First Android apps shown off: iPhone challenge laid down

Google’s announced the first finalists in its Android Developer Challenge, the contest to create earth-shaking apps for its upcoming mobile operating system. We’ve taken a peek, and they’re inventive, adventurous, and look set to give the iPhone’s much-touted apps a run for their money.

You can check the whole list at Phandroid, but we’ve pulled out our favourites here.

Top of the list is the winner of the Developer Challenge’s first round: AndroidScan. It’s a simple app that uses the phone’s camera to scan barcodes, then rip reviews, price information and relevant info from the web, so you’ll never buy a duff product again.

Another fave is Commandro. It’s a stalker’s dream app, using your mates’ GPS-equipped handsets to tell you where they are, and what they’re up to. Spooky, but cool at the same time.

Catering to the paranoid Android (sorry) community is Em-Radar, which uses location data to tell you about emergencies and severe weather in your area. It’s a shame we can’t get a mobile signal on the London Underground though, which is where we really want to know about that stuff.

Locale is another location-based app, but one that’s useful at all times of the day. It’ll tune your phone’s settings depending on where you are, and what time of the day it is. You can set it to be silent if you’re at work for instance, or make it forward calls to your landline if you’re at home.

Check out more apps at Phandroid.

TBC | £TBC
Android

Related stories