Five Best Google Android apps

06 February 2009

With over 1,000 applications currently available on the Google Android platform, Mobile Choice chooses the five best

Mobile World Congress (MWC) just around the corner and the buzz is "apps". Mobile applications can radically improve the overall experience you have with your phone, assisting you with everything from cooking to shopping. The T-Mobile G1 is the first handset to take advantage of the Google Android market, a completely open applications market with over 1,000 programs available to download for free. With the rumour mill suggesting that MWC may showcase the next Google Android phone, we give our take on our favourite five Android applications currently available.

1.) Cooking Capsules Taster

With Valentine's Day fast approaching why not impress your loved one by cooking for her. What's that? You can't cook? Worry not, for this application will transform you into Gordon Ramsey (minus the bad language). Cooking Capsules Taster provides short videos that guide you through a variety of recipes, detailing the ingredients you need, how to make it and the amount you'll need depending on how many people you're cooking for. We bet Gordon uses this particular app himself.

2.) Wikitude

 This is a great application particularly if you're visiting a new city and fancy being a tourist for the day. Using the G1's built-in GPS, Wikitude locates your exact position and finds nearby landmarks, providing in depth background and history and how to get there. It's like having your very own tour guide in your pocket.

3.) Shop Savvy

Ever had that irritating moment of buying something of value only to find it the following week in another store for cheaper? Well Shop Savvy will cleverly make this a thing of the past. Using the phones camera, simply scan the barcode of the product and Shop Savvy will search the web for the nearest retailers to your current position, as well as online, alerting you to whether it can be brought for cheaper anywhere else.

4.) Tip Calculator

You're out for dinner with a group of friends and the wine is flowing. When the bill arrives your mathematical nouse has deserted you, leaving none of you able to figure out how much you each owe. With Tip Calculator, simply enter the total amount of the bill (service not included), the number of people and the percentage you want to add. This maths-savvy app will then tally up what the total tip amount is, what the new total is and how much each person should pay.

5.) MarioSimulator

Ok this app may be rather pointless, but we love it all the same. Transform yourself into Nintendo's much-loved, pizza eating plumber Mario with MarioSimulator. Using the phone's motion-sensitive accelerometer, jump up and down while holding the device and you will make the same "boing" noise as Mario does when he jumps. Go on admit it, this will be the first application you download.