing calls look like they’re coming from your Google Voice number so that you can keep your real mobile number private.

2. Advanced Task Killer

One of the realities of having a multitasking mobile OS is that you have to manage your apps so that they don’t hurt performance or battery life. Advanced Task Killer (ATK) is my favorite on Android. It even comes with a widget that you can tap once to kill all open apps and you can also set up ATK to kill all apps at periodic intervals. Some people will argue that task managers are irrelevant and unneeded in Android, but I still prefer to use ATK.

3. Dropbox

Dropbox is a great cloud service that automatically syncs a folder of files between multiple computers (Windows, Mac, or Linux). This app extends Dropbox to Android and interacts with other apps (such as Documents To Go) to open the files. It allows you to access PDFs, image files, and business documents by simply dragging them to a folder on your computer and then you immediately have access to them from your mobile phone, once you have this app installed.

4. Evernote

Once you get used to typing on a virtual keyboard (and it honestly took me over a year to do it), then these devices are great for note-taking, and Evernote is a great note-taking app. It is similar to Dropbox in that it saves data locally but syncs it across all your machines and devices.

5. Taskos

There are plenty of to-do apps to choose from on Android but I now prefer Taskos because of the clean, easy, Android-friendly user experience. It also has a few extras that give it an advantage over apps. The biggest one is voice recognition, which lets you speak a task that the app turns into a to-do item (you might have to correct a word or two).

6. DroidAnalytics

For some reason Google doesn’t have an official app for Google Analytics (for either Android or iPhone). The best one I’ve found on Android is DroidAnalytics. Another good one is mAnalytics.

7. Documents To Go

The free version of Documents To Go offers a great little reader for Microsof Word and Excel files. You can upgrade to the full version (for $15) if you want to be able to create and edit files and add PowerPoint files to the mix. If you do want editing capability, I’d also recommend taking a look at QuickOffice.

8. Google Docs

If you mostly work with Google Docs (including uploading Microsoft Office files to your Google Docs repository) then the only app you’ll really need is the Google Docs app. It’s a nice mobile implementation of document management, although the one annoyance is that always open up files in a web browser rather than within the app itself, which would be a little smoother.

9. Tripit

I dig Tripit. It is by far the best app I’ve found for keeping track of all my travel itineraries. It runs on some great backend systems. You simply forward your confirmation emails for your flights, hotels, rental cars, and more to Tripit and it automatically organizes them into trips with all your details and confirmation numbers. Or, if you use Gmail, you can even use a plugin to automatically catch confirmation emails and turn them into Tripit trips.

10. Google Places

This is an awesome app for finding shops and services near your current location. From restaurants to medical facilities to taxis, this app is very accurate and takes advantage of the business information from Google Local. This app is better than the info you get from a GPS unit (or app) and better than any of the similar apps available on the iPhone. It’s also integrated into Google Maps.

11. Astro File Manager

Another one of the great things about Android (if you’re a geek or a tinkerer) is that you have lower-level access to the system itself. Astro is an app that lets you navigate the Android file system, which is mostly just interesting, but can be handy once in a while.

12. Speed Test

I’m obsessed with running speed tests to check my bandwidth in various places, both to see 3G/4G fluctuations and to check the quality of Wi-Fi. There are a number of really good speed test apps, but my favorite is the Speedtest.net app. It’s generally consistent and it has some of the best graphics and options.

13. Amazon Kindle

I’ve never completely warmed up to the Amazon Kindle e-reader, but I’m a big fan of the Kindle mobile app. Since it was released I’ve read a lot more books simply because my smartphone is always with me and I can pull it out and read a few pages anytime I’ve got a couple minutes free.

14. Google+

I’ve written a lot about Google+ since it launched in July and I’m pretty active over there (+Jason Hiner). One of the great things that Google did was to release a Google+ Android app at the same time it launched the service as a beta. And, surprisingly, the app was actually pretty good and has been improved since. It immediately became one of my most used mobile apps and definitely stole some of my time away from Android’s Twitter app, mostly because Google+ is a little more interactive.

15. TED Air

The TED conference features a meeting of the minds of some of society’s most influential thinkers. You’ll disagree with some of them since there’s a large diversity of viewpoints, but many talks are worth listening to in order to catch the latest creative thinking on society’s biggest challenges. The cool thing is that they’ve taken the videos from the conference and made them freely available on the Web. The TED Air app provides a great way to access the videos on a mobile device. I hope more conferences follow TED’s lead on this.

16. Google Goggles

This is a fun app that is a little bit ahead of its time. It does visual searches. You can take pictures of things and then the app tries to tell you what they are. It’s limited in its scope but it is pretty cool, and it’s definitely a peek into the future. One of the coolest features is the ability to take pictures of text in a foreign language and let the app translate it for you. In a foreign country, this can help you read street signs and avoid going into the wrong bathroom. :-) On a more practical level, Goggles is a QR code reader and you can also use it to scan bar codes on products to look them up online.

17. Photoshop Express

Photoshop is, of course, the best known photo editor in the world and its mobile app doesn’t do anything to hurt that reputation. But while the desktop version is known for having a zillion features, the mobile app is distinguished by its simplicity. It’s the best Android (and iPhone) photo editing app for simple crops, brightness adjustments, and sharpens, for example.

18. Audible

As much as I like the Kindle ebooks, I actually consume more books as audiobooks via Audible. With the Audible app you can connect to your Audible library and download over the air. The app also gives you a self-contained player optimized for audiobooks, with a skip-back-30-seconds button and the opportunity to make notes and bookmarks (although I wish the app would store these online so that they could be accessed from the Audible site).

19. Shazam

If you want to impress your friends with a mobile app, show them Shazam. Ever hear a song being played at a store or on the radio and ask yourself, “Oh, what song is that?” That’s where Shazam comes in. Just hit the button and let it listen for 15 seconds, query its database, and then return the name of artist and the song. It has about an 80% success rate. This one isn’t particularly productive, but it is really cool. (You have to live a little, every once in a while.)

20. Google Finance

This is a great little app that regularly gets overlooked. It connects to your Google Finance account, where you can set up a list of stocks and companies to follow and sort them into groups (portfolios). The app provides three simple tabs — a look at the market, a look at your portfolios, and the latest market news. It even does real-time updates when you have the app open.

For Tablets

Magic Defenders HD

Watch the video to experience this game in its full glory. By the way, the initial release was tablet-only, but it's been since updated to include Android phones.
Be the hero and defend your village from the evil orcs in three different invasion episodes. You will fight in the forest, near the walls and inside the town to defend the town’s last resort, the castle. Compete with people around the world for the highest score in an endless battle to defend everyone in an arcade style gameplay.
Highlights:
- Beautiful scenarios fully optimized for Android tablets
- Fluid and amazing character animations
- Unique spell animation art
- 3 engaging scenarios with unique art
- Endless hours of rewarding intense action
- Multiple ways to specialize your characters evolution
- Next level gameplay
- Simple and intuitive yet deep and powerful
- A great number of achievements to unlock
- Worldwide competition through OpenFeint
- New heroes added on a regular basis

Amex for Android™

Is this the best banking tablet UI you've ever seen or what?
Cardmembers now have another mobile option from American Express. Optimized for Android tablets, the App allows Cardmembers to review charges, pay bills, and more anywhere the Android goes. More features to come.
—Schedule a payment
—Check your balance
—View your recent charges and payments
—Manage all your Card accounts
—View your Membership Rewards® point balance
—Log in using the same User ID and Password you use on americanexpress.com

Thuuz Sports for Tablet

Thuuz alerts you to the most exciting sporting events as they're happening, so you never miss the action. We’ll even tell you where to tune into these games, whether you're in front of your TV, computer, mobile phone or tablet. How does it work? Based on our unique algorithms, Thuuz rates the excitement of each game in real-time on a scale of 0-100. You select your favorite sports and teams, set your excitement threshold, and we'll notify you when there's a game you won't want to miss.
Sports we currently monitor:
- Pro Sports: NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, Soccer, Cricket and Rugby
- College Sports: Football and Basketball
And there's more.
1. See real-time excitement levels of all live events
2. See the predicted excitement for upcoming events
3. Find the most exciting segments of recently completed games & matches
Perfect for those busy fans who wish they had a personal assistant monitoring every game and letting them know when to tune in.

ASTRO File Manager

ASTRO, one of the most popular Android file managers, now has an all new tablet interface (I still prefer Total Commander though).
ASTRO File Manager helps manage pictures, music, videos and files on your device. Features include: file management, file and/or app backup, Image and text viewers, networking, SMB, Bluetooth, SFTP, Zip Tar, downloader, thumbnails, search files, application manager, task manager, attachments and more…

Craigslist HD for Tablets

CraigslistHD for Tablets is a Craigslist browser created specifically for Android Honeycomb tablets. Simple and clean - just like Craigslist should be - CraigslistHD allows you to quickly view, search, save, share and reply to any ad in every category.
CraigslistHD makes it easy to:
- Browse and search Craigslist Ads in any city;
- Share ads with your friends or save them for later;
- Track which ads you've already replied to.

MovieBrowser HD for Tablet

Featuring the best Market description quote I've seen in a while (in bold below). Ziiing!
MovieBrowser HD is a movie manager/frontend to use with your favorite video player on your tablet. MovieBrowser is NOT a video player.
►►► PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT I'M NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR LACK OF INTELLIGENCE BEFORE GIVING YOUR FEEDBACK. THANK YOU. ◄◄◄
Features:
• Browse your local and external folders (sdcard) to setup your movie locations
• Movies are automatically identified (genre, plot, director, poster...)
• Associate with you favorite video player (you need one which support intents and http playback/network streaming, ie: MoboPlayer, yxplayer, etc..)
• Long press to share or update movie details (localised metadata agents available for en, es, de, fr)
• Click on YouTube icon to watch trailers
• Sort your collection by genre, rating and more

Tablet Talk

Tablet Talk is THE comprehensive SMS app for tablets. Send and receive text messages on your tablet using your mobile number--just as you do on your phone. Tablet Talk integrates nearly every feature from your phone’s SMS app, while also providing other useful functions such as Caller ID. It is a “must have” app for a complete tablet experience.
Tablet Talk works by connecting your tablet and phone over Bluetooth or WiFi, allowing you to text on your tablet anywhere and anytime. At home? Just connect your tablet and phone to your WiFi network. At work or on the road? Switch to Bluetooth mode and your tablet can SMS without an internet connection.
When you receive a text, it instantly syncs to your tablet. When you send a text from your tablet, it instantly syncs to your phone, where it is sent using your mobile number. Even status updates for sent SMS sync instantly to your tablet.
But what about when you don’t have your tablet? Whenever you connect your devices, Tablet Talk will automatically sync any newly sent and received texts to your tablet, ensuring your tablet’s inbox is always up to date!

Tabr widget

Tabr is a a scrolling multi-application homescreen widget for Android tablet devices running Honeycomb (Android 3.0) or higher. The advantage to Tabr is you only need one widget to show data from applications with supported modules. One widget to rule them all.
Add the widget, then add some modules and enjoy the extra space on your homescreen while you quickly switch between modules using the tabs at the top of the widget. Modules can also be created for any application that has a data API, if you are a developer who would like to add Tabr support visit the website.
Four modules are currently maintained by me and are currently available:
* Contacts (built in to the main application)
* Bookmarks (built in to the main application)
* Agenda for Tabr (available on the market)
* Social for Tabr (available on the market)
Here is another neat feature, there is only 1 widget which means no more clutter in your widget selection screen. Use the Honeycomb resize feature to make the widget as large as you like.

StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is a discovery engine that finds the best of everything that is out there on the web, recommended just for you. With a touch of the Stumble button, or swipe of your device’s screen, you’ll discover photos, videos and web pages recommended by friends and people sharing your interests. Pick from 500+ interests or enter a phrase in the Explore Box to see page after page of content. StumbleUpon learns what you like, so you only see what's interesting to you from across the web.
With the Android app, you can discover interesting content wherever, whenever you want on your Android phone or tablet. See what others have liked as you explore web pages in any of your interests or top recommendations in Photos, Videos and News. Connect with friends by being the first to share content you like via email, StumbleUpon, Facebook or Twitter.

The Times newspaper

The Times Android edition combines the best of The Times journalism with all the interactivity of your tablet, including enhanced graphics, stunning picture galleries and exclusive videos – and it is free to existing Times digital subscribers. The new edition will feature a wide range of Times content from the latest campaigns and investigations, to live reports and video dispatches from foreign correspondents, in-depth analysis and thought-provoking features from the week-day supplements.

aWARemote for Winamp®

aWARemote for Winamp® is a WiFi remote control for Winamp® providing the following features:
-Play/Pause, Next, Previous
-Playlist and basic editing
-Media Library (DEMO with up to 400 entries)
-access saved playlists in Winamp® (max 4 in free version)
-Widget
-Equalizer
-Album Cover
-AND MUCH MORE TO FIND OUT!
You just need to install the server application from www.geb-dev.de (click on "Get Free Server") and (in the app) enter the IP Address of the host computer where Winamp runs.

Sticky Notes HD Tablet Widget.

Sticky Notes HD is a widget designed for tablets that gives you a fast way to write and organize “post-it like” reminders on your home screen. Because it was designed specifically for Honeycomb tablets (version 3.1 or later), it uses the full features of Android widgets so the reminders are stacked on top of each other. The stack automatically rotates to display the next one on top, and so on... If you want, you can manually rotate your reminders just by a simple up/down gesture. And because tablets are larger than phones, you write your reminders by using your finger which is a fast and natural way to write on a tablet.
You can create as many reminders as you want. You can resize the stack to accommodate your needs. You can even have more than one stack on your home screen. Just take a look at the video below to really understand how Sticky Notes HD can help you to personalize your tablet home screen.

Trulia Real Estate for Tablets

Trulia Real Estate for Tablets, tablet optimized: browse homes or apartments using full-screen maps and photos. Search homes for sale or apartments for rent using full-screen maps and photos. Get the most out of your tablet’s large, high-resolution screen with Trulia’s new Android Real Estate App.
FEATURES:
• Easy-to-use map-based search - Find homes that interest you by either GPS or location using large, interactive maps
• Big, beautiful pictures and lots of them – Browse full-screen slideshows and photos for each available home
• Inside scoop on the neighborhood - See nearby neighborhoods and amenities, such as restaurants, grocery stores, and more
• More information instantly – Contact the listing agent to get the full details, share good finds with your family and friends

Thoora

Say hello to Thoora: the first Honeycomb-optimized app that lets you discover the best content on the web. With Thoora, you can easily stay on top of your favorite topics, whether they’re for work or for play. News, blog posts, RSS feeds, Tweets, and images – Thoora tracks them all, and cuts through the clutter to deliver what’s relevant. Plus, the Thoora engine learns from your browsing behavior, so you always get fresh, personalized content. From the scoop on Android to Zombie movies, we've got you covered! Create as many topics as you want on any subject you can dream up.
Features:

• Piece together multiple keywords and keyphrases so that topics are exactly what you want and not limited to one concept. For example, you can create topics like social media news; Facebook and Google+; or your hometown sports teams.
• Personalize the results. Favorite the things you like; remove the things you don't, and our engine will learn from your behavior and continue to deliver fresh content that's personalized for you.
• Add as many of your own RSS feeds and as many Twitter users to your topic as you'd like, and see only the tweets relevant to your topic.
• You're never lost on Thoora. Tap up top to go HOME, EXPLORE the Thoora community, FIND new topics, CREATE A TOPIC, or check out your personal Thoora profile.
• Search: see if others on Thoora have topics of interest to you by using the search field.
• Share your topics and articles through all your favorite networks.
• Integrated with thoora.com on the web. You can use your account on the web or on your Android tablet as you wish.

Google Docs Honeycomb update

Android Police coverage: Google Docs App Updated With Full Support For Honeycomb Tablets
Create, edit, upload and share your documents with the Google Docs app, now optimized for tablets.

aVia Media Player

aVia simplifies accessing personal media with one, easy to use, media player. With aVia you can play, manage, and share your audio, video, and images from all of your Android-connected devices so that your favorite media is available anytime, anywhere.
Primary features of aVia:
- Optimized for Honeycomb tablets and Google TV v2.
- Ability to play music and videos, and view photos from a variety of personal media sources
- Access personal media devices through streaming media capabilities
- Create playlists with customizable titles while browsing your libraries

SlingPlayer for Tablets

Holy crap, look at that price.
Watch and control your home TV and DVR on your Android tablet. When connected over Cellular or Wi-Fi to a Slingbox SOLO, or PRO-HD (Slingboxes sold separately), the award winning SlingPlayer Mobile software will play anything you can see on your TV at home on your Android tablet. Now you can change channels, control your DVR and watch your favorite shows right on your tablet. View and control video sources such as:
-Cable set-top box and DVR
-Satellite set-top box and DVR
-Telco / IPTV set-top box and DVR
-Basic cable
-Digital Over-the-Air broadcasts (Slingbox PRO-HD only)
-Tivo
-Apple TV
-Home security cameras

Pocketmags Magazine Newsstand

Discover your favourite magazines at Pocketmags Magazine Newsstand. Download the Pocketmags app today and enjoy more than 15 complimentary issues.
Pocketmags is a digital newsstand where consumers can purchase single issues and subscriptions from a wide range of magazines from across the globe. A single purchase on Pocketmags gives readers access to their digital editions on various devices including PC & Mac computers, iPad, iPhone and Android devices.

Samsung Smart View-Tab

This application is Wi-Fi remote control for Samsung Smart TV. If both your tablet PC and TV are connected to the same wireless Router, your tablet PC will link to the TV automatically where you can use your tablet PC like a remote control. The TV can also transfer live feeds to your tablet PC.
Main Features:

• Dual View
  Enjoy TV and other multimedia right from your mobile device that’s connected to Samsung Smart TV. You can even send what you’re watching on your mobile device to TV and watch it from TV.
• Remote
  Your mobile device can work as remote for your Samsung TV or BD products. Full remote screen is provided by default, and three tabs are provided at the bottom of the screen to help you control connected devices with ease. Onscreen keyboard shows up automatically when you need to enter text.
• Game Controller
  With this feature, your mobile device can control games on TV. Full and Simple modes are available. Turn on Gyro function on your mobile device, and control games by tilting your mobile device.
• Settings
  You can fine-tune control for TV and BD by adjusting gesture sensitivity in your mobile device.

Supported Models:

• Samsung Smart TV released in 2011
  Models greater or equal to LED 7000, PDP 8000
• Samsung Tablet PC: Galaxy Tab 10.1, Galaxy Tab 8.9

Media players

Media players app provides update for the following preinstalled apps for Sony Tablet™:
- Music player: Play music files on Sony Tablet™ and stream music files to other DLNA enabled players ("Throw" function).
- Video player: Play video files on Sony Tablet™ and stream video files to other DLNA enabled players ("Throw" function).
- DLNA: Access and stream content on the DLNA server to other DLNA enabled players ("Throw" function).