Just wanted to post a few of my essential phone apps that I use every day.

1. Dropbox. Absolutely essential. I can sync files in the background in between all my desktop, laptop, and mobile devices. Its free and you get 2 gigs of storage. You also can use the web interface to access your files. FREE

Ive recently started using Sugarsync and it gives you 5 gigs of storage for free and is very similar to Dropbox. FREE

2. Taskos. Is a very simple to use task manager for Android that syncs with Google task. It supports voice and text input and its also very simple to use and the interface is very clean. It also has a widget available.

3. Evernote. Another free program designed to sync notes across all your devices. Very flexible and powerful. I use it a lot for important websites. I can put the note on my desktop interface and it gets synced to my phone automatically. It also has a web interface available. FREE

4. Wyse Pocketcloud. A remote access program that allows me to use RDP and VNC from my spartphone.

5. Google Secrets. A simple password management program that allows yo to store passwords. I love this program because its simple and backed by Google. FREE

Those are the 5 major ones and I also make extensive use of Google Voice and Apps.

https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTI1NTkwNzgwOQ?src=global9

https://www.sugarsync.com/referral?rf=6gianvndwtzr

https://www.evernote.com/

https://taskos.com/

https://www.wyse.com/products/software/pocketcloud/index.asp

https://code.google.com/p/secrets-for-android/

Id like to see what you guys use on your Android or Iphone device on a daily basis.

1. Evernote rocks. 'Nuff said.

2. I love K-9 Email; you will too if you use IMAP, high security settings or weird port numbers.

3. QR Droid or other barcode scanner comes in handy...especially if you have Google shopper attached (scan an item at the grocery store, for example, and see other prices in your area based on GPS data).

4. Pandora. No brainer.

5. ASTRO File Manager--a free file system explorer that also gives control over permissions that certain phone companies don't want you to have.

6. PDANet--a free "tethering" app. Free version doesn't allow you to browse secure [https] web sites, but there's a workaround. Click "Register PdaNet" and pretend you're going to buy a copy via credit card...it will open up the ports (443, 8080, etc). Hah!

7. Google Sky Map. "So is that Jupiter or Venus?" Hold your phone toward the bright light and let the GPS, compass and accelerometer work it's magic to give you a live view of the sky with labels. So cool.

8. Compass. My favorite version of this app is Compass v2.1 by Catch, Inc. I use it when I haul my telescope out or when I need a quick view of the address I'm parked in front of.

9. Flashlight (or in my case, BACKFLIP Light). This app turns on the ultra-bright LED normally used as a photo flash and keeps it on until you say so. It's smaller and brighter than a typical handheld flashlight, plus I always seem to have my phone with me, but not necessarily by big cop flashlight.

10. Navigation by Google. Be sure to load the voice stuff so that your FREE navigator (with current traffic info) can speak the directions to you. You may type or--more importantly--speak your destination. I try to be as hands-free as possible.


Now the fun/geeky stuff. Click on the photos for a closer look at the app as presented on my Motorola Backflip:

1. Jedi Light Saber--has several Star Wars music choices and uses the Android's accelerometer to make the appropriate light saber sounds:


2. Star Trek communicator-uses the Android's accelerometer so that you may "flip open" the communicator as Captain Kirk would. It has all the cool sounds that you'd expect and some typical samples ("Kirk to Enterprise. Kirk to Enterprise. Enterprise, come in". Touch the moire pattern then close the communicator; shortly after you will hear the "hailing" tone from the Enterprise. Open your communicator and proceed to make a geek of yourself.


3. Scanner Radio--So you're a meth dealer trying to outrun The Fuzz or you just think it's cool to hear about a dead body floating down the Chicago River (as I did a couple of weeks ago). Can you imagine? A bunch of geeks like us took the trouble to set up Internet feeds of 50+ police scanners in popular locations. From LAPD softies and the hard-boiled down in New York's Battery district to the "G'Day" Australian boys in blue, you can tune in to just about any venue.


4. Bump. If you and another both have the "Bump" app, simply start it and choose what information you wish to share. Once done, do a fist bump with phone in hand. Between GPS co-locations and the physical movement detected by the accelerometers, information is wirelessly exchanged between the two phones via a manly gesture. Arrrh arrh arh!


5. Geico BroStache. So I saw this crazy Geico commercial where the guys in the office were singing while holding their phones up to their mouths. Meanwhile, an animated and mustachioed mouth seemed to follow along. This free app sends you over the edge of Geekdom by using your voice (microphone is live) to make the coordinated and appropriate mouth movements. It's so stupid that it's cool...and free.

So THAT'S what happened to all the out of work IT guys!

Yes Evernote is an amazing app. I look for apps that will sync between all of my devices as opposed to something that will be on my phone only. That way if theres some issue all of my data is still in the "cloud" and available.

I haven't used K-9 but I might give it a shot. I use the standard mail client for my exchange and the Gmail client.

Barcode scanners are awesome! I use Red Laser and Google Shopper. I like being able to scan a product and compare the pricing to whats available at the store.

Pandora is ok but for music I use Subsonic. It turns your pc into its own server and creates your own "cloud" to stream music from. It has a web interface and apps for Android and IOS. This works out great for me because I have a large music library and I can have it with me at all time.

Astro is a must have.

I use Barnacle for my wifi hotspot.

Sky map is one of those apps that I had to drag the wife out late at night to show it off.

Thank you for the tip on Subsonic. I really, really like Pandora, but the idea of hosting my own show...especially since my taste in music is so eclectic.

Re K-9: All the features you'd expect plus anything you would want to control (subscribed folders, typeface, polling frequency) can be controlled...AND THEN SOME. Makes Outlook laughable.

Yes and you can also give out usernames and passwords to the server so if you have someone who'd like to check out your collection you can assign them rights and they can stream as well. Its in my opinion the best of its kind and it gives you one more opportunity to use the word "cloud" in everyday conversation. :banana: "

Two great uses for the barcode scanners:

1. When out shopping with the missus, start scanning everything she puts in the cart and declare "Thats X dollars cheaper at store X". She will never want to take you shopping ever again, stay at home, drink more beer!

2. Serial Storage. When I get new equipment in and I need to record the serial numbers for warranty purposes, I scan them into my phone and either export or email them out.

Or she might start using her own scanner to find things she "must have" since their cheaper at Amazon.

OMG! Just downloaded the Brostache app, hilarious. Cant wait to ask the ol lady if she wants a mustache ride.

You are out of your mind, Travis. Thank God. Personally, I find that the audio input is waaaaay too sensitive. So I start the app as usual, touch the screen (which brings up a three option menu) and chose "Adjust". From there I run the slider all the way down so that spurious noise doesn't make me "say" things that I didn't say.

My nine year old daughter can't decide if this app or the Star Wars light saber is her favorite. In either case, both keep her busy at restaurants during the wait period!

Secrets looks to be for Android only. Not much use to us iPhone guys....

For iPhone users I highly recommend mSecure. Stores all sensitive information and is encrypted.

I use Dropbox as well Good Reader for my iPad.

I just finally started using Evernote a bit more. It syncs with Outlook which is nice.

And Lightsaber is one of several apps on my phone and iPad that are there for the sole purpose of keeping the kids happy......

Ya, the mustache ride thing did not go over as well as I had hoped.

Back on topic, Wifi Analyzer is another app on my phone that I find very handy.

Just downloaded "drop box" and "evernote"

AWESOME!

Cool. Check out Sugarsync too. I use Dropbox and Evernote every day. I like Sugarsync cause they give you 5 gigs free and it does automatic sync from your phone.

All the great posts and all I remember is "stay home and drink beer while SHE shops"

Scan2pdf: allows you to take a photo of say blueprints you can't seem to get your own copy of and then turn it into a PDF you can print back at your office.

I second Scan2PDF. Nice to be able to save a map/blueprint or a note the customer gave you. I then put it in DropBox or Evernote and add it to the customers information in ACT.

Speaking of ACT, I use CompanionLink to sync my contacts and calender with Google, which updates my phone. When I get to a customer site, I just log in and out via my Droid.

Pandora is nice...

AndFTP is a nice way to sync with an FTP site.

Bria softphone for Droid. Use it when I'm around the office to tie into our phone system.

SIP-Driod as a general free softphone.

Not business related, but I really like YouVersion for the Bible. You can select most any translation you want. "No Pastor, I'm not texting while you preach..."

I really like having a construction calculator around. When my last one got stolen I was able to download an app from the same people who made the old one. Measure Mastor Pro from Calculated Industries.

A office calculator app is also nice.

Of course, you must have Kindle on your phone. When you get stuck at a site waiting for someone else, you always have something to read.

TiKL- Touch 2 Talk- is a nice walkie talkie app. Works well for testing cables.

As Travis mentioned, Wifi Analyzer.

As my buddy Tim said, PDANet is nice. 2 Years ago I paid 60/month for an air card with Verizon. Then went with Virgin Mobile for $40/month. Now I use my Droid when needed for no extra charge. (BTW, I really like Virgin Mobile)

"Documents To Go" is pretty badass...even the free version. I have a very, very early version of their PDF reader which takes the (sometimes difficult to read) formatted and pdf-encapsulated text into clean cleartext for super readability. I don't know about you, but my arms are getting shorter these days.

I mean, who cares about the free Adobe Reader if you're constantly scrolling or using zoom gestures to read stuff when, at least while you're mobile, you can otherwise get the straight dope legibly! There are even PDF to audio readers out there, for FREE.

But if you want to view PDFs in their native format and don't care for "Documents To Go" (essentially "Microsoft Office" for Android phones), the I'd recommend "Android PDF Reader". Clever name, huh? It's hosted at sourceforge.net

* * * *

And BTW, if you downloaded the Geico BroStache app, the super secret keyword for unlocking additional mustaches is "dawg" (without the quotes).

Larry, have you tried out HeyTell, which works on pretty much anything...even Blackberry?

No, Tim, I haven't tried HeyTell. I'll put that on my list. Thanks.

For PDF's, I like ezPDF Reader. I think it cost 99-cent, but does everything you mentioned. Plus, you can highlight and even write on the document.

K9 for email is amazing on an Android tablet - FAST, efficient, and configurable to the max!

Thanks for the tip!

And Tom, if you correct the "by line" just once, it will stay there going forward.

In other words, you don't have to live with "Pardon by brevity...this was sent via Android using K-9 email" or whatever.

That "feature"--if you will--wasn't covered well when I first installed it, but it turns out that overwriting the by-line is all that's required. If you want a little more transparency between email send from Android vs email sent from the office, it might be worth cleaning it up. Then again, it's up to an individual's personality. Maybe it makes more sense to send the unspoken/implied message that "I care, but I'm mobile. Hang in there--I've got your concerns in mind but I don't have all the facilities that I need to make your schtuff happen."

That last topic is a whole other post in itself. I'm still trying to put my head around one of my customer's mailbox greetings which says, "I'm faster to respond to email or text messages". That's a concept that fits diametrically opposite to my way of thinking: IF you need to reach me right away, then call; if timing isn't sensitive, then try other means. But I'm an old guy at 46...so what do I know?

It may just be that America has become so busy that personal phone calls are off the table.

I've tried HeyTell. It's not responsive like direct connect and there is a delay. I would rather walk to my truck to get my two way radio's then use HeyTell. I tried it on an iphone and then gave up on it and my company went back to sprint motorola i1 phones for direct connect.

I like scan2pdf. Works great on the iphone but not so great on the motorola i1.

I've tried using YouMail on my motorola i1 phone and it kills the battery very fast. I would love to find a replacement because I like the features of YouMail. I like how it introduces the caller. Pretty cool for the caller. I also wish there was a YouMail type app for the iphone. Any suggestions.

My list

Wifi Seeker...it will scan any and all wifi networks around you, track the strongest one and give you info about them.

Open signal...it will do the same thing and give you compass direction of the router or WAP and it also tracks cell signals by gps degrees. It also gives a map to the tower and and a sat picture.

DTV Antenna Locater...I use it in my motorcoach to set my tv attenna for the best reception and it also tells me what channels are available by gps or zip code.

Pinger...allows me to ping any device anywhere on the web. I use it to ping my voip cards in my phone systems.

Screen.. a program to repair missing pixels and help prevent burn in.

Strobe Light...something to make an idiot of yourself at concerts and movie theaters.

WDW Lines..my favorite app for keeping up with the attendance at all Walt Disney World parks and the length of the lines at all the rides. Those poor people waiting for hours for Toy Story Mania!

Teeter...Stupid ball in the hole game.

Bic Concert Lighter...another make a fool of yourself ap.

Vlingo....Voice dialer. The native one on my HTC Incredible isn't so good.

Amex...manage my credit cards from my phone.

Flashlight and Magnify...the names are self explanatory.

Golflogix...gps and rangfinder program along with maps of just about all Golf Courses in the world.

Easy Spirit Level...makes the phone act as a level.

Ap to SD..moves any ap from the phones main operating memory to Your SD card.

Oh man, how could I forget Bubble Level? Glad Derrick was thinking!

some great apps here. I like call confirm , its virtually elminated my embarrsing "butt dials "

If you have an android you can replace Youmail with Google Voice. It's pretty slick. And good for a laugh when it screws up trying to convert the message to a text. And there is a setting to screen calls first.

Also can tie your Google Voice number to SipDroid for voip calls.

I just got an iPhone at my new job.
So far I've installed the following:
Foursquare
Twitter
Chipotle Locator/ordering
UPS and FedEx apps
Dropbox
Ping Lite
EverFocus MobileFocus
SysAid *our helpdesk program
AccessToGo remote desktop
I am going to download the level and flashlight apps!