best smartphone apps

[IcyPeas]

okay, so I just got my first smartphone and am looking for fun or useful things to put on it.

Does anyone know an app where I can watch live TV (news specifically).

What are your favorite apps?

[woodsprite]

1. I'm a geek, but the most usefuland/or fun I have are:

1) OurGroceries (comes in Android and iPhone versions) - My hubby and daughter both have this on their phones too and all the shopping lists update and sync.
2) Chronology - for when I want a time (or 6+ timers) - all set w/ different times and different chimes.
3) Accuweather free - because it gives good radar and alerts, also expected hourly temps/conditions.
4) In my news section, I have BBC News, 6abc (philly), c/net, huffpost, NPR News, Discover News and The Onion
5) Around me - this has really helped in traveling (finding restaurants, groceries, etc)
6) For book readers, I have Kindle, iBooks and Ebook Reader
7) Christmas - it's a list maker, keeps prices of things, take pics of thing, can mark that you received them, wrapped them, ship them, etc., lets you create a budget, and keeps historic lists.
8) PassCaddy - encrypted password app that lets you keep lists local on your phone. Doesn't require an acct.
9) For music apps, I have Pandora, last.fm, Karajan ear trainer, Metronome and Virtuoso (piano app)
10) For cooking/diet, I have SouthBeach diet, Spark Recipes, Food Network, Betty Crocker and Allrecipes
11) For social, I have Facebook and Spark People
12) Obama for America 2012


For fun stuff & games -

1) TieDyeDoodle - you pick the fold of the shirt and apply the 'dyes' and see how it turns out.
2) Bungee ball - it's this rebound-type game (although we've almost finished the freebie version)
3) Bookworm
4) SkeeBall
5) Angry Birds (for my son)
6) Peggle (for me)
7) Air Penguin (you tip your phone to bounce a penguin through a maze of icebergs, sharks, etc.
8) Virble
9) Draw Something
10) Tetris

[Staph]

2. My favorite app for free books,

is Aldiko. You can download tons of classic books from Gutenberg.org or feedbooks.com.

I travel a fair amount, and I find Gas Buddy to be wonderfully useful for finding the cheapest local gas.

[IcyPeas]

5. they sound good

especially ourgroceries. I like that one and the news sites. I may as well download the Kindle app.

[alphafemale]

7. Does the Groceries one let you know when\where things are on sale or anything like that?

Also are any Scanner readers more equal than others?

I've not bothered to do that but I have seen some things I would have liked to scan over the past few days.

I just read about the Obama for America one today. There's a feature on it that you can find lists/maps/names of houses to canvass in your neighborhood.

[spiderpig]

3. If your phone didn't come loaded with Google Sky Map, get it

You can point your phone anywhere and it will tell you the names of planets, stars, constellations...when I worked nights we would point it at the ground to find the sun!

[alphafemale]

9. That sounds awesome.

Does it tell you about upcoming events like lunar eclipses or meteor showers too?

[spiderpig]

14. I don't think so, but Mr pig and I

have always been interested in astronomy, and when we'd be walking or driving around we'd say - do you think that's Jupiter or Saturn? Now we point the phone and settle the issue.

BTW, for whatever reason we consider Orion "our" constellation. Maybe because driving the long road to our house, it would be looming over the horizon so often and was easy to recognize.

I'm a scientific dummy, but I love looking at the sky!

[alphafemale]

19. I got it!

It's a beautiful little widget.

[IcyPeas]

11. you're kidding? that sounds amazing

[spiderpig]

15. I love it.

Nothing will make you feel one with the universe more than looking at the sky. I had to download it (free) on my previous Droid, but it came installed on my Stratosphere (or maybe they autoinstalled it when I replaced the phone.

Anyway, it's a great app and you have to pass your cell around with other people because they're transfixed!

[alphafemale]

4. Flashlight.

Uses quite a bit of battery life but it's been handy a couple of times.

[IcyPeas]

6. I just saw this today

on my co-worker's phone. looks like it could actually come in handy.

[alphafemale]

12. I 've used it a couple of times.

It will use the battery up fast so it's best used to look for a better flashlight.

[spiderpig]

18. I don't have it as an app, but we have somewhat frequent power outages where I live

A couple of years ago when the neighbors we discussing the latest failure, everyone said their first instinct was to grab their cell so they could find their way around their house!

Not as good as a flashlight app, but it kept you from breaking your neck.

[alphafemale]

20. It really just turns on the light for filming videos.

So even without the app you could just turn on the video recorder and it would be the same thing.

[WolverineDG]

8. Gasbuddy

helps you find the cheapest price for gas.

[fbguy_144]

10. i love that app

very useful

[Submariner]

13. Hospital Locator

for retirees in case we stroke out in the middle of our bucket list.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

16. I just got my First One, too! Thanks for starting this thread, IcyPeas

I think I have one of the first ones that came out but, it is new to me

[flying_wahini]

17. P Universe

stands for pocket universe -
star gazing , events, adjustable text size....... nice