Five favs
I suppose that some sort of adopter curve applies to apps stores, in which new users are hesitant about accessing them, then as they become excited by the one million apps freely available for downloading, download a ton, and finally settle on a favored few.
I rarely look at the app store anymore, but once in a while I check to see if there is something better. Sometimes I need a replacement app when the developer stops updating it. Here are the apps I am running today:
Replacement Dialer & Phone Book
True Phone Dialer & Contacts
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hb.dialer.free
Why I like it:
- Option for small font size puts more info on the screen
- Nice user interface
- Includes icons to go direct to contacts, phone calls, and so on
Replacement Home Screen and Launcher
KK Launcher
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kk.launcher
Why I like it:
- Some replacement launchers have really irritating interfaces; this one is quite good
- Can lock the home screen so that icons can't accidentally be moved
- Ironically, I cannot use it on my Nexus 4 due to a bug, but I installed it on the phones of my wife and mother-in-law
Replacement Camera
Camera MX
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.magix.camera_mx
Why I like it:
- Uncluttered interface, customizable interface (so that you only see the options you want), good selection of options, and a great photo viewer and editor bundled in
- Has a Quick Shot icon that goes into camera mode and immediately takes a photo
- I still use Google Camera, because the latest update makes it really fast at starting up and taking that first shot
Replacement Video Player
MX Video
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mxtech.videoplayer.ad
Why I like it:
- Handles just about any video format
- Remembers where unfinished video was left off
- Can change the brightness and volume just by dragging vertically on the screen (really handy!)
Replacement Email
K-9 Mail
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fsck.k9
Why I like it:
- Does all the things Google hasn't gotten around to putting in GMail yet
- View emails by date (or conversations), by search, etc
- Instant ways of selecting emails, such as unread, starred, etc
There are more, but this set should keep you busy for a while.
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