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Essential Apps

chimlie3 said:
Hi all,

I've ust got my first modern phone (htc desire) and i believe that there are thosands upon thousands of apps available for it.

So what are the essential ones i should download for starters?

Looking forward to your reply.
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Don't waste your money on any of these suggestions. I'm finding that many apps are re works of other apps with an added feature, and it really is up to you if that's wirth the cost. I downloaded a free battery app for instance, it estimated the time the battery would die (incorrectly), voltage, battery temp, health? cakes, emotional tendency etc. Thing is, I began to obsess over battery life, watching the widget run through its various colours worrying over temperatures, and charge times. I DELETED IT, and my battery last just as long. Play, fiddle, then when you see a need, you'll know you want an app. Then its time to aks.
 
Rob J and VisualProphet try looking at myphoneexplorer. Need the app from the market and download software to pc but it is a must have. Enables to you to type from pc to phone and more.
 
MessagEase keyboard
My Desire is my first 'modern phone' too, and so for me, personally, I found an alternate keyboard essential - my fingers fumble uselessly on the QWERTY. Keyboard preference is highly personal, but for me, it's messagease.

Tasker +3 (keeping count?)

Lots of other handy ones:
Astrid Tasks
Jorte Calendar
CamScanner (paid version b/c I liked it so much)
Thinking Space

and to keep kids entertained - games:

Alchemy and Angry Birds seem to be the most played and enduring.
 
Google Sky is fun, and an easy way to show off how cool your phone is.

HTC note widget is how I remember stuff. 'Cause I can't remember stuff. Just jot it on my home screen, then ditch it when I'm done.

My paper plane lite is the best free game I've tried.
 
widehead said:
An app that mimics the iPhone is a bit sad isn't it, whatever you think of the device? I don't understand the people who shout loudly about the lack of customization/personalization that the iPhone allows and then install an app on their customizable Android OS to look just like an iPhone....
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Sad? I find that a strange statement to make. Noone can deny that the iPhone innovated a lot of things, even to the point where you can argue that we have options available to us as a result of it's existence..the key is the way they implemented this innovation...ie in a spoon fed, wall gardened manner.

One of the keys of a customisable user experience is to have it how you want. As I said earlier, it takes the iPhone style and improves upon it with contact pictures etc. Equally, you don't have to have the chat bubble style if you don't want to...and you lose nothing with regards the other benefits of the App.

I personally quite like the bubble chat, with contact pictures...but it would not be a strong enough reason to actually lock myself into an iTunes environment. Handcent, Chomp and GoSMS allow me to have this feature without stopping me from also having a myriad of fantastic widgets, homescreen configurations etc etc etc.

I don't find that sad in the slightest...I find choice a refreshing thing.

What I do find sad is, someone claiming that my liking of an iPhone styled SMS system, is the same as making my phone look like an iPhone.

I currently use 5 homescreens with around 15 widgets displaying various apps and information...and I rarely, if ever, need to look at (and scroll through) my full application list in one go.

Does that sound very iPhone like to you?

I didn't think so
 
widehead said:
Check that no one with an iPhone 4 running SkyWalk is anywhere in the vicinity before you "show off how cool" the Desire is.
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Meh. I'm showing it off to other luddites. If someone wants to get into a "my phone is cooler than yours" discussion, I'll just agree and walk away. As soon as possible.
 
Two nice apps to help find your contacts are: Gesture and Quickcontacts

I like A simple call log too, really neat format showing missed calls and history etc

Wallswitch - so I have a new phone everyday

MyphoneExplorer Client - lets you save all contacts in address book onto your laptop

Colornote - a useful post it note that can be pinned and can remind you by an alarm

Lookout - not sure (thankfully) if the security tracking works but the virus checker seems to kick in when I download an app and I get a weekly email about actions I took with my phone throughout that week

All free from the market
 
widehead said:
An app that mimics the iPhone is a bit sad isn't it, whatever you think of the device? I don't understand the people who shout loudly about the lack of customization/personalization that the iPhone allows and then install an app on their customizable Android OS to look just like an iPhone....
Click to expand...


it takes what the iphone does and makes it better. more features, more flexibility. its not battery draining or unstable on mine, or others phones.

how about the market? surely this is mimicking the app store?
multi tasking - iphone mimicking our features?

it happens - deal with it. if you dont like it get back to your nokia 5110 where you cannot or nothing will be copied
 
Lots of good "suggestions" so far, I also like Watchdog which I use rather than a task killer (oh god, don't get this lot started on task killers) and of course Widget Locker purely for the added aesthetics.

Vaulty....ability to hide pics and videos....why do you need it....don't know why you do but I need it because I'm a perv and like to keep pics of the ex's Mwa ha haaa Mwa ha ha haaa :o

I'll get my coat :(
 
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