5 Android Apps Everyone Can Use

Checking Your Kindle Sales ProWebWriter’s Exhaustive List of And...

5 Android Apps Everyone Can Use

Android is HOT. Yes, I am a master at stating the obvious. The few articles that I’ve written about it on this site garner quite a bit of attention. So, let’s give the people what they want! Check it, I FINALLY got an Android phone. Woo! I got the HTC Evo 4G LTE. All of those fancy letters and numbers don’t mean much on Sprint’s network unfortunately. Alas, that is another post altogether. The point is that I now have a tablet AND a phone, so nearly every app out there is MINE! So, here we go…

The Amazon App Store – This one is a must have. Some devices may come with it pre-installed, but if yours doesn’t, you will want to grab it. Why? Because the Amazon App Store offers you one FREE paid app EVERYDAY, and as you know, we LOVE free at PWW. The link above will take you to the instructions on how to get it because you won’t find this in the Google Play Store. The TLTR (too long to read) version is: navigate to Amazon.com in the browser on your device. It will automatically show you a list of all of the available apps for Amazon. Download to your hearts content.

TeslaLED — You will find variants of this app all over the Play Store. It’s your basic Android flashlight with the basic settings. I like this one because it’s simple and clean. If you have ever used your cell phone screen as a flashlight, this app takes that concept to the next level. Not only can you use your screen, but you can also use the flash LED associated with the camera. The light is just enough to illuminate a small area in the dark so that you find whatever you dropped, see where you need to go, or untangle your headphone cord. There’s a lot more to this app than meets the eye. I just discovered one of my favorite things about it, and that is the 1×1 widget that is a simple on/off switch. It just doesn’t get much better. Perhaps these pictures will convince you…

CamScanner — This app will turn your phone into a portable hand-held scanner. CamScanner uses your phone’s camera to snap a picture of documents, business cards, restaurant menus, or anything you’d like a digital copy of and saves it. This allows you to have important documents and information a couple taps away. In addition, you can also convert the images to PDF and export it to other apps like Dropbox to print later. The fact that you can turn nearly anything you can snap a picture of into an instant PDF makes this a useful app. You can also get a paid version equipped with HD features.

Mirror — Mirror, mirror, on my phone, who has the best ringtone? This app turns the rear-facing camera on your device (if equipped) into a mirror. Touch up your makeup, pop a zit, check your hair…you can do it all with this nifty app and make your purse a little lighter. Now you won’t have to wrench your rearview mirror around to check your teeth anymore. However, beware. Since this app uses your camera, the “adds 10 pounds” rule also applies. Bummer.

Instant Buttons — This one is for fun. There are a lot of imitators beginning to pop up for this app, but this one from CremaGames is the best. There are HUNDREDS of sounds, more than 260 at this writing. They update the app with new ones ALL the time. If you’re the type of person who has a soundtrack to your life or you hear pop culture in normal things, then this is an app you will enjoy. Some may find it useful for podcasting or in other situations where various sounds are needed. Mainly, it’s just a fun app to play with. Enjoy!

As Always…A BONUS!

URLtoPDF — I like to collect information. Is it obvious? PDF’s are small and a great way to save information on your computer OR your Android device. This app will save all of the information on a webpage as a PDF so you can access it on your device or transfer the file to your computer for saving or to read later. This is an excellent way to conduct and collect research about any topic. It also makes the results of your research portable. Were you to combine this app with CamScanner, you could save large chunks of information at the library or bookstore and take it home or back to the office.