Best Android Apps [Paperback]

I got an advanced e-copy of this book through netgalley (dot) com. I was excited to see which apps they picked for best apps. I have been using the Android platform since the first G1 phone was released through T-mobile. I now use a Nexus One. I go through new apps/games every couple months to see what is out there and, as I said, was curious to see how they went through the massive amount of apps. They do a pretty darn good job and the every day user should be pleased with this guide.

This is an interesting book and starts out by going through the best overall apps for the Android platform. After that the book is broken down into sections (business, communications, lifestyle, entertainment, games, utility/tool, and reference apps) and they go through the best apps for each thing.

At the end of the book the QR Codes are listed in alphabetical order for all of the apps that were presented in the book. If would have been nice to have the QR code right at the bottom of the app after it is discussed, but the page it is on is referenced so it's not a big deal.

This book goes through a broad range of apps. We are talking any thing from sky maps to server access, to app organization to clothing organization. Some of them you will never need, some of them you already use, and some of them will be extremely useful to you. The authors do a pretty good job of providing free alternatives as runners up to the apps that cost something.

The format is basically the app name, cost, developer, version, a quick description of the app, and then many screenshots of the how the app works. There are a ton of screen shots in this book and it is a very effective way to see the apps.

A couple of the apps that they mention that I totally agree with as being awesome are:
- Newsrob (RSS feed reader)
- MyCloset (clothing organization)
- Astrid (task manager)
- Pandora (internet radio)
- Weatherbug (weather app)
- Many Others

There are a couple that I was disappointed that they didn't include. They also didn't mention Hungry! which is an awesome grocery shopping app that I use all the time. I frequently use Calorie Counter which allows you to keep both food and exercise diaries. But that is a pretty short list and I definitely did find some apps in this book that I will find useful in the future that I didn't know existed.

Now the question is, is it worth spending the money to buy this book? That depends on the type of person you are. If you are like me and already spend a lot of time going through apps as they become available then this guide may not tell anything you don't know. The other thing to consider is that there are a number of websites that list the top Android Apps for this or that and those are free (if possibly biased or skewed to a certain demographic group). If you are the type of person who doesn't want to spend a ton of time looking for apps but wants to get the most out of your Android phone then this book could be very useful to you.

This is a book that will be outdated quickly as the app market is constantly changing, so that is something to consider. The screen shots are great and will really help you decide if an app is for you, especially if it is one you have to pay for. Having the QR codes in the back is convenient and saves you the time of searching for them in Android Market.

Overall I think this a great book for people who want an overview of the apps provided in Android Market and who want to be pointed at apps that are reliable and useful.

As a new Droid X user (and a new smart phone user) I found this book helpful in understanding the world of "apps" and directing me to a few very good ones. When there are thousands of apps and new one appearing all the time this list is a small drop in the bucket and will outdate quickly. I found the "androidzoom.com" web site to be an excellent (and searchable by topic) source for descriptions (and user reviews) of the thousands of apps out there. I look at this on my computer and then download the apps I want from the "market" on my Droid X.

Best Android Apps / 978-1-449-38255-1

My husband has had an Android phone for over a year now, and he follows the available apps pretty closely; I, on the other hand, am about to move from a Blackberry to a Android, so I was delighted to have the chance to review this book on behalf of the publisher.

I'm first delighted to announce that even though my husband predicted that he'd already have or know about all these "best" Android apps, we found quite a few even in the first chapter that he didn't know about - and was intrigued enough to read more. Of course, with this sort of book, time marches on and threatens to make the material "out of date" quickly, but we were pleased to note that several of the apps mentioned as being the best in their category were ones that he already has been using and enjoys immensely - such as the ones for email management, task tracking, and application killing - so there was some nice validation there, knowing that the book knew what it was talking about.

For the newbies, such as myself and my parents (who are also moving to Android phones), there is a wonderful amount of information here. The authors have gone to a lot of trouble to pick the best apps in various categories - such as security and app scheduling and phone ring customization - and they careful explain the pros and limitations of each app, along with helpful screenshots. One way in which this book stood out as being more valuable than, say, just doing the research yourself was in the way that many apps performed functions that I would not have even thought of myself, but which I immediately wanted - for instance, an app to store all your reward cards' barcodes so you don't have to lug them all in your wallet all the time!

If I have any complaints about this book, it would be that perhaps the organization of the material is not entirely perfect. Several reviewers have already mentioned that the app-codes in the back of the book would make more sense placed with the app description; I also noted that once or twice an app in a later category (like "Business Management") would gently overlap with an earlier app (like "Overall Best in Category") and I'd wish the two apps were grouped together to better compare the pros and cons. Indeed, maybe a big table of what app does what would have been valuable, but that might have been too ambitious.

Overall, we found this book to be extremely helpful. Between my parents and I and my husband, we wrote a list of apps we wanted from this book, and the list ended up being several pages long, with several of the apps being things that we would not have thought of on our own. I do recommend this book heartily, and I hope that they continue to update the edition as more apps are released on the marketplace.

NOTE: This review is based on a free Advance Review Copy of this book provided through NetGalley.

~ Ana Mardoll