Decided to start a weekly Diary on the best Android apps I use.
Doing it for a number of reasons. At the top of the list I am a tech geek. Spend also my entire life on a computer or other device (I know that is kind of sad). I am that guy that when looking for an app will download like ten different programs and play with them all until I find the one that best serves my needs.
I realize most folks either don't have the time and/or patience for this. So I am here to help :).
I also want people to get the most from their tablets and phones. I can't tell you now many people I know that are not nerds like me use this or that device. Think they are happy with it. Then I point out how they can do this or that and you see this look on their face like I've changed their lives in some small, meaningful way.
So there is some of that here as well. Follow me below the fold for Edition I of this weekly Diary.
Note: I run a Google Nexus 7 and a Samsung Galaxy Note II. I got nothing against iOS, but what I own runs Android apps so what we will focus on.
Dots Connect (Free)
As an avid gamer that has a PS3, PS2, N64, and Sega Dreamcast all running as we speak, I am about to make a bold claim. This is about the most fun game I have played in the last year.
The game only takes a minute to play. The goal is to connect dots (either horizontally or vertically) of the same color from an ever-filling grid to get the highest score possible. Now I like puzzle games, but my gosh I was blown away. I downloaded it one lazy Saturday weeks ago, and next thing I know it is five hours later and my hand actually hurt from playing it non-stop.
Without the "cheats" you can use I dare you to try and get more then 150 points. I double dog dare you.
It is just a flat out wonderful game. Something that you can play just for a few minutes to relax and also simple enough you can play with other adults or a very young child.
Be pre-warned you will waste a lot of time with Dots Connect.
gReader Pro (Free w/ a $2.99 Upgrade)
When I learned Google Reader was going to get shit canned Monday of this week I freaked out, cause well I use RSS feeds more than just about anything else to gather and collect information. gReader isn't a Google product, but it interacts with Google Reader to pull your feeds into it. I wasn't sure if it would work after Monday, but at the last minute they announced it would integrate with your feeds, if you pulled them into Feedly, and my life was saved from a RSS point-of-view.
Feedly is a wonderful reader with an amazing interface (like a magazine), but it doesn't help me with almost 200 feeds. gReader, well if you are a power user is the best things around.
Wunderlist (Free & Paid Version)
This is a to-do list program. I am a to-do list freak. I often joke there is never a time where a legal pad and a mechanical pencil is more than a few feet from me, cause I make to-do lists of to-do lists (no I am NOT joking). I've really wanted to move away from paper, but alas never found a program I liked that much.
I've literally tried dozens and dozens of them.
But I always have two problems. (1) The app is so bare bones it doesn't do all I want. (2) It tries hard to be something I don't need, like a project management system.
Well IMHO Wunderlist solves this. It does just enough to be exactly what I want. A to-do list program with a few added features. The best is that for a task you can have sub-tasks.
It is also a web-based program at its core, so you can view and add stuff via a browser. So I have my to-do lists on my desktop, laptop, phone, and tablet.
Oh and if you are a married person, you can share lists with another person.
Trello (Free)
This is a very hard app to explain. The summary of it on the Google Play Store says:
Whether you're planning a surprise birthday party for your best friend, writing an epic screenplay, tracking million-dollar sales leads, or just making a list of stuff to get done this weekend, Trello makes sure you're organized and on top of it all.
Like a whiteboard with super powers, Trello is simple to use and infinitely flexible. You'll know exactly what needs to get done, who's going to do it, and what's coming up next. And, everything you do is synced and saved instantly to Trello.com.
Here is a screen cap of when you first start using the app to explain how to use said app.
Basically it is a dumbed down project management system that lets you create a "board" for a project and then almost like visual note cards within it.
It is one of those apps that to be honest, you just need to play with to get it. But if you want something like a project management system that doesn't take hours and hours to put said project, this might be what you are looking for.
Conclusion
I could go on for hours with other apps, but I only want to present a few each week, so I don't overwhelm people and this series can go on longer than one week :). Enjoy and let me know what you think and what apps you are using.