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Best Android apps 2015: Essential apps

Best Android apps 2015: Essential apps

Avast Antivirus & Security (free; with in-app purchases)

While Google’s built-in protection is sufficient enough for most Android users, it pays to be protected – and when that protection is free, it’s an absolute must.

Avast Antivirus & Security is a powerful antivirus app that you can trust; its PC counterpart is one of the best free antiviruses of 2015. For those who want comprehensive cover, plenty of additional features are available as in-app purchases, including geofencing and remote data recovery. For those who just want basic protection, however, you’ll find this does everything you need for free.

Greenify (free)

Getting the most from your phone’s battery is always key. Lollipop may have its own set of battery-saving tools, and many phones now offer power-saving modes, but these should be seen as a last resort. Greenify will help to optimise your phone’s battery.

Greenify sits in the background helping to regulate how much battery various apps are using. It freezes the apps you tell it to when you’re not using them, and instantly defrosts them when you need to gain access.

The app no longer requires root access on your Android device, meaning it’s perfect for anyone looking to save power.

Clean Master (free)

Nobody likes having a slow device, and Android somehow manages to grab digital detritus like a magnet in a junkyard. Clean Master is the mop and bucket you need to scrub your phone or tablet clean.

Clean Master’s Junk File Cleaning feature scans your Android device and chucks out any unwanted cache and residual files. It’s an easy way to free up a couple of gigabytes without throwing out anything important in the process.

It’s indispensable for anyone wanting to eek as much out of their phone or tablet as possible.

Opera Max (free)

Unless you’re lucky enough to have unlimited data on your phone, or a bottomless wallet, you’ll want to get the most out of your data package.

This is where Opera Max comes in. It crunches down the size of images and videos, speeds up website load times, and typically saves you from around a third to almost half of your general data use. You can restrict some apps to only ever connect via Wi-Fi, and temporarily turn off connections if you want to save some data for the end of the month.

The downside? You have to remember to “top up” your charge every week. While that’s completely free to do, it is a little bit of an inconvenience.

Pocket (free)

Found an article you like but want to read it later, when you may not have an internet connection? Pocket is the solution to your problem.

Allowing you to save articles and videos to read and watch later across any Pocket-enabled device, you’ll never be short of something to read or share again.

It’s the perfect distraction for Tube journeys, flights and those long train trips in signal black holes.

Stagefright Detector

Are you worried about the security of your Android phone? This week a vulnerability called Stagefright was discovered on Android devices. It allows hackers to send malware through an MMS message. Imperium, the guys who discovered Stagefright, released a new app that tells you if your device is vulnerable to the bug. Called the Stagefright Detector App, this app will scan your Android phone and let you know if you need to update your mobile OS.


Stagefright Detector App for Android Devices

Zimperium zLabs expert and VP of Platform Research and Exploitation, Joshua Drake (@jduck) discovered multiple critical vulnerabilities in Stagefright library and provided patches to Google to secure Android. We provided these patches to carriers and vendors through Zimperium Handset Alliance (ZHA). While the patches have been applied, it may be years until they reach all devices.

Zimperium zLabs created a Detector app to validate that you are running a version that is not vulnerable to the discovered Stagefright vulnerabilities. Some phone vendors have released partial patches to the vulnerabilities disclosed and this app can help you to understand if your device is vulnerable or not.

Stagefright is a critical Android vulnerability. It allows hackers to get 'media' or 'system' privileges on your device after processing an incoming MMS message, by surfing the web any one of the 11 potential attack vectors. In many cases, the attack do not require any end-user action. To make matters worse, the attacker can delete the MMS before you open it.

In order to test if your device is vulnerable, we built the ‘Stagefright Detector’ app.

This app will tell you three major things:
- whether your device is vulnerable
- which CVEs your device is vulnerable to
- whether you need to update your mobile operating system

Stay protected: ZIMPERIUM Mobile Threat Protection enterprise customers, vendors and carriers are protected from the Stagefright vulnerability without requiring any special update.

This application anonymously collect the results of the test and shares it with device vendors and carriers through ZHA. We do not collect any personal information.
Carriers and Device Vendors that are interested to join Zimperium Handset Alliance and increase the security of its user base - join here: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/zimperium-handset-alliances

About Zimperium:
Zimperium is a pioneer in advanced mobile threat protection, delivering enterprise-grade solutions for Android and iOS devices. Our solutions use patented machine-learning technology to detect host and network-based threats in real-time. Founded in 2010, Zimperium is backed by Samsung, Telstra and Sierra Ventures, and has enterprise customers across all major verticals worldwide.

Yahoo Livetext - Video Chat

There are plenty of video chat apps in the Google Play Store, but the folks at Yahoo recently released one with a pretty large twist. Have you ever wanted to video chat with a friend, but didn’t want to actually speak? Yahoo’s Livetext solves that problem. Whether you’re in a classroom, a library, or in a meeting, you’ll be able to have live video chats with just text and no sound. While this app may not be for everyone, it could give you the opportunity to have smile-offs with your BFF.

Welcome to Livetext for Android, the most natural way to have REAL conversations. It's live video texting, without sound. You will feel like your friends are right there with you.

From courier mail, to the telephone, to text messaging - as humans, we have always searched for new, more convenient and more inventive ways to connect with others. These interactions form the foundation of our identity and sense of the world.

The advent of smartphones led a shift towards convenience and speed. We've gone from communicating primarily with our voices to using our fingers to text on glass. But somewhere, along the way we lost the natural flow of conversation. Our solution is to go back to the basics, by putting your words and your friend's real-time reactions at the center of your interaction. We've removed audio from the equation, as it's rarely convenient in today's fast-paced world.

Livetext transforms simple conversations into rich,fun, and memorable experiences. It's an entirely new way to stay in touch. For example, livetext your friends no matter where you are—whether you're hanging out with other friends, at a ballgame, in a club, or commuting on a train— and share a goofy face or a glimpse of the world around you.

Texting is better, together.

Key Features:
FREE FOREVER: You and your friends can live video text as much as you want! Livetext uses your internet connection (Wi-Fi when available and your cell connection otherwise.)
ONE-TO-ONE: Not for group messaging, it's like you're passing notes in class.
TEXT + LIVE VIDEO: Both at the same time - it's amazing.
NO CALLS: Just live video text your friends and you'll see them instantly when they enter chat.
ADD FRIENDS: Use their Livetext ID or your address book contacts to connect.
PROFILE PICTURE: Use any image to show your friends who you are

Accomplish: To-Do list reborn

Accomplish for Android is a simple to-do list app that wants to help you remember the important tasks you need to …*ahem*… accomplish. By dragging tasks from your to-do list into a calendar-like “Day View,” you’ll have fun planning out your time. While the app doesn’t offer too many unique features, the design makes it easy to plan out days in advance

Use Accomplish to schedule to-do’s and reminders.

Accomplish is a To-do list that takes task management one step further. Not only does it help you remember the tasks that you need to do, with a conventional and simplistic to-do list, but it also lets you graphically plan out your time, with a daily planner built in. Using Accomplish, you can drag tasks straight from your to-do list into a calendar-like “day view”. You can graphically plan out when you will get each of your tasks done.

We believe that planning out our time is key to getting more done.
We also believe that time-management (or schedule) apps should not waste your time. They should be fast and simple, so that you can spend your time actually doing things.
These two points capture the essence of Accomplish: plan, fast. Accomplish is a to-do list and time planner. It’s a tool for short-term time management. Accomplish isn’t built to let you schedule an event, share it with 4 friends who will comment on it and accept it, and make that event repeat twice a year on Wednesdays in August. No. for that you can use your calendar. Accomplish is here for small things. For planning out your time, your personal life, day by day. It's simple, and it's FAST.

Accomplish is made up of two parts:
1. The Accomplish To-do list
This is where you put all your tasks, so that you don’t forget them. The to-do list is placed in a panel that slides out from the right side of the app.
2. The Accomplish Day-view
This is where you plan out your time, day by day. It’s like the day view of a calendar, but much more intuitive. You can plan your time using the day-view in two ways – either by dragging tasks out of your to-do list and into the day view, or by creating tasks directly in the day view. Editing tasks in the day view is much easier than in most calendars – in Accomplish there are no “edit task” pages. What you see is what you get. To change a task’s time or make it longer or shorter, there is no need to navigate complex menus. You can simply drag the task up and down in the day view, and stretch it to change its length. Fast.
Here’s how we recommend that you use Accomplish:
• Whenever you remember something that you need to do – add it to the to-do list or put it straight in the day view
• Make a habit of planning out days in advance. For instance, we use accomplish every evening to plan out the next day. We look at the day view to see how much free time we have, and then look at the to-do list to see our tasks. We then decide which tasks we can get done tomorrow and drag them from the list into the day view, setting how much time each task will take and when we will start doing each task.

Accomplish’s features:
• The day-view syncs with Google Calendar
• Fast, graphic, gesture-based controls
• Many different task colors and app themes
• Powerful custom popup reminders
• *Experimental* recurring tasks
• Clean modern design

We hope Accomplish will help you get more done!
Feel free to contact us for whatever reason you have (contact us through the app)
Thanks, and enjoy!

Genius — Song Lyrics & More

Have you ever forgotten the lyrics to your favorite song? There’s a new Android app called Genius, which was previously released on iOS, that breaks down lyrics and the news with highly entertaining line-by-line annotations. The new app lets you search for, upvote, and down vote annotations. Unfortunately, it doesn’t allow you to create or edit annotations, but the developers say that functionality is on the way.

Genius is the world’s biggest collection of song lyrics and crowdsourced musical knowledge.

SEARCH 1.7 MILLION+ SONGS
Find annotated lyrics for all your favorite songs, or browse what's hot on Genius.

TAP HIGHLIGHTED LINES TO READ ANNOTATIONS
Explore a world of knowledge, crowdsourced from millions of obsessed fans – the Genius community.

GET THE FACTS BEHIND THE TRACKS
With verified content from artists and producers.

FIND LYRICS FOR THE SONGS PLAYING AROUND YOU
Hold your phone up to the music, tap the soundwave button (powered by Gracenote), and lo, the annotated lyrics appear.

Microsoft Translator

Microsoft Translator is …. obviously a translator app from Microsoft. The app does just about everything you’d expect it to, translating voice or text in more than 50 different languages. It also comes with built-in support for Android Wear, so you don’t have to worry about taking out your phone all the time when you’re traveling.

Microsoft Translator helps you break the language barrier wherever you’re traveling or have a need to translate anything in your daily life. Quickly translate phrases on your Android-powered watch, or use the companion Android phone app when it’s more convenient.

• On your watch: Speak to your watch and get instant translations in 50 languages.
• Not sure how to pronounce the translation? Let Translator speak the phrase for you.
• Noisy environment? Just show someone your watch or phone. In addition, on the phone, large full-screen translation cards make it easy to show others what you're trying to communicate.
• Bookmark your translations for later use.
• All your translations and settings are synchronized between your watch and your phone.
• On the phone companion app: in addition to speech translations you can type on your keyboard (really useful for noisy places!), and copy & paste text and translations from and to other apps.

Microsoft Translator supports over 50 languages including Spanish, Chinese, German, Italian, French, Dutch and Korean. To find the complete list of languages, visit the Microsoft Translator FAQ.

By installing this app, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Statement

Snowball - Smart Notifications

Snowball manages all of your messages and incoming notifications. You can tell Snowball the things you want to see, and what you want to see less of, so you can receive the notifications you really want. Snowball pulls your SMS, and other messaging apps into one place, so you can quickly reply to your friends

Snowball is now a full-featured (and damn good-looking) notification center" - Android Police


"Snowball is a MUST HAVE app" - 
Time Magazine


"Snowball prioritizes important notifications, such as messages, email and calendar" - TechPP

Snowball is your beautiful new notification center for Android. It takes all the awesome stuff from all the apps on your phone and puts it in one place. Now you can get things done without opening a million apps. Less apps, more action!

UNIFIED INBOX: Receive and reply to messages from Facebook, WhatsApp, SMS, Line, Telegram, Email from *one* place

TRAVEL ASSIST: See Uber and Lyft prices and times when you have to be somewhere

PRIORITY NOTIFICATIONS: Hide annoying notifications, never miss awesome ones

Highlights
- Never miss another phone call, message, email, or calendar reminder
- Fast reply to messages from WhatsApp, SMS, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Line + more
- Heads-up notifications for important messages & notifications
- Sounds and vibrations only play for important messages & notifications
- Works with Android wear