My Android Software Collection
a/o May 22, 2011
Well, Tanker Bob moved to the Android world in March 2011 with an awesome Motorola Atrix 4G.
I will incorporate the Android
information into this existing site. During this transition, I've found
that many Palm developers now develope for Android, like Saied Nesbit
with MessagEase and CE Steuart Dewar with Pimlical/A. In some ways,
it's been like a class reunion.
Memory management is much better on Android, which is based on
Linux, than Windows PPC. The Atrix has about 1 GB of RAM and a 16 GB
internal "SD card". I added an external 32 GB Micro SD card for a total
of 48 GB of storage. Most application data resides on the internal
card. Almost all my documents, pictures, videos, and music are on my 32
GB exernal card. You can
never have enough storage, but the Atrix comes very close!
All programs are installed to internal storage. Almost all links are
on Android Market, the "repository" for the overwhelming majority of
Android applications. Motorola and AT&T locked down the Atrix to
only load applications from the Market, but it can be rooted and
side-loaded. :-)
You can get an idea of how the Atrix looks and works at
MobileTechReview.
One last note on Android apps. Those on the Market that aren't free
come with free updates forever. That's a condition of selling on the
Market. Given that most apps are very inexpensive, that's a great
bargain!
Retro:
As of February 1, 2008, I'm using the awesome HP iPAQ 211.
Since it has 162 MB of available Flash and 66 MB of available RAM, almost everything is
installed in the Flash. The only exceptions are very large databases
that remain on the cards and a few key apps that I put in the iPAQ File
Store. As of February 20, 2009, I have a 32 GB PNY SDHC card to store the 3.2 GB Wikipedia database for TomeRaider.
Retro: As of October 19,
2009, I'm using the excellent HTC Tilt 2 from AT&T. Almost all
software is stored in the 266 MB of available Flash Storage. I also
have a 16 GB microSD card to store the 3.2 GB Wikipedia database for
TomeRaider and a host of other stuff. Plus it's a great phone.
American Civil War Gazette
(free) - This year is the 150th Anniversary of the United States Civil
War. The Gazette provides day-by-day news from that era, which
literally puts you in the middle of the history. Fascinating stuff.
Words as a widget on one of your home screens.
Battery Monitor Pro
- The Motorola battery indicator and text only provide 10% increments.
Battery Monitor accurately provides 1% increments. Knowledge is power,
pun intended.
Bible Reader from OliveTree
- Still my favorite Bible program on the go. Almost all my resources
work in Android. Initial offering was woefully behind the WM version,
but OliveTree is working on bringing it up to the iPhone version 5.
CalWidget
- For some reason, the built-in Android calendar widget won't load
after the 4.1.83 ATT update. CalWidget provides a nice event summary on
a home screen. Again for reasons that I don't understand, the
transparency and background color changes don't work on my Atrix, but
I'm hoping that an update fixes that.
ColorDict
- Great dictionary app that supports a host of databases. I installed
the WordNet 3, Wikipaedia, and English Thesaurus databases.
Converter Lite - Nifty unit conversion program that comes in handy at times.
DC Metro Map - Does what it says - downloads the map and displays it when executed. Handy around here.
DC Metro Transit
- Put in your starting point and destination, and this app will give
you the route to use and also real-time updates on train arrivals and
delays. Very nice.
DelayedLock
- On XDA Forums rather than the Market, DelayedLock add a feature that
should have been standard on the Atrix. When using the fingerprint
reader, the Atrix locks the device whenever the screen shuts off. That
can be annoying when busy. So, DelayedLock lets you set the hard lock
time. Slick.
Drudge Report - Small app that provides the Drudge Report in a nice format for the Atrix. A must stop throughout the day.
Fast Reboot
- The only official way to soft reset an Atrix involves cycling the
power. That takes a while. Fast Reboot simply kills all loaded apps,
which cleans out all the stuff that loading into memory behind the
scenes.
FoxNews - Small app that provides a mobile version of their website. Pretty buggy and crashes when it can't obtain a connection.
FreeMP3Droid - Used by Voice Recorder to conver its pcm files to mp3. No frill, just works.
Ghost Commander - Nice file manager that will leverage root access. My backup while using Total Commander beta.
Google Earth - Google Earth for Android. Very nice.
Google Maps - Google Maps for Android. Don't leave home without it.
Google Navigation - Came with the Atrix, but had to mention it.
Provides GPS navigation like my Garmin almost as well. Outstanding.
Google Sky Map
- Awesome astronomy program that uses your GPS and g-sensor to show you
the sky details in the direction that you point your device.
Home Switcher for Froyo - Utility that overrides the Motorola home screen settings to allow you to substitute another launcher for MotoBlur.
iSilo
- Another carryover across both Palm, WM, and Android. I have a lot of
references in iSilo format, and this version works better than the WM
one.
K-9 Mail - Great open source mail program that consolidates all you accounts, yet allows you to use them individually if desired.
KeePassDroid
- Android version that uses your desktop KeePass database to keep your
protected passwords handy. There's a Linux KeePass version as well, so
this provided a perfect fix.
LauncherPro Plus - Superb alternate launcher for Android. Great 3D effects (the cube!), supports 7 home screens, 5 docks, and scrolling widgets.
Medscape
- I loved Tarascon's Pharmacopedia on Palm and WM, but the Android
version is incredibly expensive. Medscape provides more medical info
for free. No brainer.
MessagEase
- Premier input system for all handheld devices. Works incredibly well
with Android. I didn't feel comfortable with the Atrix input system
until I found that Saied had ported MessagEase to Android. Very sweet.
MessagEase Game - Quick way to learn the MessagEase keyboard.
Mighty Grocery Lite - OK program for shopping lists. I miss Handy Shopper.
MoboPlayer - Nice audio/video player for Android. Plays all common formats plus regular resolution flv files.
Moon Phase Pro - Helps you keep up with the moon. Has nice widgets for your home screen.
NECN WX - Backup weather program in case Weather Bug has problems. Nice program, but eats too much CPU to use regularly.
Note Everything - Nice note program in which I was able to import my WM notes. Has widget shortcuts to individual notes if you so wish.
OpenOffice Document Reader - Not sure why I still have this loaded. It doesn't work that well.
Opera Mobile - I think that this is one of the best browsers for handhelds. It supports Java and Flash, and loads pages quickly.
PimlicalA
- Outstanding calendar program from the creator of Palm's Datebk. Still
in beta, but you can download it from PimlicoSoftware's website.
Process Monitor
- Nice program that provides keen insight into the Android system. Need
root access to work at its best. You can view the details of apps in
memory, kill apps, etc. Also has a great Widget that can be customized
to provide the information that interests the user. Able to log its
data.
QQPlayer - Not as polished as MoboPlayer, but plays most HD flv files.
QR Droid Private - Reads the bar codes that load apps in one step. Can read from the camera, http, or files. Works well.
Quick Boot - A set of widgets that enable you to no-kidding soft boot the Atrix. Works great. Needs root to work.
QuickOffice Pro
- Upgrade to Quick Office that came on the Atrix. I'm not impressed
with any office suite available for Atrix, but this one works OK for
what I do routinely.
RealCalc - Outstanding scientific calculator that supports RPN. I use it alll the time.
Screen Grabber
- Nice screen capture utility from XDA forums that uses the
notification area for activation. Doesn't require root on all phones.
Speed Test - Nice utility to test the speed of your broadband connection.
Superuser - Required for rooted phone. Guards the door to system root.
Taskos - Nice task program that syncs with Google. I use it through its home screen widget.
Tip Me - Simple tip calculator.
Titanium Backup Pro
- Indispensible backup program that does much more. Android requires
root access to backup application settings and data. Ti will also
"freeze" apps so that the system won't see them - a great way to
prevent MotoBlur and the social network junk from loading even if you
never use them. Be sure to unfreeze everything before updating the
system.
Virtual Recorder - Simple voice recorder. Recording quality is pcm for good quality, but can be converted to mp3 using FreeMP3Droid.
Weather Bug
- My primary weather program. Puts the temperature on the status bar
and includes widgets for the home page. Doesn't store data locally, so
always requires a data connection to get detailed data.
Yahoo! - Nice app to provide direct access to Yahoo! content and mail. Works well.
YouTube - Direct access to tons of videos.
Games:
Angry Birds - Never played it but it was free and is popular.
Sudoku Daily Free - Nice rendition of the popular logic game.