I've had my Android phone for nearly four months now, and I thought it might be a good idea to run through my idea of essential applications.

These are all available through the Android Market. Some are free, and some are not. I've only given brief descriptions here. For more information, follow the external links at the end of the entry.

NewsRob

This is an application I use everyday and probably earns the title of My Favourite Application.

It's a news reader that connects to and synchronises with Google Reader. This means that whatever feeds are setup in Google are accessible via the Android Handset. By default, only feeds with unread items are displayed. If a news article is read on the handset, NewsRob synchronises that with Google Reader ensuring that other readers (on the PC, or via reader.google.com for example) show the same.

The application can be set to synchronise at a specific interval, and can be told what to download to the phone. With my setup for example, I have most feeds set to download their full content so that I don't have to rely on an internet connection to view them. However, I have a few feeds (such as BBC News) set to also automatically download the associated web page. Now I can read BBC News even when I don't have an internet connection! Sheer genius!

My Tracks

Another extremely useful application is My Tracks. This is a google application, but does not come installed by default on the T-Mobile G1.

The basic idea is to record routes. Using a GPS signal, My Tracks records the location of the phone handset at set intervals. When recording is finished, the points are plotted as a route which is overlaid on to Google Maps. Not only that, but data such as total time taken, total time moving, speed, distance and elevation are all recorded. With elevation, a graph can also be displayed.

After recording, details about the route (title, description, method of travel) can be saved and the entire thing uploaded to Google Maps for either private or public viewing. My Tracks will also export basic data (title, description, latitude, longitude, elevation, timestamp) to a GPX file for use in other applications.

For me, I use that GPX file to upload data to this website which can then be displayed on my public map. I also intend to use it to automatically geocode my photographs.

Feasibly, the application could also be used in personal training although there are applications available specific to that need.

Twidroid

Twidroid is a client that connects to a Twitter or Identi.ca account. Like a news feed reader, it can poll the service after a set interval and will alert users to new tweets or dents, and allow them to be read and replied to. New messages can also be posted, removing the need to visit the service's website from the handset.

Audible alerts can sound as well as an icon in the notification bar and a blinking light on the handset.

Twitta

This is similar to Twidroid but only for Twitter. Since this and Twidroid can only subscribe to one account, I use Twidroid for monitoring Identi.ca, and Twitta for monitoring my Twitter account.

ConnectBot

This is an SSH client for Android. I use it for maintaining my webserver when away from my computer or if I just want to ensure that the software is up-to-date with patches. Use of the QWERTY keyboard makes this very easy to use but I'd imagine there'd be difficulty using it with a device lacking such hardware.

Last.fm

3G network connections now support a sufficiently high data rate to the mobile phone handset to permit audio streaming. The last.fm application can access 'radio stations' from your last.fm profile - such as Recommended, Neighbourhood and Tag. Basic profile information is also visible.

Audio quality is high and is certainly good enough for listening through headphones on the bus. However, a stable good quality 3G connection is required. Any signal drop outs will lead to buffering or disconnections.

StreamFurious

Here's another streaming audio application. This one allows connection to MP3 Shoutcast streams.

For most cases, 3G is required which will support streams of up to 320kbps. Only for the very lowest quality audio (24kbps) will GPRS be sufficient.

Shazam

This is a piece of software that has truly amazed me. By listening to a sample of a song, it can often identify the track that's playing. I've used this on adverts before and it's worked a treat, as long as there are no other sounds.

In noisy environments, or when an audio track is the background in a soundtrack then it doesn't work.

OI Shopping List

This really is what it says - a shopping list.

Instead of writing the weekly shop on the back of an old envelope, it can be typed into this application. When doing the shopping, tapping on the item will tick it off from the list.

Shopping lists can be saved and re-ordered. The ticked items can be moved to the bottom of the list, or remain where they are but grayed out. There are also a few different styles to the interface.

ShopSavvy

Although I don't use this a lot, I really like the idea and have found it useful before.

By using the camera, this software is able to read barcodes which can be found on nearly every product in high street shops. Once the product is scanned, the application then searches to find the cheapest store.

Not only do internet stores get searched, but thanks to location detected ShopSavvy also searches the prices of high street stores potentially saving money if a competitor has the same product but cheaper than the store you are in.

ShopSavvy also stores a history of products, which I've found useful for saving ideas for presents.

CellFinder

The final application in my list is not one that has a great deal of uses but can be interesting in a geeky way. CellFinder will show the location of the mobile phone tower that the handset is currently connected to, and the handset's position in relation to it. Other data such as the tower's identification and signal strength is also displayed.

I'm sure there are genuine reasons for finding out this information, but for me it is just geeky interest.

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