Top 15 Best Free Android Apps I Use Frequently
There are so many great free Android apps out there, but here are some of my personal favorites. I decided not include games for this post. For your convenience, I have included QR codes for quick downloading to your phone for most of the apps. Just get a QR code reader (such as Google Goggles, Barcode Scanner, ShopSavvy, etc.) and point it at the QR code.
#15 – Secrets
I know I have way too many username and password variations to remember for the countless web-based services, online bank accounts, etc., that I use. Hmmm… this password needs 5-7 characters, one uppercase, one special character… ugh. This Google-authored app has a master password that unlocks your list of usernames, passwords, and other custom data. All your secrets are encrypted and can be backed up to the memory card and restored if you wipe your phone or get a new one.
#14 – GTasks
I have tried a number of task management apps for my phone and web-based apps on my desktop. However, I’ve found that I am most likely to use a task system that is just naturally part of my normal routine. Since I already spend a lot of my time in GMail, the Google tasks widget has been my task system of choice. And the GTasks app for Android syncs pretty seamlessly with Google Tasks. It has task categories for separating work, personal, next things, someday tasks, etc. While it may not be as fully featured as apps like Astrid, Remember the Milk, or Things for Mac/iPhone, it works fine for me.
#13 – ConnectBot
For anyone who administers Linux servers for their websites, databases, etc., this app is a must. You’re out to dinner and get a call that the web server just ran out of storage space? No need to rush to the office, just pull out your phone and fix the problem before the food arrives. And yes, something like this has happened to me before
#12 – BeyondPod
My favorite app I’ve found for subscribing to, downloading, and streaming podcasts. This app has been a lifesaver during some long car rides when I had forgotten to sync my iPod beforehand. Listening to the latest episode of This Week in Startups is a great way to make the ride fly by!
#11 – FlightView Free
Keep track of your flight numbers and times and even get notified of delays and terminal changes while you’re at the airport.
#10 – Amazon Kindle
I love reading on my Kindle. My Android phone is certainly no replacement, but it is convenient to pull my phone out of my pocket (the Kindle doesn’t fit very well in my khakis) while I’m waiting in line somewhere and pick up right where I left off on my Kindle at home.
#8 – WordPress
Great for checking up on my blog and moderating comments while I’m away from the computer.
#7 – Yelp
Yelp is great for finding a place to eat when I am exploring a new town. It uses the phone’s GPS receiver to locate places nearby and provides ratings and reviews for each suggestion.
#6 – Twitter
What a great way to kill time reading tweets while you’re away from the computer.
#5 – Facebook
Contact synchronization and messaging capabilities are what I tend to use the Android app version of Facebook for the most. It is also great for looking at photo albums.
#4 – Google Shopper
Compare prices in the store with prices online by scanning the barcode or just taking a picture of the object. It did feel a little weird to scan the barcode of an Epson ink cartridge inside the store at Best Buy and complete my purchase at Buy.com while I walked down the store’s blu-ray aisle, but I saved over $20!
#3 – Mint.com
Mint does an outstanding job of pulling in all your various bank accounts, loans, investment accounts, and credit cards, and giving you a summary view of where your money is going. It breaks things down by expense type, details out your total assets, liabilities, and net worth, and even alerts you of things like ATM fees you may not have been expecting. The Android app is very well built, just like the website.
#2 – Chase
If you haven’t already seen the commercials on TV and Pandora, this will blow you away (at least it did me). You can deposit your checks from your phone. Really, right from your phone, no need to go the ATM at all. Just snap a photo of the front and back of the check with your built-in camera, verify some account and routing numbers, and you’re done. Plus do things like check balances, sign up for alerts, etc. This app is a major time saver!
#1 – Evernote
Evernote’s tagline is “remember everything.” What I love about Evernote is that it is available for pretty much every platform imaginable — Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, web-based, Palm Pre, Windows Mobile. If used extensively, it can become your external memory by allowing you to take pictures with your camera phone, record voice memos, write text memos, take photos with you MacBook’s webcam, clip web pages, etc. It works seamlessly across devices, everything is stored in the cloud, and everything is automatically OCR’d and geo-tagged (if you want) so it can easily be retrieved later. One of my resolutions for this year is to integrate Evernote into more of my life.
This list only scratches the surface of useful apps for Android. Please comment on this story with other Android apps you can’t live without.

s.daniel 8:26 am on March 10, 2009 Permalink
Have you hadv any problems since you solved the evdo problems?
s.daniel 4:31 pm on March 10, 2009 Permalink
Where can i find the QPST 2.7 Build 301 download? Having problems finding it? Thanks
jimtanis 8:59 pm on March 18, 2009 Permalink
My user id shows as phonenumber@@vzw3g.com . Should I change that to something different too?
nmdotcom 5:27 pm on April 8, 2009 Permalink
has to change it to ur num@bb.alltel.net password is ur esn its top screen right next to me id
jimtanis 7:04 pm on April 12, 2009 Permalink
I get an error when I try to do this.
The box that pops up says NV Write errors
Under NV Item is says NV_UE_IMEI_I amd under Status it says NV_READONLY_S
Ideas?
Thanks Jim
dontenucci 8:17 pm on April 13, 2009 Permalink
jimtanis…
I’m having the same error message… I’ve done it several times now… any help would be great relating to this issue…
dontenucci 9:43 pm on April 14, 2009 Permalink
jimtanis.
update… i did this again about 3 more times… the entire process in QPST and got the error message all 3 times… however after my last time, my phone showed up on com port 2 and although i still got the error, i am now running EVDO…. so, try a few more times even with the error and maybe it’ll work for you as well.!!
nmdotcom 12:21 pm on April 25, 2009 Permalink
yes you will get that error its still writing to the phone however there is only one part that it cannot write too and thats why you get that error also make sure you set you password to be your ESN not your MEID and your user name should be your number @alltel.bb.net and you can find ur esn up top it shows ur meid and to the left it says esn or you can go to the programming menu ##000000 and should be the pesn hex if you have immediate questions im more than happy to expedite answers via my email nmdotcom@gmail.com
thanks
dcn312 7:04 pm on April 27, 2009 Permalink
THANKS SO MUCH, I added my 9530 to ALLTEL a few months ago and all that was lacking was the working EVDO. I did this and now it’s working 100 percent. GREAT write up
RAJ 5:46 pm on April 28, 2009 Permalink
What is the advantage of having EVDO??? I have my Storm working on Alltel now and seem the have full funtionality… what will I gain with the EVDO?
thanks and excuse my ignorance…
mandahlynn 2:24 pm on May 6, 2009 Permalink
What if I can’t get it to show up on COM 4 or 5 and it shows up on 6 but it doesn’t seem to stick to evdo?
cmshore7 7:45 pm on May 17, 2009 Permalink
So have you all actually been able to get the storm to work on alltel? The local alltel store keeps telling me its impossible.
RACK 7:13 pm on May 24, 2009 Permalink
ON CRACKBERRY MYPDA (A CRACKBERRY USER) WROTE IN A FORUM IF YOU USE QPST WHERE YOU PUT IN YOUR ESN IN THE PASSWORD FIELD OF THE AN TAB AND ENTER younumber@bb.alltel.net THAT WOULD BE YOUR TEN DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER YOU WILL GET THE EVDO TO STICK WE ARE STILL HAVE PROBLEMS GETTING THE PRL TO NOT REVERT BACK TO “1″ ON QUICK PULLS….HOPE THIS HELPS
RACK 7:14 pm on May 24, 2009 Permalink
nmdotcom ALREADY HAS MADE MENTION TO THIS ABOVE
RACK 7:16 pm on May 24, 2009 Permalink
RAJ EVDO LOADS FOUR TIMES FASTER THAN THE STANDARD 1X YOU ARE NOT GETTING YOUR MONEYS WORTH WITHOUT IT.
crookedeyebob 11:09 pm on June 30, 2009 Permalink
SCOTTXP is right on the money just follow his steps and it all works but know you get music when you *22801 after the first time you can use *228. I got my phone lAST WEEK FOLLOWED THE STEPS WORKED FIRST TIME. has anyone fixed the problem about reverting back to one. my prl is 30042 but everything works. try manuley change prl did not work please help