Android – installing apps

Picking up from the last post, I’d share a little more of my Android experience.

Once I had configured the phone with my basic settings – voicemail number, wifi networks and so on – and moving my contacts to the phone, installing software is probably the next step. There is an Android market, but it’s just as good (or bad) as the Apple Apps store – finding the best applications may be a pain.

Schack has been on Android for awhile, and here are the tricks, that got me started fast. First install the program called “barcode scaner” (just that no more). You do that by launching the “market” and searching for the name click and install it. It allows you to scan barcodes with the camera on the back of the Hero.

Next step is going to the Cyrket website on any computer and use the big screen and keyboard to explore the software available for Android – once you see something you like, you can scan a square barcode on the page and go directly to the page on the market place – so much easier than browsing on the Hero itself.

Some of the programs I’m playing with currently include:

• nav4all – GPS Navigation
• Listen – PodCasts (subscription and downloads)
• NewsRob – RSS reader with Google Reader integration
• Compass – name says it all…
• Toggle Settings – nice, but wasn’t available in the Market.
• TasKiller – a task killer

Bonus wifi tip for HC Hero: If your wireless network is hidden, it seems the Hero really doesn’t play well. Make the Wifi net visible and you should be all good (and if the network is secured probably, it shouldn’t be a problem it’s visible).