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Free is always good. But when free
equates to helpful and/or productive, free is outstanding. If you spend enough
time on the Google Play Store, you will eventually come across apps that fit
that category ─ free apps that actually improve your daily life in some way.
But trudging through the muck and mire of the free games, shopping apps, and
other (countless) apps that do nothing more than take up precious storage space
can take a lot of time.
That's where I come in. I've spent
plenty of time digging through the Google Play Store to come up with a list of
solid free apps -- all of which are must-haves in one way or another -- that
everyone should give a try. What are these apps? Let's find out.
1:
Nova Launcher
Although I use the Prime version of Nova (you get more gestures, among other added
features), Nova Launcher blows away most every other Android launcher available.
This particular take on the Android launcher offers the best balance of
performance and options. Even with the bells and whistles, you don't feel like
you're working with a heavy-handed app. It's smooth and fast. Nova offers Okay
Google hotword support, customization of the app drawer, scrollable dock,
backup/restore, and much more. You will not find a home screen launcher more
highly recommended by myself and other Android publications/writers.
2:
Inbox
Inbox is the next-gen Google Gmail client. It's the perfect
evolution of the Gmail client and most everyone who tries it out never looks
back to Gmail. On the Android device, it makes perfect sense. Inbox is far
superior at making your Gmail work process flow more efficiently. With it you
can easily snooze, pin, and create reminders, and much more with your email.
Some power/business users might miss some of the features of Gmail (I suspect those
features will eventually make their way to Inbox), but the average user should
feel right at home.
3:
Astro File Manager
Astro File Manager always gets my top nod. The fact that it's free makes it
even better. Astro allows you easy access to your Android files and folders and
offers modules for Cloud and Samba shares. Astro has an outstanding (and fast)
search tool, a nearly perfect sidebar, plenty of configurable options, a
built-in task killer, and more. The free version does have ads, but they're
unobtrusive. The ad-free version is $3.99.
4:
Commandr for Google Now
Commandr for Google Now adds a number of useful commands to Google Now. This free
app is so handy, its functionality has found its way into Android 5.0. It lets
you interact with your device with more power and control (for example you can
enable/disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, forward music, set volume, and take a
picture). Once you add this app, you'll wonder why Google didn't include this
much power in Google Now from the beginning.
5:
Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is one of those apps you probably won't ever need -- but on
the off chance you do, you'll be glad its there. Of all the anti-malware apps,
this one is tops in my book. If you happen to be one of those users who
installs from third-party sites, this app rises from "hope to never
need" to "absolutely must use." Regardless of what kind of
mobile user you are, just install Malwarebytes and hope you never have to use
it. When you install it, enable the real-time protection (because most users
forget to run their anti-malware when it's a manual process).
6:
WPS Office
7:
F-Droid
F-Droid
is one of the very few apps you will find me recommending that can't be found
in the Google Play Store. This is a third-party app store that allows you to
search through (and install) thousands of free open source software
(FOSS) apps for your Android device. You'll
find apps in every possible category you might need. All apps are installed
through F-Droid, so the only time you have to "side-load" anything is
the F-Droid app itself. If you opt to make use of this tool, be sure to employ
Malwarebytes, on the off-chance you pick up something untoward.
8:
Chaos Control
Chaos Control is a task manager based on Getting Things Done (GTD) and does an outstanding job of keeping you on task. This
app is to structured users what Evernote is to unstructured users. Need more be
said? Fine. Chaos Control is a goal-driven to-do list app developed with
entrepreneurs, startup founders, and creative professionals in mind. If that's
you, you need this app.
9:
MacroDroid
MacroDroid is what you want to help automate your Android if Tasker is
just too challenging to learn. With this tool you can easily create automated
tasks for just about any occasion. There are plenty of predefined templates to
use and you can create tasks with triggers, actions, and constraints. If you
want your Android device to take care of some of those mundane actions and make
life a tad more efficient, this is what you want.
10:
Waze
If you drive a lot and need to know
when streets are closed or backed up or find out other ways your commute might
be affected, Waze
is the app for you. It uses a social network of users to report conditions of
routes and gives you real-time feedback of events that can help guide you to
the most efficient route to your destination.
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