If you value efficiency and effectiveness, then your Android device should be your best friend. These tech toys are capable of handling all kinds of work and personal tasks, from email and schedules to file management and to-do lists. And all the tools you need are conveniently located right in the Android Market. With so many choices, however, things can get a little complicated.

Here are ten highly rated, absolutely free Android apps that will help you work smarter, get more accomplished, save time and stay organized.

1. Dropbox

Dropbox is great because it’s not just a mobile app; it allows you to manage files in fully synced folders from desktop and mobile devices. Dropbox’s Android application allows users to access a Dropbox — and any kind of content it contains, including music and movies — from anywhere. Users can also upload files, such as images and links, to their Dropbox account. This video will give you an idea of how it works:

User comments:
“So helpful!”
“This worked perfectly for me.”
“A solid start for a free app.”

2. CamCard Lite

This simple application allows you to snap pictures of business cards and automatically import that information to your virtual Rolodex. CamCard Pro is also available as a paid app for $9.99; both versions of the app support multiple languages – from English to traditional Chinese.

User comments:
“High accuracy, impressive!”
“Did a fair job of getting info off the card.”

3. GDocs

GDocs is a text editing application that allows you to access, view, edit and sync documents stored in a Google Docs account. It also lets users create, send, import and export documents.

User comments:
“I like being able to make notes and edit documents and sync them back to my Google account.”
“Basic text works fine.”
“Pretty useful.”

4. Springpad

Springpad is brand-new to the Android Market, but has been getting rave reviews from users on other devices. Like Evernote, this app allows you to save items in a virtual notebook. But it doesn’t just save these items; it also pulls in data from other sites and helps you take action on your lists, not just remember them.

User comments:
“Superb interface.”
“Online sync is nice.”
“Great app, saves notes online and locally, so there’s no wait to view.”

5. SlideScreen

If you struggle with information overload, here’s an app that might help you. SlideScreen turns your Android device’s home screen into a display of your information with a meaningful hierarchy to distinguish signal from noise. The app shows a summary of data from text messages, phone calls, GMail, your calendar, Google Reader, stock market data, Twitter and Facebook. A pro version is available for $6.99.

User comments:
“Keeps getting better! Google Voice would be awesome.”
“Made for simple people with good taste in phones.”
“Nice concept and good looks.”

6. Remember The Milk

This app represents mobile task-management at it finest. Users can add and check off tasks on the go, organize upcoming tasks, get alerted when they are near a task location and sync their mobile actions with a web interface. It’s available with a $25 yearly subscription to the RTM web interface.

User comments:
“It helps me stay on track with what I need to do, and the email service is great.”
“Great, simple UI.”
“Very fast and intuitive.”

7. Astrid Task/To-Do List

Astrid is more than just a to-do list; its friendly reminders will help you stay focused and productive. It’s location-aware and can sync with Remember the Milk. Best of all, it’s open-source and built specifically with Google technologies in mind.

User comments:
“Really convenient, I absolutely love it!”
“Astrid keeps me out of trouble and on time.”

8. Evernote

Half notebook app, half reminder app, Evernote lets you save your ideas, inspirations and favorite things to the cloud for future access. It’s basically a virtual substitute for a good memory. You can record text, images or audio.

User comments:
“Ideal for taking snapshots of documents.”
“Almost perfect, just needs offline support.”

9. Voice Recorder

Here’s a simple, useful application for taking notes on the go, capturing ideas, remembering songs or recording interviews. The audio recordings are timed, and files are sent as attachments to your Gmail account. You can search for recordings by title or date, and you can set your recordings as ringtones.

User comments:
“Words like a charm.”
“Good sound quality.”
“Helpful for class instead of taking notes.”

10. Jorte

Jorte is a personal organizer app that was designed to be both attractive and practical. It’s a scheduler and to-do application that syncs with Google Calendar. Its three home screen widgets allow you to quickly view a monthy or weekly calendar or a to-do list.

User comments:
“Very good calendar app.”
“Very user-friendly and good customization.”

For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

More Android resources from Mashable:

- 8 Best Android Apps for Photo Editing
- 8 Best Android Apps for Health and Fitness
- HOW TO: Turn Your Android Phone Into a Killer MP3 Player
- 5 Amazing Android Apps for Baseball Fans
- 6 Free Android Apps That Will Make You Drop Your iPhone
- 5 Free Android Apps for Web Developers

[img credit: laihiu]

---

Reviews: Android, Android Market, Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, Gmail, Google, Google Calendar, Google Docs, Google Reader, Google Voice, Rating, Remember The Milk (RTM), Twitter, springpad

Tags: android, apps, astrid, camcard, Dropbox, evernote, gdocs, Google, jorte, Mobile 2.0, productivity, Remember The Milk, slidescreen, springpad, voice recorder

View full post on Mashable!

Android users rejoice! With an ever-growing number of devices, a wide array of mobile carriers, and more free apps than you can shake a USB cable at, Google’s mobile OS has shaped up to be quite the versatile contender.

If you’re looking to scoop up some of the best apps the Android Market has to offer, you’ve come to the right place. This comprehensive list is your one-stop shop for reviews and recommendations — perfect for kicking back on a nice long weekend with a data card’s worth of new mobile goodies.

We’ve got music, sports, news, and some digital toys that are just plain cool. Check them out, and if we’ve missed anything, be sure to serve up your own suggestions in the comments.

• 8 Best Android Apps for Photo Editing
  If you’re looking to do a little more with your device’s built-in camera, zoom in on these handy photo editors.
• 8 Best Android Apps for Health and Fitness
  Whether you want to get in shape or stay that way, your trusty Android and these eight apps can help.
• 5 Amazing Android Apps for Baseball Fans
  ‘Tis the season — baseball season of course. Keep up on all the stats, scores, and insider info with these great apps. It’s like having Peter Gammons in your pocket, only way cooler.
• HOW TO: Turn Your Android Phone Into a Killer MP3 Player
  Just because you shun the “iMusic” lifestyle doesn’t mean you can’t keep an awesome tune library at your side. Check out these tips for transforming your Android phone into a music hub.
• 5 Free Android Apps for Web Developers
  Need to check some code or write a script on the go? Unchain yourself from the desktop with these handy and free developer apps.
• 6 Free Android Apps That Will Make You Drop Your iPhone
  Sure, the iPhone has thousands of great apps. But it doesn’t have these!
• 7 Mind-Blowing Free Android Apps
  Not all apps are about utility. Some are just plain awesome. Check out the ones in here.
• Twitter for Android: The Official/Unofficial App Smackdown
  Which is best? The developer offerings, or Twitter’s recent official release? This post puts ‘em to the test.
• Free Multiplayer Android Games [3 of the Best]
  As the mobile gaming market grows, so to does the potential for mobile multiplayer action. Check out these three interesting offerings.
• 3 News Apps for Android Compared
  While news reader apps abound, official mobile apps from established news organizations are still scarce. Here’s a look at some that are leading the way.

For more mobile coverage, follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Tags: android, Android apps, apps, droid, List, Lists, Mobile 2.0, Mobile Lists, nexus one

View full post on Mashable!
Excerpt

The iPad has finally made its international debut, meaning that thousands and thousands of new users will be enjoying Apple’s latest device over the coming weeks.

With the launch of the iPad comes the international launch of the iPad App Store, making it possible for us to play Words With Friends with our friends in Australia. There are already thousands of apps available in the App Store, and with the exception of apps focused on media services like Netflix, ABC or Pandora, most are also available internationally.

We’ve been fortunate enough to have the iPad in our screen-smudging paws for the past two months and in that time we’ve surveyed well over 100 apps and games for the new platform. While this list could easily be four or five times as long as it is, we wracked our brains and decided to pick ten of our favorite iPad apps for the new iPad owner.

1. Air Video

The iPad is a great media player. The size of the screen coupled with the quality of the display really makes it a great way to catch up on lots of content. Although you can use iTunes to transfer movie and music files to your iPad, converting and transferring can be a complicated and tedious process. This is why Air Video is so great — it makes it extremely simple to stream video from your Mac or PC to your iPad.

Just install the free Air Video server client on your PC, tell it what folders to watch or include and then fire up the app. Now select your computer and feel free to go through your lists of available content and watch it in great quality on the iPad! Air Video does a really terrific job of “live conversion,” meaning your video is converted as it plays, which saves time and makes it really easy to enjoy your video collection on the couch.

2. Real Racing HD

Real Racing for the iPhone was a great racing game. Real Racing HD is even better. The use of the accelerometer for turning and maneuvering might make you look a little weird to your friends, but the graphics, sound, controls and gameplay are all top-notch.

Seriously, this is a great racing game and its a great game to really show off the power of the iPad!

3. GoodReader for iPad

We’ve written about our affinity for GoodReader both on the iPhone and the iPad in the past, but it bears a repeated mention. Simply put, GoodReader is one of the best document readers/file managers out there. Period. You can connect to Dropbox, Box.net, Google Docs, FTP servers, and local computers, and download files directly off the web.

More than just a PDF viewer (though it is a great PDF viewer), the app can read a variety of different file types and can even let you open documents inside other apps to make editing a breeze.

4. Mondo Solitaire

Mondo Solitaire was one of the apps we highlighted in our early roundup of iPad video previews. In practice, the app is extremely addictive and extremely entertaining.

Mondo Solitaire comes in two varieties, a pack of the most popular games or the whole shebang. If you like card games, we recommend getting the full package and then having a blast playing through tons of variations of Solitaire and Freecell.

I have personally spent many hours playing Mondo Solitaire that otherwise could have been spent sleeping or being productive.

5. Wired Magazine

Released earlier this week, Wired for the iPad has already sold over 24,000 copies. For good reason too: Wired for the iPad is a great example of what publishers and content creators can do when they really fire on all cylinders.

While we aren’t sure if we would buy Wired every month without some sort of better subscription plan, the first issue, which includes a look at the making of Toy Story 3, is really worth checking out.

6. Kindle for iPad

Apple’s iBooks application is fantastic, but when it comes to content selection, Amazon still has the lead. Kindle for the iPad is a really good e-reader app, and makes it easy to browse through books. It seamlessly launches the web-based book store to make purchasing a snap.

We think Apple has the edge in overall presentation, but you can’t beat Kindle in price or selection. Also, while not as utterly beautiful as iBooks, Kindle for the iPad is still great to look at.

7. Epicurious

Even if you’re like me and cooking consists of re-heating take-out and making reservations, there is something to love about the Epicurious app. There are so many recipes and ideas, not to mention gorgeous pictures, that this is a great app to have on hand before hitting the market or just to gaze at while waiting for the pizza delivery guy.

8. Dropbox

If you are a Dropbox user, you owe it to yourself to get the Drobox app for the iPad. It brings all of what makes the iPhone app great and makes it even better. You can save content directly to your device, you can upload content off your device and you can view and playback media content all in the app.

Dropbox is a great way to stay connected to the documents on your computer no matter where you are.

9. The Guardian Eyewitness

UK publication The Guardian released a really terrific iPad app that features its stunning photography. Visually, this app is one of our favorites. The form factor of the iPad makes it perfect for really enjoying and studying the art that accompanies news stories.

10. NewsRack

NewsRack is our current pick as the best newsreader available for the iPad. It syncs with Google Reader seamlessly, so if you add a feed, it is added to Google Reader — if you remove it, it’s removed there too. However, you can selectively sync only certain feeds or categories, which can make news reading on the iPad more manageable.

The iPad is a terrific way to browse the web, and that includes RSS feeds. NewsRack is a top-notch app that also works on the iPhone, if you want to keep everything in sync across devices.

Your Picks

More iPad resources from Mashable:

- 10 Awesome Apple iPad Cases
- 10 Great Sites for Watching Video on Your iPad
- iPad Accessories: A Quick Guide to Apple’s Official Add-Ons
- 10 Insanely Great iPad Apps We Can’t Wait to Use

Tags: apple, apps, ipad, ipad apps, Mobile 2.0, tech

View full post on Mashable!
Excerpt