A list of 22 great Android Apps

Not sure what to download from the Android Market? Try these top titles, including Barcode Scanner, BeyondPod, and SkyFire.

Illustration by Otto SteiningerHere are the top productivity tools, utilities, and games for smartphones based on Google's Android OS. If you're looking for multiplatform apps or titles exclusive to BlackBerry or iPhone, turn to the other articles in this package.

Productivity Tools

Check your head: In the Thinking Space "mind-mapping" app, you can create maps to connect thoughts and ideas. It's great for organizing and for forming new concepts. Ad-supported free version, $4 premium version

Manage your files: Astro File Manager makes your phone act as a miniature PC. You can copy/move/rename files, back up apps, send files as attachments, and create compressed files. Ad-supported free version, $4 premium version

Handle tasks wisely: The GTasks task manager syncs with the desktop Google Tasks, which you can also access in the Web version of Gmail and Google Calendar. It's so useful, it should be in­­cluded on every Android phone. Free

Manage archives: The powerful AndroZip File Manager works with archives, including 7ZIPhone, BZIP2, GZIPhone, RAR, TAR, and ZIPhone files. You can use it to create GZIP, TAR, or ZIPhone archives, too. Free

Text with panache: Forget the stock SMS utility. Handcent SMS brings customizable texting tools--with iPhone-style speech bubbles--to Android. Free

Utilities

Toddler Lock safely transforms your Android phone into a toy.Entertain a child: With Toddler Lock you can turn your phone into a toy that can keep your little one rapt for hours. It shows a single screen (locking away all others) that displays colorful shapes when your toddler touches it. Soothing sounds play in the background. Free

Use gestures to find files: Gesture Search lets you quickly locate a contact, a bookmark, an app, or a music track by drawing letters and digits on your phone's touchscreen. Free

Find the best Wi-Fi: Want to find the least-crowded Wi-Fi channel?Wifi Analyzer shows a graphical representation of Wi-Fi SSIDs' signal strength, plus which channels are being used. Free

Customize alerts: In Missed Call you can customize your phone's LED light, ringtones, vibrations, and alerts for missed calls, incoming calls, SMS, Blue­tooth, and calendar events. Free

Find a lost Android: If you lose your phone, AntiDroidTheft turns on remote GPS tracking so that you can determine its location. You can also trigger the phone's camera to shoot an image that might help you locate the handset. Free

Shine a light: Color Flashlight turns a phone into a bright light with a wide array of hues and strobe patterns. Free

Browsers

Skyfire allows you to enjoy Flash video on your handset.View Flash video now: Thanks to the Skyfire browser, you can play streaming Flash video. 'Nuff said. Free

Browse better: The Dolphin Browser HD Web browser has tabs, gesture-based navigation, and plug-ins. It's a far more functional browser than the one that came preloaded on your phone. Free

Share Web pages: Bookmarklet plugs into the Android Web browser (or Dolphin HD) and lets you share Web pages with AIM, Bit.ly, Delicious, Digg, Facebook, Twitter, and other services. Free

Organizers and Timesavers

Make recipes mobile: Through Digital Recipe Sidekick you can browse and import recipes from AllRecipes.com, save recipes to SD Card, e-mail them, edit them, or enter your own. The app will even read recipes to you. Free

Barcode Scanner helps you look up products for comparison shopping.Scan bar codes: Barcode Scannerhandles bar codes--including 2D QR codes--and lets you look up the associated product or URL for instant price checks and comparison shopping. Free

Convert and calculate: The in-beta ConvertMe app is a handy unit converter, currency converter, and tip calculator. It comes with more than 1500 units across more than 65 categories, and it supports 14 languages. Free

Take a measurement: The Smart Measure app, which uses your phone's camera, measures the height of objects and estimates the distance between your phone and the object. Free

Level it: With Spirit Level Plus, you can use your phone to make sure that pictures hang straight. The app also shows the angle of incline. Free

Audio and Photo Apps

BeyondPod manages audio and video podcast subscriptions.Track podcasts: With Beyond­Pod, which integrates with the Android music player, you can discover and manage audio and video podcasts. The premium version adds better controls for updating and managing subscriptions. Free basic version, $7 premium version

Discover cool podcasts: The Listen app helps you search for thousands of audio feeds, stream them, or subscribe to them. It integrates with Google Reader on the desktop, as well. Free

Work smart with photos: Using Picasa Tool Pro you can batch-upload photos, as well as browse and manage your albums, photos, and comments. Free

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Best Android games - Sports Games

Crazy Snowboard (Free)

It may not be SSX, Shawn White, or 1080 Snowboarding, but Crazy Snowboardhas the underpinnings of a solid snowboarding game. To play, you turn your Android on its side and use it like a steering wheel. An upward tug on the right will turn you left and a motion up on the left will turn you right. The basic controls feel fairly natural. To jump, you tap (or hold) your finger in a marked circle on the lower right of the screen. Once you figure that out and get some air, tap on the left circle to perform some different tricks and combos.

Crazy Snowboard is not a deep game, but it’s far more complex and well executed than you might expect for a free mobile game. The music is bad, but there are enough missions, maps, and bonuses to keep you interested for a while.

Baseball SuperStars 2011 ($0.99)

Baseball Superstars has been around for years, but without an MLB branding, it has never really taken off. Still, it remains the best mobile baseball game we’ve played and the 2011 version is no different. You choose between odd teams like the Dragons, Dolphins, or Lions (whose mascot may as well be named Simba) and there are an endless number of options to choose from. Gamevil’s attention to detail and simple, engaging gameplay make this one of the only solid traditional sports games on Android. However, those on lower-end devices may want to avoid the 2011 version. It ran a bit choppy on a Motorola Droid.

Moto X Mayhem ($1.00)

Remember Excitebike? Moto X Mayhem takes the idea of excite bike to the next level with rag doll physics, crazy terrain, and solid graphics. The controls make it work. Tapping and holding the screen forward accelerates and you can tilt your bike up or down by tilting the actual phone. Like a good Nintendo game, control is just loose enough to have fun with, but tight enough that you can assert command when you need it.

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Best Android games - Brain & Puzzle

Jewellust ($2.95)

It may be a Bejeweled clone, but it’s the best one on Android. Jewellust is addictive, no way around it. Simply tap colored jewels to line them up in a row. When three or more are in a line, they vanish and more jewels fall. Those looking for a great match-three puzzler, or a simple game almost anyone will enjoy, this one is for you.

Alchemy (Free)

Alchemy is not the only game of its kind on the Android Market, nor the flashiest, but there’s something to be said for a game that’s free and gets to the point. Here’s how it works: you start out with four elements (water, earth, air, fire). Drag them onto each other to make new things, like dust and stone and lava. From there, you just keep mixing your new creations together until you discover all of the 270 increasingly complex elements, substances, objects, and creatures. There are no levels in Alchemy, just the desire to discover new things. Give it a try.

 

Slice It! (Free)

Have you heard of Fruit Ninja? It’s a popular iPhone/Android game where you slice fruit by swiping the screen with your finger. It’s highly addictive. Slice Ituses the same basic idea, but adds a new dimension. Instead of an action slicing game, Com2uS challenges you to take your time and cut a shape into the proper number of shapes using slices. The result is a bit slower, but a helluva lot of fun. With more than 140 levels and support for multiple languages, this is one of the most polished and complete games on Android. Take your time and have a blast.

(Similar games: Fruit Ninja)

Traffic Jam ($1.64)

We have a soft spot for free-the-block games. Traffic Jam is the most polished block puzzler we’ve found. Your goal is to get the yellow car out the exit door, but to do it you have to clear the path by meticulously moving different cars around. Honestly, we’re not sure who parked these cars, but they must have grown up in Chicago because they are almost immovable.

There are plenty of levels to beat and the less moves you use, the better your score. Don’t like cars? There are a few other themes too, including ice blocks, boats, and classic wooden blocks.

(Similar games: Unblock Me)

Wordfeud ($3.11)

WordFeud is a multiplayer version of Scrabble, and it’s a good one. The in-game dictionary is solid and the graphics are good enough. WordFeud caught our eye because of its multiplayer. You can challenge friends in your contacts list or play a random stranger. You’re quickly matched with an opponent. Some games go quickly, while others can stretch across a day due to the notification system built into the game. If you have Google Sync enabled, you’ll receive a notification whenever your opponent finally spells his next word (the more tense Scrabble games get, the longer turns take). The system works well and lets you get on with your life in-between moves. There are some other Scrabble-like Android games, but WordFeud is the best we’ve played so far.

(Similar games: Words with Friends)

Solitaire (Free)

There are plenty of poker, blackjack and solitaire games floating around the Android Market, but there’s a reason why millions of people play Solitaire on their PC: it’s simple. Ken Magic’s version of solitaire is almost identical to the PC. You can choose to deal one card or three and make a few other small adjustments, but other than that it is what it is. It ain’t pretty, but it is simple and fun. For a more in-depth, varied experience, we recommend the Solitaire Mega Pack or 250+ Solitaire Collection.

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