Life As A Droid

Meet Droid, he’s your friendly Android robot that knows Google Play best. Don’t be overwhelmed by the millions of apps available to you, Droid will find the best app recommendations for your Android device. Life As A Droid will showcase easy to read reviews, comparisons and general news on the best apps that the Android platform has to offer, leaving you with more time to enjoy tapping away on your screen.

[lifeasadroid]

I needed an agenda widget, one that could match WiZZ Widget’s look and feel. Google Calendar is lacking in a number of areas, namely its widgets and poor user experience. I found 10 different apps (including WiZZ Widget) that try to manage your calendar and offer the ability to edit their widget’s agenda. Read below to find out which two apps create the best combo! 10. StatusAgenda It's a good idea to have your appointments and events in your status bar, but not enough options to edit the look and feel of the agenda. Seems disappointing as there's not much to this app. 9. Cal - Calendar Google/Exchange  I can't use this calendar. There's not enough information in the monthly view. The agenda widget is bare bones with no ability to edit the look and feel. No ability to show future events. Making a schedule is frustrating. It's not intuitive to scroll and tap each day to view events.  8. WiZZ Widget I have been using this app for a very long time, but I feel that it doesn't serve my needs anymore. It's lacking in the design department and functionality compared to other apps for its agenda and calendar widgets. 7. Today Calendar This app does have the functionality needed for a decent agenda widget with enough flexibility needed to edit the look. It's missing some key options present in free alternatives. I'm concerned about the price though. There's nothing here Calendar Widget by +1 Labs or SolCalendar can't do, and they both cost nothing. 6. Calendar Widget: Month If you're wanting a monthly widget, this is a great app with themes. When it comes to agendas though, it doesn't quite give you the options you need (full yearly view and theme edit). I don't see why this app doesn't fall into this space, disappointing, as it could have had a niche in this area.  5. Sunrise Calendar I like Sunrise, it has the potential to be a great calendar app, especially with the options to choose different calendars to add (specific for your region or events) which is a great feature. The app falls incredibly low for agenda widget options. You can only see one day with no options to change. When SolCalendar exists, Sunrise has a hard time leading the way. 4. Agenda Widget There's a number of apps competing for this space and this app does the job for a price. I'm satisfied it has the options to change the agenda as you need, but you can do this with Calendar Widget by +1 Labs for free. 3. Simple Calendar Widget There's nothing entirely wrong with this app, it gets the agenda widget right with many elements that are editable. Some parts that aren't such as the shorthand days. The monthly widget needs a lot of work since it doesn't do a good job populating your calendar. Ultimately, it falls short of being a great calendar app. 2. SolCalendar - Calendar / To do It's only missing one feature, the ability to have an agenda widget that's customizable that can list more than a month's events. Other than that, the app exceeds all expectations. It's the replacement calendar gem you have been looking for from weather updates, stickers, amazing to-do functionality and clean UI. Pair this up with Calendar Widget by +1 Labs and you will have the ultimate calendar combo. 1. Calendar Widget +1 Labs have focused on creating an agenda widget that doesn’t hold back. It has a complete option list to change the style of the agenda and has UI elements that allow you to add an event, refresh or change options. The look and feel is perfect. Pair Calendar Widget with SolCalendar and you will have the ultimate combo with a transparent agenda widget that’s entirely editable. SolCalendar will take care of the rest providing a pretty user interface and an enjoyable user experience. Search Google Play to install any of the apps featured in this post.

[lifeasadroid]

Inbox by Gmail happy hour ends in under 15 minutes! Send an email to [email protected] before it hits 11 A.M. (GMT+11) and Google will send you an invite by 12 P.M. (GMT+11).

GO!

[lifeasadroid]

Any.do has introduced premium services with monthly or annual subscription. One feature removed from the free account (one I used religiously) and added to premium was the customized recurring tasks. This feature allowed tasks to be scheduled to remind you every 2 days or 3 months for example. The new update sparked a wave of disappointed users giving the app 1 star out of 5 on Google Play. Reddit members have suggested alternatives like TickTick - Todo & Task List and Google Keep. I recommended Any.do on Life As A Droid as the best app in its class when it was free, but unfortunately, that’s when the app didn’t largely put its best features in a subscription based model. Currently, you can get premium for 40% off, this shows on Any.do when I tap premium as $3.79 AUD monthly or $33.99 AUD yearly. Regrettably, I can no longer recommend Any.do and will be uninstalling the app once I have found an alternative as I disagree with monthly subscription models unless they’re competitive. At $33.99 AUD with 40% off, you’re looking at over $50 a year when the special offer is over. Any.do needs to do better than that.

[lifeasadroid]

What is it? YouTube allows you to discover, watch and share YouTube videos on Android. Why do I need it? Viewing YouTube videos using the browser on your Android device can be a slow and frustrating experience. As soon as you load the YouTube app, you have an instant list of videos to watch and you're one tap away from searching videos you would like to view. Why is it the best? YouTube is the only app that plays YouTube videos. All its features are unique to what YouTube provides, which means, this app never had any competition. It's intended to improve the experience for users who still use the browser to view YouTube on Android. The interface is simple and easy to use. Your account information is cleanly laid out and you can view your history, uploads, favourites, playlists and watch later bookmarks. There's also the ability to upload videos. There's excellent browsing functionality from your subscriptions, channels, recommended and trending videos and complete category look ups.

Each video is neatly placed one after another with a screenshot, included title, uploader's name, date added, views and time length. You can sort via videos or channels and time uploaded. The video's load time is entirely dependent on your connection to the internet. Faster internet, faster loading.  When viewing a video, you have access to your favourite features available to you if you were viewing YouTube on a browser via your computer. However, you can share a video via any app on your Android device which allows this functionality. Very handy if you want to share a link with family and friends via a text message. Lastly, the settings options gives you some noteworthy functions which you will find useful. You can set the quality of video clips if you're out and about, you can change the font size for captions, specify network preferences for uploads, pair with a TV, clear history and preloading functions to fetch videos in advance when on a slow network.

Is there anything else I should know?

Swipe to the right to reveal the hidden menu.

It's FREE to install now at Google play. Make the switch now to the YouTube app if you're still using the browser to view YouTube on your Android device instead.

[lifeasadroid]

What is it? Share Apps shares any app’s installation file (known as an APK file) with family and friends. Why do I need it? To send APK files hassle free without the need to connect any wires, send apps to incompatible phones (whereas the app wouldn’t appear in Google Play and would otherwise work fine on their phone) and share apps with family and friends without paying for the app. Why is it the best? Share Apps is clean, fast and has a clean interface with everything that you need without the clutter. Most apps in Google Play market advertise they share apps but only share the link to the app in Google Play. They simply don't work! This is where Share Apps shines, it actually does what it sets out to do, share the actual APK file directly to another phone using various methods. There's no pre-processing in the background. When you first load the app, all applications on your phone are loaded. Subsequent openings of this app will only load new apps installed on your phone. This makes for a fast and pleasant experience every time. Includes a search function, app's icons, and their size and app version. You have the ability to refresh the app list (in case your app doesn't show) and sort in a number of ways from A-Z (Z-A), file size biggest to smallest (vice versa) and date of installation. The app has a number of ways to share the actual APK file. The most popular way is via Bluetooth, Skype and email. You can experiment with other ways (Google Drive, Dropbox, Box etc.) as well as it looks for apps in your phone that have share capabilities. Share Apps also shares the Google Play link as well. You can share multiple apps at once. If you long press an app, you will be able to open it directly, uninstall it, back it up to your SD card, move the app to your SD card or search the app in Google Play. Is there anything else I should know?

Make sure you're downloading the correct Share Apps app in Google Play. There’s many apps with the same name and similar icons. The developer of this app is For2w, look out for that name when downloading.

If you share apps on your phone, make sure you use a folder manager to navigate to a folder called share_apps. You will need to delete the copy of the APK file the app creates to send. This is very important as over time you might not realise where the space on your phone is disappearing to!

The developer has included my short Google play review on their app page. Click Read more button under What people say? with the only name there, Michael.

It's FREE to install now at Google play. The developer For2w has done a great job of providing users with an app that's fast and does exactly what it’s supposed to do where other apps just don't work and only share the link and not the file.

[lifeasadroid]

What is it? Any.DO To Do List | Task List is a task manager which allows you to keep track of your to-do list. Why do I need it? To remember the important tasks you need to complete on a day-to-day basis. Why is it the best? Any.Do is intuitive. It’s easy to use and encourages users to create tasks in a seamlessly enjoyable way. With a clean and fluid design, the focus on white space and clean fonts allows for an uncomplicated experience when completing and inputting tasks. Great tutorial which you can make reference to at anytime in the help menu.

Adding a task incorporates prediction for faster placement of text.

Voice integration to speak the task instead of typing.

Useful hand gestures using drag and drop to prioritise tasks, swipe to mark a task complete and shake to clear tasks that are completed.

Clever use of adding notes to a task which needs more information, setting tasks to highest priority and adding tasks to customised folders.

Fun task sharing with family and friends who have Any.Do, you can send a task and get notified of updates.

Missed call reminders with the ability to add the number to your to-do list if you’re not able to return the call. Unique post meeting feature which reads your calendar and asks you if there’s any tasks you would like to record after any meetings you might have had.

Sync and backup support, status bar notifications, inverted themes and a good selection of widgets which you can interact with. Is there anything else I should know?

You can send feedback in the help menu at anytime.

Supports a plethora of languages.

It's FREE to install now at Google play. Any.DO has proved that with an intuitive user interface and simple design, even the most boring tasks will make it on your to-do list.

[lifeasadroid]

What is it?

AirDroid allows you to wirelessly manage your Android device from your browser.

Why do I need it?

I have trouble explaining why you need AirDroid because its feature list is overwhelming, and that’s a good thing. It’s the Swiss Army knife of everything you could wish for (and didn’t even know was possible) when managing your Android device on your computer, essentially eliminating the need for wires. There’s no extra software to install, it runs on your browser. AirDroid will connect and stay connected to your computer where other apps fail. If your USB cable has failed and need an alternative to hook your phone up to transfer files, AirDroid will have you covered. Want to use your phone as a projector? You can also do that with AirDroid. Why is it the best?

AirDroid connects seamlessly with no issues and it's fast to work without being bloated with unnecessary functions. The clean and organised interface both on your Android device and computer is evident of these characteristics. Transferring files onto your Android device is a breeze. You can drag and drop, remove files, rename, search and copy files to your computer and vice versa. You can respond to SMS messages using your keyboard and delete SMS messages. Download apps (APK files) that you have installed on your Android device to your computer. Install apps if you have APK files located on your computer and uninstall apps from your Android device. Search for apps on your Android device as well. Manage your photos on your Android device by uploading new photos from your computer, deleting photos, download or view your images. Manage your contacts by searching, creating contacts or view your call logs. Easy to upload and download ringtones even delete the ringtones you don't like. Similar features for your music, but you can play and search for songs as well. View your Android device's screen on your computer where you have the ability to take screenshots and record what's on screen. Watch your videos on your computer or upload clips onto your Android device. You can have multiple desktops on your computer for multitasking.

AirDroid also supports a growing list of languages and comes with other helpful tools which looks at your Android device's battery, CPU and RAM status. There's a memory boost feature, task and app manager added for good measure as well. Is there anything else I should know?

It doesn’t replace the USB cable for transfer speed and a USB cable charges your Android device.

You need root permission to see your Android device’s screen showing on your browser.

It’s FREE to install now at Google play. SAND STUDIO has delivered a brilliant app that you would spend money on which potentially makes other apps that have the same features on Google Play redundant.

[lifeasadroid]

What is it?

Adobe Reader allows you to view, edit and share PDF documents on Android. Why do I need it? To open PDF documents without the frustration of having larger documents such as eBooks taking minutes to load, waiting for PDF documents to open downloaded from the internet or waiting for text to render every time you zoom in and out. Seamlessly edit PDF documents with a list of essential features that covers your PDF editing needs. Why is it the best? Simply put, it's blazing fast! Adobe Reader for Android opens PDF documents almost instantly. Adobe Reader has opened every PDF document I have thrown at it without fail. Logical interface, opening the app brings you to a list of the most recent PDF documents with date last accessed and size of the document. Documents show every PDF on your Android device by choosing All PDFs. Intelligent search function to search your Android device for PDF documents populating search results with every letter inputted. You can also search in PDF documents. The option to choose from 3 different viewing modes: continuous, single page and text reflow. You can edit PDF documents by adding comments, highlighting (you can change the colour and opacity), striking out text, underlining, add text, draw and even add your signature with the use of your finger. Another important feature is the ability to fill out PDF forms. The cloud service will provide you with 2GB of storage which is generous for PDF documents. Adobe Creative Cloud is free, however, requires monthly payment for more storage (up to 20GB). For the average user, 2GB will suffice. Organise your PDF documents by creating folders, select multiple documents at once and rename documents. Share PDF documents using any method you like such as Bluetooth, email and Skype. Getting Started with Adobe Reader PDF document is at your disposal if you need a quick refresher on how to use the app's features. Is there anything else I should know?

The interface is minimal; Adobe Reader relies on your ability to navigate via icons most of the time.

Adobe Systems frequently update Adobe Reader with more features.

It’s FREE to install now at Google play. Adobe Systems could have easily attached a price on this excellent app, effectively eliminating the competition.

[lifeasadroid]

What's New 2013-05-21 - AdAway has been removed from Google Play due to violation of section 4.4 of the Developer Distribution Agreement. It will never be available on Google Play again. Please read the last heading of this review to find out how to download AdAway for your Android device. What is it? AdAway is an ad blocker for Android. Why do I need it? Ads have become a nuisance with apps that are ad supported with ridiculous ad placements obscuring parts or most functionality of the app with full screen ads, small rectangle ads usually located in the top middle of the screen, push notification ads and generally turning your Android device into an advertising junk droid. Why is it the best? AdAway has a clean, user-friendly interface showing exactly what you need to see as soon as you run the app. AdAway actually does exactly what it says it will do; it blocks ads without fail with frequent updates available for new hosts files to stay on top of new ads. If you want to restore default hosts file on your Android device, it's easy as pressing one single button called Disable ad blocking. You can add hosts sources, add your own lists, open hosts file and log apps that are displaying ads to block its source. In preferences, you have a comprehensive list to customise AdAway. The short, easy to follow descriptions in preferences explaining what each setting does will even allow those that are not tech savvy to understand. Further to AdAway's excellent ad blocking abilities, the app also comes with its own Scan for Adware feature which pinpoints apps installed on your Android device that push notification ads. This handy feature is a great inclusion if you're having ads popping up on your notification status bar, this will help narrow down the apps causing the ads. This feature eliminates the need for a second app. Is there anything else I should know?

Your Android device must be rooted for this app to work.

AdAway is a small download being only 1.5MB in size. The download size is mentioned as additional information considering this app is not available in Google play.

It's FREE to install now at Google play.

To download AdAway please follow these steps:     1. Download F-Droid, which is an open alternative to Google play 2. Install the APK file. Visit Life As A Droid on your Android device and click F-Droid in step 1 to send the APK directly to your device 3. Open F-Droid and search for AdAway.

To stay up-to-date with AdAway, please visit the app's project site.

[lifeasadroid]

Life As A Droid is the second blog written by Michael Daaboul who is also the writer and designer from the highly acclaimed creative writing blog Life As A Writer on Tumblr with over 100,000 views to date. What do I know about apps and Android and why should I listen to you? I have been using Android for almost 2 years and within that time I have examined thousands of apps. After evaluating the most effective apps I have installed on my Android device, it has made the Android experience tremendously enjoyable. I believe this is only achieved by installing the best apps that Google Play has to offer and with almost a million apps widely available, it’s becoming overwhelmingly difficult to search exactly what you’re looking for. The main purpose of this blog is to shed light on the best apps that may be unknown to you or that have slipped under the radar. Certain apps might have functionality that you subliminally need and have been craving for but couldn’t interpret into words or simply have an app that is overly useless at what it does and need a replacement. The reviews on Life As A Droid will be short and to the point, the apps listed here will be fantastic and will get the job done in its particular field of specialisation. All reviews will have 4 headings: What is it? Why do I need it? Why is it the best? Is there anything else I should know? There are no final scores, but a list of the best. I hope you enjoy Life As A Droid and tell all your Androids about it, even if your friends are apples.