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This list will jumpstart your Android experience.

Android phone owners are always asking eachother, "What are your favorite apps?"  Well, here's my list.  All of these apps are available at Android Market, the app that lets you browse and install addtional applications without having to connect your device to a computer, and most of these apps are free.  This list should be useful for anyone with a Android phone who wants to make the most of their beloved mobile device.

Phone Apps

• Phone - Place calls.  Duh.  (Comes with the Droid.)
• Contacts - Sync' your contacts with multiple sources, including Google Contacts and Facebook, and then access them to place calls, text messages, e-mail messages, etc.  (Comes with Android OS.)
• Yellowbook - Look up businesses like restaurants, theaters, etc.  Once you find one, it's easy to initiate a call.
• WhitePages - Like Yellowbook, except for residential listings.

Android OS System Apps

• Market - Like iTunes, only for Android devices.  Get all of your games and other apps here.  (Comes with Android OS.)
• TasKiller - One click on your home screen kills all the apps running in the background to save your battery.
• Ringer Mode Bar Widget - One click on your home screen changes your ringer mode from audible, to vibrate-only, to silent, without having to hunt through settings.
• Power Control - This widget lets you turn on and off various battery-sucking services like wi-fi, bluetooth, GPS, app updates/refreshes, and screen brightness, right from your home screen with one click.  (Comes with Android OS.)
• Search - This widget lets you search the Web, your contacts, and more, right from you home screen, either by typing keywords or voice commands.  (Comes with Android OS.)

Web Browsing

• Browser - This is the built-in web browser that Google provides as part of Android OS.
• Google Reader - Bookmark www.Google.com/Reader for the best RSS feed aggregator.
• IMDB - Bookmark www.IMDB.com for access to the best movie and TV database on the planet.
• allmusic - Bookmark www.allmusic.com.  It's like IMDB, only for music.
• USDA Nutrient Database - Bookmark www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/ for the most comprehensive and easy-to-use database of food nutrient information available, including calories, fat content, carb counts, and more.

Information Applications

• Movies - By Flixster, it's the #1 movie app for iPhone and Facebook, now available for Android devices.  Get showtimes for the top box office movies, view local theaters, browse 65,000 DVDs, watch 15,000 trailers, read reviews, and my favorite, easy access to this week's new DVDs.  ...so you can go out and rent them, right?
• The Weather Channel - This app is my favorite way to access weather information, even better than the full Weather.com website.
• Wapedia - This app is the fastest way to access the 3 million articles of Wikipedia and many other wikis on your phone.  Since it's an Android app, it's a better interface than just visiting the Wikipedia website.
• ShopSavvy - The original barcode scanner on Android. Aim the camera at any barcode, wait for the beep, and ShopSavvy will provide you with a list of online and local prices.  Great for taking advantage of "we match prices" policies.
• Google Goggles - Google Goggles is a visual search app.  Instead of using words, take a picture of an object with your camera phone and the app will attempt to recognize the object and return relevant search results.  Works great for books, wine, beer, logos, landmarks, buildings, and art.
• USA Today - The latest news stories, scores, weather, and photos, you've come to expect from USA TODAY are now available for your Android device. Staying informed on the go has never been this quick, easy, or enjoyable.
• BBC News - Get the latest news from the BBC with refreshing contrast compared to Fox News.
• Newspapers - Read 75 Android-optimised, mobile versions of national and international newspapers with the touch of a finger.

Social Networking

• Facebook - A great mobile substitute for Facebook folks.
• Twidroid - I think I like it better than the full-size desktop version of twitter.com.

Personal Information Management

• Gmail - Connects you to your Gmail account, including all your labels (comes with Android OS).
• Email - Connects you to your non-Google e-mail accounts, and it's especially good at connecting to Exchange and Zimbra systems, including access to all your mail folders (comes with Android OS).
• Calendar - Access and update your Google Calendar from your phone (comes with Android OS).
• Corporate Calendar - Access and update your Exchange or Zimbra calendar from your phone (comes with Android OS).
• gTasks - Task and to-do list application that sync's with Google Tasks.
• GDocs - Simple notepad that can view, edit and sync' documents from your Google Docs account. It allows you create, import/export and send documents.  Now includes a PDF viewer and presentation viewer.
• AK Notepad - A sticky note application with a few extra features.
• RealCalc - A fully featured scientific calculator which looks and operates exactly like the real thing.  Includes features like result history, unit conversions, percentages, 10 memories, hex/binary/octal, haptic feedback, full help, and my personal favorite, RPN (Reverse Polish Notation).

Multimedia

• Pandora - Got a Pandora.com account?  Then you can listen to the music Pandora suggests for you right on your Android phone.  It's like listening to the radio, except you get to choose the kinds of artists.
• Music - Play MP3s and other audio files, manage play lists, shuffle mode, and more.  Automatically displays album cover art.  (Comes with Android OS.)
• Camera - This app operates the built-in camera on most Android phones.  (Comes with Android OS.)
• YouTube - Access YouTube videos on your Android phone.  (Comes with Android OS.)
• Listen - Google's podcast aggregator lets you listen to all sorts of audio content, including music, news, talk, sports, and more.
• Gallery - View the photos and videos on your storage card, including those taken with the built-in camera.  (Comes with Android OS.)
• Video Player - Like Gallery, except it gives you faster access to your video files.
• TV.com - Access television programming, including full episodes, from CBS, Showtime, and more.

Maps, GPS, and Other Location Stuff

• Maps - The full power of Google Maps, including satellite view and traffic information, right on your Android phone.  When you search and find a location, you can change to "Navigate" mode for full-on Garmin-style navigation that's better than most dedicated GPS devices I've seen.  (Comes with Android OS.)
• My Maps Editor by Google - Save your location as map points, draw on the map, and more.  All maps created can then be accessed via your Google Maps account, and vice versa.  Great companion for the Maps app.
• Google Sky Map - This will blow your mind.  Point your phone anywhere in the sky, and this app will show you the stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies in that precise direction, all labeled.
• Compass - Looks and works just like a traditional compass.
• My Tracks - Records your GPS tracks and shows live statistics such as time, speed, distance, and elevation – while hiking, cycling, running or participating in other outdoor activities. Once recorded, you can share your tracks, upload them to Google Spreadsheets and visualize them on Google My Maps. Share using Twidroid too.
• Speed Proof Speedometer - Displays and logs your current speed, location and so on to a GPX file as fast as the GPS chip updates the system.

Utilities

• Flashlight - A simple app that turns your phone into an amazingly bright flashlight by making the enter screen white and maximizing brightness.
• DroidLight - Another flashlight app, except this one uses the super bright camera flash LEDs.
• Stopwatch - A simple stopwatch that supports lap times.
• Ultimate Stopwatch - A more graphical Stopwatch and Countdown timer.
• Voice Text - Adds voice command support to all apps that have text fields.
• Remote Desktop - See and control your Windows computer's desktop across the Internet.
  
  Remote Desktop is based on RDP protocol and is a standard feature of most Windows versions (except Home varieties).

Games

• Robo Defense
  
• Chess
  
• Labyrinth Lite
  
• Space Physics
  
• Zen Table Tennis Lite
  
• Air Hockey
  
• What The Doodle?
  
• Droid Mini Golf
  
• Jewels
  
• Poke A Mole
  
• Solitaire
  
• Sudoku Free
  
• Holdem

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