It's been a while since I've let my tech-geek side come out here on the old blog, so I figured it was about time I let him stretch his legs.  This past December I made the leap into smart phone territory.  I had been using Verizon's mobile web app extensively on my last two phones and was primarily looking for a richer internet experience.  My (not so) new (anymore) HTC Droid Eris has definitely provided me with that, and quite a bit more.  I've been very impressed with the way this phone has increased my productivity and efficiency when I'm not at my desk.  Being able to buzz through a bunch of emails during downtime at a symphony rehearsal has given me more time to do other things when I get home.  I'm all about it.

One of the reasons I decided to go with an Android phone instead of an iPhone or the like was because of the open source aspect.  I like most of what Google's been doing in the past few years, and there OS seemed like a natural fit for me.  It has been.   Another thing that has been awesome is the Android App Store.  Admittedly, the store is not as well stocked as Apple's, but there are still a lot of valuable and fun things to download, and most of them are free!  I know I have readers who are also on the Android bandwagon, so today I thought I'd throw up a quick rundown of my 5 favorite free apps.  Here we go!

(one quick disclaimer that these screen shots aren't mine... they were compiled from around the internet)

5. Advanced Task Killer Free

This is an indispensable tool.  Actually, if you're using Android, you probably don't need me to tell you about this one.  Everything you do on Android opens an app.  Almost none of those apps close when you leave the program, so your phone can get bogged down pretty quickly (sad news for speed and battery life).  This app lets you kill all that stuff running in the background.  Simple and necessary.

4. The Weather Channel

The Eris comes with a great little weather widget right on the home screen, but it links up to AccuWeather online for more info.  Nothing wrong with that, but I've always appreciated The Weather Channel... use it on TV, online, on my desktop, so why not on my phone?  TWC's android app is simple and straightforward and gives you the info that you need.

3. Ethereal Dialpad

This one goes in the "just plain fun" category.  A very simple little synthesizer.  Just select a scale and a "scene" of sorts and you're good to go.  Drag your finger across the screen to see and hear the synth come to life.  Great way to kill time, and the sounds it produces are very pleasing and relaxing.  Some of the visualizations are a little lame, but a couple of them are absolutely mesmerizing, plus it's free!

2. Lightning Bug

I just discovered this one a couple of days ago.  It's a surprisingly full-featured sleep machine and alarm clock that I've used every night since.  You select one of five scenes and then blend in different sounds (I've been using "Beach At Night" with rain, lightning, and waves crashing).  Set a sleep timer and it fades it's volume down at the end of the time period.  It also has an alarm clock that lets you access all the major features of the built in alarm, but much more intuitively.  I used to have an alarm clock that did this and have missed it recently.  Not anymore!

1. Bible

YouVersion.com is pretty much awesome.  Their online resources are top-notch, and the newest version of their Android app brings most of that functionality in.  Now you can log in with your account and follow all of the reading plans, versions, etc. that are available online.  The only thing still missing is an option to download Bibles for offline use (something that's been available on the iPhone app for some time now).  Any way you look at it, YouVersion is revolutionizing the way people read and study the Bible, and I'm glad they're sinking time into their Android development.  It pays off for people like me!

So there you have it!  A little bit of what's been taking up my time lately :-P  Nerdy tech post: complete.