13 great starter apps for Android

After more than two years with a BlackBerry in my pocket, I’ve made the switch to an Android phone last month.

I’ve been eying Android since it was released and after my BlackBerry took a nose dive a good friend gave me his used TMobile G1 (aka HTC Dream) — which is great since I’ve also been avoiding a full touchscreen phone and this one is touchscreen + a physical keyboard.

It took about a week but we were able to unlock the phone from TMobile (for FREE) and I’ve been using it on AT&T ever since.

And no doubt about it — I’m loving Android.

I love the way sharing is built in between so many apps. So what I’m doing in YouVersion or the NPR app can easily be shared with Gmail, Hootsuite, Evernote or others.

And I’ve only found a couple downsides to the G1 so far.

• No flash on the camera — that was a feature I loved to show off on my BlackBerry Curve.
• The G1 also lacks a lot of internal memory, which means I’ve had to delete several apps along the way. No 16 GB or 32 GB here. The phone gives you the ability to save music and photos to a micro-SD card, but with Android 1.6 you can’t save apps to the card.

  There’s a work around if you root the phone (jailbreak essentially) and install a special app, but I haven’t made that move yet.

• Also, the lack of a standard headphone jack on the phone is annoying as well. You have to buy USB headphones, or buy an adapter to use headphones on the phone — thus apps like Pandora and the NPR app haven’t been utilized as much as I’d like since I haven’t taken the time to buy the adapter.

But otherwise, I have no complaints with the phone or the OPEN operating system. I’m really hoping Motorola will launch something like the Droid X on AT&T before my time to upgrade next year (and AT&T won’t lock it down like it’s done with several other Android phones).

But let’s get to what you really came here for —

The Android starter apps…

(all the apps I’ve listed can be found via the links below or in the Android Market)

1. Google Sky Map – It may not be used as much as some of the other apps on my phone, but this is by far my favorite. Using the phone’s GPS and “orientation sensors,” Google Sky Maps shows you an amazing map of the sky – with labels – just by pointing your phone in the direction of the sky. (Or it even shows you a map of what’s below you — on the other side of the planet — if you point your phone towards the ground!)
2. YouVersion – I remember back in the day when the only way you could get a copy of the Bible on your computer or PDA was to pay for the software + additional costs for each translation you wanted on your phone. YouVersion blows all that out of the water. With 41 different translations, the ability to share passages via Twitter or Facebook, read comments from friends and more, this is an amazing FREE app.
3. Hootsuite – I started out with Seesmic’s Twitter app but I’ve recently switched to Hootsuite (the paid version) and really dig it. It far outweighs Seesmic’s app in my mind. The Lite version is nice but it doesn’t give you the option of using more than three Twitter accounts in the app.
4. Amazon Kindle – Just released this week it’s already getting a lot of use on my phone. When I first made the switch to Android it was one app I really missed since I was in the middle of reading several books on the BlackBerry version of the app. But this one’s beautiful on the Android. I’m back to reading my books in my pocket sized Kindle.
5. Amazon.com – This app could definitely get me in trouble. I’m not sure if it comes standard on all Android phones or just the G1, but it’s a pretty powerful tool on the go. I love that I can easily view and add to my Wishlist while on the go — even baby strollers at Babies R Us — using the barcode on the stroller! It’s also handy when I’m strolling through Half Price Books and I’m trying to remember all the books I’ve been wanting to read.
6. WordPress – If you blog with WordPress, you’d be amiss if you didn’t get this app. It makes blogging from your Android device a breeze. I’ve already shared several photos and blog posts via this app and it’s just a great option for blogging on the go.
7. The NPR app – NPR keeps innovating more and more with their online/mobile products. This app is so much smoother and easier to use than the BlackBerry Curve version. As I mentioned above, it’s so easy to search for a story and then quickly share it with your friends. It’s also been updated a lot recently. Not sure if that’s related to bugs that have been found or new features being added — but it’s been a wonderful app for me. Now if only I could get some headphones to work on my G1. And what makes this app even cooler is that it’s OPEN SOURCE. In contrast to the closed iPhone app, the Android app, was built by Google developer Michael Frederick as a 20% project, as Google allows its engineers to spend 20% of their time on projects they’re passionate about. LOVE IT!
8. BettrFlickr – This is a fairly basic app, but worth the $2 or so I paid for it. Makes uploading and viewing your Flickr photos on Android a breeze. I haven’t had much luck with the geotagging feature though. I don’t know if it’s an issue with this app or when I’m taking the phone.
9. Barcode Scanner – There are loads of scanners out there and Android peeps are putting them to use everywhere. It makes adding apps a breeze, adding contacts a breeze and so much more. Most of the apps listed here have barcodes on their website that will take your right to the download in the Android Market. I personally use the app from ZXing Team, but any of them should do the trick. Just be sure you get one to make taking part in the broader Android community easier.
10. Evernote – Take photos, text notes or audio notes with the app and then automatically sync them with your desktop or web app for viewing and editing later. I’ve used this app most for tracking my to-do list as well as things like groceries and our weekly menus. I’ll often start the notes on the web and then add to them and edit them on the go with this app.
11. Key Ring – Toss all those grocery store and pharmacy club cards and keep track of all of them in this great app from Mobestream Media. The app lets you easily add club/member cards from hundreds of stores by either scanning the barcode or typing the member number in. Then when you’re in the store, simply pull out your phone and show the cashier the barcode on your phone. No more hassling with membership cards or remembering what phone number or e-mail address you gave each store.
12. FxCamera – This is just a fun photo app that compares somewhat to several apps on the iPhone. If you’ve been seeing your friends post their fun colored, or Andy Warhol effect photos everywhere and you’re getting iPhone envy, this is a great solution for Android. It goes a different direction than the Photoshop app — but that’s what makes it fun.

Honorable mention:

• Foursquare (much better on Android than on BlackBerry)
• Bubble (a level app)
• Bubble Wrap Game
• Color Flashlight
• Google Listen (great for listening to podcasts on the go – no need to sync with my computer)
• SportyPal (great for tracking runs and bike rides via GPS)
• The Weather Channel
• Usteam Broadcaster

I also asked a few friends what they suggested.

Randy Jensen @randyjensen suggested:

Springpad (which I may look into instead of Evernote), USA Today, Seesmic, Mint.com, Movies, Newsrob, Gmote, Chrome to Phone (requires Android 2.2), Dictionary.com, Epicurious, gtasks, Photoshop, Wavesecure, Pandora and Google Sky Map.

Andy Weir @theweir suggested:

Seesmic, Hootsuite, Facebook, Solitare, Weather Channel, YouVersion and FxCamera.

So what do you suggest?