Experiences in Day 6

Day 6 with Nexus S, and I think I really liked this phone. Slick outlook, smooth Gingerbread, high end specs – I am sold. Since it is a Gingerbread Android phone, one of the advantages is the Android Market which contains thousands of good apps and games. Therefore, it is totally reasonable to fill up the phone with tons of apps, err… good apps.

So after a few hours of installation and testing, here comes the list of apps (more to come for sure!) that passed my strict tests, in terms of usability and user experience:

1. SpringPad – All-in-one app that can be used to manage tasks, notes, scan barcode, search etc. and they can be synchronized across different platforms such as Android, iOS, and Web. I was having a lot of fun using the barcode scanner to trace the price of the item in web market, you should try it.

2. Wunderlist – An app that solely focus on task management, if you doesn’t need an all-in-one app like SpringPad. It’s simplicity and usability caught my eyes, therefore the recommendation. This app can also be synchronized across different platforms, such as Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, and Web.

3. Vignette – As a hobbyist photographer, I rarely use the stock camera app which only offering simple functionalities. Vignette is the best camera app that I come across in Android platform and it works very well in Nexus S. It can help to capture fantastic photos. A must have app!

4. ASTRO File Manager – Nope, there isn’t any file manager in Nexus S. You will need it if you require to explore your system drive or the external drive. Free version from Market serve me well and working perfectly fine on Nexus S.

5. Dropbox – One of the most useful app on my Nexus S. Dropbox is a file synchronization service which allows you to access any files from anywhere, as long as internet connection is available. Besides using for working purpose (documents, presentation), Dropbox in Nexus S can be used to store photos in the cloud, or I always used it for wireless transfer from my computer to the phone, and it is just – magical.

6. Twitter/Facebook – Well, certainly there are many clients that do the same, or even better than the official app for Twitter and Facebook, but I still prefer to use the official one, as I think they still know the best what the user need, and what they can provide, although I might sounds a little bit biased. Both work without issue with Nexus S.

7. Formula1.com 2011 – As a Formula 1 die hard fan, it is definitely one of the must have app in Nexus S. Live timing and race info are all available in this app, for the price of nil.

 

8. Quick Settings – The default Power Control widget serves me well, but I still need a quick access to all my important phone settings, so Quick Settings does this very well. It allows you to change settings for screen brightness, ringer, volume control (I like this!), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS Receiver, Mobile Internet in the same interface, and it can turn Nexus S into a torch. Sounds good? Yeah, and it is free.

Definitely the list can keep growing in the coming days, but most of the apps above are pretty much what I have been using for a while – they just feels just right on the Nexus S. And during the hunting for app, thanks to one of the Maxis10 reviewer, I have found, not one, but two hidden apps in Nexus S, which were installed but never shown in the menu. Curious what’s the apps? Stay tuned for Day 7!

As a side note, it is pretty disappointed that Google Nexus S doesn’t come with the 3G video calling functionality, even though it has a front camera. Tango app can be used for video call, however, it doesn’t have the best quality and less practical to be used (at least for me), therefore for those who are require 3G video call, unfortunately, Nexus S might not be the one for you.

Day 7, more apps and games to come! Also further exploration into the phone!