Recommended Apps For Android Phones And Tablets

Sifting through multiple apps that do similar tasks, TechTree picks those ones that actually better your smartphone experience.

Chandrakant 'CK' Isi
11th Feb 2013

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Recommended Apps For Android Phones And Tablets

There's no better example of the idiom, 'problem of plenty', in the tech world than the app stores of the major platforms. Which platform has greater number of apps is only a theoretical debate, since apps for most of the common tasks are covered under all platforms. Given the presence of multiple apps that do the same task, picking the right one becomes a matter of trial and error (other users' feedback notwithstanding). So here's a small list of TechTree recommended apps for your Android smartphone. We have tested these applications ourselves, so you won't have to go through the trial and error drill.
[Note: This list is not exhaustive, and will be updated frequently]

MXPlayer
Price: free (Ad supported)
The default video player isn't same on every Android phone. There are few handsets that offer support wide range of formats, while most aren't very friendly with AVI and MKV files. This is where MXPlayer kicks in. This app can not only play variety of formats, but also offer hardware acceleration and full-fledged subtitle support. Moreover, there's also gesture controls to adjust the brightness, volume, and to rewind or fast-forward the video.
Download: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mxtech.videoplayer.ad&feature=search_result

Recommended Apps For Android Phones And Tablets

Snapseed
Price: Free
Photo enhancement apps for mobiles generally offer limited functionality. However, Nik Software's SnapSeed is an exception. The app allows you to crop, transform, enhance or adjust colours, tinker with white balance, saturation, and contrast. You can also apply various preset filters including Vintage (Instagram style), Drama, and Grunge. There's a lot more you can do by combining these enhancements.
Download: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.niksoftware.snapseed&feature=search_result#

Recommended Apps For Android Phones And Tablets

WeChat
Price: Free
This WhatsApp clone is better than the original in many ways. Apart from individual and group messaging with text, you can send voice notes, images, videos, and location data. To top it off, the app allows you to make video calls. Another thing going into WeChat's favour is the fact that it's available free of cost (and claims to remain free for life, unlike WhatsApp).
Download: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tencent.mm&feature=search_result#

Recommended Apps For Android Phones And Tablets

Kingsoft Office
Price: Free
Kingsoft Office is probably the best Office suite you could find for Android device. Be it a phone or a 10" tablet, the app works like a charm. It allows you to view and edit DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX files. It's easy to use, and even offers file manager of its own. In addition to that, it's integrated with cloud storage services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box.net. Most of us won't mind paying for this useful app, but then, it's available for free.
Download: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.wps.moffice_eng&feature=search_result#

Recommended Apps For Android Phones And Tablets

Opera Mini
Price: Free
The default Android web browser offers rich browsing experience as long as it's backed by a speedy internet connection. But, if you're stuck with limited 3G or slow EDGE plans, you have to think twice before visiting image heavy websites. Or, simply use Opera Mini as your browser. With its server-side data compression technique, it not only minimises your GPRS data usage and phone bills, but also speeds up web browsing.
Download: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.opera.mini.android&feature=search_result#