Android Market
From St. Louis Hackerspace Wiki
The Android Market for Android mobile devices is the equivalent of the Apple App Store for the iPhone.
Contents |
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Many free apps (The Market has paid apps but unlike the App Store, there are more free apps to try out!)
- Less restrictive requirements for developers
- Open Development
- Finding applications by certain publishers is easy. (pub:Publisher Name)
Cons
- Spam apps (See the Black List section for some of the biggest offenders)
- eBook don't have their own category
Recommended Apps
This section contains a list of Android Applications that are legitimate. Much of this software list contains the official applications from various groups. To avoid downloading imposter applications, this list contains the official apps from the real contributors.
This table includes some commentary on my experiences use some of the apps. It is generally the second paragraph of the description. Feel free to add your experiences.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| Application | Publisher | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description/Notes | |||
| PdaNet free edition | June Fabrics Technologies Inc. | Wireless Tethering | FREE! |
| Wireless Tethering allows you to plug your phone into your computer via USB cable. Now everywhere is a wireless hotspot! So as long as you have 3G service and unlimited (5GB) data plan!
Hopefully Verizon doesn't catch on. A must have for anyone with a netbook and on the road!--MrHacks 02:53, 3 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| MagicMarker | Jaytronix | Drawing | FREE! |
| A fun glowing drawing program.
| |||
| BatteryLife | CurveFish | Widget | FREE! |
| A more descriptive battery monitor.
| |||
| WiFi OnOff | CurveFish | Widget | FREE! |
| Toggle WiFi without stumbling through the Settings
| |||
| SilentMode OnOff | CurveFish | Widget | FREE! |
| Enable silent mode.
I haven't really used this all that much. Generally, you can enable Silent and Airport Modes on your Android enabled device (specifically the Motorola Droid) by holding down the power button until a dialog shows up.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| GPS OnOff | CurveFish | Widget | FREE! |
| Take's you to the setting pannel to toggle WiFi and GPS setting without stumbling through the Settings.
Convenient.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| My Maps Editor by Google | Google Inc. | Maps | FREE! |
| Use maps that you created on Google Maps, perhaps even Google Earth.
| |||
| PayPal | PayPal Mobile | Shopping | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! Make payments with your PayPal account.
Haven't really gotten around to using it. I'll let you know my thoughts about it later.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| gkcd | Jake Albert | Entertainment/Comics | FREE! |
| View the thrice weekly updated comic XKCD.
| |||
| Google Sky Map | Google Inc. | Maps | FREE! |
| Browse constillations. Perfect for backyard astronomy.
A must have!--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Coloroid | Benjamin Lewis | Games | FREE! |
| Color grouping game.
| |||
| Phit Droid | mToy | Games | FREE! |
| Puzzle piece fitting game.
| |||
| Amazon.com | Amazon Mobile | Shopping | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! Shop Amazon using your Android-enabled device.
| |||
| MisMisMatch | Benjamin Lewis | Games | FREE! |
| Based on the set matching game Set.
| |||
| Phandroid News | phandroid.com | News | FREE! |
| News about Android-enabled devices from phandroid.com
| |||
| Documents To Go 2.0 Main App | DataViz, Inc | Office | $20? |
| Open and edit Microsoft Word and Excel documents on your mobile device. Also view PowerPoint presentations and PDF files.
A must have, even though I wish Google would make a program for the Google Docs service. Documents To Go has been around for years and was used on other devices like Palm and Windows Mobile.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Photoshop.com Mobile | Adobe Systems | Photos | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! Not a full fledged version of Adobe Photoshop, but does allow you to make small changes to photos taken with the Camera.
| |||
| iMap Weather™ | Weather Decision Technologies, Inc. | Maps/Weather | FREE! |
| A mash-up of Google Maps with Weather Information. If you like this app, check out iMapWeather.com.
| |||
| Android Terminal Emulator | Jack Palevich | Tools | FREE! |
| FOR ADVANCED USERS! A basic Unix/Linux terminal emulator for Android.
Ideal for Linux hackers. Still has a few flaws. Needs more bash-like behavior. Not recommended for regular users.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Droidlight LED Flashlight | Motorola Inc. | Tools | FREE! |
| FOR MOTOROLA DROID. Turn your smartphone into a flashlight! Idea for dimly lit restaurants or other dark places.
| |||
| Corporate Directory | Motorola Inc. | Tools | FREE! |
| Motorola's address book program. You'll probably never use this since there is an Address Book application already on the device.
Verizon users don't really need this. It more or less complements the Exchange calendar and email that come loaded on the Motorola Droid.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| A Online Radio | aor.leadapps | Music/Radio | FREE! |
| Listen to online radio stations on your device.
Make sure you have unlimited (5GB) data plan for listening to internet radio where 3G data service is used instead of WiFi.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Barcode Scanner | ZXing Team | Tools/Shopping | FREE! |
| The must have Barcode scanner application. Reads Barcodes and QR Codes.
Like any barcode scanner program, it might take a few tries for it to work, especially if your device has an autofocus bug when used. (Droid users in particular. It will be resolved eventually.)--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Sensor List | Idea Matters | Tools | FREE! |
| For more advanced users. Displays sensor data. Ideal for Motorola Droid.
| |||
| Text-To-Speech Extended | Eyes-Free Project | Tools | FREE! |
| Ideal for people with disabilities.
| |||
| SoundBack | Eyes-Free Project | Tools | FREE! |
| Ideal for people with disabilities.
| |||
| Talkback | Eyes-Free Project | Tools | FREE! |
| Ideal for people with disabilities.
| |||
| Google Goggles | Google Inc. | Tools/Augmented Reality | FREE! |
| Using the camera on you device, you can point the camera at some things and Googles will search Google for it. Eventually, leafs and some animals will be recognizable with Goggles.
A must have. There are still several thing it needs to do, like offer text translations.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| CNET Scan & Shop | CBS Interactive, Inc. | Shopping | FREE! |
| Use this application to read reviews about technology products on CNET.
| |||
| Facebook for Android | Social Networking | FREE! | |
| OFFICIAL! The Facebook application for Android devices.
As good as this program is, it is generally more convient to use your browser to use Facebook. This app really isn't that good.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Backgrounds | Stylem Media | Wallpapers | FREE! |
| Download free backgrounds for your Android-enabled device.
Small collection. Try searching google for backgrounds then crop an image to fit the screen.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Bluetooth OnOff | CurveFish | Widget | FREE! |
| Toggle Bluetooth settings.
Haven't gotten around to using this.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Andoku Sudoku | Markus Wiederkehr | Games | FREE! |
| Sudoku for Android
| |||
| Droid Comic Viewer | Robot Comics Software | Entertainment/Comics | FREE! |
| An e-book like reader for comics uploaded for Robot Comics.
Not all that good, espically since many of the comics are their own apps. Eventually this will change.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Advanced Task Killer Free | ReChild | Tools | FREE! |
| For more advanced users. Control runaway processes.
This made since back for older version of the Android operating system. Not so much as of Android v2.0.1.
| |||
| Key Ring Reward Cards | Froogloid, LLC | Tools | FREE! |
| Use this app to store those keychain barcodes that clutter your keychain.
Haven't really tried this one yet. Might be good.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Light Racer 3D Basic | Battery Powered Games, LLC | Games | FREE! |
| 3D Tron game!
Awesome!--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Google Translate | Google Inc. | Tools | FREE! |
| Translate text to other language.
Needs to use something like Google Goggles to scan text in other languages to translate it. You can use the keyboard to type in words for Spanish, French, Portugues, and Italian. Cryllic, Arabic, Chinese, and Japanese not so much. Still a must have app.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| The Weather Channel | The Weather Channel | Weather | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! Application for the latest weather forcast from The Weather Channel.
The Windows app isn't good. This app and the widget for Google Chrome are good because they don't try ask you to upload a who bunch of other garbage. I wish The Weather Channel (or better yet the National Weather Service) was used for the Weather widget when the Motorola Droid was in Dock Mode instead of Accuweather.
| |||
| ShopSavvy | Big in Japan, Inc. | Shopping | FREE! |
| Barcode scanning program.
An alternative program to ZX Reader and Amazon. ZX Reader and Amazon are still better, but sometimes they might not give you the results you were looking for. ShopSavvy can help.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| MorseCoder | Heliosophic Labs, LLC | Games/Tools | FREE! |
| Just a program to create Morse Code Messages. Fun with friends and for HAM radio fans.
| |||
| Color Master | Alasdair Mackenzie | Tools | FREE! |
| A color picking program ideal for web programmers.
| |||
| Pkt Auctions eBay | Bonfire Media, Inc. | Shopping/Auction | FREE! |
| Auction Program for Ebay.
This program was good. It was a good program to have until the Ebay application became available. Still, if you like this program more than the Ebay App, it is a must have.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Crosswords | Tea.ch | Games | FREE! |
| Download crossword puzzles. (Generally from the Houston Chronicle.)
A must have if you love crossword puzzles. Needs more sources. I wish it would send you the crosswords instead of having to get them yourself.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| My Tracks | My Tracks Team at Google | Maps/GPS | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! Use this app to track where you've been, just like any GPS program.
| |||
| Last.fm - Personal Radio | Last.fm Ltd. | Music | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! Listen to streaming music at home or on the go.
Requires a Last.fm account. Some music is censored. Some artists aren't listed despite being a great source for listening to lesser know and non-big-label artists.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Congress | Sunlight Labs | Government | FREE! |
| Find your local congreeman and see what they are doing.
A must have for anyone interested in politics!--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Jewels | MHGames | Games | FREE! |
| A game that is similar to EA's Bejeweled.
A must have! Better than EA's Bejeweled.--MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Aldiko Book Reader Premium | Aldiko Limited | eBook reader/Shopping | $5? |
| Download DRM-free e-Books
Waiting on an Amazon or Barnes and Noble e-Book Reader program. O'Reilly Publishing has many books for computer enthusiasts available. --MrHacks 20:50, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Retro Clock Widget | jSource | Widget | FREE! |
| A clock for Motorola Droid users who want something that looks like the clock program on the HTC Eris.
| |||
| Places Directory | Google Places Directory Team | Maps/Directory | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! Find things locally with the help of Google Maps.
Still needs a little work.
| |||
| AndChat (Free) | Al. R. | Communications | FREE! |
| An IRC Client. Perfect for Motorola Droid.
IRC is no place for regular users. Know the risks when using IRC!--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Droid48 | shagrath | Tools | FREE! |
| An HP 48 Calculator Emulator
| |||
| Slashdot Reader | sak+ | News | FREE! |
| Read news from Slashdot.org
| |||
| Citysearch | Citysearch | Maps/Directory | FREE! |
| Find local reviews from Citysearch.com
| |||
| LOL Sites | Ian Hawkins | Entertainment/Comedy | FREE! |
| Retrieve funny images from "LOL Sites" like ICanHasCheeseBurger.com and PeopleOfWalmart.com
Stores the images on the memory card. So be sure to flush that out after a while.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Circlograph | Richard Cohen | Games | FREE! |
| Make Spirograph drawings!
I really want to make a page on this Wiki to explain the math behind these beautiful drawings. Perhaps later.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Ustream Viewer | Ustream.tv, Inc. | Video | FREE! |
| View live video feeds from Ustream. Might require a Ustream account.
| |||
| Ustream Broadcaster | Ustream.tv, Inc. | Video | FREE! |
| Broadcast live video feeds to Ustream. Requires a Ustream account.
| |||
| A Top Job Search | Bostone Consulting | Job Search | FREE! |
| Also known as Hire*A*Droid, search for jobs using SimplyHired.com and save searches.
Great!--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Anystop: St. Louis Metro | Bus Brothers | Transit | FREE! |
| Find transit information in the St. Louis area.
Google Maps has a similar feature.
| |||
| Apps Organizer | Fabio Collini | Tools | FREE! |
| Organize your apps.
I haven't really figured this one out completely.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| twidroid PRO for twitter | Zimmermann & Marban | Social Networking | $5? |
| {{{desc}}}
| |||
| App Referer | Drathus | Tools | FREE! |
| Recommend apps to your friends.
| |||
| Notes | Yuli | Tools | FREE! |
| Jot Notes Down and create lists.
I wish Google hadn't discontinued their Notebook service and that they created a program for the Tasks service. Still, a must have app for anyone who needs to write something down with no major frills.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| AndroZip File Manager | AgileSoft Resource | Tools | FREE! |
| Unzip compresed software packages.
A must have if you are downloading a big file.
| |||
| FMyLife FML Official | FML/VDM | Entertainment/Comedy | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! Stories about the stupid things some people do from FMyLife.com
Any other app that is an FMyLife feed is not legitmiate. Download this one and this one only!
| |||
| Visible Vote Mobile | Visible Vote | Government | FREE! |
| Vote on what congress votes on. Requires account creation.
Another good app for people interested in politics.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| WordPress | Automattic, Inc | Blogging | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! Use this app to link to your WordPress Blog and blog from over your phone. Requires a site with WordPress or a WordPress account.
| |||
| Google Maps | Google Inc. | Maps | FREE! |
| Google's ultra-versatile mapping/navigation program!
This program rocks! EPIC WIN!--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Reversi for Android | Aart Bik | Games | FREE! |
| An Othello/Reversi game for Android.
Aart Bik is a great programmer! I would recommend any of his programs for Android!--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Checkers for Android | Aart Bik | Games | FREE! |
| A Checkers program for Android.
Another great program by Aart Bik.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Chess for Android | Aart Bik | Games | FREE! |
| A Chess program for Android.
It's good. Still needs a little work.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| WordSearch FREE | Brendan | Games | FREE! |
| A seek-and-find program. Great for brain exercises.
| |||
| Voice Recorder | Mamoru Tokashiki | Tools | FREE! |
| Use your phone as a voice recorder.
| |||
| ConnectBot | Kenny Root and Jeffrey Sharkey | Tools | FREE! |
| FOR ADVANCED USERS! This program is an SSH Client for connecting to servers using you phone.
A must have for site administrators, Linux hackers, and computer geeks. Requires a link to an SSH account.
| |||
| Surveyor | Idea Matters | Tools | FREE! |
| Use your phone to take measurements.
Haven't really gotten around to using this.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Fishin' 2 Go (Lite) | CyxB | Games | FREE! |
| A fishing game
Haven't tried it out yet. I hear it is pretty good.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| CraigsNotifica (Craigslist) | Rafael Sanches | Classifieds | FREE! |
| Set up Craigslist notifications
Good. I'd like to turn off the notifications when I'm not really looking for stuff though.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Nethack | Fredrik Farnstrom | Games | FREE! |
| Classic Unix game
| |||
| Netrunners Beta | TotalMadOwnage | Games | FREE! |
| Another Unix game ported to Android?
| |||
| Discovery Channel | Discovery Channel | Entertainment/Information | FREE! |
| Watch clips from the Discovery Channel.
| |||
| AndroidFortune | Smallbouldering Projects | Entertainment | FREE! |
| A port of the classic Unix fortune program for Android.
| |||
| AIM | AOL Mobile | Instant Messenging | FREE! |
| AOL Instant Messenger
| |||
| Coldwell Banker Real Estate | Coldwell Banker Inc | Maps/Real Estate | FREE! |
| Browse for houses on the market
Needs work still, but good.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Pandora Radio | Pandora | Music | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! Listen to streaming audio online. Requires a Pandora.com account.
Many restrictions. Only saves about 60 artists. So it might be a good idea to use the Notes program to write down some of your artists.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Listen | Google Inc. | Podcasting | FREE! |
| Listen to audio podcasts from your favorite websites.
How do they use RSS feeds with this program for non-audio feeds?--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| DIRECTV | DIRECTV Inc. | Entertainment/Tools | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! View Television listing on DirecTV. Even greater features if you link your DirecTV accounts to this application like the ability to tell your DVR record stuff over the phone.
Good. Needs work. DirecTV has alot of channels! Needs to filter out the listings for the infomerical channels and the adult listings.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| Draw! (Free) | thewongandonly.com | Drawing | FREE! |
| Free version of a popular drawing program. Fun to play with.
| |||
| Movies | Flixster Inc. | Entertainment | FREE! |
| Find movie information and theater listings. Also share your feedback on films you've seen or want to see.
A must have! Might require registering with Flixster. Facebook has a Flixster app that could get you registered as well.--MrHacks 21:49, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
| |||
| eBay | eBay Inc. | Shopping | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! Manage your eBay auctions, bid on items, etc.
| |||
| HuffingtonPost.com | The Huffington Post | News | FREE! |
| OFFICIAL! News from The Huffington Post. | |||
Black List
The Android Market has hundreds of great free and paid applications. However, there is always that small group of people who take something good and ruin it for their own private gain. Here is a list of those scoundrels who have made the Android Market a quagmire to navigate through. If you see any of there apps, DO NOT DOWNLOAD THEM. If any of them look suspicious, report them.
- Vidition Droid
- Michael Quach
- Genwi

