26.
Sky Sports News
Price: Free
The Sky News app was a revelation when it
came to Android. As an app it was a breath of fresh air, offering decent
content within a snazzy user interface, and it was constantly updated, which is
always a bonus.
Sky
Sports News
So, it’s fantastic that BSkyB has spun off
another app for sport.
The Sky Sports News app is every bit as
good as the Sky News app, and you’ll be glad to hear that its focus is not just
on football. The app is a portal to content for loads of sports, including
cricket, rugby league, rugby union, golf, tennis, Formula 1 and boxing - all of
which get dedicated areas on the app.
The interface is as you’d expect from Sky.
It’s slick and includes video content, tables and image galleries.
This is all rounded off with Sky Sports
radio, which will keep you updated when the words don’t come in fast enough.
Effortless to use, the Sky Sports News app
is a showcase in how apps should be made.
27. Runtastic
Price: Free
Runtastic
If you’ve finally decided to grab those
pair of trainers from the back of the cupboard, Runtastic GPS Coach could help
you make the most out of a healthier new you.
Before you start breaking a sweat, you need
to sign up for an account, which is free, recording details of your weight,
desired weight and so on.
Using your phone’s GPS to record workout
data, head to the settings to select your activity from a list, which includes
running, biking, mountain biking and skiing. You can also choose whether you
want voice feedback and a countdown before you start.
During your activity, you can see the map
of your route, and keep an eye on your speed. Once completed, you can see a
complete a rundown of your workout, which notably includes elevation gain/loss
and additional info that lets you choose from a selection of graphics
illustrating your mood post-workout, the type of surface you trained on and the
weather.
With a sleek-looking interface, the option
to attach a heart rate monitor, and heaps of useful data that can be uploaded
to runtastic.com, this is an excellent app to keep track of your fitness
progress.
28. Seesmic
Price: Free
The
impressive Seesmic app brings image-sharing to the Twitter party
Seesmic is a Twitter client that takes
itself very seriously. Instead of being a lite version of Twitter, where all
you get is a steady flow of updates, Seesmic enables you to see all your
Twitter timelines in one stream and allows one-click replies to tweeters.
One of the best things about the app,
though, is the ability to share images. This is a major bugbear with some
Twitter apps on the market, but Seesmic has links to yFrog, TwitPic and even
YouTube, so you can add some much-needed multimedia love to your portable
tweeting.
The interface is sleek, but it doesn’t look
much like Twitter. If you already have the Seesmic desktop app, though, you
will feel right at home.
And if you really feel like giving out all
of your information, you can turn on the location feature and share your
current address.
There are more features on show here than
you will actually use but Seesmic is one of the best Twitter apps we have ever
used.
29. TED
Price: Free
TED
Chris Anderson is one brainy fellow. Not
only did he found Future Publishing-the company behind 73 - but he is also the
creator of one of the most innovative technology conferences around, TED Talks.
While TED has been on iOS for some time, it
has taken a long while for it to come to Android. Available to those with
Android 2.1 and above, TED enables you to delve into the minds of some of the
brainiest people on the planet, and encounter subjects you’ve probably not even
heard of before - Chautauqua and Botany, for instance.
Navigation of the app is fluid enough. You
can either dive straight into the featured talks, or go by the most popular and
the newest. We preferred sifting through the myriad categories and getting our
bite-sized nuggets of knowledge this way.
Play a video - most are around eight
minutes long - and it will go fullscreen. The quality isn’t fantastic but it
is fine for those who put up with everyday mobile clips.
With over 900 talks available, the TED app
is a veritable feast of intelligent information. There’s so much to do here,
it’s a real surprise the app is free.
30. RAC Traffic
Price: Free
RAC
Traffic
Anyone who has been on the M25 in rush hour
knows that traffic jams can turn any sane man into Jack Torrence. Luckily, for
those of us who’d rather keep our cool on the road, the RAC has developed an
app to make your life on the move that little bit easier.
Now this is strictly for those who carpool,
because obviously you can’t use your phone while driving, unless you get a
phone holder, but the RAC Traffic app shows you in real time and via Google
maps where the traffic hotspots are. Through the joys of your GPS, it will even
determine which nasty jams are near you.
It won’t rid the roads of boy racers,
middle-lane hoggers or totalitarian truck drivers but it works, is uncluttered
and, best of all, it’s simple to use.
The app offers two screen layouts: either
you see a map with incident signs or a running list of incidents.
To get it to work properly, you have to go
into the options section and enable ‘Map Follows Me’. Otherwise you will know
what the traffic is like back at base and nowhere else.
31. Qype Radar
Price: Free
Qype
Radar
There’s nothing like Qype to make you feel
at home. The app is one of the simplest we’ve used and unlocks the area around
you. If you are feeling peckish and don’t know where to eat, load Qype Radar,
select ‘Restaurants’ and let the app decide.
No matter where you are, Qype has a ton of
reviews and information on offer, and even some pictures of the places to boot.
Once you find the one you want, click on
its address and it shows you on Google Maps exactly where it is.
The Simon Cowell of apps, this
hotspot-seeking tool tells it to you straight. Qype’s community decides whether
a pub is good or bad, giving you all the information you need to suss out
whether a pint in the Nag’s Head is good idea or not.
As for pin-pointing your location, it had
us a mere four doors down from where we were, which is impressive.
But it’s not just about hunting down the
best eateries and boozers - the amount of local amenity info on offer is pretty
overwhelming. You want a petrol station? It will guide you. A hospital? That’s
on there too. How about a bicycle? Yup, yup and yup.
