“This is Android, after all, and Android is about having options.” This is how the post on XDA-Developers from where I picked this story ends. To this I add – Amen! Android is all about options, the freedom of choice, the freedom to fiddle with everything, until everything is just right.

On the same lines, Android is about being able to customize your browser so it bares your name of choice, your own custom icon, or your hand-picked splash screen. Gimmicky? Maybe, but cool all the same.

Actually, we are talking about the Maxthon Android browser, a solid alternative to both the stock browser and worthier contenders such as Dolphin. We reviewed Maxthon for Android just last month and we found it to be quite a decent offering, with plenty of features and snappy loading times.

Now, Maxthon is giving everyone the chance to personalize their web browser. More precisely, you can choose the name of the app, the icon of the app, a homepage, a theme/skin (you get to choose from ten predefined skins), and a splash screen. To get started, just go here and follow the easy steps. It’s all very simple, and once you’re done you can click Create APK to get the app. It will take a while for the file to be compiled, so be patient.

Once you get the APK, you can load it to your Android phone or, if you are up to it, you can even get it on the Play Store. In fact, it’s possible that some less scrupulous developers will use Maxthon’s tool to churn out dozens of self-branded versions.  That however, doesn’t seem to concern Maxthon, at least for now, as we didn’t see any limitation or terms of use that specifies what you can and can’t do with “your own browser”.

In terms of the usefulness of Maxthon’s tool, I can’t think of too many use cases, besides providing the obvious bragging rights. The developers promise that more customization options will be added in the future, so maybe in time, we’ll get to tailor the functionality of the browser too, and not just it appearance.

NEXT: Maxthon Android web browser: a solid and worthy alternative browser

Android Browser is Now the Most Popular Mobile Browser in the World How to Set Default Browser for Wi-Fi/2G/3G and Websites w/ Browser Swap App

Your Android phone carries pre-installed applications called stock apps. Your phone carries a stock keyboard, a stock camera app, and a stock web browser. But, if your Android phone already has the required stock applications, why would most users prefer third-party applications on their phones? The answer is simple. Third-party apps offer more enhanced features compared to stock apps. One of the famous third-party apps for web browsing is the Opera Mini web browser.

The newest version of Opera Mini will let you enjoy a newer and faster browsing experience on the web. The updated browser features support for OpenGLES hardware acceleration, more RTL text support, Android Beam compatibility, more Speed Dial tabs, improved tabbed browsing, and an enhanced user interface.

One of the features of Opera Mini 7.0.1 is the support of OpenGLES hardware acceleration. This feature allows the browser to load websites faster, promotes smoother scrolling, and enhances the browser’s performance. You can now browse webpages filled with pictures and hardcore graphics smoothly and easily with this neat feature on board. Aside from hardware acceleration, the new Opera Mini now supports RTL text for Arabic and Hebrew in its user interface.

If you own an Android phone running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with support for Near Field Communication (NFC), you might want to consider using Opera Mini as your mobile browser. The latest browser supports Android Beam, a feature that can be found on some phones running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and utilizes the phone’s NFC chip. With this browser, you can now utilize your NFC chip to instantly beam websites to your friends.

Opera Mini’s improved Speed Dial allows you to add more websites. Speed Dial is like a visual bookmark. Tapping a saved Speed Dial will let you instantly browse to its assigned page. Click the box with a plus sign to add a new Speed Dial. From there, you can select from the list of suggested URLs or type in the website’s URL. Press the Manage button to rearrange or edit your Speed Dials.

For better multitasking, Opera Mini also offers enhanced tab management. Click the Tab button at the bottom to display the tabs. To add a new tab, just tap the box with the plus sign and you will be directed to your Speed Dial page. Tap another tab to switch to another webpage.

Other new features in the latest Opera Mini are the Exit button and the Find-in-page search option. To activate the Exit button, click the button with the Opera Mini logo to open the main menu. From there, go to Settings > Advance > Exit Button. You can also access the Find-in-page search option on the main menu. The updated browser also includes fixes for bugs from the previous version of Opera Mini.

Several of the great features from previous versions have been retained:  Opera Turbo, Opera Sync, and many more.

For a faster and smoother browsing experience, use Opera Mini 7.0.1 on your Android Phone. You can download Opera Mini web browser for free from the Google Play Store.

Which do you think is better, your stock Android browser or the Opera Mini web browser? What web browser are you using on your Android phone?

NEXT: Opera offers up Mini browser for Android platform

Opera Mini 5 Beta available on Android Opera Mini 5.1 for Android now available

The Web is a fun place to learn new information, socialize, interact, and play games to kill the time. However, there are certain Internet areas that are limited to access, or blocked by either a corporate firewall or banned country-wide.

An interesting Android app called Proxy + Privacy Browser, developed by Smartwebs Innovations, lets you access banned websites all in the comfort of your mobile smartphone. Virtually any site can be unblocked, including many social networking sites, web hosting services, blogging platforms, entertainment sites, and news channels, just to name a few.

Apart from giving you an all-access pass to your favorite sites, the application also maintains privacy by masking your profile from the Internet, letting yourself surf anonymously through a specific device or OS website. The application also provides several other customizations that gives you a sense of security when browsing websites that are sensitive in nature. For all we know, nobody wants to snoop around your digital footprint over the Internet.

Proxy + Privacy Browser functions like a simple web browser with an easy-to-use interface. The biggest selling point of this application is its ability to let users anonymously browse blocked websites by bypassing protocols and firewalls along the way. Doing so will allow the app to utilize multitudes of IP addresses as well as proxy servers to aggregate worldwide users, most of which are composed of students who are trying to access social media sites from their school campuses.

The application is relatively new to the Google Play Store with certain features not yet present compared to most mainstream web browsing apps. However, it does support a minimalistic feel, with dedicated buttons found on the bottom referred to as Quick Links that provide users  quick access to Facebook, Yahoo, and Google accounts.

To browse other websites, users just need to input the required URL on the address bar on the top of the screen. Hit the Go button and you’re good to go. Users can also configure the application by tapping the Settings button found on the bottom of the homescreen where a User Agent (UA) can be selected from from a list of UA presets.

The app also removes browsing history in an instant and hides your actual IP address when you browse websites. Cookies can also be modified to prevent unwanted users from spying.

We’ve managed to test the application and the results were surprising. We can confirm that the application worked out well and blocked websites can be accessed easily like a walk in the park. Browsing speed can vary from time to time depending on the load of the proxy servers. As a side note, the app doesn’t support streaming of videos but we’re hoping that this feature could be added in upcoming updates.

Proxy + Privacy Browser is a useful application for users who are restricted from accessing their favorite websites due to certain limitations by their ISP or their country.  You can download the Proxy + Privacy Browser app from the Google Play Store for free and try it out for yourself.

NEXT: How to Set Default Browser for Wi-Fi/2G/3G and Websites w/ Browser Swap App

Dolphin Browser HD Accused of Privacy Intrusion [Updated] Privacy Important to you? Check out Privacy Blocker

There are so many Android browsers out there today, and each one claims to be better than the last. Some offer great experiences, whilst others boast that they are simple and just get the job done. I’ve been through many browsers in the last two years, and found a great set of them to showcase to you.

So without ado, these are the best Android browsers of 2012!

Google Chrome Beta

Chrome is already incredibly popular on computers. In fact, just a few days ago, it became the world’s most used browser (just for a day, for now, but it’s clear where things are heading). And, over the last few months, Google has released and updated the beta version of Chrome for Android 4.0 devices.

Altogether, Chrome for Android is a very smooth browser, with minimalism and speed as its primary objectives. On the downside, even if Chrome loads most sites as a desktop browser would, occasionally some sites send a mobile version instead. Chrome doesn’t have a toggle for requesting desktop sites, which is something I would like to have.

Since Google and pretty much the entire world is phasing out the use of Flash in favor of HTML5 and Javascript, Chrome does not have Flash integration either. So, regardless if you have Flash on your device or not, nothing will render in Chrome. This would be fine in perhaps two years time, when nobody is using Flash anymore, but for now it’s an annoyance because some sites are still clinging onto their Flash players and services.

Nevertheless, Chrome surely deserves a rating of 9/10.

• Clean and Minimalistic appearance, but fast browsing.
• The same great tab management from the desktop sibling.
• Does not support Flash.
• No ability to request desktop version of a website.

Opera Mobile Browser

Opera is a fairly bulky browser, but very popular amongst mobile users. There are two versions available: Opera Mobile Browser, aimed at higher-end devices, and Opera Mini, which is aimed at older and lower spec devices. So, regardless of the age or specs of your phone, you’ll be able to enjoy a well-made 3rd party browser from Opera.

The Opera team brought one of their best desktop features over to the Android version, and that feature is Opera Turbo. This optional feature uses external servers and routing to compress data before it’s sent to your device, much in the way Amazon’s Silk browser operates. As a result, you end up with less data being broadcast to your device, so pages load faster and your mobile data plan will last you longer.

Unfortunately, the browser can be slow at times, even with Opera Turbo enabled, and it’s also difficult to get websites to send their desktop version instead of the mobile counterpart.

For a rating, it receives 7/10.

• Supports Flash.
• Offers Opera Turbo for quicker and less data-intensive browsing.
• Versions available for high-end and low-end devices.
• Occasionally slow on some devices, but performs well otherwise.

Firefox

Considering how much I love Firefox on my desktop, I was slightly disappointed when I tried the Android version. The application itself (not the web pages) is very slow to load, and then everything seems sluggish during usage. What won back some favor in my eyes is the fact you can use Firefox Sync to share your tabs across your devices. I quickly imported all of my browsing history and open tabs from my desktop, and I could do the same in reverse from the Android version.

Firefox for Android also has a distinct method of hiding and showing your active tabs. Dragging in from the left hand side of the screen reveals them, and you can continue browsing as normal. Either tapping the ‘X’ or pulling your finger to the right hides them again. This allows you to quickly see your tabs, but not at the expense of screen real-estate.

The issue that ensured that, though it’s a useful browser, I wouldn’t be using Firefox regularly was the lack of a ‘Request Desktop Version’ button, or anything similar in the settings. I use my tablet a lot and I dislike it when sites make mistakes and send me mobile optimized versions. I like to use my device to its full abilities, so not having the ability to make Firefox act like a desktop browser was the clincher for me.

Firefox is awarded 7/10.

• Firefox Sync integration, keep your history and tabs available on all your devices.
• Can be slow to render web pages
• Innovative way of quickly hiding and revealing your Tabs.
• Lack of ability to request a desktop version of a website.

Dolphin Browser HD

What impresses me the most about Dolphin is that it is so sleek when scrolling. Though we see applications advertised as following our fingers perfectly and being as smooth to the eyes as possible, they often judder and jerk their way around. Dolphin makes itself stand apart by adding fluidity to browsing . The render speeds of pages are lightning fast too.

I also like Dolphin’s tab style, it is simple and thin, and doesn’t try to hide itself. In fact, it reminds me of Google Chrome in that regard.

Amongst the tools Dolphin offers are a full-screen mode, a screen-cut/capture mode, and a web-to-PDF tool, though these do have to be downloaded through links in the application. Dolphin has plenty of other plugins which you can download from the Play Store.

Dolphin Browser has to be awarded 10/10!

• Hand Gestures to manipulate windows.
• Scrolling is lightning fast in response (for the TF101 at least).
• Thin tab styling and management, resembling Chrome’s.
• Additional tools and plugin’s can be installed from the Play Store.

Boat Browser

Boat Browser attempts to maximize the usage of your device’s screen by placing the toolbar on top of your web pages at the bottom of the screen, as you can see in the screenshot. It is fairly nippy in usage, though not the fastest of all the browsers here. It also doesn’t support Flash, which is a slight let down. What is does let you do is easily toggle how your device appears to websites. In the settings you can toggle between Android, iPhone, Desktop, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and iPad. Websites you visit will respond slightly differently depending on how they perceive your device.

Boat Browser also has a unique home screen, within which you can quickly add hundreds of your favourite websites for quick browsing.

This browser seems to warrant a 9/10 rating!

• Add hundreds of bookmarks to the landing screen.
• Doesn’t support Flash.
• Toggle your device’s ‘appearance’ to websites, Android, Desktop, Firefox etc.
• Fairly fast in use.

OverSkreen

OverSkreen is an extremely clever bit of kit. It overlays a window over whichever application you are currently running, and can be minimized, resized, and focused on when needed. You can have as many of these screens as you wish to.

It’s great that OverSkreen can render Flash. This means that the next time you’re going through your Twitter feed, you can open a video, wait for it to buffer and then watch it whilst continuing to look at other tweets. It’s a great ability, and it would be good for other applications to be able to replicate this behaviour. OverSkreen continued to impress me by having a ‘Request Desktop Version’ toggle switch that is easily reachable, and you can also quickly toggle the blocking of pop-ups. Though this wasn’t of much use in my regular browsing, it may well be useful for somebody else.

As for my final rating, I think OverSkreen deserves a 9/10.

• View web pages on-top of other applications!
• Request Desktop versions of websites.
• Occasionally slow to respond to window resizing, minimisation and closing.
• Toggle the blocking of pop-ups.

So, which Android browser is the best?

Well, everyone has different needs. To give you a rough idea, I would say that the fastest browser (in terms of rendering speed) is Chrome. The one with the most utilities and features to offer has to be OverSkreen. For me though, the best Android browser overall is Dolphin HD. It is smooth-scrolling, easy to use, filled with features, and resembles Chrome in appearance.

What about you? Which Android browser do you prefer?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

NEXT: App Roundup: The Best Web Browsers For Android

Android Authority Asks: What is your Favorite Android Browser? Syncing Google Chrome Desktop Bookmarks with Your Android Phone

Another week, another fine set of statistics released by the folks at StatCounter. According to the Internet analytics firm, as reported by Tom’s Guide, the Android browser has finally taken the lead over its competitors and is now the top mobile browser in the world. By taking a 22.67 percent share of the pie in February 2012, it bested Opera’s 21.7 percent by a small margin.

 StatCounter

This was an improvement over the 20.2 percent registered in December of last year for the stock Android browser. On the other hand, Opera suffered a minor slump after hitting 24.22 percent back in December. The iPhone’s Safari browser, meanwhile, posted a huge gain from 18.41 percent in December 2011 to 21.06 percent in February. This is good enough to secure third place on the chart.

Other mobile browsers that made some newsworthy dents include the Nokia browser with a share of 11.24 percent and followed by the Blackberry browser with 6.53 percent. The latter continues its free fall trajectory after hitting a high of 14.35 percent in the same month the previous year.

It is not at all surprising to see Google’s Android stock browser dominating the Android scene since it comes preloaded with the platform. It would be interesting to see how the numbers change in coming months with Chrome and Firefox for Android making their entrance. Dolphin Browser HD is also a popular choice amongst Android owners who want some alternatives.

When it comes to page views from a specific mobile platform, recent statistics by the same firm have shown that Symbian OS was on top with 32 percent, though the trend is downward. Coming behind Symbian OS were iOS and Android OS – both at roughly 24 percent with an upward trend. Blackberry’s share plunged to 8 percent from 15 percent that was posted the year before.

What’s your favorite browser for Android? Please don’t say “stock”.

NEXT: Tab-optimized Mozilla Firefox for Android Ready for Testing; Opera Mobile Web Browser Officially Supports Honeycomb

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Another cool thing about Dolphin is how easy it is to control your browsing experience using nothing but gestures. Being a Webkit-based browser, Dolphin naturally supports the swipes and zooms that we all know and love, but the app also lets you  assign custom gestures to websites, for quick access. Want to go to Facebook? Just scribble an “f”. It’s easy and fun, and it’s the kind of simplicity-oriented thinking that propelled the Dolphin browser to the number one position.

Voice controlled browsing

Now Dolphin takes another leap towards simplifying web browsing by adding Sonar, a voice control feature. If you ever used Google Voice Actions or Siri, you know what Sonar is all about.

The new feature in Dolphin 7.4.0 makes use of Android’s voice API. Just click the Sonar icon in the Dolphin UI, or, even simpler, shake your phone, and the Dolphin browser will start listening to you. Tell it to open Twitter.com and up pops Twitter. Fun!

In most cases, Sonar will open the Google search results page, but that’s not what’s interesting about it. After all, Android incorporates voice search already. What’s interesting is the ability to use commands like Refresh, Back, Forward, or Home to get around the Web, tap-free. Also, you can do simple searches faster than ever before. Just say “Facebook search Joe” and Dolphin will open directly the Facebook search page so you can find your buddy. This works similarly for other sites, such as Twitter or Ebay, but it seems that, for now, this functionality is limited.

Here’s a funny promotional video, to get an idea about how Dolphin Sonar works.

Dolphin Becomes Even Better

Along with the new Sonar feature, Dolphin 7.0.4 brings some slight improvements to the UI. For instance, the trademark bookmark side panel is less prone to accidentally opening. MoboTap, the makers of Dolphin, also turned the Webzine feature (you know, the one that got them in trouble for alleged privacy breaches) into an add-on.

If you try out Dolphin Sonar and find it underwhelming, keep in mind that the new voice control feature is just in its infancy. Sonar is not designed to compete with Google Voice Actions, Siri, or other “intelligent” virtual assistant. Rather than that, Sonar is just another way to improve the experience of using the Dolphin web browser. And in time, the Sonar might become more intelligent.

With the addition of voice commands, Dolphin becomes even more compelling as a web browser. And that’s exactly what MoboTap needs to do, at a time when the competition is heating up (both the stock Ice Cream Sandwich and Chrome for Android have received lots of positive reviews).

However, regardless how Google’s own browsers will do, Dolphin will probably remain the best third-party Android browser available.

NEXT: Dolphin Browser HD Accused of Privacy Intrusion [Updated]

Video: Dolphin Browser for Motorola DROID – multi-touch zooming, tabs, and finger gestures Dolphin HD Android browser video tour

One of the reasons why the Kindle Fire became overhyped when it was first announced was the Silk Browser feature added by Amazon. Even though the browser was perceived to have a substantial improvement on loading speeds, it quickly lost interest with Android users because it was exclusive to the Kindle Fire. Thankfully, some XDA Developers were able to tinker around with the browser and get it to run on rooted devices.

After being able to use the browser, the end result is actually based on personal preference. But yes, a number of users have mentioned that the browser is by no means any faster than the rest. Many discovered that the cloud-based caching of the browser resulted to more lags which only resulted to a down time of 1-3 seconds. Ironically, one way to make this faster is to switch off its accelerated page loading. We did, however, discover that the new browser is able to reduce bandwidth consumption; an advantage for users of a tiered data plan service.

If you are interested to install Silk Browser on your tablet, you just have to follow instructions located in the System folder. Or you can check out XDA website for the step by step instructions. Take note, however, that the browser does not work well with all ROMs and devices.

If you have used this browser already, let us know how your experience went by posting on the comments below.

NEXT: Bigger Kindle Fire Coming in Mid-2012

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So the other night I got an alpha version of ICS installed on my Droid 3, and I have to say I am impressed. Hashcode has been hard at work since the release of the source code, and  had done some amazing things. I am currently using it for my daily driver and if you don’t mind being a guinea pig  give it a shot yourself. For being an alpha it is very stable, and  many of the main functions work. Here is the list from Hashcode’s blog of what works and what does not.

 Many of the base phone functions are now working. And that includes:

• Phone is usable in CDMA and GSM modes for making/receiving calls as well as 3G data.
• Wifi, Bluetooth, GPS all work
• HW acceleration is working tho sometimes .. “a work in progress” due to the Gingerbread version of our PVR driver.
• Audio is probably better than it was in CM7 (imho)

Here’s what will not be working (at least at the start of Alpha):

• The camera, and several video codecs.  They rely on a device which isn’t present in our kernel: “/dev/ion”.  I’m looking at re-writing it against our memory management unit.  Will take some time.
• Wifi Tether is broken at the moment and needs debugging
• Voice recognition needs debugging / fixes
• Data usage stats are “stubbed” in so that only the total will show, not the per app break down.   Needs kernel module fix.
• Dock Audio hasn’t been added to the build (I need to decompile the app and rewrite it)
• HDMI support hasn’t been added to the build (same as above and then troubleshoot through the hwcomposer).

Screencast currently does not work for ICS and I was having problems with my camera. So the best I could do is to get some screenshots of some benchmarks and general usage to give you an idea how it is progressing.

In Smartbench 2011 it is looking about the same as before when I ran it on gingerbread. The browser on the other hand it has almost doubled it performance, it truely is amazing how much better the browser is in ICS. The RAM is much less cluttered then it was when I used Gingerbread stock or with Motoblur, I generally would be sitting at 100 mb free before. Overall this build is looking great and I can not wait for this build to be finished. I few problems with compatibility issues with ICS, and  was happy to be able to use most of my favorite apps. Overall this is a great start for the Droid 3, and is more then enough to keep me from upgrading anytime soon to something like the Droid 4.

Image Credit: Anandtech

NEXT: Android Ice Cream Sandwich Caught on Cam? First ICS Screenshots Appear Online

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If you’ve already gotten accustomed to the mobile version of Firefox, you will be pleased to know that there are some changes to its Android interface. Mozilla, the company behind the famous browser, released some photos of a futuristic Firefox for Android last Thursday.

At first glance, changes are not that visible and easy to spot. But if you look closely, you’ll see that there are really some differences with the new interface. One of the changes you’ll notice on a standard window is that the tab management has been moved to the right side of the location bar. At the same time, the location bar has been upgraded to rounded corners. A lot of the bigger redesigns of the browser have been targeted to the many Firefox-specific pages, much like the default Start page and the add-on manager. Moreover, the new open tab management window takes up the entire width of the screen. Compared to its new look, this lets you avoid making do with the crammed portion on the left-side gutter.

Before the official photos were revealed, there was much talk about a change in the design of the mobile browser. While this was nothing but a cover-up, the real changes are found under the browser’s technicalities. Among the biggest change it has gone through is that the current XML User Interface Language has already been ditched for the native Android code. Through this change, the browser gets launched by the Native Android code in just fractions of a second, compared to a few seconds.

If you’re finding these changes all too appealing, you will have to stop for a bit and see that these do not come without a cost. Once your Android Firefox makes use of the new interface, your current Firefox Sync will get disrupted. In addition, the current add-ons you have for your Android browser will need to be rewritten. Fortunately, they can easily be rewritten. Considering the hassle this can cause to the user, Mozilla was able to place a higher app speed value compared to relying on its app features. An added feature is the ability to track design changes with the use of the Firefox for Android Nightly Channel.

[Source: CNET]

NEXT: Firefox 8 for Android Loaded with New Useful Features

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Customization Apps

1. Free Advanced Task Manager

As the name says, this program enables you to accomplish the basic routines quickly without eating up your phone’s resources. These tasks include viewing system information, monitoring battery power and memory usage, and closing and uninstalling programs.

2. Linda Manager

This app can be called the Android version of Windows Explorer as it provides similar file management functions. The phone will feel like a PC as you copy, paste or rename files and folders, change folder views, and navigate through directories.

3. PhoneWeaver

Profiles allow you to centralize control of your phones basic features such as those for volume, ringtone, and connectivity. With this app you can set up various profiles and manually or automatically shift to any them. Automatic profile changes can be triggered by time, battery life and even location.

4. Backgrounds

Most task manager types of apps provide a way to change the wallpaper but rarely do any of them provide a stock of excellent high-definition images. Consider this app if you’re the kind of Android user who values personalization tweaks on his phone.

Communication Apps

5. Opera Mini

If you want to save some money on your data subscription then you’ll need a fast loading web browser on your phone. Opera’s browser for mobile platforms does the job quickly because it uses their servers to compress web pages.

6. Google +

This is actually a packaged set of apps for sending instant messages, sharing videos and photos, and updating designated social groups via Circles. It’s Google’s official mobile social media platform.

7. WhatsApp Messenger

This is another communication tool geared towards social networking that allows you to sidestep SMS and MMS limitations, particularly the hidden and international charges.

Camera Apps

8. Camera360

Imagine combining the visual effects and the color and resolution modifying features of an image editor with your phone’s camera and this app is the impressive result. Photos you take with this app won’t look like they come from a phone’s camera.

9. Barcode Scanner 

Some retailers use barcodes that don’t just give the price but also tell you where to find product-related online resources as well. You can use this app with your Android phone to get both types of information by scanning barcodes and QR codes. The program is a two-way street as it also allows you to share files through QR codes.

10. CamScanner

You can basically turn your Android phone into a pocket-sized scanner with this app. Aside from digitizing photographed documents, the app enables you to turn the file into PDFs and then upload to a cloud account like Dropbox.

Entertainment Apps and Games

11. PowerAMP

This app has all the features you would expect of a media player. It supports a wide range of audio file formats, comes with an equalizer, arrange playlists, set specific audio as ringtones, and even download album art. Just like typical PC media players, you can also re-skin this app to add a customized look.

12. Ant Smasher

You press on the touchscreen to squash the ants. Most addictive games usually have surprisingly simple mechanics but engaging gameplay. This is one notable example as the game has currently garnered around 10 million downloads. The developer has even added a social media element by allowing you to squash shared pictures from your friends.

13. Army Sniper

First person shooters are always a popular choice. The phone tilting controls sets this apart from the usual sniper-themed games.

14. Talking Ben The Dog

Virtual pets are another type of interactive entertainment that has its own popular niche in the mobile game industry. As a retired chemistry professor (who happens to be a dog) Ben is not so much a pet as a companion.

Security Apps

15. Anti-Virus Free

This is AVG’s mobile security offering for Android phones. Like its PC counterpart, it’s a free security program that comes with relatively robust scanning and cleaning features.

16. History Eraser

Keeping your phone and browser history clean is one of the standard methods for avoiding malicious intrusions and security threats. This app can keep your Android phone spotless of any trace from logged calls to search histories.

17. Where’s My Android

Losing or misplacing your phone is not an uncommon accident. The typical attempt of calling it from another phone usually works unless the lost phone’s in silent mode. This app can bypass that setting and simultaneously turn the ring volume to maximum. It also allows you to locate your missing phone via GPS.

via slodive

NEXT: Apps to Use When You’re Bored with Your Android Phone’s Lockscreen

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