I've got an Android G1, which is normally limited to Android 1.6. So, by far the most useful thing I use on my phone is
CyanogenMod, which allows me to put Android 2.2 on my phone. Unfortunately the G1 is no longer being supported with newer versions of CM.
As for apps I find most useful (not counting included Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, GTalk, Maps, Navigation, etc.):
- AndChat - An IRC client.
- Barcode Scanner - Useful for QR codes or to do price checks at local stores (with the Google Shopper app).
- Barnacle WiFi Tether - CyanogenMod allows me to tether my phone's internet via USB. Barnacle lets me use my phone as a WiFi access point.
- OI File Manager - I really only use this when a song fails to download correctly in Subsonic and I need to delete it to get it to download again.
- ING Direct's Free ATM Finder - This helps me find nearby ATMs that don't charge extra fees. (And while searching for this, I just found a new ING Direct app that will let me check my balance(s) and do other banking things. I'll have to check that one out!
- Subsonic - Streams music and videos from my Subsonic server running on my computer.
- Super BT Mono Pro - Converts all audio to mono so that I can listen to music on my phone via my bluetooth earpiece. This one cost a few dollars, but there's a free trial available. Also, I use the one made for CyanogenMod. If this is something you have a use for, make sure to test the trial version out to verify that it works. It's a bit finicky, and obviously music doesn't sound very good in mono over BT, but it's better than nothing.
- Google Voice - This wasn't available (and thus wasn't included) when the G1 came out. It sure is awesome though!
- Google Chrome to Phone - Sends a page in your PC's browser to your phone.
My phone has very limited internal storage, so that's about all I can fit on there without running out of space. Here are some other apps I've found useful/fun/interesting but don't currently have installed either due to space constraints or I just don't use them often enough:
Oddly enough, I don't use my phone much for games. Probably because it can't handle much of anything on the market, but also because I'm usually within 30 feet of a much more powerful gaming machine should the desire arise. But I have downloaded a couple games/game related apps:
Also,
AppBrain.com is a handy site for searching/tracking/organizing apps you have or want. They even have an
app that lets you synchronize your apps on your phone with their website, or automatically download the ones you've marked for installation from their website. This was especially useful before the recent Android Market upgrades that let you search, buy, and install from the official Android Market on your PC, but it still does have a couple of features that are better than the Android Market, such as tracking price history, creating lists to organize apps, etc.
