10 of My Favorite & FREE Android Apps

A lot of these apps are also free if you have an iphone- or so I have been told.

10. Shazam
If you hear a song and don't know what it is (or for the life of you, can't remember who sings it)—Shazam to the rescue! This is an app I keep easily accessible on my main screen.  Hit the Shazam button, hold it as close as you can to the speakers or even your TV.  Within a few seconds, the app will tell you the title, artist, and sometimes even find the album art, too.   It keeps in it what it calls a "tagged file" so when you are ready to download from Itunes, it's right at your fingertips.

9. Angry Birds Rio
What's better than a game you can play anywhere you have to wait for something?!
 In Angry Birds Rio, the original Angry Birds are kidnapped and taken to Rio de Janeiro, where they eventually escape their captors and set out to to save their friends, Blu and Jewel – two rare macaws and the stars of the hit motion picture, Rio. Angry Birds Rio combines the fun of the original game with twists based on the film.

8. Brightest Flashlight
Another one that's a must for your main screen.  This app even sounds serious as it fires up- and I have used it several times in the woods, in complete darkness while hunting for logs for our bonfires.  There are also apps for colored flashlights which I admit I also installed, but this is the one I find I use the most.

7. Wheres My Droid - If you're anything like me, you've "lost" your phone so many times only to find it tucked away in a jacket pocket or some other obvious—or not so obvious—location.  This app makes your phone ring at maximum volume or vibrate when the phone receives a text message containing a specified phrase, such as "Where's my Droid?".  The app can also tell you the phone's location but your GPS must be enabled.

6. Mobile Q (for Netflix)
This app is great for those of us who have dvd delivery only from Netflix (no streaming).  Since I don't have streaming as part of my Netflix package, their regular Android app won't allow me access.  Apparently, they don't have a way to not allow streaming access on your Android, so their standard app is not so user friendly for those of us who just want to add a movie to our dvd or blu ray que.  Are you ever out and about and someone tells you that you MUST see a certain movie?  If you're anything like me, you'll forget all about it by the time you get home.  Now with Mobile Q, you can search for a movie, add to your que and it's linked to the Netflix site instantaneously for updating. 

5. Skype Mobile
I have to admit, I just downloaded this one and have yet to use it.  But hey, if I can skype with my sister on my phone- this is going to be in my top 5 soon.  Anyone who has used this already, I would love some feedback.

4. Out of Milk
I'm definitely an old-school list maker when it comes to my grocery list but I thought I'd try this one.  This app allows you to scan products directly into your Shopping Lists or Pantry Lists using a Barcode Scanner which is pretty cool.  It also features a To-Do List that lets you add and keep track of any other items on a daily list.  Say you have a shopping list for a specific recipe that you want to share with a friend- you can email or text message the list right to them!  For those married folk out there, you can even email the To-Do list to your spouse! 

3. Google Sky Map
This app uses your phone's orientation tools to give you an accurate representation of the stars and planets on your screen. Point your phone at the sky, and it will outline the constellations that are visible.  It's a great way to find out if that light in the sky is a UFO or not.

2. Pandora
Pandora Radio is free personalized radio that only plays music you’ll love. Just start with the name of one of your favorite artists or songs and Pandora will create a custom "station" that plays similar music.  If you're somewhere that you need some tunes and don't have your ipod sound system with you, this saves the day!

1. Surfline
Ok, ok, maybe a lot less people will use this app than the others listed but I can't wait for my next trip to Hawaii to use this one.  You can get the surf report, tide info and even the weather forecast for various beaches on here, which is great when you're an avid boogie boarder like myself.  This is a must-have for every beach lover out there.