Five on Friday: Favorite Android Apps

As I mentioned last week, I am not an iPhone user. That is not because I don’t like iPhones. I don’t have an opinion one way or another, actually. It’s more that my cell carrier did not offer iPhones until recently and I was absolutely, positively not going to switch to the carrier that did carry iPhones just to get a particular phone.  Especially since I had left their service years ago because of terrible service!

Anyway.

Just because I don’t have an iPhone does not mean I don’t have some nifty apps on my Android phone. Actually, I love the fact that having an Android phone is a little bit like carrying around a mini-computer everywhere I go.  If I’m bored waiting for an appointment now, it’s my own darn fault. There’s plenty on my phone to keep me occupied.

I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite applications ~ and I’d love to hear from you if you have an Android phone – share your favorites, too!

• Lookout Mobile Security: this is a terrific application that has saved my skin quite a few times. You can back up your contacts, locate a missing device, and even remotely wipe your device if it’s unrecoverable.  I’ve had to restore contacts on SuperMan’s phone a couple times… I can’t tell you how nice that was. I can’t imagine trying to recreate a phone list of several hundred names/numbers that are not documented anywhere else other than on his phone. *scary*  It is available on Blackberry, Android, and I think, Windows mobile phones.
• Silent Sleep: I can’t sleep without this. Literally. During spring break it got accidentally turned off. I was awakened I don’t know how many times during the night because of the beeps and blips my phone was making. *ugh*  For a pre-menopausal middle-aged woman, sleep is a precious thing. Getting woken up for no reason is no stinkin’ fun. Hence, this program is permanently on my phone. I can set the time for the sounds to be turned off and back on again. Sweet, silent sleep.
• Angry Birds Rio: Duh. Who isn’t addicted to Angry Birds these days? I am late to find Angry Birds, but boy, oh, boy am I addicted now.  SuperMan found it on my phone this week. I got out of the shower the other night to find that he’d played on my phone and advanced me three levels. Instead of being happy I was up three levels, I was mad that I wouldn’t be playing those levels! (ha!) It’s crazy fun, a serious time-suck, and way, way worth having on the phone.
• Audible for Android: I love being able to listen to books when I am traveling, especially if I am the one driving. My short attention span means driving on a long trip is b-o-r-i-n-g!!! This allows me to occupy my mind while I drive – or wait in carpool lines, go for a walk, etc.  I love that it saves my spot when I stop listening, automatically pauses if the phone rings (and automatically resumes where I left off after I “hang up” the call) Couldn’t live without it.
• Where: This is another great app for when you are traveling (can you tell I was on vacation recently?) – I love being able to look up restaurants, movie theaters, etc. while I’m in a strange city and the app will tell you where it is, give some reviews and even provide driving directions.

Okay, I have TONS more apps on my phone, but given that this is “Five on Friday” I will stick to these five. More will come in another post.

Now, it’s your turn. What are your favorite phone apps?