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Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983


   
Android app.

PROFESSIONAL LOOKING Android app called RecForge shows the audio waveform of the recording.


Android apps you won't want to miss


October 14, 2012


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2012, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2012, The Post-Standard

Android, the smartphone operating system from Google, has become a fierce competitor for Apple's iPhone. But an Android version for tablets, not just phones, is giving Apple's iPad some much needed competition. Here's a sampling of my top Android tablet apps.

(All are available from the Google Play store, using the Google Play app. If you can't get to the Play store, try the Amazon version, using the Amazon app store app. Search Google for AMAZON APP STORE.)

Aqua Mail (free) is much better than the stock Android mail app. Install this first before you touch the stock mail software. You'll spare yourself an hour of dread.

Photo Editor (free) isn't iPhoto, but it's perfect for simple photo-fixing and emailing. No doubt there are others with the same name, so get it by clicking the Google Play link from here: http://photoeditor.iudesk.com/.

Small Android tablets are great as pocket audio recorders. Two apps work well for that role: Hi-Q MP3 (free), for casual voice recordings, and RecForge Lite (free). The free version of Hi-Q stops recording at 10 minutes, but the paid version ($3.99) doesn't have that limit. RecForge has a paid version also, with some extras, also for $3.99.

I get bored like anybody else, but instead of playing games I like to relax with colorful graphics, like the kind presented by Fireworks Arcade (free). Touch or swipe as many fingers as you can manage for the coolest effects.

If your tablet's pea-shooter speaker can't cut through the din, try SpeakerBoost (free). It boosts the sound in just the right ways to make the speaker work harder without blowing its guts.

Finally, I don't carry a physical flashlight unless I'm camping, so I love having a handy flashlight app that actually works well. It's TouchLight - Free Flashlight (free). Normally, it shows a clock, but touch the screen and you get a flashlight in your choice of colors. Touch again and you have a clock.