# Just got an android smart phone



## rahimlee54 (Feb 5, 2012)

I just got a Samsung galaxy nexus and I have never had a smartphone before. Just wanted to check and see what apps you guys would recommend to fool around with on this thing.

Thanks
Jared


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## Rottman (Feb 5, 2012)

Gators steel database


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## Pensacola Tiger (Feb 5, 2012)

For time wasters, Angry Birds and Stupid Zombies.


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## Eamon Burke (Feb 5, 2012)

Gator's database. First thing I got on my phone.

I made the "What's New?" page on here the home screen for my browser. Makes checking KKF at my clark kent job a cinch.


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## stevenStefano (Feb 5, 2012)

Solitaire. Works out really well with the touch screen, I was stuck in an airport for nearly 6 hours today and I'd have been lost without it


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## rahimlee54 (Feb 5, 2012)

New toy to play around with.


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## ajhuff (Feb 5, 2012)

Angry Birds
Words with Friends
Accuweather
Weather Radar
USA Today
Sony remote for my TV
Directv DVR scheduler
Pandora

-AJ


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## jaybett (Feb 5, 2012)

When I got my Android tablet, the best find was Amazon's 'App of the Day' They offer a free app every twenty four hours. 

Jay


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## ThEoRy (Feb 6, 2012)

Welcome to Android! You made the best choice, Galaxy Nexus with ICS 4.0 is the best smartphone experience out right now. I love my Nexus for the staggering amount of customization options. Of course rooting your phone allows even further customization/control.

Stock ICS is great, no doubt. Rooted however is just frikking awesome!! If you have any interest in root I can point you in the direction of some apps that make your phone truly powerful. If not there are still some other ways to make your phone awesome. 


Rooted apps:
Titanium Backup.. essential for backing up everything, apps, contacts, settings. I've even used this to save everything and transfer it all to a second device. Amazing

Light Flow.. Gnex has an awesome LED notification light but it doesn't work that great without this app. With it, you control which colors are for each different notification, how long it flashes for, frequency of flash etc. I even set specific colors for individual contacts. If I see a fast flashing purple light I know it was my wife before I even pick up my phone. Much needed app.

Set CPU.. Control cpu clock speed in different modes. I don't need my cpu running at full blast while in sleep mode in my pocket eating up my battery. Trust me the Gnex battery gets eaten up fast with that beautiful huge screen and 4g radio. I use this app to slow down the clock speed when not needed. Essential.

Ad Free.. Simply removes ads from your browsing experience and even blocks them in free version apps.

Juice Defender.. Another battery saver. This one turns off battery draining 4g and 3g radios while in sleep mode. 

Quick Boot.. Quickly reboots your phone into several boot modes. Handy for not having to take your case off or battery out if you ever have to reboot. Other uses as well for root purposes.

Barnacle Tether, Open Garden WiFi Tether.. Turns your phone into a wifi hotspot, for free. F U Verizon.

Volume+.. The external speaker on the GNex is currently lacking, quiet as a mouse even until they update the OS. This app allows you to boost the volume so you wont miss any calls.

Here's an app that doesn't require root access and is available on the market yet verizon has blocked. 

Google Wallet.. Turn your phone into a credit card. Pretty funny when I check out at a store and hold my phone up to the credit card swiper and it completes the transaction lol The cashier is like, "huh? I think I need a manager..." haha.

Non rooted apps:
Adobe Flash 11.1
All recipies
Amazon and Amazon App store
Beautiful Widgets. This app is simply Awesome!!!!!!!!!!! Custom clocks and weather are simply stunning.
Big Oven
Brightest Flashlight
Convert Pad - unit converter
Craigs list
Dictonary
Documents to go
Dolphin Browser HD
Drop Box
Easy Money
Ebay
Epicurious
Facebook
GenPlusDroid Sega genesis emulator
Google Reader Rss reader
Google sky map
Google+
IMDB
Kitchen Timer
Knife Steel Compositions
Listen- pod cast app
MapMyRUN+ 
Google Music- cloud app that you can upload at least 20,000 songs to and access anywhere saving internal memory space
Netflix
Out of Milk- awesome shopping list and memo app
Pandora
PowerAMP- internal music app with eq customization
Poynt- location based yellow/white pages. great for finding businesses, restaurants, theaters etc
Pulse- awesome magazine style rss reader. Combine your favorite web pages here to quickly view articles across the web.
Recipies
Espn ScoreCenter
ScoreMobile
Skype
Speed Test
Tango- video chat cross platform with Iphone users
Google Translate
Twitter
Wikipedia
Xfinity Mobile if you have comcast cable
HBO Go if you have HBO that is

Phew, long list! And that doesn't even cover my favorite games and live wallpapers! Maybe I'll add those later. Enjoy your new phone and have fun app hunting. If you have any questions feel free to ask.


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## Eamon Burke (Feb 6, 2012)

Theory, I'm going to ask you next time I need to buy a phone.


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## Phip (Feb 7, 2012)

Weather Bug
NPR
A tide app if you fish or do other things tide dependent
NASA's Hubble pictures
Craigslist: note you can program it to beep you when something you flag comes up for sale, e.g., "Masamoto"


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## sachem allison (Feb 7, 2012)

Hell, I'm sending my phone to Theory to set it up as I have never owned a smart phone and my contract is up. I don't know what I'm doing with this technology stuff and I used to work for Motorola making chips in the fab.lol Free dinner on me, if you set it up for me. I don't know any 12 year olds or I would ask them.


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## tkern (Feb 7, 2012)

Really....damn. My cellphone is 5 yrs old. What grit is an Ipad?


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## ejd53 (Feb 12, 2012)

I am due for a new phone this month (my old blackberry has pretty much had it and I certainly am not getting another; the Titanic had a better life expectancy than RIM does). At this point, my frontrunner is the Motorola Droid LAZR maxx. I still may wait a little to see if they update it to Ice Cream Sandwich, but the battery life really is attractive.


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## joec (Feb 12, 2012)

I just went the other way and got rid of my Android Smart phone. I tried it looking for a GPS system and found it lacking in a lot of ways as well as hating text messages and such. My wife and I decided for use it was a waste in monthly fees to have all the extras without using them so we went back to a straight on cell phone with out text or any other thing such as that. Different strokes I guess.


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## PierreRodrigue (Feb 12, 2012)

I just got a Nexus Galaxy S for my wife and my oldest daughter. My wife makes phone calls and face books, my daughter facebooks, and just adjusted the orbital axis on the international space station! lo!


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## Johnny.B.Good (Feb 12, 2012)

joec said:


> I just went the other way and got rid of my Android Smart phone. I tried it looking for a GPS system and found it lacking in a lot of ways as well as hating text messages and such. My wife and I decided for use it was a waste in monthly fees to have all the extras without using them so we went back to a straight on cell phone with out text or any other thing such as that. Different strokes I guess.



You sound like my father Joe. When he bought his last phone (which he rarely uses, and only as a phone), he tried to find one without a camera. I had to explain to him that this would be hard to find! I told him to just forget it has one, but that wasn't enough for him. 

It's almost a point of stubborn pride for me that I don't have a smart phone yet either. The way I work/live, it has just never seemed worth it to me. I do text message all the time though. My friends and I communicate via text message far more often than we actually talk on the phone. It's the only feature I can't live without on a phone.


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## Vertigo (Feb 12, 2012)

Nice thread. Seconding the suggestion to root the phones, the added power is totally worth it. These days it's pretty simple to do, too. Coincidentally, I have a Samsung Galaxy SII Skyrocket in flight to my house right now, and a handful of Ice Cream ROMs to demo when it arrives. Almost as exciting as waiting for a new knife to show up. 

_Almost._


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## ajhuff (Feb 15, 2012)

Thanks for the Light Flow tip ThEoRy!

-AJ


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## hax9215 (Feb 15, 2012)

Be careful, the warranty and/or insurance does not cover leaving the damn thing in your shirt pocket on laundry day; not the first time, Second Time, OR THIRD TIME!!!!! :curse:

Hax CLEAVERS RULE!!!


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## ThEoRy (Feb 15, 2012)

ajhuff said:


> Thanks for the Light Flow tip ThEoRy!
> 
> -AJ



Pretty awesome right?


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