Your guide to the essential Android apps

We've all seen those iPhone adverts that declare there's an app for everything so you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Apple App Store was the only one with any choice.

But while Nokia's Ovi Store and Microsoft's Windows Mobile Marketplace have been the dampest of damp squibs in comparison there is one competitor that can match the iPhone in variety.

Android is the Google operating system for mobile phones, and it's rapidly gaining in popularity. In three weeks between April and May market share for Android phones jumped from just under two per cent to more than six per cent.

The Android Market is just as lively - over 9,000 new applications were added in March alone. This is good news for owners of Android handsets such as the HTC Hero, HTC Desire and Sony Xperia X10 because you've got a huge variety of great games and apps to make the most of your phone. Here are some of the best.

Ebuddy
eBuddy (pictured, right) handles all your instant messaging needs and is compatible with MSN, Gtalk, AIM, ICQ and more. It has an intuitive and attractive interface that neatly organises all your contacts and ongoing conversations.

AppBrain
AppBrain is an app that helps you find and download apps, and should be the first thing any Android owner installs as it makes the process really simple. Once you've installed it from the Android Market head on over to AppBrain.com and when browsing for programs you can hit the 'install' button. Then all you need to do is go onto your phone and sync AppBrain, and it'll download all the programs you selected via the web site. Clever and unendingly useful.

Google Goggles
Clever clogs Google made this smart app which analyses photos and attempts to match it to an online database, helping you to compare prices and identify unknown objects. It's hit and miss, but really impressive when it works.

Quick Settings
Quick Settings gives fast access to Wi-Fi, GPS, mobile data and Bluetooth. Turning these off preserves battery life so this is a handy shortcut that saves you trawling through multiple menus. Definitely one to keep on the home screen.

Layar Reality Browser
Got a new smartphone and want to show off? Layar is the app to do it. Search on Layar for restaurants, shops or anything else and hold up the screen and this impressive program will show the distance and direction overlaid on reality.

BeebPlayer
iPlayer on your phone! This isn't an official BBC product but it works beautifully, giving you access to the previous 7 days of Beeb output plus live TV and radio. Hours of cookery shows and Dr Who in your pocket.

Barcode Scanner
Not a remake of Barcode Battler, but a very useful tool that does exactly what it says. As well as allowing you to compare prices of just about anything with a barcode, this app makes it quick and easy to scan 'QR codes'. A QR code links you straight to apps, contact info and other data and is a quick way to go straight to a URL on your phone's web browser. The example shown here links to AppBrain.

ShopSavvy
This brilliant price comparison tool has a barcode scanning function like Goggles and Barcode Scanner, but does a much better job of finding the right products. It's always useful when you're shopping as you can very quickly check just how much cheaper that DVD boxset is online.

Any Cut
Any Cut saves time wasted browsing through settings and menus by allowing you to create shortcuts on the home screens to just about anything, whether it's a commonly used app or creating a new text message. You can also edit the titles, handy if the default shortcut name for a program is too long.

Shazam
Play a snippet of a song and Shazam - apparently powered by magic - will identify the tune, linking you to the artist's web sites and providing sources to buy the track. It's a fun, useful app for music lovers and another one that's great for showing off the capabilities of your phone.

Handcent SMS
The default Android messaging app is poor, so replacing it should be a priority. There are numerous options but Handcent (pictured, right) is among the best, giving you lots of scope for customisation, a handy pop-up alert and full MMS support.

PDAnet
PDAnet is the simplest way to tether your Android phone to a PC so you can use it as a modem. It's relatively user friendly and works over Bluetooth and USB. The basic free version blocks connections to secure (https) sites so you can try it out first, while the full fat PDAnet is unlocked with a one-off $30 fee. If you want to know more about the subject, then have a peek at my recent blog post on smartphone tethering.

This is just a small selection of the many thousands of applications available for Android phones so have a browse around the Android Market via your handset or check sites such as Androlib.com and AppBrain. And if you're interested in buying a new Android phone don't forget that Broadband Genie now includes smartphone comparisons with reviews and price listings.

So what have we missed?

Feel free to tell us below about the Android apps you simply can't live without below.