Top apps for your new Android device - Part One of Three

The Play Store

If you've been lucky enough to receive a brand new Android device or two this Christmas, then you're probably trying to figure out just what apps to install. If you're new to Android – or smart devices in general – you might be struggling to find the best apps. Or perhaps you're just an old hand looking for a new toy. This is where we come in.

Here at AndroidNZ, we have researched long and hard to find a list of apps we can confidently recommend to you. These are all apps we use ourselves and recommend from experience. Some of these are free, some of them cost money; all of them are great.

If this sounds like your cup of tea, then continue reading after the break.

o86's Audio Reviews - An introduction to better quality digital music

Grado SR60i. You want these.

Good day, friends. This article kicks off a little series I’ve been planning for a while – the discussion and brief review of a few audio accessories I use. While not technically Android-specific, I do use these with my assorted Android devices, and thus considered it worthwhile to blither on about them a bit. Thanks in no small part to Supercurio’s amazing Voodoo Sound drivers for a lucky few phones and tablets, Android users are becoming increasingly concerned about audio quality, especially when playing music. The Wolfson audio chips in the original Galaxy S line set the bar for Android, and Voodoo sound took them to another level – they set the bar for mobile phones in general, over and above anything else on the market, iPhones included. With more interest in audio comes more scope for content like this, so here we are now.

I intend to cover three pieces of my own equipment –the little Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 In-Ear Monitors (Or ‘earphones’, if you’re so inclined. This model has since been rebadged as the Ultimate Ears 600), the large Grado SR-60i headphones, and my wee FiiO E5 headphone amplifier. These represent on-the-go listening, home listening, and an optional add-on, respectively. To cap things off, fellow editor Neets has been kind enough to lend me her Koss PortaPros, which are somewhere inbetween the Ultimate Ears and the Grados in terms of size and portability.

We’ll start with some background on the industry and my experiences with portable audio in this instalment, and then ease into the actual review components. Read on after the jump, good people.

[Download] Sony Ericsson TrackID now available for all Android devices...in Sweden

Thanks, Sweden!

Sony Ericsson's music identification and sharing application, TrackID, is one of the more widely appreciated features of the Xperia line, and it's just been made available to all and sundry on the Android Market - providing you're running Froyo or above. Also providing you live in Sweden. Hmm.

Well, the global village has struck again, and thanks to user lastword112 over at XDA, the app is now available to download and sideload. Naturally, we've provided a mirror below. Click through to get your download on.

Spotify streaming music service coming to New Zealand next year

Streaming music services have become incredibly popular in the US and UK, with the likes of Pandora, Microsoft's Zune (Which recently launched in Australia), and of course Google's own Google Music service showing the potential of data-enabled devices to use 'the cloud' to overcome their limited local storage. Here in little ol' NZ, however, we've been largely left behind, with only Sony's Qriocity "Music Unlimited" service available to date.

Thankfully, that looks ready to change as early as February next year. With a well-reviewed Android app, this looks like it could be worthwhile, although I have reservations about the potential data cost, not to mention the monthly costs. Sony has set the bar at $5.99 NZD for its basic service, and $13.99 NZD for premium content, so one can only imagine pricing will be similar for Spotify. Will you be giving it a try? Hit up the comments after the jump and let us know.

The Galaxy Note "Real-user" Review: Part 2 - Entertainment and media - Music and video playback, gaming, browser

When all is said and done, can the
Note be the handset to cover all
your entertainment needs? Make
the jump for your answer!

[Update] PowerAMP 2.0 beta quietly updated to version 3

As you may recall, we covered the release of the PowerAMP 2.0 beta two weeks back, including a video walkthrough. Well, the app's creator, MaxMP, has been busy in that short time, pushing out a second and third version of the 2.0 beta. These two updates bring bugfixes and additional features, including the return of the smaller widgets and the ability to configure their transparency. Check out the full changelog after the jump  - both from the 1.4 version on the market right now, and between the beta releases - and hit the links to get beta testing.

PowerAMP 2.0 Beta Quietly Released

Android's one true, must-have, music
player has a new beta!

I’ve long been a fan of PowerAMP. One of the best-selling applications on the Android Market, it offers a useful, beautiful alternative music experience for users who really care about portable audio on their phones.

Its wide variety of equalizer tweaks, crossfading, support for many alternative file formats and folder hierarchy view have earned it a strong following, establishing it as the must-have premium music player. The app has now received a beta release of a major version change, updating from market-release 1.4 to 2.0, and bringing with it an extensive overhaul.

Just past the break we have an early breakdown on the new build, and of course the all-important download link!