Load up your open-source Google phone with powerful apps without spending a cent.

Friendly Computers would like to share with you the top ten easy to use free applications for Google smart phones.
Android is breaking out. With the coming of the Motorola Droid, HTC Droid Eris, Samsung Behold II, and Samsung Moment, Android has become the most-buzzed-about smartphone platform for everyone who doesn't have AT&T. And developers have been feeding the buzz, with Android Market holding about 12,000 apps when we wrote this - second in on-device app stores only to the iPhone.
As a quasi-open-source platform, Android has gotten a lot of attention from small developers, so you'll find a lot of interesting little free apps in the Android Market. What's missing, primarily, are flashy, big-name apps from big-name developers, who generally wait until they're sure a platform is going to take off to commit to it. With the success of the Droid, we think more professional-quality apps will be coming soon.
But all is not app-tastic in Android app world. There are now three different versions of Android floating around - 1.5, 1.6 and 2.0 - and not all apps run on every version of the OS. Most Android phones have only about 256 MB of storage for apps, which seems to be be preventing some professional developers from putting out high-end games for Android phones.


1. Advanced Task Killer Free 1.5.1
ReChild; (no Web site)
It's surprisingly difficult to close an Android app, and after spending a few hours with your Android phone you might find it feels a bit sluggish because so many apps are running quietly in the background. So a task-killing app like this is a must; two clicks, and you've released megabytes of memory and freed up oodles of processor power. A $5 pay version adds a one-click widget and an "auto kill" function, but I find the free version perfectly good enough. ATK has a more user-friendly interface than competitor TasKiller, and it focuses on killing lagging apps rather than essential Android services.

2. AP Mobile 2.0.0
The Associated Press; www.ap.org
The AP makes great mobile news apps, and their Android app works just like all the others. You get a steady stream of constantly-updated news in every category you can think of, including local news from your city or state. You can customize your home page with categories you like, or view AP news videos. Better than the single-source newspaper apps, AP Mobile lets you choose what you want to know, and tells you what you need to know.

3. Astrid 2.10.0
We Love Astrid; www.weloveastrid.com
The best to-do list app for Android, Astrid starts out super-simple with a plain list of tasks. But there's a lot of power hidden under the surface. You can tag tasks, set priorities, and assign dates and several levels of reminders. A stopwatch-style timer lets you keep track of how long you spend on each task. Astrid also syncs with RememberTheMilk.com, an online to-do list app that can bring your tasks to Google Calendar, Gmail, Twitter or your desktop.

4. Astro File Manager 2.1.0
Metago; (no Web site)
After installing a few dozen Android apps, you might find yourself running out of space. Enter Astro, probably the best all-purpose free utility for Android phones. Astro lets you back up your apps to an SD card - you can't run them from there, but you can swap apps around that you're not using. It lets you browse your phone's file system, examining and moving files. And it gives you a very detailed peek into which apps and processes are running, including listing how much memory and CPU power each process is using. Astro is a lot more complicated than a simple task-killer like ATK, but it's also far more powerful. Install both.

5. Cestos 1.2.91
ChickenBrick Studios; (no Web site)
You know what mobile games need? More real people. Cestos is a free, online, multiplayer game that's ridiculously easy. It's basically a game of marbles; aim your marbles around the board (which is pocked with obstacles, pits and bombs), shoot them, and see whose marbles fall into the pits first. But with multiple boards, a scoring system, avatars, a chat room, and various virtual prizes awarded, it quickly becomes a fun, ego-driven experience. Each game only lasts a few minutes, so it's perfect for light users; we're not talking World of Warcraft here.

6. Google Sky Map 1.2.1
Google; www.google.com/sky/skymap.html
Google Sky Map for Android can help you put a name to the stars, planets, and constellations above you. The app syncs with your phone's GPS locator to pinpoint your location and provide you with a map of the sky wherever you are. Point your Android phone up and Sky Map displays the location and name of the brightest celestial objects in that part of the sky. Getting your phone and the sky aligned can be a bit tricky, but overall this is a fun and educational app.

7. Google Voice 0.2.6
Google; www.google.com/voice
Google Voice for Android is the best way to use Google Voice on a cell phone. The app lets you make outgoing calls and SMS messages from your virtual Google Voice number, including inexpensive international calls (which begin at just two cents per minute). Google Voice for Android integrates seamlessly with the phone's built-in address book and call log for voice calls. There are other third-party apps that hook into Google Voice available for Android phones, such as the $9.99 GVDialer, which hit the market earlier this year. But Google's own native app works well and offers a near-seamless experience with the company's Web-based voice service.

8. Listen 1.0.3.1
Google; listen.googlelabs.com
Every smartphone, in my mind, needs a good podcast client, and Google's Listen is a good podcast client. Listen uses Google's search technology to help you find podcasts using terms you like, and you can subscribe to individual podcasts or even to search terms - picking up every podcast from now until eternity about Android smartphones, for instance. Listen downloads and stores podcasts, so you can play them even when you're not connected to a network. This Google Labs product is still a bit buggy, but it's a great way to get radio-style content onto your Android phone.

9. Meebo IM 21
meebo; www.meebo.com
There are two good, free, multi-platform IM programs for Android. Meebo is slightly more complete than eBuddy. Along with the usual AIM, MSN, Yahoo! Google and ICQ IM networks, Meebo also supports Facebook and MySpace IM, which is pretty neat. Social networking contacts come with photos and status messages, and you can keep multiple conversations going at once. eBuddy's interface is slicker, but you don't get to see those social networking status messages and it forces you to sign up for a special eBuddy account.

10. MySpace Mobile 1.6.2
MySpace; www.myspace.com
The free Android MySpace client gives you all the basic MySpace features, though it's unfortunately lacking both media streaming and all of those weird plug-ins that people tend to put on their pages. You can view or add your own or your friends' comments, blogs and photos, add new friends and most importantly send e-mail. (For MySpace IM, check out Meebo above.) You can always access full-on crazy MySpace pages using your Android phone's browser; this app is for quickly checking out and messaging your friends.



Source: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2356306,00.asp