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Eight Things You should try on Android: Frequent Buyer App, Enhanced Reality, Card Manager, Banking, and more

Updated on July 15, 2012

Introduction

Android phone can be a music player, a video player, a client logs into social networks like Facebook or Twitter, a GPS and navigation device, and so on. Here are a few things that you should try that are NOT that common, but you may find how you did without it.

Google Goggles

This app does something only possible with a smartphone... Take a picture of an object, and see if Google recognize the object and tell you about it. Logos, landmarks, foreign words on signs, artwork, and so on often work. Faces, plants, and other stuff with many variations won't work so well.

Learn more about Google Goggles and download it for your Android phone

Banking
Banking

Mobile Banking

The mobile browser itself has secure encryption so you can do mobile banking on the Android phone. Even better, major banks such as Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Chase, and so on have Android apps that logs straight into online banking and so on. Your bank may have its own Android app online.

Bank of America says in their ads you CAN do banking while you commute. And they are right.

With the rest of online banking like automatic payments through mobile banking, direct deposit, bank by phone, and debit cards, you won't have to visit a bank ever.

And even if you don't bank online, an online money management service like Mint can help you better manage your money.

Bank of America Mobile Banking (via Appbrain)
Wells Fargo Mobile Banking (via Appbrain)
Mint.com Personal Finance (via Appbrain)

Podcast
Podcast

Podcast Player

Most people tell you about music on the go, and some may talk about audio books (MP3) on the go, but what about podcasts?

Stitcher streams audio podcasts from dozens of providers and topics, from tech to religion and everything in between. Mediafly will do both video and audio podcasts. Even Google itself have an app called "Listen" that lets you subscribe and download podcasts and listen to them later. Now you can take your podcasts everywhere. 

Stitcher Radio (via Appbrain)
Mediafly (via Appbrain)
Listen (via Appbrain)

Hot Deals
Hot Deals

Deal Finder

Deal finders allow you to see if the item you are considering may be available elsewhere or online for cheaper.

Google Shopper is very good at finding tech items and media items (books, CDs, games, etc.) for cheaper. Another to try is ShopSavvy. Milo searches local stores for stock onhand. 

Once I considered a set of small "ear bud" headset for PC at a big office store for $20. It wasn't that bad of a price. However, a search through the Google Shopper app revealed that it's available at a popular electronics store for $10 and closest store was only a mile away.

This doesn't work for groceries such, but it can save quite a bit of money if you search for it. There are many other similar apps.

Google Shopper (via AppBrain) works best on books, movies, CDs, and such
ShopSavvy (via AppBrain) works better on tech items and media items too
Milo (via Appbrain) searches local stores for a particular item


Coupons
Coupons

Mobile Coupons

Do you shop frequently? Your smartphone can help.

Key Ring stores all your frequent buyer cards in your smartphone, so you don't end up carrying a dozen different cards. The app also brings up coupons and other special offers.

The Coupon App and plenty of other "mobile deal" apps help you find even more coupons.

If you visit certain shops every week, you may want to see if one of these apps may be able to save you more money

Key Ring Reward Cards stores all the frequent buyer cards in your smartphone
The Coupon App searches for coupons near you
The DealMap displays all the special offers near you on a map
GeoQpons is a coupon searcher and cataloger for your location

Yelp Logo
Yelp Logo

Local Reviews

Google Places, Yelp, and other apps allow you to look up ratings of almost any local business, and add your own ratings and reviews.

This works for almost any local business, from restaurants, to pet stores, to office supplies, clothing, doctors and dentists, and everything in between.

Google Places is built-in to Google Maps
Yelp (via Appbrain) lets you read reviews, add your own reviews, and get special offers

Enhanced Reality Browsing

It's hard to describe, so watch this video demo instead...

Basically, let's say you want to look for closest pizza places, so you enter "pizza" as a filter, then look through the smartphone and point it all around you... It will tell you where are the pizza places around you, how far and which direction. Yes, it really does work like that.

Layar Reality Browser (via Appbrain)

Jogging and Exercise
Jogging and Exercise

Exercise Helper

Everybody can use some help with physical exercise, but you may not realize your smartphone can help with that.

Your smartphone has a GPS, and by recording your pace and distance covered it can calculate your calories burned. The accelerometer inside can also act as a pedometer, measuring how many steps you made. It will keep an exercise log for you, remind you when you fell below a target you set, and congratulate you when you exceed it. Some apps can also teach you proper postures, and other tips with videos and so on.

RunKeeper pro full app is temporarily free, this helps you track your run on GPS
Pedometer Pro free until spring 2011, pedometer with estimated Calories burned
CardioTrainer full exercise tracker including pedometer and more


Conclusion

I hope you have discovered some new uses for your Android smartphone. Stay tuned for even more uses for your Android phone coming soon. In the meanwhile, read some of my other Android phone hubs.

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