My Must Have Android Apps of 2009

(Keep in mind I have only been using Android since Nov 6)

Handcent SMS – A frontend for SMS/MMS. Adds a great deal of functionality to Android for messaging.

Home++ – A full home replacement that looks great and is coming along very nicely.

Movies – Find movies, theaters, and even manage your Netflix Queue.

Wifi Analyzer – A graphical WiFi analyzer.

Foursquare – Official app for the Foursquare service.

NewsRob – RSS reader with Google Reader sync.

Yelp – Official app for the Yelp service.

Seesmic – Relatively new to Android, but a fantastic Twitter client. I use Tweetdeck day to day on my laptop, but seesmic is very similar.

Advanced Task Killer – A must have app to manage running applications and even schedule app killing.

Barcode Scanner – All around barcode scanner for prodcucts or QR codes.

Evernote – Official Evernote app. Have your notes everywhere. Always synced.

DroidLive – Shoutcast internet radio player. Beautiful UI.

Remember The Milk – Official app for the best to-do list service there is, Remember The Milk.

Qik – Live stream DVD quality video from your phone.

LOLcats – Gotta get your daily fix of cheesburgerz!

Google Maps w/ Navigation – Hands down, THE BEST turn by turn navigation software I have ever used.

Weather Widget – Absolutely beautiful widget for the weather, with cool animations.

Amazon.com – Official Amazon shopping app.

Autorotate Widget – A quick one tap widget that will enable/disable the accelerometer for screen rotation.

AppsInstaller – Installer to install .apk files.

ASTRO File Manager – The best file manager I have found to date for browsing files in the Android filesystem.

Feel free to add more apps in the comments below or let me know what apps I should have picked. I will most likely have late additions since the year isn’t actually over yet. :)

Toothbrush Review? Yes! Oral-B Triumph with SmartGuide


I know it is kind of weird for me to talk about a toothbrush here, but I love this thing! I have used a good number of different electric toothbrushes in the past, then went back to “manual” toothbrushes after being disappointed with them all. During my last cleaning at the dentist I was given the pitch for this little gem. I was a little skeptical, but with the external LCD screen (i’m a geek) and the deal on it from my dentist, I thought, what the hell.

You get the toothbrush body, a couple brush heads, the external LCD display, and a dock type charger / brush head holder for the counter. You can use this toothbrush for multiple people since you can remove the brush head. The External LCD display not only tells you how long to brush on each section of your mouth, but also tells you when you are brushing too hard and when it is time to replace your brush head. Sounds gimmicky, but it is a really nice addition. Not to mention, it’s a nice clock for the bathroom.

My mouth has never felt as clean as it does after using this toothbrush! Once you use it, you won’t go back to a normal toothbrush. A little pricey, but totally worth it I think. I mean after all, I wrote a friggin review about it on my blog. :)

That’s it, short and sweet. Buy it at Amazon.