Must Have Android Apps - HTC Hero and beyond!

I've been downloading and playing with a lot of new apps and some are downright mind blowing.

Better Keyboard

If you're still using Android phones that have yet to upgrade to Android 2.1 you MUST get the Better Keyboard app and pay the $3, it's more than worthwhile.

Why?

It does voice.

That's right, voice.

It allows you to talk in every input field on any app, any browser field, anywhere except for URL addresses which it forces you to type for some reason.

Google Translate

Next, install Google Translate and now you can talk into the phone, it translates your speech to text, then translates your speech/text into any language Google can translate.

Anyone remember the Star Trek universal translator?

Never thought I'd own one and it's getting damn close to being the real deal.

The only problem is currently it only understands English when listening so it's just a one-sided translator but since I speak English, that's good enough for me! ;)

Text-to-Speech

Install the TTS software and then your phone can actually say those foreign translations out loud which is kind of fun to hear it make the attempt.

Metal Detector

I don't know how the damn Metal Detector thing works but it just does.

It detects lots of different types of metal and get it anywhere near a computer, screen or other phone and it just goes nuts.

Now for fun you can change what it says so now my metal detector says "Searching for lame ass phones..." and when I put it next to an iPhone it starts buzzing and beeping with big letters on the screen decrying "LAME ASS PHONE DETECTED!".

Wifi Analyzer

Holy shit what a useful app!

I was having a problem with wifi at home and this Wifi Analyzer thing helped diagnose the issues in mere minutes and now we have better connectivity.

Not to mention when you're out traveling it'll help you find the best place to sit and use your laptop.

You might not use it often, but when you need it, it really rocks!

OK, got other apps to discuss but I'll get to it next time.