'Can't live without' apps

[Lillishiana]

I am very new to the whole smart phone thing and I am amazed at all there is out there as far as apps. I started to use my phone as a fitness tool, which I never even considered. So I wonder... what else am I missing? What are some apps, free please, that have really made an impact? Please remember, I am new so even if it seems elementary, I am probably not remotely aware of it.

[*susan*]

First off, welcome to Android Community, we are so pleased to have you here with us. Second, great question, I am sure you will get some great suggestions from our members.

One of my favorite free apps is Go SMS Pro. It replaces the native text messaging app on your phone, with a lot of great features. The app itself is free. If you want some of the more extravagant themes to go with it, then you will pay for them. But I find I am perfectly happy with the free ones.

I also love Yelp. It is great for helping me find local places and recommendations of where to go and what to try.

There are several good free weather apps as well. I personally use a paid one, WeatherBug Elite. But their free version, as well as the Weather Channel's free version are quite good as well.

Of course, if you are a social networking geek, like I am, you will want Google + and Facebook. I know I have to keep up with everything my friends are doing, no matter where they are.

I have many more, but need to get to work right now, unfortunately, duty calls. I will add more as time permits later on today.

[sogafyrfytr]

Another good weather app is iMap. It will follow your location while you are traveling, so that if you are driving in bad weather it gives you a good radar update so you know what lies ahead.

[jgc70]

Handcent or GoSMS Pro to replace the stock messaging app.
NewsRob if you have RSS feeds or use Google Reader.
Seesmic is my preference for a twitter client. You can also use it for Facebook statuses but i find it too "busy".
Movies by Flixster - great for getting movie reviews, finding showtimes & theaters.
Evernote is my preference for a note application. I works great and can sync with your computer as well.
QuickPic is a great replacement for the picture/gallery viewer. It is fast and simple to use.

I would also recommend checking out GetJar. They have a number of paid applications for free. You can get a great keyboard replacement for free - Swiftkey X. It is the best keyboard out there in my opinion.

Welcome and enjoy your new Android phone

[Lillishiana]

Thanks guys for the great suggestions. Off to get the new keybboard and I am enjoying the go SMS! I had the weather one that I have been using. What is a door daily planner type? I am a mom so I think this could really get me organized. I found one but it was bulky and hesitant when updating via Google calander. Thanks again for the help.

[Lillishiana]

jgc70, I tried to load getjar but it comes up as HTML and it won't load as an app so I can't use the site, apparently. Susan, LOVE the SMS! Thanks much. Sticking with my Jorte daily planner. That has so many bells and whistles and is what I need to keep track of what i've done and what i've yet to do. In addition, since it interfaces with google calander, which pulls from my contacts, if I am heading out someplace new I click on my scheduled event on my phone and it lets me click on the address and then my gps kicks on and i get turn by turn navigation. Freaking sweet or what!

[jonathan3579]

GetJar technically isn't an app. It's a link to their site. Unfortunate really... Although I highly recommend using the Amazon App Store. What's not to like about Free Apps of the day?!

[*susan*]

Lillishiana, I use CalenGoo, but now you have me curious about the Jorte planner. I am going to have to look that up on the market. By the way, have you downloaded the Amazon App Store? They offer one paid app free everyday. I have gotten some pretty good apps that way.

[Student]

I Like Aldiko Book Reader For Reading, It's Got Some Great Books To Download And You Can Also Upload Your Own .epub Files Which You Can Find Online For Tons Of Books.
Other Good Apps That I ALWAYS Use Are:
Pandora (AWESOME App, I Use It Everyday In My Car Instead Of The Radio) FaceBook, Twitter, Wells Fargo (I'm Sure Every Bank Now Has An App), InkPad (Notes Program That Integrates With Gmail), And Advanced Task Manager.

[*susan*]

I hadn't heard of inkpad either, that is one I am going to have to look up.

[Lillishiana]

Another one I recently found is Waze. It's a GPS Navigation system that has cute little games in it, automatically uploads your data if you are slow in a traffic jam, lets you join commuting groups and alerts you of speed traps and other traffic jams and detours. And of course, it's all free! It's the only one I've found that lets you know current road conditions that's free. Another weird thing, this weekend I had to take my son to a birthday party and Google didn't have the location I was going to so my Telenav wasn't working. Waze did have the address in the system so I was able to make there with no issues.

I am going to be checking out Ink Pad for sure as well as Aldiko Book Reader as I love to read. I am having a hard time finding a good online library, however. My local one library that I go to online doesn't have a good selection at all. It's kind of like Netflix streaming selection quality. A lot of stuff, none of it new or something I actually want to read. =/