WomenWithDroids Must-Have Apps

I am often asked in real life and on twitter what Android apps everyone should have. So, we did a little experiment here at Women With Droids to see which apps were found most often on our contributors’ phones, and we wanted to share the results with you! Participating contributors were: Ellie, CraftLass, Liz, Deb, Taylor, and myself. You can read more about us on our About page (I will update it with our recently-added contributors soon!) and see recommendations from each of us below.

So, this post contains a list of all non-built-in apps that at least 3 of us have on our phones (plus a couple only 2 contributors had that I promoted to the list). I’ll call them our “must-have apps”! “Must-have” is a bit of a misnomer because we don’t actually recommend you download every app here (read the advice here), just the ones that would make YOUR life better! Some of them have already been reviewed on this blog, and we will continue to come back here periodically and link the app names to new reviews as we write them.

Without further ado, here are our top picks and the rest of the Women With Droids must-have apps!

• Ellie’s Pick: Ringdroid
  Ringdroid is a necessity for anyone who loves changing their ringtone to their new favorite song or an old classic! This free app allows you to select songs from your SD card and clip them to bite sized segments to use as ringtones or notification sounds. There is a slight learning curve to this app, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll wonder how you made it without it! Ringdroid saves the ringtones to your SD card and automatically adds them to your list, so you can quickly select the tone you want to use.
  Market Link
• Deb’s Pick: My Verizon Mobile
• My Verizon Mobile’s not only a must-have, it’s a no-brainer. In the past, a two-second question regarding my account would take me half hour to answer. I’d have to go online, spend time digging up my username and password, then reacquaint myself with my carrier’s website all over again. Exhausting! Well sweat no more, as this app typifies everything we efficiency hounds seek. One press and instantly your minutes, text and data usage are displayed. Another flick and up comes your latest bill including current balance, total charges, and payment due date. Sure you’ll need your My Verizon password for some functions, but lots of helpful info is accessible within seconds without it.
  I’m continually amazed how certain apps take the “chore” out of past habits, and My Verizon Mobile is one of them.
  Not in the market for everyone (carrier-specific). Verizon users can find it in the market under the Verizon apps tab.
• Renee’s Pick: IMDb
  The IMDb.com website is a treasure for both serious movie buffs and casual info-seekers. It has lots of data about every actor, movie, and anything affiliated with movies – and it’s organized in a way that makes it fun and easy to use. Similarly, the IMDb app for Android is a well-implemented interface to the Internet Movie Database. You can still get all of the standard actor info and movie ratings from the menu-button search, plus the app homescreen gives you quick access to movie showtimes, box office results, top 250 movies, new on DVD, and more! Whether you’re trying to figure out the name of that guy in that one movie, solving a dinner dispute about whether a movie won best picture, trying to decide which DVD to rent, or planning when to meet your friends at the movies, the IMDb app will come in handy more often than you expect!
  Market Link
• Taylor’s Pick: Google Listen
  As an NPR junkie and a budding podcast afficianado, Google Listen is perfect for filling in the dull little gaps throughout my day. Search for your favorite podcasts, queue them up and subscribe to them in a clean interface separate from your other RSS subscriptions, which keeps things sweet and simple. The streaming’s always proven very smooth for me over 3G, and moving through a podcast or audio stream is effortless and intuitive. While Listen can’t cache podcasts for offline listening yet (that would be amazing), it’s a solid little app that does one thing very, very well.
  Market Link
• Liz’s Pick: Skype
  Skype Mobile should be a requirement for anyone that loves to stay connected! As free tie-in to the popular Skype, this little application gem keeps you fully available for last-minute conference calls from the train, playing catch-up with family across the country, or just unwinding to a friend – all for free (with another Skype member) or extremely low rates (when calling phone numbers). This is *especially* handy for those who have a solid footprint in the digital arena and want to be reachable through VOIP technology without needing any special setups – calling you could be as simple as clicking a button you’ve added to your website! Currently, the Android version is limited to calling features (Skype to Skype, Skype to Land) and Instant Messaging other Skype users. I see this going a long way, and I want to be along for the ride!
  Website Link

Advanced Task Killer Free	Forces selected running applications to close.
	Market Link
AK Notepad	Simple text/notepad app. Set reminders, share notes, password protect notes, etc.
	Market Link
Amazon	Find items on Amazon using a barcode or photograph, read reviews, shop.
	Market Link
App Monster	View and manage the apps on your phone.
	Market Link
Barcode Scanner	Look up items online by scanning their UPC, ISBN, or QR barcodes.
	Market Link
Battery Widget	See your battery level percentage on a 1×1 widget.
	Market Link
BBC News	World news articles in multiple feeds, plus a small headline widget.
	Market Link
Beautiful Widgets	Skinnable clock and weather widgets, network toggle widgets, etc.
	Market Link
Congress	Find your representatives and contact them right from the app, view voting history & bills.
	Market Link
Dolphin Browser HD	Tabbed web browser with advanced features.
	Market Link
Dropbox	Auto-sync files between computers and your phone.
	Market Link
Google Sky Map	Find or identify constellations and planets by holding your phone up to the sky.
	Market Link
Google Voice	Read voicemails as text or listen from within app. Call & text from your Google number.
	Market Link
Jewels	Puzzle game – slide jewels into consecutive rows to make them disappear and get points.
	Market Link
Last.fm	Build radio playlists by artist or genre, learn about artists & concerts.
	Market Link
LinkPush	Use a browser extension or bookmarklet to send links from your computer browser to your phone.
	Market Link
Listables!	Generate a list of apps on your phone and share it by email. (We used it to help create this list!)
	Market Link
Movies	View movie trailers, read reviews, find local showtimes.
	Market Link
My Days	Track menstrual periods, ovulation, and birth control on a calendar.
	Market Link
Pandora	Create streaming radio stations based on an artist or genre, and Pandora tunes the station to your preferences based on your feedback.
	Market Link
PayPal	Make or receive payments on the go. New features such as split-the-bill and “bump” integration.
	Market Link
Quick Settings	Quickly access your phone’s Brightness, Volume, Ringer, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and Data Sync settings, Battery meter and more.
	Market Link
Seesmic	View, search, share photos & videos, and get notifications for Twitter & Google Buzz.
	Market Link
Shazam	Find artist & song names by holding your phone up to the music! Encore (paid) edition allows unlimited usage. P.S. This is the only app that all 6 of us had on our phones 🙂
	Market Link
Starbucks Card	Check your Starbucks Card balance with one click.
	Market Link
Startup Auditor	Task killer/manager which allows you to disable apps from starting on boot up.
	Market Link
Swype	Only occasionally available for download, Swype is a replacement keyboard which allows you to drag your finger through the letters to type, making text entry much faster and easier!
	Website Link
The Weather Channel	Local weather, radar, and forecasts from The Weather Channel. Includes widget.
	Market Link
Tip Calc	Quickly calculate tips when you receive your restaurant bill.
	Market Link
Toss It	Just toss crumpled paper into a trash can! Various modes and challenges.
	Market Link
Twitter	Twitter Android client from the makers of Twitter.
	Market Link
Urbanspoon	Shake your phone for local restaurant suggestions.
	Market Link
WordPress	Create new posts, edit posts, and approve & respond to comments on your WordPress blog.
	Market Link
Zillow	View real estate for sale in map or list view by search or GPS location. Photos, prices descriptions, and more. Contact an agent directly from the app.
	Market Link

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4 Responses to “WomenWithDroids Must-Have Apps”

1. D W says:

   August 14, 2010 at 12:45 am

   Thank you for the market links. It is very much appreciated.

   Reply
2. Sherry says:

   September 29, 2010 at 7:52 pm

   Thanks so much for doing this!

   Reply
3. mysticalmalissa says:

   October 3, 2010 at 9:06 pm

   This is an awesome list of apps. Thanks 🙂

   Reply
4. Renee says:

   October 3, 2010 at 10:51 pm

   You’re welcome, everyone!

   Reply