I’ve had my Motorola Backflip for a month and have settled on a set of applications to keep on my phone. All of these applications work with Android version 1.5. My Backflip has a Camera / GPS / Compass and Accelerometers. Where an application makes use any of these hardware components I’ve mentioned it in the description. If you think I’m missing a great one, let me know!

Internet Clients:

• K-9 Mail – K-9 Dog Walkers
  My IMAP email client. This is the application I use the most on the phone.
• SSI gTasks ToDo – SSI
  This application allows me to view/edit my Google Tasks list on my phone.
• NewsRob (Pro) – Mariano Kamp
  This RSS reader syncs with Google Reader, and is the only application that I have paid to upgrade to the “pro” version.
• Meebo IM – meebo
  An IM client that supports all the networks I use.

Multimedia:

• museek Music Player – musicexplorer
  I have several gigs of ogg vorbis music on my phone, and museek had the playlist support I needed.

Android/Cellular Enhancement:

• Advanced Task Killer – ReChild
  This program allows you to kill off certain applications to save memory.
• Android Agenda Widget – Everybody All the Time
  The most customizable way to quickly and easily display your calendar on the home screen as a widget.
• Apps Organizer – Fabio Collini
  As you can see from this page, I’ve got a LOT of applications. The default applications drawer just doesn’t cut it. Apps Organizer allows you to put applications into little windows by category and call them up quickly.
• Google Voice – Google
  If you use google voice for “visual voicemail” this application makes your transcripts easier to view than via SMS. It also integrates google voice calling with your dialer.
• BatteryLife – CurveFish
  A nice battery widget.
• Battery Graph – Morgan H
  This program tracks your battery voltage over time and plots the data on a graph.
• System Panel – NextApp Inc
  Allows you to see how much CPU (and Memory) each application is using. The paid version also records historical data.
• DropBox – Dropbox, Inc
  A free commercial product, DropBox makes it easy to keep files synced between your phone and various computers. I am impressed with their cross platform (linux) support.
• GPS Status – EclipSim
  A nice status monitoring program that gives you all kind of information about your internal GPS subsystem, satellites in view, signal strength, etc.

Reference Tools:

• Easy Tie Lite – Basesign
  Need to tie a Tie for a wedding or other formal occasion? This application will remind you how!
• Unit Converter – Convert Pad – Sonny Moon
  It’s unit conversions. I don’t use it much, but when you need it, it’s nice to have.
• Periodic Table – PeriodicPad – Sonny Moon
  I haven’t actually needed to look up information about an element yet, but should I ever need to do so, I’m ready!
• SitOrSquat – Densebrain, Inc
  A national directory of public bathrooms. Haven’t had to use it yet, but it sure seems like it might be useful to have!
• Google Sky Map – Google
  Google really did a skymap right. Your phone uses it’s GPS, compass and accelerometers to make the phone display the stars in the direction you are holding it.

AR / Internet Data Tools:

• Barcode Scanner – Zxing Team
  A barcode scanner that can link to online content. It works with 2D barcodes and can decode email/URL’s/phone numbers.
• Shopper – Google
  Looks up prices for books, movies, and CD’s. In addition to barcode scanning, it can also recognize cover art in some cases.
• Zillow Real Estate – Zillow.com
  Basically a layer of home prices overlaid on google maps.
• Stock Quote – BlShlNews
  An advanced stock portfolio tracker. Handles cost per share overall gain/loss calculations. Smaller text display than Quote Pro (below) but offers links to financial news/charts, etc, as well as a desktop widget. This is the best free stock tracking tool I’ve used, but if you want something a bit simpler, try out Quote Pro.
• Quote Pro – Quirk Consulting
  Keep an eye on your stocks with real-time tracking. Simple application with one-screen updates on your stocks of choice.
• Trapster – Trapster.com
  National database of police speed traps and radar cameras.
• Google Translate – Google
  Google powered translation system.

Tools:

• Wifi Analyizer – farproc
  Scans the WiFi bands and tells you what networks are nearby, and their signal strengths. Useful to find open (free) frequencies or to test your AP’s signal strength and coverage.
• Ruler – Babak Mozaffari
  An on-screen ruler that can be calibrated.
• JogTracker – Highway North Interactive
  GPS map logger that calculates speed, caleries, etc. Also includes ability to upload jog/walk/run/cycles to the jog tracker website.
• Tuner – gStrings – cohortor.org
  Use your phone as a instrument tuner.
• Metal Detector – Kurt Radwanski
  Uses your phone’s compass to detect metallic objects. More of a party trick than an actual useful metal detector, but I guess if you had to find an old V8 engine that was buried only a few inches under sand….
• Crow’s Flight – GPS – Cw&t
  GPS without the maps. Log a point, and it tells you the direction and distance back to the point.
• Bubble Level – Antoine Vlaney
  Uses your phone’s accelerometers to work as a level. May not be as accurate as a true carpenters level, but if you only had your phone….
• Compass – Snaptic
  The best interface to your phone’s internal compass. Some modes also integrate GPS data.
• StopWatch – sportstracklive.com
  A standard stop-watch application, but it also includes count-down timers and alarms.
• BACKFLIP Light – Motorola Inc.
  A Backflip specific application with one lightbulb shaped button. It allows you to toggle the Motorola Backflip’s LED flash on/off to use as a (quite powerful) flashlight.

Security:

• Big Brother GPS – eGnarF
  This application will wake up periodically and send GPS coordinates to a website of your choice. I like the fact that it sends the data to any website you want, and even wrote a simple script to take advantage of it. It’s not a stealth program, so perhaps not as good for securing your phone, but it can be used to allow others to see where you are, what routes you took, etc.
• Lookout Mobile Security – Lookout
  A (currently) free commercial product beta that includes virus scanning, phone GPS tracking, etc…
• Wm Anti Theft Lite – Winkymega
  A program that watches your SIM card. If somebody replaces your SIM card it will SMS you and a few other friends phone numbers with the new information so you can try and catch the person who stole your phone.