Most Popular Android Apps

Some things are meant to go together. Salt and pepper. Forks and spoons. Android phones and apps. What is a smartphone without an app? Well it wouldn't be so smart, if it didn't have the apps! But on a serious note, the magic of an Android phone is just magnified by the apps on it. And there are so many apps available, from the extremely silly (Steamy Window), to the highly useful (DropBox). So there's an app for every mood you are in. And apps are a great way to bring people together and keep the tech market on its toes. So without further ado, here are the most popular Android apps on the planet!

Functional Apps

Apps are more than just games and fun. They can be great mini programs with a range of features and functions. Apps help in bridging the gap between your computer and your phone, by providing the same functionality, on a much smaller level. Here are the 10 most popular Android apps for utilities.

MyBackup Pro ($5): This is a must have Android app. Easily backup your Android phone's data onto a SD card or an online secured server. Data such as contacts, SMS, system settings, calendar and 3rd party installations, and more can be stored. You can even auto schedule the backup and view the back up data without restoring.

Beautiful Widgets ($3): Clock, weather, date and toggle widgets for your Android phone, with high resolution graphics.

AndroZip File Manager (Free): A file explorer, task manager and file zipper, in a simple user interface. It also provides quick and easy backup of files, in zip format, which is compatible with WinZip.

Google Voice (Free): Similar to Google chat on a PC, this app gives you a free number to receive calls, send text messages and access your voice mail and text on the Web, so you can keep your real mobile number private. It also translates your voicemail into text, so you can read them.

WaveSecure ($20): Third place winner of the Android Developer Challenge 2, this app protects your mobile data and device. If lost, you can lock down the phone, track it, delete all data or back up the data remotely.

Metago's Astro Pro ($4): Mobile-based file management app. Browse through your Android phone's internal and external storage. Easy file handling system, move, copy and share with quick taps.

Opera Mini 5.1 (Free): This super speedy mini browser for the smart phone, makes web browsing extra quick.

Documents to go ($15): View and edit your MS Office documents on your Android phone, with this app. Supported file formats are .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt and .pptx. The free version of this app allows read-only viewing of such files.

Astrid (Free): On of the most popular Android apps of all times, the Astrid app is a to-do and lists manager. Your day-to-day activities can be organized on your Android phone, with multiple lists and check off tasks. You can even sync tasks with Google tasks and it has fun reminders. It was voted #1 Productivity application by the Android Network Awards.

WhisperCore (upcoming): This app is still in the beta phase but it's a contender, for one of the most popular Android apps of 2011. What is unique about this app is data encryption, a security measure, not easily available on an Android phone. WhisperCore uses 256 bit AES encryption and once installed, the user can enter a passphrase to generate the key that will encrypt all the data on the disk.

Miscellaneous Apps

Media tools, games, maps and everything else, i.e the coolest apps come under this category.

Pandora Radio (Free): One of the most popular Android apps ever, Pandora offers a personalized radio, to stream music on your Android phone. Enter the name of your favorite artist or song or composer, and this app will create a station, that plays their music and similar artists.

DoodleDroid ($1): For the doodler within, this app lets you draw, paint and sketch with 21 brushes, effects like fill and smudge and basic editing functions like pan/zoom, redo, and share.

TweetCaster Pro for Twitter ($5): Do you tweet? Of course, who doesn't? To keep socially networking on Twitter, you need this app.

Flixster (Free): The latest movies, their listings, trailers and reviews, all in one little app. Flixster offers movie goers, a mini box office in their Android phone with this handy, free app. The user interface is simple and clean. This is one of the most well-known Android apps, that is not a game.

Bump (Free): The concept behind this app is amazing. To share photos, contacts and apps with people, just open the app on each phone and gently bump your hands together. It's as simple as that!

Google Maps (Free): The ultimate map app, with a voice guided GPS system, hotspots and you can post your reviews of places on Twitter.

Google Sky Map (Free): Look at the night sky, turn the app on and voila! The stars, constellations and planets are mapped out on your phone. Astronomy made easy with this nifty app.

Angry Birds (Free): These birds will get angrier if they aren't there on this list! Destroy the greedy pigs with logic and force. Warning : Once started, this game cannot be stopped.

Robo Defense (Free): Simple but classic idea - don't let the robots get across the screen to your tower. Large maps and responsive gameplay have made this game , one of the most popular Android apps of all times.

Solitaire (Free): A computing device without Solitaire, impossible! 4 common solitaire games to while away time.

Talking Tom Cat Free (Free): Talk to Tom and he repeats everything you say in a funny voice. You can even pet and play with him. A cute app for your Android phone.

The above apps are just the tip of the iceberg in the app world. Just like there's a child born every 8 seconds, there's an app developed every day. And you name the category, there's an app. So for every possible user of an Android phone, there's an app just waiting to be downloaded.