Software : Just got an Android phone for Christmas? You need these apps |
| Just got an Android phone for Christmas? You need these apps Posted:  10 essential apps to downloadUnwrapped a brand new Android phone on Christmas morning? We're jealous, but we're also here to help. A smartphone can get a lot smarter with the right apps and there's a whole world of them on Android - well over a million, in fact. But with such a mindboggling number available finding the ones which are actually worthwhile isn't always easy. So we've done the hard work for you and come up with a list of ten which you really should download right this second. They're all best-in-class apps which could benefit almost anyone and are an ideal place to get started. Once you've grabbed them if your Android phone is still looking a little bare you could get some more inspiration from our long lists of the best Android apps and the best free Android apps. Google Photos
Free Whatever new phone you've just got will have come with its own gallery app, but it won't be as good as Google Photos (although some newer phones do come with it pre-installed nowadays). Unlimited free storage allows you to back up all of your images and videos, so you'll never lose them, even if you lose your phone. You can even delete them from your device and still view them from the cloud, thereby saving valuable space. You can edit photos straight from the app and search for images based on what appears in them, without having to tag them first, so it's easy to hunt out specific shots. Not enough? How about shared albums, Chromecast support, animations, collages, montages and more. Google Photos really is the complete gallery package. Pushbullet
Free If you're anything like us you probably flip-flop between a smartphone, computer and tablet, but getting all your files and notifications in sync isn't always easy. That's where Pushbullet comes in. Install it on your phone and your computer to see notifications from your handset appear on your PC. Better yet you can even reply to messages from many apps through your computer and easily share files and links between the two.
Free (for the first year) WhatsApp is an entirely more modern way to send messages than SMS. It uses Wi-Fi or mobile data, so you don't have to worry about SMS allowances and it's far more adept at sending high quality images than MMS. It's also a lot smarter than your standard SMS app. You can see whether a message has been sent, delivered or read, send videos and voice messages and even make free calls. It uses your phone number, so you don't need to worry about sharing usernames and it links up to your address book, so any contacts with WhatsApp will automatically be displayed. On top of that you can link it to your web browser and see your messages from your desktop, which is cheekily nifty at work. You do need an internet connection of some sort to use it, but how often do you not have that? VLC for Android
Free You only really need one video player on your phone and you really should make it VLC for Android. It's not the prettiest app around, but it supports just about every video file format under the sun, from AVI and MP4, to MKV, Ogg and more. VLC for Android also supports audio files, subtitles and closed captions, plus all the basics like brightness and aspect-ratio adjustments. In short, before you head off on a long train ride, load up your phone with movies and marvel as they all play back nicely with this app. SwiftKey Keyboard
Free SwiftKey proudly proclaims that over 250 million people worldwide use its keyboard and there's a good reason for that: It's simply one of the best. It learns your tapping and writing style as you use it, so its predictions and corrections will get better over time, with any slang or nicknames you use also getting added to its dictionary. It's also versatile. Sure you can tap to type, but you can also swipe and you can customise the keyboard with various looks and layouts to make it feel really personal to you. CityMapper
Free Navigating a city, particularly an unfamiliar one, can feel a bit like trying to escape a labyrinth. Except instead of simply worrying about a pesky minotaur or David Bowie you've got to contend with buses, trains and crowds. CityMapper makes this easier, with journey planning for all transport types, even including ferries and trams. It uses real time data and will alert you to any disruptions, so you can get where you're going as quickly and easily as possible. IF by IFTTT
Free IF is a tremendously powerful app, yet it's simple enough that anyone can use it. Formerly known as 'If That Then This', it allows you to create connections or 'recipes', stating that if one thing happens then another will occur automatically. For example, if you never want to miss a message, you could create a recipe that states if you get an SMS message then the phone should send you an email alert. You can combine any functions and apps and even link it up with smart devices like Nest and Hue. The possibilities really are endless and as easy as it is to create your own connections you don't even need to do that, as there are dozens of suggestions built in to get you going. Evernote
Free Many notetaking apps have arrived since Evernote, but none have matched it. An attractive, clutter-free interface makes it easy to jot down notes, to-do lists and checklists. You can attach files, keep separate notebooks to stay organised and access your notes from any device with an internet connection. It's simple yet powerful and makes it so much easier to keep on top of things. We don't know how we ever survived without it.
Free This is an obvious one, but no less essential. Chances are you use Facebook and if so you really need the app. Yes, there's a mobile site, but it's ugly, slow and clunky compared to this. You can do just about all the same things from the app as you can from the site, including browsing your news feed and posting updates. Plus, you'll get alerts straight to your phone when a friend replies to one of your posts. To get the most out of it you really need to download Messenger as well, as this is required to make use of the site's chat function, but both apps are free. Poweramp
£2.99/$3.99 Just as VLC is essential for video, Poweramp is vital for audio. If you still prefer to own your music rather than stream it Poweramp has all the tools you need to make the most of your library. Support for just about every file type, gapless playback, an equaliser, configurable lock screen controls, lyrics support and customisable themes are just the headline features of a jam-packed app that's maintained its position of one of the best Android music players for years. Poweramp isn't free, but it does include a 15-day free trial and with regular updates and an almost overwhelming number of features it's the only Android audio player you'll ever need - providing you still fill your phone with your own music and don't got for a streaming service like Spotify. |
| Just got an Android tablet for Christmas? Download these! Posted:  10 essential apps for your Android tabletThe open nature of Android makes it an incredibly versatile mobile OS, great for work, play and binge-watching House of Cards. On a tablet it's even more powerful, with the big screen making the likes of movie watching, photo editing and document creation more viable and enjoyable. The only problem then is finding the apps for the job, as there's a simply astounding number to choose from. No need to worry though, because we've sifted through them all and found ten of the most essential ones for any new Android tablet owner. Download these and you'll have the basics covered in style, but if you're still left craving more you can always take a gander at our list of the 100 best Android apps. Netflix
£7.49/$9.99 per month While you can watch videos on your phone, the small screen means it's not that ideal. But with the larger displays found on Android tablets a movie marathon is an appealing prospect and there's no better app for it than Netflix. There's a subscription attached, but for little more than the cost of a coffee and a sandwich each month you're getting unlimited access to thousands of films and television shows, including exclusives created by Netflix itself. If anything there's TOO much to watch, so really start thinking about how much you really need that job... SwiftKey
Free If you're planning on getting any serious work done on your tablet you might want to invest in a physical keyboard, but if you're sticking with the touchscreen then at least download SwiftKey. This keyboard app has been around for years and while many imitators have arrived since none have matched it for speed and accuracy. It learns the words you use, becoming better over time, supports both tapping and swiping for text entry and has an assortment of different looks and layouts so you can personalise it to perfection. Evernote
Free Physical notebooks will soon be a thing of the past and with Evernote there's no reason to ever go back to one. Whether you're taking notes, writing a to-do list, creating agendas or tracking your expenses Evernote has the tools to do it all and it syncs across devices, so you can access your notes from anywhere with no danger of ever losing them. With support for multiple notebooks it needn't get cluttered either and thanks to a powerful search tool if something does get buried you can easily dig it up again. Snapseed
Free We wouldn't endorse ever taking photos on your tablet, but editing them is another matter entirely. While you can do basic edits from a phone the larger screen on a slate makes it easier to fine tune images and get a good look at the finished product. There's a decent selection of photo editing apps, but Snapseed is one of the very best. You can use a brush tool to selectively apply effects to part of an image, tweak the exposure, white balance and shadows, add filters, crop, rotate and more. Snapseed isn't (as you'd expect) as powerful as some desktop software, but it's about as in depth as you'd want to get on a tablet - and best of all it's free. Microsoft Word
Free The thought of typing out a document on a smartphone is the stuff of very boring nightmares. But a tablet, with its wide expanse of digital real estate, is far more suited to the task. And what better pairing than Microsoft Word? It's one of the most well-known word processors in the world and the Android version is almost as full-featured as the desktop one, allowing you to easily create and edit documents full of charts and images. If you don't want to pay extra for certain elements, Google Docs is another free choice that works nicely - but is much more limited in functionality. eBay
Free There's no better way to shop than from the comfort of your own home and with a tablet you can do it from anywhere in the house. Browse from the sofa, buy from the bathroom... we don't judge. The eBay app isn't the only shopping app available on Android, but it's feature packed, easy to navigate and can be used to both buy and sell, plus with the notifications that alert you when stuff is ending, you'll never have to curse again when those wellies you wanted went for a fraction of the price you'd have paid. Box
Free Storage can come at a premium, but with Box you can boost it up without paying any extra. The cloud storage service offers 10GB completely free of charge and if you need more you can sign up for a monthly subscription. As it's cloud storage you'll need an internet connection to access your files, but it does also mean you can access them from almost any web connected device and share them with others. Skype
Free Chances are your tablet can't make calls. Or send texts. But with Skype you can essentially do both over Wi-Fi and you can also video call, which works brilliantly on the screen of a slate. Log in on your phone and desktop as well and you can keep text conversations going whatever device you're on. You can only talk to other people who have Skype, but as there are over 250 million of them out there chances are your friends and family are among them and if not they should be, as it's free after all. VLC for Android
Free Netflix is great for streaming video, but if you prefer to keep your content local or just don't want to pay a monthly subscription VLC for Android could be the answer. It's a powerful media player with support for just about every file type under the sun, so if you've got a video, chances are this can play it. As it plays content straight from your device it's a great alternative to streaming options when you're away from a Wi-Fi connection, so just make sure you stick a bunch of films on your tablet before leaving the house. Avast Antivirus & Security
Free While security is a big concern on PCs it often gets neglected on mobile devices, yet they too are susceptible to viruses, malware and spyware. Thankfully there are a handful of antivirus options available and Avast Antivirus & Security is one of the best. Not only does it scan apps and content for viruses, but there's a web shield to keep you safe online, plus tools to track or wipe a lost or stolen device. |
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