Software

If you want an Office suite on an Android, you usually have to pull out the pocketbook. This free download lets you view all sorts of Office documents without paying one red cent. OpenOffice Document Reader won't work for everyone and is loaded down with ads, but it's still near the top as far as Office readers go.

This is just a reader app, so you won't be able to edit any of the files it works with. OpenOffice Document Reader displays text and HTML just fine. If it doesn't work with your file, it displays … Read more

For many, OneNote is the unsung hero of the Microsoft Office suite. If you need to grab your notes from it on your smartphone or tablet, you can try OneNote Mobile. It's not as useful as other unofficial Office apps, but it has a layout that you're used to. If you're tied deeply into that ecosystem, it's probably the app you should use.

In order to access this app, you have to log in with a Windows Live account. Once you do, the app only controls stuff saved to your Live account's SkyDrive. It won'… Read more

There's a bevy of powerful, Web-connected memo apps to choose from for your Android phone. Notepad Plus separates itself from the pack not by adding a ton of features, but by barely offering any. While that may be a negative for some users, it's a dream for people who just need to quickly jot down ideas.

The app's layout cleverly mimics a yellow memo pad to make pen and pencil fans feel right at home. You can't change fonts or style, but you can create multiple notes and browse them with ease. The app technically works … Read more

Smartphones take great photos, but they're usually not the best when it comes to collecting and editing them. Muzy changes all of that. It has one of the most robust set of features we've seen in a photo app. You won't even have to put up with ads to do it, either.

This app makes you log in before you can start editing your photos. You can save some time by connecting your Facebook profile. If you go that route, you can edit all of your Facebook photos and even some of your friend's photos. The … Read more

It's really tough to compete with the built-in calendar and task planner on Androids, but if you're looking for a solid, non-Google planner, you've found it in mOffice. It has a smooth layout and most of the features you love about Google in a neat package.

This app is designed to sync with your Outlook desktop program. It will also sync with a client called Mobisynapse, but that costs an extra $10. This app falls under the "Getting Things Done" method of thinking, which seems to mean it's optimized to make work convenient. As … Read more

Full Office suites on Android don't often come cheap or easy. If you just need to view, and not edit, Office Documents Viewer is a free download that lets you read just about any sort of Office file. It's ad-heavy, but it certainly works in a pinch.

The most prominent aspect of the reader is that it sticks animated ads in any file you try to read with it. They usually don't get in the way, but it's still annoying. Office Documents Viewer displays text and HTML files smoothly, but it has to convert other files … Read more

Has your carrier yet to bless you with Android's latest operating system? This launcher makes your home screen look and feel like you have Android 4.1 instead of an older version. There are a few weird hitches in the execution, but Jelly Bean Launcher is a nice compromise if you don't want to root.

You can make this launcher your full-time home screen by making it the default app. The launcher grabs a few widgets from your current app's menu to paste on your home screen. It doesn't check your current home-screen layout, though, so … Read more

Flashlight apps are a must-have on just about any smartphone. That's why they tend to top the Google Play charts. You won't find IQ Light up high with them, though, and that's not just because it isn't in the Play Store. This app fails so soundly at doing what you need it to that it isn't even worth downloading.

This app isn't available from Google's official market, so you need a side-loader to install it. Instead of using your camera's flash to light up the dark, this app turns your screen bright … Read more

Insta-anything tends to carry a lot of weight in the smartphone world, but this app seems to only be capitalizing on the success without brining anything to the table. It's a photo-editor in name, but it doesn't really do anything.

The goal of InstaSize is to find the "perfect" size for your photos. In reality, it just shrinks them a few pixels without even caring about the content of the picture. When you tap the button to "resize" your photos, you're hit by an ad before the app gives you results. Ads actually … Read more