5 Android apps I can't live without...

As far as I’m concerned, no list of favorite apps is complete without at least one music app in the mix, and right now, Songza is my go-to. When it comes to no muss, no fuss music playlists, this app is king. What really sets it apart from other music streaming apps is the Concierge feature, which allows you select a playlist based on the time of day and your activity. For example as I write this, Songza is giving me choices for a Monday evening, with activities such as “Unwinding”, “Working Out”, “Driving”, or “The Grammy’s”, since it took place last night. If I select “The Grammy’s”, then I can pick from categories such as “Rap Superstars”, “Folk Rock Revivalists”, along with four others. Under “Folk Rock Revivalists” I can pick a playlist like “The World of The Lumineers” which plays 95 songs similar in style to The Lumineers, totally commercial free. Very nice.As someone who likes to think that they are somewhat organized, the to-do list app called Wunderlist, has long been a part of my daily routine. However, that first incarnation was missing a lot of features that hardcore users wanted, like the ability to set up subtasks under a task, or set a reminder for a task.Well, on Wunderlist 2, they added these features and a whole lot more, making this hands-down the best to-do list out there. I love it because you can access your list from anywhere, whether it be your phone, tablet, or web browser, and the information is automatically synced between all of them. You can even share a task with other users which makes it a great replacement for the chalkboard on the refrigerator. Did I mention that all of this is Free?One of the greatest features of Android is its ability to share information easily from one app to another, and the combination of Pocket along with the aforementioned Zite is one of the best ways to make use of it. Pocket, which actually used to be called Read It Later, allows you to basically “save” the articles that you pick up from Zite to a “queue” where you can read them again or later as the need may be.Once the articles are in your “Pocket” so to speak, you can then organize them with tags, and mark certain articles as “favorites”. Just like Zite, Pocket also formats your article for easy reading on your Android device. You can also access your articles from the Pocket website.View the list »
As a writer, I’m both a news junkie, and insatiable reader by necessity. So Zite, an app that automatically aggregates news articles and blogs based on topics that I choose, is one of my favorite places to look for new reading material. What sets Zite apart from othernewsreader apps, is the ability to pick new articles based on the ones I liked reading in the past.All I have to do is click the “thumbs up” icon on an article that I liked reading, and the next time I open the app, I receive more articles like it. Not only that, the more I “thumbs up” articles, the better it gets at picking new ones for me. Another great feature is its ability to link up to my Twitter and Google Reader accounts, allowing the app to pull from sources that I already read, along with new ones that Zite picks. It also formats articles for easy reading on tablets or phones.

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So for my first article as Chicago Android Examiner, I figured that I should introduce myself somehow. And since I know you don't want to hear the boring minutiae of my everyday existence, I thought I would give you a window into my life via apps that are part of my daily routine. Apps I just can’t live without. Since these are some of my personal favorites, they are certainly not the end all be all of useful applications, but more like my techie answer to the "desert island" list. In sharing these, I’m hoping to introduce you to some new favorites too.

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By the way, because I spend so much time moving between my 7-inch tablet and my 4.7 inch phone, the apps most useful to me are the ones that function well on both form factors, so all the apps on this list have versions for tablets and phones.

Let me know what you think about them, and comment with some of your favorites!

View the list
  • As a writer, I’m both a news junkie, and insatiable reader by necessity. So Zite, an app that automatically aggregates news articles and blogs based on topics that I choose, is one of my favorite places to look for new reading material. What sets Zite apart from othernewsreader apps, is the ability to pick new articles based on the ones I liked reading in the past.All I have to do is click the “thumbs up” icon on an article that I liked reading, and the next time I open the app, I receive more articles like it. Not only that, the more I “thumbs up” articles, the better it gets at picking new ones for me. Another great feature is its ability to link up to my Twitter and Google Reader accounts, allowing the app to pull from sources that I already read, along with new ones that Zite picks. It also formats articles for easy reading on tablets or phones.
  • One of the greatest features of Android is its ability to share information easily from one app to another, and the combination of Pocket along with the aforementioned Zite is one of the best ways to make use of it. Pocket, which actually used to be called Read It Later, allows you to basically “save” the articles that you pick up from Zite to a “queue” where you can read them again or later as the need may be.Once the articles are in your “Pocket” so to speak, you can then organize them with tags, and mark certain articles as “favorites”. Just like Zite, Pocket also formats your article for easy reading on your Android device. You can also access your articles from the Pocket website.
  • As someone who likes to think that they are somewhat organized, the to-do list app called Wunderlist, has long been a part of my daily routine. However, that first incarnation was missing a lot of features that hardcore users wanted, like the ability to set up subtasks under a task, or set a reminder for a task.Well, on Wunderlist 2, they added these features and a whole lot more, making this hands-down the best to-do list out there. I love it because you can access your list from anywhere, whether it be your phone, tablet, or web browser, and the information is automatically synced between all of them. You can even share a task with other users which makes it a great replacement for the chalkboard on the refrigerator. Did I mention that all of this is Free?
  • As far as I’m concerned, no list of favorite apps is complete without at least one music app in the mix, and right now, Songza is my go-to. When it comes to no muss, no fuss music playlists, this app is king. What really sets it apart from other music streaming apps is the Concierge feature, which allows you select a playlist based on the time of day and your activity. For example as I write this, Songza is giving me choices for a Monday evening, with activities such as “Unwinding”, “Working Out”, “Driving”, or “The Grammy’s”, since it took place last night. If I select “The Grammy’s”, then I can pick from categories such as “Rap Superstars”, “Folk Rock Revivalists”, along with four others. Under “Folk Rock Revivalists” I can pick a playlist like “The World of The Lumineers” which plays 95 songs similar in style to The Lumineers, totally commercial free. Very nice.
  • Along with music, it’s nice to have some movies on your phone or tablet to pass the time. That being said, one of the best sources of free flicks, is Crackle, which has a nicely curated selection of older movies. All of the movies are picked based on their entertainment value, and I have found several old favorites on there, like “Step Brothers”, (don’t judge me) or “The Royal Tannenbaums” (again don't judge). If you like horror/action flicks, they usually have a pretty good selection of those on there as well. For instance, as i’m writing this, they have a couple of films from the “Underworld” series playing right now. The only price you have to pay is the occasional short commercial that interrupts your show.
View the list

, Chicago Android Examiner

Paul Cash is a 10-year veteran of the consumer electronics industry, with five of those spent working for a major electronics manufacturer. He is a unrepentant gadget junkie who loves to share his knowledge with anyone who will listen. Contact him at this address with any questions or story ideas!

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