10 Must Have Android Apps

You'll find numerous Android apps available in the various marketplaces. As a result, deciding on just ten of the greatest apps is a very difficult task. Even so, we have dug through a huge selection of various applications and put together these top 10 Android apps you cannot do without.

Handcent SMS - The default Android SMS app is alright, however Handcent SMS is much better. You'll be able to modify the layout of your messages, see the messages in conversation format, password protect your messages and spell check messages before you send it. This ought to be the very first app that you install!

BetterKeyboard - Just like the Android texting application, the keyboard app is likewise alright, but BetterKeyboard lives up to its name by being way better. Together with true multi-touch capability and proximity correction, BetterKeyboard has countless skins available both free of charge and paid. As soon as you try BetterKeyboard you will never go back to the default one installed with your unit

Snap Photo Pro - boot out the preinstalled Android camera app and shell out 99 cents on this bag of bits. Snap Photo Pro enables you to take multiple shots with a click which is best for catching natural expressions, a digital stabilizer which is useful for those who have shaky hands, digital zoom and many digital filters you can add to the photo.

RingDroid - On the subject of pimping out your Android a unique ringtone is crucial. RingDroid enables you to edit MP3 files and slice out that snappy chorus or perhaps the really cool intro. Jim Croce, Operator anyone?

Launcher Pro - The greatest dashboard management application. Launcher Pro provides 7 home screens to populate with widgets and customize to your delight. It offers super easy scrolling between screens and even handle 3D graphics for that extra cool look.

Norton Mobile Security - It is a alarming world these days, but Norton acts like your own digital body guard defending your unit from intrusions and trojans. In addition it can also remotely disable and delete data in case your device is swiped or lost. This way those no good crooks are not able to acquire any personal data from it.

Angry Birds - We realise that everybody is going loco about Angry Birds and there's a good reason ! This simple game will lure you in and before you realize it your morning commute is not going to last nearly long enough while you play the harder levels to defeat the greedy piggies.

Amazon Kindle Reader - Get Amazon's Kindle Reader without getting a Kindle. This app will let you read 1000s of gratis ebooks on your Android phone or tablet. Great for when you want a rest from Angry Birds.

Google Maps with Navigation - Download this app and you will then wonder how you ever survived without it. You can giveaway your Tom Tom since everything you should need is now in this free application. Merely key in or speak where you want to go and it will locate the best direction via car, bus or foot for you.

Financisto - Take control of your money with this pocket sized financial tracker. Keep tabs on all your checking, savings and credit card accounts. Discover the reason why you appear to have no money left at the end of each month. Invaluable if you're ever overspending.

To discover more about Android tablets check out Android Tablet Reviews HQ. There you can browse the most recent Android tablet reviews and news.

Amazon's Kindle Fire, What Are Its Shortcomings?

The Kindle Fire entered the market with predictions by analysts that it would be a direct competitor to the Apple iPad. There are even rumblings that Apple plans to answer by way of a smaller iPad with a similar cost. The Amazon Kindle Fire as a tablet does offer rivalry to more pricey Android tablets in particular. As the price of the Amazon Kindle Fire is hard to beat, there's one area where the Fire falls horribly short.

So, what are the shortcomings? Connectivity! As soon as first generation Kindles hit the market as an e-readers, one of the major selling points was totally free 3G service from AT&T. You purchased the Kindle coupled with the ability to surf Amazon's e-book market place from anywhere you were able to pick-up AT&T service which is most areas throughout the United States. Earlier Kindles also shipped with a cable that connected it to the computer, therefore, you could download books and move them manually.

This service flew out the window as soon as the Fire became available. Giving 3G for the Kindle Fire would mean data overload for AT&T. And of course, 3G speeds would not begin to support the capability of the Kindle Fire's dual core processor. Hence, users are tied to wi-fi service only on the Fire. This implies in order to use the net on the device at all, you require access to a wi-fi hotspot or your home wi-fi.

The Kindle Fire on Lockdown. It seems that Amazon is so uneasy that users might get access to an app market other than their own, that they have left out all other sources of connectivity from the Kindle Fire. The Kindle fire has 2 ports. The first is an ordinary headphone jack and the other is the micro USB to charge the device. Amazon will not even include the USB cable to connect the Fire to your computer like with their other Kindles. To be able to connect the Kindle Fire to your computer, you must buy the cable separately. Only a conventional charging cable is included.

Just why the Kindle Fire may not stand up to its competitors. Actually more cost effective budget tablets ship with more connectivity compared to the Kindle Fire. These devices are generally full of options such as an SD card slot, USB port and a High-Definition Multimedia Interface interface. Including this connectivity would make the Fire unbeatable. Including a USB port, users would have the choice of using a mobile broadband plan to increase connectivity. A USB port additionally allows expansion of the 8GB memory space available on the Fire as would an SD card interface.

Solutions to the connectivity issue are very limited. The only way to gain full accessibility to Kindle Fire's whole potential is usually to root the unit. A task which is not for the beginner and is somewhat of a gamble that would void your warranty. Nonetheless, once the device is rooted, you then have the choice of adding in more app stores and expanding the ways the Fire could be used. Besides that, there is no way presently to expand the cabability to connect the device to the Internet. A good number of apps are pointless without connectivity except for downloaded games and standalone productivity apps and tools.

If rooting is not an option, then users can buy the connection cable and side-load applications onto the gadget. It isn't too hard to locate app files, download them to your computer, and then drag and drop the file onto your Fire. The Fire will perform the rest.

With new tablets hitting the market regularly targeting the less expensive prices, the Kindle Fire will rapidly lose its edge. Currently you can find tablets on the market which are $30 more than the Kindle with all the current features in addition to the connectivity options mentioned above. Do not forget Bluetooth. Bluetooth adds a whole new dimension of connectivity to your device. Think of a Fire with a real keyboard, not the virtual onscreen variety. It's a waiting game to find out if Amazon will step-up with a tablet that really has the user at heart as opposed to their pocket book.

Want more details on Kindle Fires, Android tablets and mobile computing? Consider Android Tablet Reviews HQ. You can find news and info on the latest trends and technology. Also see the latest Android tablet reviews to get the most suitable device for you.

Amazon Kindle Fire, Are You Ready to Upgrade?

Chances are, if you are reading this article, you're thinking about purchasing the Kindle Fire. You are likely a Kindle owner wanting to upgrade, or maybe you are looking into the Fire as an e-reader and tablet. In terms of pricing, it doesn't get better than the Kindle Fire. Amazon introduced their custom Android tablet in Nov of 2011 at a cost just under $200. It truly was a calculated move before Christmas. Before you knew it, it was on Amazon's top sellers list.

The very first Kindle was released in 2007. The device was about the size of a medium paperback book created specifically for reading. When Amazon released the third generation of Kindle, which fundamentally mirrored the original with the same E-Ink technology for sale in black and white only, Barnes and Noble introduced the Nook Color. End users began customizing their Android powered Nooks not only to read books, but to play 3D games and run applications in color. The Nook Color totally changed the 7-inch tablet market.

It truly was a no-brainer for Amazon to reply to Barnes and Noble with the Kindle Fire. The Kindle Fire runs a customized version of Google's Android Gingerbread os. The very useful and user-friendly interface, known as Carousel, makes it a straight forward gadget for anyone. The Kindle Fire is the 1st Kindle which has a fully functional Internet browser. It's not just any browser either. It's called Silk and offers users a very computer-like Internet experience.

Since Amazon happens to be an internet retailer of books and music, they've utilized the Kindle Fire to monopolize entertainment. Together with the Fire, they offered a free month of membership of their Prime program allowing users a chance to access well over 20,000 videos and television shows. Users can get just about any kind of content for the Kindle Fire among them Android apps. There is a large selection of this content that's available totally free, consequently it fits any budget.

The Kindle Fire downloads content within seconds using a Wi-Fi connection. It includes ample storage capacity, but any limitation is quelled via free cloud storage available through Amazon. All the content downloaded to your Kindle is protected online with your Amazon account. The focus on reading hasn't faded. Kindle books are now full color, and you do not need an external light to read the display.

You may be wondering "what's wrong with the Kindle Fire?" Why is it so cheap? Amazon designed the Fire to compete with the big boys like the iPad as well as other popular tablets. The price tag alone causes it to be a competitor. The functionality is superb. The negative would have to be in the restrictions put on by Amazon. Consumers can only get apps from the Amazon App Store unless you sideload them by linking the Fire to your personal computer. Amazon conveniently does not include the cable required to do this with the Fire. The good news is, if you own a third generation Kindle, the cord provided with that device will work or you can get one separately on, that's right, Amazon's website.

The number one provider of Android apps, the Google Android Market, will not work on the Amazon Kindle Fire without some major manipulation that will void the warranty. Additionally, people who have used an iPad will see the lag in the Android Os. Then again, the performance has been drastically improved in the Android 4.0 OS. Many will determine that it makes the Kindle Fire a lesser device. Others will decide that such small things make it well worth its low price. If you're able to get around those few things, then a Kindle Fire could be the device for you.

To find out more about the Kindle Fire and Android tablets take a look at Android Tablet Reviews HQ. Get the latest Android tablet reviews of the most current devices getting released.