Ten Essential Apps for New Android Smartphones

Some of you have must have got a new Android smart-phone this Christmas season, if not as a present from one of your loved ones then perhaps you yourself bought one. And honestly, who can resist those huge discounts given my many online shopping sites like Amazon on some select smart-phone models. I myself bought a new Panasonic Android phone for only $45.99. When I buy a new smart-phone (and I seem to do so once every year), I try to install some of the essential apps on it. And I have come to realize that these apps can also be beneficial for everyone buying a new smart-phone.

Here is a list of ten free Android apps that everyone should install on their new smart-phone:

1. Mozilla Firefox Browser – Android phones usually come with the stock Android web browser and the Google Chrome browser – both of which are very good for general use. But if you want to have top-notch security in everyday web surfing, then you should install Firefox as this is perhaps one of the securest web browser in the world.
2. AVG Antivirus – AVG is the most popular and effective anti-virus product for Android smart-phones. You need it to keep yourself protected from online threats and malicious apps. I was in the habit of using some other anti-virus app for Android but when AVG detected a malicious app that other missed on my phone, I became a big fan of AVG and have recommended it to everyone.
3. Amazon AppStore – Your Android phone comes with Google Playstore installed through which you can find, download and install new apps in your phone. But Amazon also offers their own app store called Amazon AppStore which offers pretty much similar functionality. The perks of using Amazon AppStore is that Amazon offers many paid apps for free. In fact, I installed AVG Antivirus Pro through Amazon AppStore for free.
4. TuneIn Radio – If you are tired of a few FM radio station that you can listen through the built-in FM receiver of your phone, then you need TuneIn Radio app. It can fetch thousands of radio stations from all across the world to your listening pleasure. I find it very useful when traveling or jogging.
5. Docs To Go – When you receive a Microsoft Office document with an email message, you need some app that can help you view those files. There are many apps, but I find Docs To Go convenient as it works very fast even on low end phones and offers basically all the features that other Office apps do.
6. Merriam Webster Dictionary – I am in the habit of reading books, magazines or novels before going to sleep. And like everyone else, I too sometimes find a few words or their special usage very confusing. Merriam Webster Dictionary app comes very handy in those situations.
7. TouchPal Emoji Keyboard – Android phones come with either stock keyboard or with Google keyboard installed. But they do not have wonderful emojis that are very useful when typing messages on social networking apps and sites. If you need more features and more customizations from your keyboard then you should install and use the TouchPal Emoji Keyboard app.
8. Skype – This app has become very much essential for everyone who wants cheap international calls. I sometimes have to make calls abroad and Skype helps me make those calls in only a few cents. Besides it also works as an instant messenger.
9. Microsoft OneDrive – Although Google Drive itself is enough for your cloud storage needs, it’s not a good practice to keep all your eggs in the same basket. You can keep some of your important files in OneDrive too in order to make sure that during some networking glitches you can get them reliably.
10. ES File Explorer – You will forget about the basic file explorer that comes with Android after using the ES File Explorer app only once. This app allows browsing and accessing files stored on phone’s internal storage, SD cards and any other device over the network. It supports browsing files over many cloud storage services and can play multimedia files using in-built player.