14 FREE Android Apps That Don’t Suck

I love apps! Without apps smartphones are limited and a bit boring. The Android Market gives us so many amazing free apps, I feel a bit spoiled. In browsing through my 30+ free Android Apps I currently have installed, while keeping the other 200 or so I’ve tried out in mind, I wanted to choose my absolute favorite free apps. My original intent was to list my 10 free apps, but there are just too many great apps I love. I settled with including 14, listed alphabetically.

1. Advanced Task Killer Free – When you go from app to app, each of the apps remain running in the background. This can degrade the performance and kill the battery of your phone. This app works by killing all the running applications you choose.

2. Astrid Task/To-do List – This app lets you create new tasks, add tags and reminders, sync with your RememberTheMilk account and more. This has helped me be more organized and productive.

3. ColorNote Notepad Notes – This tool gives you a notepad, with nice editing features including the use of colored and categorized sticky notes.

4. Dolphin Browser – Dolphin Browser reminds me of a mobile version of Firefox. It uses tabs, integrates with Delicious, enables pinch and zoom and so much more. This browser is the best mobile browser I’ve used.

5. Facebook for Android – The Android Facebook app gives you functionality such as the ability to post status updates, view the news feed, check out your friends wall and info, upload photos and share links. You can browse your friends profiles and search view their photos. The App is nice, but one necessary addition that’s needed is an easier way to view your private messages.The iPhone still has the best Facebook app, but this blows BlackBerry’s app away.

6. Funny Jokes – While most Joke apps are pretty lame, this app has some of the funniest jokes I’ve seen. The database consists of thousands of jokes, categorized in 12 different sections. If you need a Chuck Norris Fact,  Comebacks, Yo Momma or just a One Liner, this app definitely has you covered.

“Chuck Norris’ daughter lost her virginity, he got it back.”

7. Google Goggles – Just another awesome Google app! This app uses your camera to take a picture of an object. It then scans it and attempts to recognize the object, then returns search results. It even reads words on the object. Very entertaining and fun to play with.

8. Google Maps – The free turn-by-turn voice activated navigation is what helps set the Android smartphones apart. Google Maps also features Labs (compass arrow, scale bar, terrain layer & more). You’ll be able to use street view, traffic and the ability to get driving, transit or walking directions.

9. Google Sky Map – Yet another amazing app that helps set the Android smartphones apart from the rest. Point your Android up at the sky and see all the stars, planets and constellation.Very entertaining and intriguing to use.

10. Handcent – This app is a free SMS too, that allows you to customize the way your text messages appear. You can search SMS, use SMS popup, speak SMS and more. The popup view provides a nice alternative to the standard conversation view.

11. Mobilo Ringtones – Lets you choose from over 200K MP3 ringtones and sounds and use them for free.

12. Pandora – Pandora is the most popular streaming music app on every mobile platform, including the Android. Type in a name of a song or artist and Pandora does the work by creating a playlist of similar music and artists. Enables you to listen to your existing Pandora playlists by logging in.

13. Seesmic – While many prefer TwiDroid for their Twitter use, I prefer Seesmic. This app is rich on features and allows you to share photos, post youtube videos, search Twitter, get notifications for new messages and all the other standard Twitter functionality.

14. Where – This local search tool gives you access to restaurant reviews, local news, gas prices, weather. This is the best local search tool in the business.

What’s your favorite Android App? I think Google Maps is the absolute best, but love just about all of these free apps. Let me know what you think and which apps you’d list.