Thank you for all of the emails over the last couple of weeks regarding the past year in review. Keep in mind you can find all the articles online at DNRonline.com and my site, DoubleClicks.info if you want to catch up.
Many emails asked about the Android Market link (market.android.com). Before starting you should note that I work for Ntelos Communications, Waynesboro, VA, USA (that should make disclosure folks happy). I have used Windows, Blackberry, iPhone (not as much) and now Android phones. Android phones are currently my preferred flavor. Keep in mind Android is the name of the operating system (created by Google) not the actual phone manufacturer, etc. Again, that is opinion and I am sure there are a bazillion people out there who would argue with that statement. But, I write the column…
The above mentioned site is the default Google site for apps available for this type of phone. You can get free apps and some that can cost from less that one dollar to several dollars. Of course, there are also free apps which are missing the enhanced features you pay for if you get the "Pro" version. For instance, a game may have two adventure levels for free but if you purchase it you will get all 30 game levels. There are games, business, utilities, entertainment, education and any other type of applications/programs you can imagine.
According to Distimo (bit.ly/ygIsBD), a company that watches of the stats of mobile apps, as of December, 2011, there were 400,000 Android apps in the marketplace. Of those applications over 270,000 were free.
In addition to the Android Market there are many other places to get apps. You can search for apps online or go to specific sites. Here are the other two sites I frequent.
My number two favorite after the default market is the Amazon "Appstore for Android" (amzn.to/x2w2F5). Many of the apps in the market at Amazon and everywhere else are repeated in each site online; however, prices may vary and some are only available at specific sites.
Why is Amazon my #2? If you log into the Amazon site you can get one free app every day. I check the site most every day and have 250+ apps; however, I have only installed about ten of them. I have the rest in reserve for future use, testing or forgetting about them. If you buy one (for $0) you do not have to install it on your phone or tablet at that time; or ever. Some of them are junk but some of them are excellent. One that currently costs $9.99, "OfficeSuite Pro 5" I got free several months ago. This application is basically an office program that will allow you to view, create and edit Microsoft Office files, i.e., Word, Excel and PowerPoint files with your smartphone.
The final site I like is called 101 Best Android Apps (101bestandroidapps.com). This is where new apps are released by developers before they are officially approved by Google for the Android Market.
Wikipedia says that the approval process for apps is that Google, "…places some restrictions on the types of apps that can be published, in particular not allowing ‘sexually explicit material’, ‘Violence and Bullying’, ‘Hate Speech’, ‘Impersonation or Deceptive Behavior’, copyrighted material (without permission)…"
The 101 Best Android Apps site mentioned above allows many of the unapproved ones to be downloaded to your phone as an .apk file (similar to .exe for Windows). Warning, be very careful when loading an .apk file as it could contain harmful code…check out the reputation of the developer first!