66. 7digital
Price: Free
The 7digital music store has been on Google
Play for some time, but the app could never download music. Now there’s been a
massive makeover of the app, which includes this ability, alongside a refreshed
user interface.
7digital is no stranger to Android - its
store is already embedded in a number of tablets. The new app brings this store
functionality to smartphones and is a joy to use. You can chose between new
releases, what’s in the charts and genres, and there is also a handy search bar
at the top of the app.
7digital
Click into an album and you can buy single
tracks or the whole thing. For those who already use 7digital, you will know
that prices are very competitive.
You do need to have an account with
7digital to use the app properly but this is easy to set up. Once you start
downloading music to your phone (MP3 quality), your purchases are placed in a
digital locker which you can access from any web browser.
67. 3G Watchdog Pro
Price: $3.99
Avoid
a nasty shock at bill time by tracking your 3G use with 3G Watchdog Pro
The problem with owning a smartphone is
that you use data. And lots of it. Unlimited data costs big and you’re likely
to have 1GB or less attributed to your contract. Some networks warn you if
you’re near your data limit, but wouldn’t it be nice to know first? That’s
where 3G Watchdog Pro comes in. It’s designed to take the sting out of
predicting how much data you’ve got left. You need to create a user account and
sign in and then you can track your data usage.
The best thing is that not only can you
track data usage by application but you can also see graphs of daily and weekly
usage, and even export it as a .csv file to a spreadsheet. What’s more, the app
also tells you whether it thinks you’ll go over your data limit by the time of
your next bill, based on your daily usage levels. A widget sits on your
homescreen to keep you informed. The app is also indispensable for frequent
travellers, as you can track roaming usage. If you’re not sure you want to
shell out, there’s a free version to keep basic track of mobile internet usage.
68. WordPress
Price: Free
WordPress
Who says that blogging has to be done on a
computer? With micro-blogging sites such as Twitter easily updated through your
handset, it seems like a logical step that fully-fledged blogs should also be
written and posted to from your phone. This is where the WordPress app comes
in.
To start off, you have to fill in the URL
of your blog and your username and password. Once the admin is out of the way,
you are given options to write articles and update them on your site.
If you have more than one blog, don’t worry
- just type in the relevant URL and password details.
One you are inside, there are three tabs on
the top: Comments, Posts and Pages. You can add a new post by clicking on the +
sign. Here the post editor is familiar and you can also add photos. Once done,
you can publish to the web or save for later.
Blogging may not be as popular as it once
was, but now that you can update straight from your phone, it may entice people
to start putting the world to rights online again.
69. YouTube
Price: Free
Watching
YouTube on the go is now easier and more intuitive than ever
If you are going to watch a YouTube clip on
your phone, it may as well be in style - something the new-and-improved YouTube
app has in spades.
Resembling the desktop version of the site,
the app does well to mask the limitations of watching and searching for video
on a small screen.
Click on a video and underneath you get a
description of it and tabs for related videos and comments. Flick left and
right to get to these categories.
When you want to watch a clip, rotate the
handset and it automatically goes full-screen. Double-click and you are back to
the preview screen. You can choose the categories of the videos on offer and
this brings you to another screen that you control by a finger flick.
The ease of use of the new app has to be
applauded and it seems that Google will keep this version regularly upgraded.
This is because it is now available straight from Google Play and not just
bundled with handsets.
70. WordReference.com Dictionary
Price: Free
WordReference.com
Dictionary
Provider of one of the most popular
dictionaries on the web, WordReference now offers its app version tailored for
much smaller screen surroundings.
Offering translation dictionaries for
European languages such as Spanish, French and Italian, there is also support
for Japanese, Korean and Arabic.
Once you’ve selected your choice of
‘English to’ dictionary from the menu section, you can simply type a word into
the search bar to generate results.
Trying out the English to Spanish
dictionary, a comprehensive set of results is provided, which include
translations for different Spanish dialects. As well as offering Compound Forms
and pronunciations, you can perform an image search and look up the word in
Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster, via on-screen links.
The lack of German support is sure to
disappoint some, but the main criticisms lie in the lack of offline access and
the inability for text to fit entirely on to the screen. Results provided,
however, are extremely comprehensive and should serve as a great dictionary
source.
71. Yell
Price: Free
Find
phone numbers for what you need fast with the impressively able Yell
Yell.com is one application that does its
job and does it well. As soon as you load up the app, it gives you a long list
of categories to choose from, offering everything from plumbers to pubs.
It works with the GPS in your phone, so it
knows where you are when you want to search for things.
When you drill into any category, it takes
mere seconds for the app to find location-specific information.
It’s all very impressive. When it loads up
information, it comes in the form of a list, which includes the name of the
establishment, how far away it is and a phone number. There is also a link to a
map, which rather than take you to Google Maps shows you the place on its own
bespoke system.
If you are looking for something that isn’t
categorized, there is a search bar to help you look for whatever you need.
72. WebMD
Price: Free
Medical
diagnosis without a doctor - that’s what the WebMD app offers.
With the NHS sometimes being more trouble
than it is worth, it is always good to have a decent Android app that can help
with medical queries. WebMD is one of the more succinct medical apps we have
used. Going with the coda ‘better information, better health’, it manages to
squeeze a lot of info about problems with the human body into an easy to use
application.
Options include a symptom checker, a list
of conditions, some drugs and treatments, first aid information and a useful
list of local health authorities.
The symptoms checker is the best thing
about WebMD. Click into this and you are shown a human body. Here you can click
on the part that is causing you problems and the app asks questions then lists
possible ailments.
While you should always check with an MD,
this is a great app if you get pain on the go and want to deal with it.
