Apps that I use

Here is a list of applications that I have downloaded from Android Market and use them.

• Adobe Reader -- For reading PDF documents.
• Amazon Kindle -- eBooks from Amazon
• Audible -- Audio books
• Google Authenticator -- Two factor authentication for Google services
• Barcode Scanner -- Really essential app, can use the camera to scan any barcode. This app is also used by many other apps for that functionality.
• Booking.com -- App for hotel reservation and keeping track of your reservations
• Bubble -- A surface level testing application
• CallTrack -- Records your calls to Google Calendar
• Calorie Counter -- A client for weight losers' social network http://www.fatsecret.com
• CamScanner -- Very useful app for creating PDFs out of whiteboard discussions and using the camera as an scanner.
• Cardio Trainer -- Can record your running sessions along with a google map
• Citibank India -- Citibank online banking app
• Cleartrip -- Mobile app for cleartrip.com
• Compass -- A regular direction compass, has analog and digital settings. Pretty useful
• Concur -- Keeping track of reservations
• ConvertPad -- Fantastic Unit conversion app
• Currents -- App for creating magazines (like flipboard). Currently used as a replacement for Reader
• CWT To Go -- My company's travel agent is CWT, so I use this to keep track for official travels
• Dictionary -- Mobile app for dictionary.com
• doubleTwist -- Alternate music player, mostly used for a very good podcast search service
• Drive -- App for google drive
• Epocrates -- To make sure that the doctor is not messing up with you
• Facebook for Android -- What would be life without facebook
• File Commander -- To access the storage in the phone directly
• Finance -- Client for Google Finance
• Flipboard
• Goggles -- Nifty app that can decipher things based on their pictures, Just point the camera and it would tell you what it is.
• Google+
• HDFC Bank -- Very Nice app for online banking
• IMDb -- All about movies
• L:IC Mobile -- Keeping track of your policies
• Linked In
• Lookout -- Security service
• Voice -- Client for google Voice. I have it but can't use it in India
• Layar -- Augmented Reality app, overlays stuff on google map. Pretty cool
• Listen -- Podcast finder
• Locale -- Very nifty app to change the settings of your phone based on time or your location.
• My Tracks -- Records your movements. Very useful to share directions with others.
• My Backup -- Backups all the user data on SD card. Useful when changing phones.
• Places Directory -- Another cool app from Google, nice to find places around you.
• QuickOffice -- Official version integrates very well with Google Drive
• Seesmic -- A twitter client
• Shazam -- Can decipher song details by listening to it.
• Skype
• SMS Backup+ -- Backups all your SMS messages to your gmail account under a specified Label.
• Twitter -- Client for twitter
• Unit Converter -- Converts pretty much any unit to any other unit
• Ustream Broadcaster -- Broadcast yourself. Pretty good
• Voice Recorder -- Record voice
• Yahoo Mail -- That yahoo email account that I never use

Let me know you any of you people out there use any other app that you find useful. I can try that out.

Sony Xperia Z -- A Review

Recently I acquired a Sony Xperia Z and here are my impressions of the phone.

• Industrial design of the phone is really good. I am a long time Motorola user and compared to the industrial design of Motorola, I could never get the same feel with phones made by LG or Samsung. I was forced to look at a manufacturer other than Motorola because they have pretty much walked out of the India market and there is nothing new from them. Sony's industrial design is really slick. The phone is put together very well. You don't get a plasticky feel from the phone and it feels robust.

  

  Benchmark Sony Xperia Z

• Underlying hardware and operating system performs well. Here is the benchmark from Quadrant App. The only phone that I has seen give better number than this one is Galaxy S4.
• I was earlier using Motorola Razr XT910. With the numbers of apps that I was using, I saw that the phone was running very low on RAM, so for my type of usage, this phone helps with its 2 GB RAM.
• There is a bunch of crapware installed by Sony on the phone, most of these are meaningless and I would liked not to have them. There are apps like PlayNow, Smart Connect, Socialife, Sony LIV, Sony Music, Sony Select, Xperia Link. Xperia Privilege. Many of these apps may be useful for people who have more Sony gear at home and it is about all of these interworking together. Most of these are completely useless for me.
• The speaker on the phone is completely useless. It is on the side of the phone and barely audible. It was a complete surprise for me since I expected sony to atleast have a handle on Audio stuff. The sound quality of

  

  Sony Xperia Z Speeds Airtel Bangalore

  phone call is terrible. The speakerphone can't be used at all. For it to even be audible, you have to keep the phone vertical with it sides facing towards you. If you intend to do many calls with the phone, invest in a bluetooth or wired headset. The interesting part is, the call voice quality is good with any headset. So it is just a problem with the phone.
• The data connection itself works fine and the speeds delivered are pretty decent. I tested it with Airtel HSPA network in Bangalore and got the 6MBps upload and 1.7 MBps downloads.

In summary, for a phone that costs close to Rs. 39000/- the phone does not meet expectations. The basic features like call quality and speaker quality is well below expectation. Sony also does not have a good car dock which is surprising given the premium nature of the device.