You can't turn around online without bumping your nose into the latest buzz applications for the iPhone. Everybody from Facebook to Pizza Hut has gone all app crazy. Smartphones running Google's Android operating system (
http://www.android.com) haven't flooded the market just yet, but the storm is gathering on the horizon as Verizon Wireless runs teasers for its upcoming Droid phone (
http://www.VerizonWireless.com/Droid), scheduled for a November release.
Brace yourself for a full-on Android onslaught from multiple carriers this fall. The cell phone market could start looking like Transformers 3 with the iPhone and Android duking it out for applications supremacy. In anticipation of wider Android adoption, here's a look at some of the most useful and unusual free applications available for the Google phone.
Decode Barcodes
ShopSavvy (
http://www.biggu.com/) took one of the top prizes in Google's Android Developer Challenge. It uses a phone's camera to scan barcodes, then runs a search to find the lowest prices both online and locally. It ties in with Google Maps to lead you to local bargains. Keep wish lists for later reference and congratulate yourself on saving a few bucks.
Location, Location, Location
Locale (
http://www.twofortyfouram.com/) makes it easy to be a good cell phone citizen. This app mixes GPS, Wi-Fi and cellular positioning to let you change your phone's behavior depending on your location. No more moments of panic in the middle of a client conference as you wonder if you turned off your ringer. Locale also lets you control your ringtone, wallpaper and various power-munching components. So go ahead and set
"Baby Got Back" for your home ringtone and Vivaldi's
"Four Seasons" for work.
Look, Up in the Sky!
You might be hard pressed to find a compelling business use for Google Sky Map (
http://www.google.com/sky/skymap.html), but it's just so darn cool. This official Google app lets you decode those mysterious pinpoints of light in the night sky using your phone's GPS, accelerometer and compass information. Impress your colleagues as you tell them that that bright spot on the horizon isn't really a star at all ... it's Mars!
Get the Message
Messaging junkies will enjoy the customizations available through chompSMS (
http://www.chompsms.com/). This app works with your existing carrier plan, or you can choose to buy credits and send messages through the chompSMS network. Credits cost a flat-rate of 12 cents per message, which can be a significant savings for globe-hopping entrepreneurs who want to use SMS overseas.
From the Fun Files
With thousands of Android applications now out, new users will have no shortage of options to customize their phones. Some of those applications will be great work tools, but who can resist diving headlong into the entertainment deep end? Bonsai Blast (
http://www.glu.com/noram/Pages/home.aspx) is a sneakily addictive game that involves shooting marbles. RockOut Acoustic Pro Guitar (
http://m.activefrequency.com/rockout/) is a virtual guitar that can be strummed right on your phone for a whopping 99 cents. SportsTap (
http://sportstap.mobi/) is a scores and stats portal for everything from football to futbol. We won't even discuss what the Pull My Finger (
http://code.google.com/p/pullmyfinger/) application does.
Get Apped Up
The easiest way to get Android apps is directly from your Android phone. If you're just curious or are still waiting for your carrier's Android phone to debut, explore the application market using Cyrket's Android Application Browser (
http://www.cyrket.com/).
