FREEBIES
I only just downloaded and tried Carbon today. But, so far...I really like it.
In the past, I've used Titanium Backup for my app backup needs. Unfortunately, it only works if your device is rooted. And it can seem a bit complicated and confusing.
Enter...Carbon.
Carbon, unlike TB (Titanium Backup), is simply a backup utility. It will not allow you to "freeze" or uninstall apps. It will, however, work for people w/o rooted phones. It's also wonderfully simple, and beautifully designed. My phone is rooted, so I haven't tested the non-rooted method yet.
So, why would you want Carbon? What exactly does it do?
Well, while some apps will remember their user data, most will not. Carbon, will make backups of your apps & your app data (settings, preferences, etc). And, if you've managed to completely wipe your phone...you can restore all your apps, and your settings/preferences/etc for those apps.
Say you've installed a 3rd party SMS (texting) app, such as Handcent. You have all your settings just right. For whatever reason, the app gets uninstalled. Perhaps an update messed something up. Perhaps someone got hold of your phone and "ooppsed." Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter. You are going to have to try and remember all your favorite settings, when you re-install it. PITA.
BUT...if you had Carbon (and had done a backup of your app), you could use Carbon again, to restore all your settings.
There are two options w/Carbon, when it comes to backups.
1. You can choose to backup the entire app. This will create a rather large file, but will reinstall the app and all the app settings. No need to visit the Play Store (or other app store).
2. You can choose to only backup the app data. This will create a much smaller file, but will require that you manually download the app from the Play Store (Carbon will send you to the correct page). Once the app is reinstalled, you do the restore via Carbon, and all your settings are put back into place.
*Note that if you downloaded the app you're restoring from another store (ie:Amazon App Store), you may need to go there, rather than Play Store to reinstall.
It really comes down to how you want to do things. Small files & downloading from your chosen store...or large files, and not having to worry about downloading anything.
As I stated earlier, my phone is rooted. So all of this was very simple for me. If your phone is not rooted, it will require a bit more work, and a PC. Still...I think it's worth it. If I wasn't rooted, I'd jump all over this app. I don't care if I have to download a program onto my PC, and do a few extra steps. I hate losing settings and preferences, when I uninstall/reinstall an app on my phone. It annoys me. It annoys my dog. And when my dog is annoyed...she craps on the carpet. So...you know...worth it.
There is a free version and a premium/paid version of Carbon. For most users, the free should be just fine. In the free version, you can backup to a cloud service, such as Dropbox, but you will not be able to restore from there. You can, however, backup and restore to/from SD card in the free version. With the paid version, you get a few more options, and show your appreciation to the hard work of the developer(s).
I still plan on using TB, for uninstalling bloatware, but for my backup needs, I'm thinking of switching over to Carbon. It's so beautifully simple.
Links for Non-Root users:
Helium's PC downloads - http://www.clockworkmod.com/carbon
Samsung S3 drivers for Verizon - http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/SCH-I535ZKBVZW (scroll down, and choose Downloads tab. Then click on "EXE" button)
*links to Samsung for other providers coming soon*
MyAppList
I've been using MyAppList for a few years now. It's another handy tool, for when you lose an app, or wipe your phone. It's not a backup utility, like Carbon is. All it will do, is create a list of the apps you have on your phone. But, not just a list. A list with Play Store links. I use this, when I really don't need a backup...just want to find and reinstall an app from Play Store.
There are options within the app, once you open it, to create your list. I generally choose...
Include market Links
Mobile Market
HTML
Other (Dropbox)
SMS Backup +
Another app I've been using for a few years. It allows you to save all your texts (mms as well). It will ask you to give it permission to link to your Gmail account. It can be any Gmail account (doesn't have to be the one associated with your Android phone). Once that's done, any time you choose to backup your texts, they will be saved to that Gmail account.
Parcels
Another favorite! Love this app! I order a lot of stuff online. This app lets me track my packages...no matter who the carrier is. It even has overseas carriers, if you need them.
FedEx doesn't work as well on this app, as it used to. I guess they changed something, and the dev hasn't been able, or had time to fix that. It will still track it...but you have to view it in the Parcels browser. No biggie.
There are other tracking apps out there, but I prefer the look and feel of this one.
You can go into settings, to choose which carries to show or not show. I've selected only FedEx, UPS, USPS and On Trac. Lots of other settings as well.
And a few more freebies worth mentioning...
Alarm Clock Xtreme (alarm clock with lots of features) *pro versions also available
FlightView Free (flight tracking app) *pro versions also available
IMDb (THE best movie & tv database...hands down)
Jorte Calendar (nice calendar app with theme options & icons)
Latitude Shortcuts (I miss my Latitude shortcut...this gives me that & a bit more)
Latitude Launcher (simple shortcut to Latitude...fewer options/less confusing than above app)
Pulse News (much better than Flipboard IMO)
Roku (official Roku app. Missing search feature that my paid remote app has)
Titanium Backup (**Requires Root**) *pro version also available
WomanLog Calendar (menstrual & fertility calendar) *pro version also available
XDA-Developers (my favorite place for Android info, roms, etc) *pro version also available
Zedge (very nice app for downloading wallpapers, sounds, etc)
There are options within the app, once you open it, to create your list. I generally choose...
Include market Links
Mobile Market
HTML
Other (Dropbox)
SMS Backup +
Another app I've been using for a few years. It allows you to save all your texts (mms as well). It will ask you to give it permission to link to your Gmail account. It can be any Gmail account (doesn't have to be the one associated with your Android phone). Once that's done, any time you choose to backup your texts, they will be saved to that Gmail account.
Parcels
Another favorite! Love this app! I order a lot of stuff online. This app lets me track my packages...no matter who the carrier is. It even has overseas carriers, if you need them.
FedEx doesn't work as well on this app, as it used to. I guess they changed something, and the dev hasn't been able, or had time to fix that. It will still track it...but you have to view it in the Parcels browser. No biggie.
There are other tracking apps out there, but I prefer the look and feel of this one.
You can go into settings, to choose which carries to show or not show. I've selected only FedEx, UPS, USPS and On Trac. Lots of other settings as well.
And a few more freebies worth mentioning...
Alarm Clock Xtreme (alarm clock with lots of features) *pro versions also available
FlightView Free (flight tracking app) *pro versions also available
IMDb (THE best movie & tv database...hands down)
Jorte Calendar (nice calendar app with theme options & icons)
Latitude Shortcuts (I miss my Latitude shortcut...this gives me that & a bit more)
Latitude Launcher (simple shortcut to Latitude...fewer options/less confusing than above app)
Pulse News (much better than Flipboard IMO)
Roku (official Roku app. Missing search feature that my paid remote app has)
Titanium Backup (**Requires Root**) *pro version also available
WomanLog Calendar (menstrual & fertility calendar) *pro version also available
XDA-Developers (my favorite place for Android info, roms, etc) *pro version also available
Zedge (very nice app for downloading wallpapers, sounds, etc)
PAID APPS
I bought this app when I had my G2X. The Car Home app on that phone was just horrid. The Car Home app on the S3 is much better than the G2X, but still not nearly as nice as Car Home Ultra. So many options and shortcuts available. And it includes a speedometer (must have GPS enabled), compass, clock, altimeter, etc. With this app, you download a free 30 day trial, but must pay for the license, once the trial expires. I love apps that give you long trial periods. It's the best way to find out, if you really want to spend the money on an app.
I use bluetooth. I live in a state with cell phone driving laws. WTH Google? Why do you insist on slacking off on voice control and hands free dialing? My old BlackBerry had better voice dialing! I will say, that I appreciate that Google has finally made voice recognition available offline in Android Jelly Bean, but their voice search app still sucks. It has little, to no confirmation, pops you into search all the time, is very limited, and is butt ugly.
Most 3rd party voice control apps are more concerned with being Suri clones than actually being useful. I don't need my phone to be my friend, & hang out with me, & tell me jokes...I have actual friends for that. I need my phone to dial my contacts, open apps, and send or read texts while I'm driving. And I need it to do that offline. Just because I have a cell phone signal, doesn't mean I have a good data signal. Not all of us are blessed with high speed data in our area.
KLets is just what I needed! It is much improved from when it first came out. Which means the developer has been hard at work. KLets will voice dial a contact for me (ie: "Call Mom"), dial a given number for me (ie: "Dial 555-555-5555"), compose a quick text, read unread texts to me, take a quick note (requires Evernote), add an alarm, add an event...and much more.
It works well with my Bluetooth stereo for Call audio. It's buggy if I also pair my phone with Media audio (music & navigation audio). But I think that's a limitation of my stereo...not the app. I've had problems with other voice apps as well. It's my only gripe. I would like to be able to hear Google Nav over my stereo at times. But, as long as I have voice dial, that's enough for me.
It takes some setting up. Pairing, re-pairing, restarting, etc...to get it just right. But again...I think more a limitation of my stereo (and maybe Android), than the app itself. The developer explains all of that in his FAQs. And though I haven't personally contacted the dev, he seems responsive to others that have.
This is another app, that allows for a test version. Which I love! When you download the test version, it will be limited. However, you can activate a trial license of the full version for one week. Which definitely helped me decide to buy the app. It's a very nice addition by the dev!
Remote for Roku
I bought this app, before Roku came out with their official app (which is free). I'm not sorry I did. It has some features that the official app does not. Like the search feature. Which allows me to type a search on my phone, rather than having to do it letter by letter on the Roku screen. It also allows me to add custom backgrounds, which I like. And I don't have to put in any info, or passwords, or whatever...it just detects my Roku devices for me.
The free, official app, from Roku is nice. But I still prefer my paid app. It's only a little over a buck.
Tasker
I'd read about and heard about Tasker, back when I had my G2X. Everyone just loved it. But I could never understand what the big deal was. So it can turn on your wifi...big deal. Hit a button, for crying out loud. Lazy much?
To be honest, I probably would never have really given Tasker a shot, if the price hadn't dropped so much. It used to be $6+. It's now around $3. Once I looked at the Play Store page, and found the link that allowed you to try it, before buying it...I decided to go for it. Let's see what all the hubbub is about. Well...I tried it...and then I bought it.
I'm still not sure I'd have ever paid more than three bucks for it. But I am enjoying it. And learning to do new stuff with it all the time.
It probably isn't for everyone. And you're going to have to do some Googling, to figure out how to do most of the stuff. But it is useful, and certainly worth three bucks! There is a TON of help out there for this app. All you need do, is Google...and read. :)
Currently, I have Tasker setup to...
Mute my phone at 11pm and turn the sound back on at 9am
Disable Wi-Fi, when my Bluetooth connects to my stereo, and re-enable Wi-Fi when my Bluetooth disconnects.
Disable GPS when my Wi-Fi connects, and re-enable GPS when I disconnect Wifi (this actually requires **Root** on Jelly Bean)
Reboot my phone once a week (on Sat @ 3am). It is recommended that you restart your phone at least once, every 2 weeks.
When not connected to specified Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, require a pin number to unlock phone.
When connected to specified Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, simply swipe to unlock.
This way, if my phone gets stolen or misplaced, no one can get into my phone to read my contacts etc. They would still be able to see anything saved on my SD card, and could probably reset/wipe the phone. But they wouldn't get my contacts info (phone numbers, addresses, etc). And I can be lazy, when I'm at home, and not have to put in a pin. And I don't have to try and enter a pin while I'm driving (which I'm pretty sure I could be ticketed for).
I've also created some buttons (using the free Tasker App Factory addon). I bought a new TPU case for my S3, and it's kind of hard to hit the power button. My old case was easier. So I made a button (that I put on my home screen) that shuts off the screen, when I want to.
And, since I'm rooted, I occasionally want to reboot into recovery mode. It's kind of a pain. So I've made a button to do this for me. I created a folder on one of my home screens, and added these buttons...
Shut Down
Reboot
Reboot-Recovery
So, now...when I want to shut down or reboot my phone, I don't have to hit and hold my power button. And I don't have to hit/hold a gazillion buttons for Reboot-Recovery. I just open the folder, click an onscreen button, and viola. Nice. :)
If you want to try out Tasker, or buy Tasker...I highly recommend also installing Secure Settings plug-in. It will make many of the tasks much easier to create.
SplashShopper
I had SplashShopperon my Blackberry, and waited (somewhat impatiently) for it's release on Android. Well, it finally came, and I scooped it up. It's a bit pricey...especially if you want to add syncing ability on your PC (you have to buy the PC program separately). But I still love it. It can be buggy, and isn't going to be for everyone. But I love having the ability to have multiple lists, and sorting options. If I take the time to look at the aisles in my grocery store, I can add the aisle number to each item. Then I can have the app sort by aisle when I'm shopping. So, everything that I mark as "needed" on my list is in order by aisle. No more running back to aisle one for something that was at the bottom of my list.
I don't know why more shopping apps don't do this. I don't shop alphabetically...why should my app sort it that way? And lets face it...stores don't always stock things in areas that make sense. My parents like Cheese Whiz...but every store stocks it in a different area. I can never find it! With SplashShopper, I don't have to hunt for it. As long as I've taken the time to enter the correct aisle number, I know right where to find it.
I can also make as many lists as I want. Grocery, Pet Store, Gifts to buy, To Do List, Travel Check List....anything you can think of. So...it's not just a shopping list. It's an any kind of list you want list.
It's very nicely laid out, and has more options than you can shake a stick at. But it can be buggy at times. Especially with the PC syncing. Even I have trouble with it...and I've been using it for quite awhile now. And as I said before...costly, if you want the PC program (which is very nice to have).
**If you just want a shopping list app, you can also check out ToMarket. There is a free version, and a paid version...though I'm not sure what you get in the paid version. It's not as easy for me to use, as I'm so used to SplashShopper. But it looks quite nice, and seems to have a lot of options.**
Enhanced Email
This is the only paid app that I didn't actually pay for, that I'm going to mention. I was lucky enough to get this app for free, via Amazon's Free App of the Day.
It seems a bit pricey, to be honest. And I doubt I would pay to get it. But it is a very nice email app, if you have multiple email accounts at various providers. Rather than have an app for each service (ie: Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc), you can just use Enhanced Email for all of them. It takes a bit of setting up, but it's worth it. I have all my email accounts (that I want access to on my phone) in one place. I can turn on or off automatic syncing too.
There may be cheaper alternatives, that are just as good. As I said...I was lucky, and got this for free. So I had no need to try other apps.
I bought this app, before Roku came out with their official app (which is free). I'm not sorry I did. It has some features that the official app does not. Like the search feature. Which allows me to type a search on my phone, rather than having to do it letter by letter on the Roku screen. It also allows me to add custom backgrounds, which I like. And I don't have to put in any info, or passwords, or whatever...it just detects my Roku devices for me.
The free, official app, from Roku is nice. But I still prefer my paid app. It's only a little over a buck.
Tasker
I'd read about and heard about Tasker, back when I had my G2X. Everyone just loved it. But I could never understand what the big deal was. So it can turn on your wifi...big deal. Hit a button, for crying out loud. Lazy much?
To be honest, I probably would never have really given Tasker a shot, if the price hadn't dropped so much. It used to be $6+. It's now around $3. Once I looked at the Play Store page, and found the link that allowed you to try it, before buying it...I decided to go for it. Let's see what all the hubbub is about. Well...I tried it...and then I bought it.
I'm still not sure I'd have ever paid more than three bucks for it. But I am enjoying it. And learning to do new stuff with it all the time.
It probably isn't for everyone. And you're going to have to do some Googling, to figure out how to do most of the stuff. But it is useful, and certainly worth three bucks! There is a TON of help out there for this app. All you need do, is Google...and read. :)
Currently, I have Tasker setup to...
Mute my phone at 11pm and turn the sound back on at 9am
Disable Wi-Fi, when my Bluetooth connects to my stereo, and re-enable Wi-Fi when my Bluetooth disconnects.
Disable GPS when my Wi-Fi connects, and re-enable GPS when I disconnect Wifi (this actually requires **Root** on Jelly Bean)
Reboot my phone once a week (on Sat @ 3am). It is recommended that you restart your phone at least once, every 2 weeks.
When not connected to specified Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, require a pin number to unlock phone.
When connected to specified Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, simply swipe to unlock.
This way, if my phone gets stolen or misplaced, no one can get into my phone to read my contacts etc. They would still be able to see anything saved on my SD card, and could probably reset/wipe the phone. But they wouldn't get my contacts info (phone numbers, addresses, etc). And I can be lazy, when I'm at home, and not have to put in a pin. And I don't have to try and enter a pin while I'm driving (which I'm pretty sure I could be ticketed for).
I've also created some buttons (using the free Tasker App Factory addon). I bought a new TPU case for my S3, and it's kind of hard to hit the power button. My old case was easier. So I made a button (that I put on my home screen) that shuts off the screen, when I want to.
And, since I'm rooted, I occasionally want to reboot into recovery mode. It's kind of a pain. So I've made a button to do this for me. I created a folder on one of my home screens, and added these buttons...
Shut Down
Reboot
Reboot-Recovery
So, now...when I want to shut down or reboot my phone, I don't have to hit and hold my power button. And I don't have to hit/hold a gazillion buttons for Reboot-Recovery. I just open the folder, click an onscreen button, and viola. Nice. :)
If you want to try out Tasker, or buy Tasker...I highly recommend also installing Secure Settings plug-in. It will make many of the tasks much easier to create.
SplashShopper
I had SplashShopperon my Blackberry, and waited (somewhat impatiently) for it's release on Android. Well, it finally came, and I scooped it up. It's a bit pricey...especially if you want to add syncing ability on your PC (you have to buy the PC program separately). But I still love it. It can be buggy, and isn't going to be for everyone. But I love having the ability to have multiple lists, and sorting options. If I take the time to look at the aisles in my grocery store, I can add the aisle number to each item. Then I can have the app sort by aisle when I'm shopping. So, everything that I mark as "needed" on my list is in order by aisle. No more running back to aisle one for something that was at the bottom of my list.
I don't know why more shopping apps don't do this. I don't shop alphabetically...why should my app sort it that way? And lets face it...stores don't always stock things in areas that make sense. My parents like Cheese Whiz...but every store stocks it in a different area. I can never find it! With SplashShopper, I don't have to hunt for it. As long as I've taken the time to enter the correct aisle number, I know right where to find it.
I can also make as many lists as I want. Grocery, Pet Store, Gifts to buy, To Do List, Travel Check List....anything you can think of. So...it's not just a shopping list. It's an any kind of list you want list.
It's very nicely laid out, and has more options than you can shake a stick at. But it can be buggy at times. Especially with the PC syncing. Even I have trouble with it...and I've been using it for quite awhile now. And as I said before...costly, if you want the PC program (which is very nice to have).
**If you just want a shopping list app, you can also check out ToMarket. There is a free version, and a paid version...though I'm not sure what you get in the paid version. It's not as easy for me to use, as I'm so used to SplashShopper. But it looks quite nice, and seems to have a lot of options.**
Enhanced Email
This is the only paid app that I didn't actually pay for, that I'm going to mention. I was lucky enough to get this app for free, via Amazon's Free App of the Day.
It seems a bit pricey, to be honest. And I doubt I would pay to get it. But it is a very nice email app, if you have multiple email accounts at various providers. Rather than have an app for each service (ie: Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, etc), you can just use Enhanced Email for all of them. It takes a bit of setting up, but it's worth it. I have all my email accounts (that I want access to on my phone) in one place. I can turn on or off automatic syncing too.
There may be cheaper alternatives, that are just as good. As I said...I was lucky, and got this for free. So I had no need to try other apps.
