Android Apps - My Top Picks!

It has been more than a couple of months since I bought myself a G1 - the first gen Android phone. Ever since the G1 was released, people have been dissecting every aspect of it, and comparing it with Apple's pride - the iPhone. Most people who know me know that I'm a huge fan of Apple products. I have successfully convinced at least 2 people to buy Macbooks, and I even managed to convince 1 unsuspecting victim to buy an iPhone and a Macbook Pro (yes, oh devil, I'm referring to you)! ;-)

And yet, I decided to buy the G1 instead of the iPhone. Its ironic that the Linux guy I'm related to bought the iPhone, and the Apple guy (me) bought the Linux phone! :D Anyway, I have had the opportunity to test many apps on Android marketplace, and I thought I would make a list of third-party apps I currently use/find useful/cannot live without ;-)

1) Twidroid:
Android's best Twitter app so far, Twidroid brings the full functionality of Twitter to Android. It has a slick user interface as well, and it provides push notifications for direct replies using Android's notification manager. Very cool app for hardcore Twitter users, but it does come with a price - it hogs memory!

2) Toodo:
This is definitely the best GTD app I've come across for Android. It provides two-way synchronization with Remember the Milk (RTM) and Toodledo. Although this app provides every single option a user could possibly want, the UI leaves something to be desired. The UI is quite complicated, and takes some getting used to. It is also quite high on memory requirements. Having said this, I would still give this app 4 stars out of 5. Being a person who depends on RTM to get his work done every single day, this app makes it on my must-have list! Oh, but there is one problem - it does not know how to handle recurring events. My recurring events always end up creating conflicts on this app.

3) Shazam:
The Android version of the popular iPhone app with the same name. Recognizes songs by listening to them, and gives you the name of the song, the name of the artist, album artwork, etc. Once you tag a song, Shazam will provide links to search for that song on Youtube and Amazon (if you decide to buy the MP3).

4) Power Manager:
Anyone who has used the G1 will know that toggle options for settings such as 3G, Wifi, GPS features, etc. are all over the place. This app brings some sort of organization to these settings by putting them together and allowing the user to create custom profiles, depending on his/her needs. For example, I have a "Home" profile with Wifi enabled, whereas my "Work" profile has Wifi and 3G disabled (to conserve battery). The user can also configure trigger events for each profile, such as the remaining charge on the battery falling lower than a certain value. I use this app multiple times every day, which obviously means that I'm quite dependent on it. But it is missing some key elements, such as volume control, and it is quite steep on memory consumption. Oh, and did I mention the UI? This app's UI is probably the worst among the Android apps I have used! And yet, this app makes it on my must-have list!

5) Imeem:
Its a pity that Android does not have a Pandora app yet (from what I have read so far on geeky forums, I come to understand that there may not be a Pandora app for quite a while). Anyway, given the absence of a Pandora app for the G1, I settled for a similar service, namely Imeem. This app is great from a user's perspective - the UI is great, it works pretty well, and it plays in the background as expected from a music player. However, as a service, Imeem isn't half as good as Pandora, and I get the same songs over and over again on a station. The other day I was listening to the Lynard Skynard station, and it kept repeating the same songs, in the same order. I was inclined to think that the list of songs on that station were static. I'm only keeping this app, because there doesn't seem to be anything better in the Marketplace as of now.

6) G1 Central:
Remember Grand Central Beta? Yes, that revolutionary service that unified all your numbers and gave you a single Grand Central number. Google acquired Grand Central quite a while ago, and closed registration completely (registration was always by invitation only, even in the past). The good news is that Google still supports its existing customers. Anyway, G1 Central brings Grand Central to the Android platform. You can select anyone to call from your contacts list, and G1 Central will connect you to that person through your Grand Central account. Since I have a Grand Central account, I find this app very useful. Of course, the best part is that no one will be able to see my cell phone number, they will only see my Grand Central number. Must-have list new entry alert! ;-)

7) My Maps Editor:
The official map saving app built by Google itself. It was released only a week ago or so. It provides two-way synchonization to the "My Maps" feature that can be used with your Google account. I haven't had a chance to test this app extensively, but it seems very useful. Flawless UI, like most other Google products.

8) Scoreboard:
Another app released by Google, Scoreboard displays current scores of different games. It supports a bunch of sports - NBA, NHL, Soccer, etc. It also interacts with Android's notification system and updates scores in your notification window as each game progresses. Of course, you can choose which teams/games to follow, and it will display notifications only for those teams/games. I leave this app running in the background constantly, for NBA game scores. Again, must-have app! And I'll give it 5 stars in every category I can think of - performance, usability, UI, usefulness, and whatever else you can think of!

9) Volume Control:
What's really surprising is that even though Android supports 5 different audio streams (Ringer, System, Alarm, Notification, In-call), there is no way to change the level of any streams other than Ringer, System and In-call. The Volume Control app unifies all the streams on one screen, and lets you set custom levels of volume for each of the 5 streams. It supports 3 different profiles as well - speaker, headset, and earpiece. When a headset or an earpiece is plugged in, it automatically switches to the appropriate profile. It would've been great if this had been a part of the Power Manager app, but I'm not complaining. Definitely on my must-have list!

10) Weather Channel:
Best weather app for Android, in my opinion. Awesome UI, and gives you detailed weather info about a location. It also lets you track multiple locations at once. For example, I track the weather in Phoenix, San Fransisco and Chicago simultaneously. Everyone who owns a smartphone needs a weather app, right? ;-)

11) Compare Everywhere:
How can I possibly leave this app out of this list? This is probably the most popular Android app so far (it has been featured on the official G1 ads as well). It uses the G1's built-in 3.0 megapixel camera to scan a barcode, and retrieves product info by searching the Internet for info on that product. It also generates a list of stores in the area that stock that item, with pricing information, so that the user can go to the store where that product is being offered at the lowest price. My only concern is that the database of items this app can recognize is quite limited currently. I'm hoping it will expand with time.

12) ConnectBot:
Doesn't do anything fancy. Simple SSH terminal client for Android. Works like a charm! And the Qwerty keyboard makes it much easier to actually run commands on the command-line. Its a pity there's no VPN client for Android yet, so I can't login to my Linux box at work from my phone :-(

13) Movies:
Uses GPS features to retrieve your zip code, and lists the movies currently playing in theatres around the area, with show timings, reviews, etc. This app works well if you have access to a 3G network, but when network connectivity is low, it seems to exhibit some weird behavior (it pulled up showtimes in Portland for me).

14) ParkMark:
Uses GPS features to mark your parking spot. Although this is a nice app, I haven't had the opportunity to use this too much. The only time I used this app was when I parked at Jobing Arena to watch the Metallica concert, and it seemed to work fine then.

15) Pictorial:
Picasa album viewer for Android. Good UI, seems to work quite smoothly, and doesn't seem to consume too much memory. But then again, I haven't tested this app too much, since I don't use Picasa too much on my phone.

So, those were my top 15 picks among the existing Android apps (they're not in any specific order though). I have so much more to say about my G1, about apps I would like to have/like to write, but I don't think in should make this post any longer than it already is. I know what you're thinking - verbosity is my middle name, isn't it? ;-)

In other news, I finally bought myself 1 more GB of DDR2 RAM for my Macbook, so the Mac's galloping again, and not crawling around like it used to! ;-) Merry Christmas people!

Technorati Tags: android, g1, google, smartphone

Water, Water, Every(where/wear)?

I was talking to a friend earlier this evening and she was telling me about the incessant rains in Madras, which had caused flooding in many parts of the city. It seems water had entered some people's houses as well. This got me thinking about how people handle flooding of their houses. The way I see it, there are  3 different kinds of behavior exhibited by people in such situations.
The first category is the most predictable. Most people try to create an outlet for the water to flow outside. Let's assume that there are no doors, and that a hole needs to be created by breaking a part of the wall. This can be hard for many people, but given the dire circumstances, people don't think of the consequences of their actions. So, most people drill a hole in a part of the wall that is in their opinion the most useless part of the wall (least likely to affect the rest of the wall), and use a pipe that is least likely to have leaks, to drain the water. After one quick session, they feel relieved that the water is draining. They implicitly trust that the pipe isn't leaking and that the hole they have just created isn't likely to cause the crumbling of the entire wall.
The second category of people tend to take some time to decide where to drill a hole and let the water drain, simply because they take some time to accept that they have a problem. Only, now that they've taken the extra time to realize that a problem exists, the solution may not be as effective as they had hoped it would be initially. So, a random hole is drilled in the wall, and the first pipe that they can get their hands on is used to drain the water. Since the pipe hasn't been tested for leaks, this category of people are taking quite a risk, and they don't even know it. Immediate relief is gained by this process, especially since the problem was exacerbated by their reluctance in accepting that they had a problem in the first place. And if one hole gets plugged or if one tube starts leaking, it is quickly replaced with another. The hole itself does not matter, the pipe does not matter, they're just a means to get the water out. A form of OCD, if you will (if you didn't get that, I suggest that you give it some more thought ;-))!
That brings me to the last category of people. They think they don't have a problem, and go the extra mile to prove that they don't. They continue to live in their flooded house as the water level rises. Until one fine day, the water level is so high that they can barely keep their heads above the water. This category has two sub-categories - one represents the people who would drown due to their own stupidity, and the other who would just move to another room/house where the problem isn't so bad, make a fresh start, still carry on with the same attitude (smart, don't you think? :D). A great man once said that there's a thin line between insanity and sheer genius. That statement can be extended to many other cases, which I won't elaborate on right now.
P.S. My obsession with writing absolute gibberish here is almost overwhelming, isn't it? :D
P.P.S. If you think this is some sort of metaphorical representation of a soppy story, then you obviously don't know anything about me!
P.P.P.S. If your brain tells you that this post is actually about the flooding in Madras, you're the smartest person in the house! :D
P.P.P.P.S. If anyone found my tone in this post offensive, 10 points to you! ;-) And I'm just doing my bit, spreading the cheer on this holiday! ;-)
P.P.P.P.P.S. Comments/thoughts/suggestions/guesses are welcome! ;-)
Happy Thanksgiving people!

Technorati Tags: twisted wisdom, water, flooding, madras

The Canyon Beckons!

One of my friends from Chicago was visiting this past weekend, and we decided to drive around and see what Arizona has to offer in terms of natural beauty (no pun intended there - I meant the beauty of nature itself :D). Anyway, we decided to drive to the Grand Canyon and do some serious hiking there. Like everything else with me, the decision was almost an impromptu decision. And since the Canyon was within the state, for some weird reason, I assumed that the drive wouldn't be more than a couple of hours or so.

We decided to leave at 8:00 A.M. on Sunday morning, and according to my calculations, we would get to the Canyon by around 11:00 A.M. (with one stop for breakfast), and we could spend almost the whole day at the Canyon, and then, we could drive back late in the night, so that everybody would be ready to go back to work on Monday morning. Sunday morning arrived, and we managed to leave at 8:30 A.M. (which is not bad at all, considering my problems with waking up that early in the morning).

In typical fashion, I hadn't bothered to look up directions earlier. I stepped into my car and then decided to turn on my GPS, which is when I realized that the drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon was around 270 miles (driving time of approximately 4 hours). Anyway, we set off towards the Canyon with me behind the wheel (in my RX-8) - 2 insane dudes and 1 sane guy to keep us from losing it completely ;-)

The drive to the Canyon was uneventful. One quick stop for breakfast at Flagstaff is all we could afford, given the time crunch we were in. But I must say, the drive itself was beautiful, since most of the roads were up in the mountains, surrounded by nothingness for 100 or more miles. There was exactly one rest area on that stretch of 130 miles up the mountains, and that was closed! Even though the speed limit on that freeway was 75 mph, the average speed of most vehicles was upwards of 90 mph.

So, we finally got there around 12:30 P.M. Temperatures were in the early 50s, with a low of 35 for the day. I hadn't even considered taking a sweatshirt along, but I did learn one lesson that afternoon. Altitude DOES make a difference! :D My friends had prudently decided to bring jackets along, so they were in the clear.

Given our time constraints, we knew we wouldn't be able to do much in half a day. After evaluating our options, we spent about an hour at various viewpoints, taking pictures, and getting a feel for the Canyon itself. Two of us (I was one of the two, of course) decided to step over the ledge and hike down to the rim of the Canyon, while the sane one among us decided to stay in the "safe" area and take pictures. We actually sat down at the rim with our feet dangling down into the Canyon, and I must say, I understand the concept of gravity much better now! :D We did get some great pictures here though.

Again, our calculations led us to believe that we could do 3 hours of hiking at most, assuming it would take us double the time to hike uphill than it took us to hike downhill. We chose a really steep trail down the Canyon, and got to the checkpoint we wanted to get to in 1 hour. A 10 minute break later, we started hiking back uphill. This phase was much harder than we thought it would be, but surprisingly, it took us only 1 hour to get back to the top.

We had dinner at one of the restaurants at the Canyon itself (some half-decent Italian food), and set off back to Phoenix, around 7:30 P.M. The drive back wasn't too much fun, given that we were extremely tired from all the physical activity during the day. The highways weren't just poorly lit, they weren't lit at all, but that's probably because most of them are in the middle of nowhere (read "mountains"). Things weren't helped by the fact that there didn't seem to be a single other car driving back from the Grand Canyon to Phoenix on a Sunday night (and yes, I mean that in the most literal way possible). Anyway, we got back home at around 11:30 that night. Overall, it was a really fun trip, but next time, I think I'll stay over for a couple of days, so that I can do more hiking, and I won't have to drive nearly 600 miles in one single day after hiking! :D

Next morning was all about waking up and dropping my friend off at the airport, after which I had to rush to work, where the only thing keeping me awake was the cups of black coffee being consumed at intervals unheard of before ;-)

Oh, and in other news, I DID finally succumb to temptation and buy the G1 phone! :-)

Technorati Tags: grand canyon, arizona, hiking, temporary insanity, phoenix, g1

G1 - To Buy or Not to Buy?

Ever since I got my first cell phone (which was 7 or 8 years ago), I have diligently bought myself a new phone every single year. Seriously, I have never had a phone for more than one year. And its not because I wreck phones that quickly or anything! I started with some basic Nokia bar phone (I don't even remember the model number). By the end of the year, I had to switch to something a little less basic :D I stuck with that phone for almost a year. And then I switched to something with color display. By the end of the next year, my excuse was that I had used a bar phone for too long. So, I bought myself a flip phone. And so on, and so forth!
Less than a year later, I got a Moto Razr. It was sleek and all that, but it sucked in terms of battery life, and extra features on that phone were virtually non-existent. By this time, my phone usage had seriously dwindled, and I used my phone mainly to browse the Internet and check mails, as opposed to text messaging and calls. So, I decided to attempt to put an end to my "phone purchasing habit", for a while at least. The iPhone was released, and being a dedicated Apple product user, I wanted to buy it. But, for once, I decided to give preference to "need" over "want" :D I didn't buy the iPhone (of course, there are other reasons, such as the carrier networks involved, but we won't talk about that now ;-)). So, I kept the Razr for a little more than a year ( a year and a month, to be precise), after which, my dad bought me a Nokia N72.
So, it was back to the bar phones, back to the durable Nokia phones, back to easier text messaging, and so on. The N72 has all the features that I need - an SD card slot for storage, a full fledged music and video player, a good web browser (I installed Opera for the Mobile platform), and a bunch of other features that're very useful, like blogging tools, word processing software, etc. And I could install J2ME apps as and when I pleased (I installed a bunch of Google apps - Gmail 2.0, Google Maps, etc., and some other apps as well). So, finally, I had a phone that would suit all my needs - mail, Internet, IM, etc. - all when I was on the move. So, it has been almost 10 months since I started using the N72, and I have no reason to switch phones as such (the only drawback of the N72 is that it is a bit slow, in terms of performance, but that's mainly because of all those Java apps running).
But........I'm considering getting the new Google phone, the T-Mobile G1. It has been built on the Android platform, and I could go on and on about its features and what it brings to the table, but that would just make this post more verbose than it already is! :D The G1 can be purchased for $180, if I sign up for a 2-yr contract extension with T-Mobile, or I could just pay the full price ($400), and steer clear of contracts.
So, the question is - to buy or not to buy? :D

Technorati Tags: google, android, phone

Metallica Concert - Tuesday, October 21st - Phoenix, AZ

* Spoiler Warning: The following post may contain previously undisclosed information about Metallica's new US tour (World Magnetic), including the possible set-list for their concert in other cities. I shall NOT be held responsible if you read this post and decide NOT to attend their concert. However, I shall assume full responsibility if you DO decide to attend the concert based on the content of this post! :D *

This is my first post is 3 months or so, and it is on a Friday night. That pretty much sums up the beginning of my weekend, doesn't it? Anyway, moving on to more important things, I finally had the opportunity to do something meaningful with my time (;-)) this past week, when Metallica performed at the Jobing Arena in my new hometown, Phoenix, AZ. I had bought tickets for this event months ago (even before tickets opened to the general public). So, Tuesday, October 21st finally arrived. I left work around 4:30, anticipating traffic all along the 40 mile drive, and arrived at the arena at 6:30 for the 7:00 P.M. show. The parking situation was a huge mess, just as expected. A few long lines later, I was all settled in for the concert.

This band called The Sword (I've heard only 2 songs of theirs - Freya, which is featured in Guitar Hero-II, and Immigrant Song - a cover of the popular Zeppelin song, of course) opened the show, and they played for around 45 mins (btw, they were formed in 2003). This was followed by a performance by Down. Down has an interesting background, including former members of Pantera (everyone should know Pantera at least for the late "Dimebag" Darrell :D). But I'll reserve the discussion about Down for another post.

Finally, around 9:10 P.M., the lights dimmed, and Metallica entered the arena with Ecstasy of Gold playing (Metallica has used this as their entrance song since 1983). Two of their concerts that I remember very well are Cunning Stunts - Fortworth, TX - 1997, and the concert at the Wembley Stadium, London - 1992. If I remember correctly, the 1992 Wembley performance was where Ecstasy of Gold was transitioned into Creeping Death (I distinctly remember Kirk Hammett's solo on this track, in that particular concert). And the Cunning Stunts concert will always be remembered for the introduction of No Leaf Clover, which wasn't a song previously recorded in the studio. Anyway, I digress! Apologies are in the order! :D

I thought this concert was gonna be all about their new album, Death Magnetic, with some tracks from St.Anger, and maybe a few of their older tracks, but I was pleasantly surprised. They played many of their classic "old-school" tracks, such as Wherever I May Roam, Sad But True, Until It Sleeps, The Four Horsemen, Master of Puppets, Nothing Else Matters and Enter Sandman. Oh, and did I mention that they played One! :D And the visual effects for One were just as good as Cunning Stunts (1997) - awesome pyrotechnics, I must say! I shall refrain from publishing the entire set-list here, in the interest of those who will be attending Metallica's concert elsewhere in the United States (after all, not everyone can be fortunate enough to attend the first show ;-)).

Like all good things, the show had to come to an end (around 11:20 P.M.). But not before Metallica played not one, not two, but three encores! :D And these 3 tracks were awesome tracks from the past again - Last Caress, So (Fuckin') What, and Seek and Destroy! The whole concert was a truly amazing experience! I've been to many rock concerts - underground bands as well as commercial bands, but this one was definitely something else! It felt like a different zone altogether! Of course, a considerable part of that is because I'm a huge Metallica fan!

After approximately half an hour of searching for my car in the parking lot, I finally got home by 1:00 A.M. With the exception of slight neck pain from all the headbanging and maybe a slight loss of hearing (kidding, of course), I was back at work the next morning, fitting right back into my mundane schedule. I believe AC/DC is coming to Phoenix sometime in December, so that's next on my list! Oh, and in other random news, for the "un-informed", I sold my old car and bought a Mazda RX-8. 232 bhp powered by a Renesis rotary engine that loves high rpms (redlines only at 8500 rpm), with a 6-speed manual transmission, and RWD (rear-wheel drive) - need I say more? :D Of course, there will be another post dedicated to my new car!

I know this post is random at best, loosely connected, with incomplete threads hanging here and there, but I'm going to conveniently blame that on my penchant for verbosity :D

Technorati Tags: metallica, concert, death magnetic, world magnetic, phoenix, down, the sword, rock

Rocker!

Rocks come in different shapes and sizes. Small ones, big ones, perfectly round ones, ones with sharp edges, whatever! You get the idea, right? And then there are other properties rocks have - mass, density, chemical composition, etc. While some of these properties might have an effect on the way a rock looks or feels (like the chemical composition, for example), these properties usually don't present themselves to the untrained eye. Simply looking at a rock and determining what kind of properties it might have is almost impossible. One has to pick up a rock and examine it for a while at least, to start learning about the rock. The rock itself has to be examined in detail to evaluate its real composition. One does not have to be an expert to know that each rock has to be dealt with in a different way, while doing a cross section on it. The tests conducted on each rock vary greatly, adding to the long list of complications that already exist. After weeks or months of analysis, finally, a comprehensive lab report is generated, that contains a detailed analysis of the properties of the rock, and how the rock will react to different chemicals. Does the founder of the rock even care anymore? He accidentally stumbles upon another rock, and goes through this whole exercise once again. Many many rocks later, he still doesn't know why he collects rocks and studies them in such detail. For him, finding a rock and doing the research is so much fun, but the results are insignificant. Or are they of utmost significance, and perhaps it is his twisted mind that tells him they're insignificant? Here's a third theory - the rock itself doesn't exist! :| :D

Technorati Tags: rock, twisted wisdom

Coined Wisdom!

I haven't blogged in ages, for good reason, I would like to think. Sure, there has been a lot going on, but I would be lying if I said that I didn't have the time to write something. The lack of inclination to do so would be more accurate. Like Ne said, all I've been doing of late is flying, tagging and doing tags.

Disclaimer: This post isn't meant to be one of those mathematical posts. My choice of words might lead you in that direction, but..........well, whatever! I'm beginning to think this disclaimer is unnecessary! :D

It starts as an unbiased coin, the probability of getting a head or a tail being 0.5. One attempt, two attempts, 30 attempts, and they've all been heads. The mind tells you that the probability of getting a head on the 31st attempt is closer to 1 than since you started out (the brain throws a 0.9 at you). More attempts, and they've all thrown up heads. By the 45th attempt, the mind tells you that the coin is rigged, and you're going to get a head, no matter what (in terms of probability, an almost certain event, lets say 0.99).

Years have gone by, and the first coin toss has been forgotten, the circumstances under which the coin was tossed have been forgotten, the reason to toss the coin has been forgotten. Loss of memory. Selective memory. Po-tay-toe! Po-taa-toe! Ultimately, after innumerable coin tosses, a single coin toss comes along that throws up a tail. This coin toss is no different from the others, only it has more weight associated with it. At least, the mind tells you so!

And all of a sudden, the probability theory vanishes. It doesn't even matter anymore. Seems insignificant. Almost trivial in this context. And then it all comes back. And yet, the mind continues to do the math, throwing statistical data meant to balance an equation that cannot be balanced. Realization dawns! Eureka! The tail does exist! Although, after years of disuse, the mind is not programmed to handle a tail. The birth of the term "dilemma". To do or not to do?

Technorati Tags: rant, probability, twisted wisdom