GPS Navigation & Maps by Scout
Google Maps is hard to beat in all respects but one: its offline capabilities. If you need an app for offline satnav use there are loads options, including expensive ones from the likes of TomTom and CoPilot. GPS Navigation & Maps does the job for a far lower price. It uses the OpenStreetMap maps, which are generally high quality (and you can report errors if you encounter them) and can be downloaded by country rather than region, and offers a fully featured service with 3D routing. It’s a comprehensive app for such a low price point.
TuneIn Radio Pro
With over 100 thousand internet radio stations, TuneIn Radio is the most comprehensive radio app on Android. It’s the most expensive app on this list, and the paid version merely removes ads, but for heavy users it is worth it. The app’s best feature? Being able to schedule recordings so that you will never miss your favourite show.
Notepad+
This wonderful note taking app goes far beyond just text notes. You combine typed text with handwriting and drawing, and can share your notes with other apps, or send them to other users. It works great on tablets, in conjunction with a style, but is just as well at home on a larger screen phone. Notepad+ ensures you’ve always got a notebook and pen with your wherever you go.
Fenix for Twitter
Third party Twitter apps have a limited lifespan due to the fact that Twitter itself limits them to 100 thousand users. Fenix is still well under that mark, so there’s plenty of life in it yet. Fenix puts an emphasis on design—something that is forgotten on so many Android Twitter apps—and presents the potentially overwhelming amount of information the service dishes up in a logical and accessible way. With frequent updates, it is a worthy download.
AirSync: iTunes Sync & AirPlay
If you haven’t yet switched to a streaming music service then you’ll probably need an easy way to sync your phone with your iTunes collection. AisSync is that, and a whole lot more. As well as wi-fi syncing of you iTunes collection you get AirPlay support so you can use your Android device to iPhone-copmatible wireless speakers as well as Apple TV, and you can also stream videos direct from your phone to your Xbox or Playstation console.
Camera FV-5
When Android L drops later in 2014 we can expect a glut of high-end camera apps to take advantage of the new capabilities of the camera API and RAW support in that version of the OS. Until then Camera FV-5 represents the best option for a pro-class camera app. The app gives you a load of extra controls, at least where they are supported by the device’s hardware, including long exposure and time lapse support, expose and white balance locks, an RGB histogram, assorted composition grid overlays, and plenty more.
Battery Widget Reborn
Everybody loves a good battery app, and Battery Widget Reborn is the best. It’s a no-fuss affair, offering a beautiful widget and a permanent, configurable notification that shows not only how much power you’ve got left but how long that power will last you. It won’t help you prolong the battery, of course, but at least you’ll be able to ration your usage accordingly if you’re away from a charger for some time.
What are your favourite paid apps? Let us know in the comments below.