Archive for March 1st, 2011

Before I start this, let me first say I am not an Apple basher.  Nor am I an Android lover.   I have never used the Apple iOS for any length of time, and don’t own an Apple phone or Pad – it’s just that Android seems right for me.   Which is why today I present, my list of top freelance or small business applications for Android Users.   All of these applications are FREE and work well on both phone and tablets:

Moon+ Reader/Aldiko
Both of these are eBook readers.   There is not much to choose between them – both work well both on phones and Android Tablets, both are Free.  Both can be used to read your business eBooks on the go, and when used with Calibre, can be used to download your RSS feeds and blogs onto your Droid to read on the go.

GoogleMaps
It has to be listed – but I am sure you already have it on your Droid – right?  Perfect for getting directions and even driving with satnav turn by turn directions to your business meeting.

DropBox
If you haven’t got a dropbox account, you should really get one now.  It’s the perfect Cloud based file transfer and storage system, and it’s free.  The Dropbox android application allows you to save, view and open files between your android device, and the cloud.

Evernote
Evernote is the perfect cloud based solution for recording and storing all those odd notes, code snippets and other useful information.  The Android app works very well, allowing you to view your existing notes, add new notes, and take pictures with your phone/tablet to upload to your evernote account.  Once loaded, they are OCR’d which means text in photographed business cards or documents is searchable.

GotToDo
The best ToDo manager for Android now works full screen on tablets.   GotToDo syncs your ToDo items to the cloud via a ToodleDo account.

DolphinBrowserHD
There is nothing wrong with the browser supplied with Android devices, and there are plenty of alternative browsers available.  But this browser seems to me to be the fastest and best looking – the fact that by default it is full screen means you have lots of space for the web page rather than control buttons etc.

AndReader
A very good ReadItLater client, which I have previously talked about.   When you find something in a tweet, email or web page but don’t have the time to read it there and then, tag it using the Android DroidSave application, and the item is downloaded to your phone into AndReader for reading… later, in offline mode.   Update: Recently a new ReadItLater app has been made available which I now prefer – however the ReadItLater needs to be purchased whilst AndReader is free.

BuzzBox
This is another RSS reader.  My own preference is to download the really good blogs into Calibre and then into Moon Reader/Aldiko (so that I can read them as an ebook), and anything else into BuzzBox.  Buzzbox allows me to skim read the headlines, and then click into the items I am interested in.  Works very well on both phone and Tablet, and has a full searchable by category list of RSS sources – but you can always add your own.

Project Viewer Lite
If you work with project plans, this application lets you view the project plan on your phone or tablet.  Works with most major formats including Microsoft – and can show the resource tables, tasks and of course the Gantt charts.

ConvertPad
A useful utility for converting from one format to another.  Convert currency, weights, lengths, angles, temperatures, Volumes, Data storage (TBs to GBs anybody), times, dates and almost anything else.

Lookout
Mobiles are now starting to be hit with spyware and viruses.   Lookout is a very low footprint application spy and virus checker.   The premium version gives more options – but the free version is really all you need.

Skype
Skype on the android is a must for staying in touch with friends and customers over the web.  What?  You haven’t installed it yet?  Why not?

TripAdvisor
The Android client for the tripadvisor web site provides local search options.   Using this client, finding a place to eat or hotel to stay when visiting a customer becomes a snap with prices, reviews and directions.

TweetDeck
Finally, I use tweetdeck on Android to keep up to date on my Twitter and Facebook social network.   Whilst there are a lot of social applications out there, I love the way that Tweetdeck integrates fully into the Android OS for sharing text, photos, and web pages.