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Software

Five useful Android apps you probably never heard of

By Jack Wallen March 3, 2015, 11:51 AM PST

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Five useful Android apps you probably never heard of

Introduction

Introduction

If you’re an Android user, you know the Google Play Store isrnfilled with apps — many of which are outstanding, but some of which… are not.rnFinding a few of the hidden, lesser-known gems isn’t a terribly challengingrntask, but it can take a while. So to save you a bit of time, I searched thernPlay Store and came up with five apps you may never have heard of but mightrnbenefit from using. Let’s see if any of them fits your bill.

Note: This gallery is also available as an article.

Five useful Android apps you probably never heard of

ProxyDroid

ProxyDroid

As far as proxy apps are concerned, ProxyDroid makes itrnworth taking the time to root your device. You’ll also find a handy widget forrnenabling/disabling proxies. Note that when you use the widget, you must havernselected the profile to be active within the ProxyDroid settings window. If you’rernlooking for the single most powerful proxy app available, root your phone andrnlook no further than ProxyDroid.

Five useful Android apps you probably never heard of

Total Commander

Total Commander

Total Commander is, by far, one ofrnthe ugliest file managers you’ll ever use. It is also one of the best. Ifrnoffers a built-in text editor, properties dialog, FTP/sFTP/WebDAV/OBEX support,rnplug-ins for cloud services, and features that let you copy/move wholernsubdirectories, drag and drop, zip/unzip/rar, select/unselect groups of files,rnsearch, select a range of files/folders, and much more

Five useful Android apps you probably never heard of

Total Commander

Total Commander

Total commander is like getting the old-school UNIX MidnightrnCommander on your Android device… only with an updated feature set and a slightly updated interface. One coolrninterface feature: If you’re viewing in portrait mode, Total Commander displaysrna single pane. However, when viewing in landscape mode, you see a dual-panerninterface.

Five useful Android apps you probably never heard of

RedLaser Barcode & QR Scanner

RedLaser Barcode & QR Scanner

RedLaser is a greatrnprice-comparison shopping app. Just scan a barcode and it will crawl therninternet and display the best online prices available. From there, you can taprnthe top price to open the item in a web browser and purchase it.

Five useful Android apps you probably never heard of

Ambio

Ambio

If you can’t sleep because there’s just too much quiet,rnAmbio will soothe you into slumber with the sounds of the ocean, rain, tickingrnclocks, fans, airplane cabins, heartbeats, white noise, and much more. And ifrnyou don’t like the included sounds, you can download more (including premiumrnsounds). You can even pause sounds and create your own mixes (combining fourrnsounds to create the perfect cacophony of noise to make you forget you’re in anrnunfamiliar hotel bed trying desperately to get enough sleep to make the nextrnday of work possible.

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By Jack Wallen
Jack Wallen is an award-winning writer for TechRepublic, The New Stack, and Linux New Media. He's covered a variety of topics for over twenty years and is an avid promoter of open source. For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website jackwallen.
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