Sure, Android phones will make calls, fire off text messages and race round the web with ease but that still leaves you doing a lot of the work. We thought the whole point of having a personal Android was to take the weight off our shoulders, and get jobs done without lifting a finger. Luckily, there are Android apps to achieve just that.
With augmented reality apps like Google Goggles and Layar, Android can recognise objects and fill you in on information about the world around you. Automated apps will let your Android phone tackle the more mundane tasks in your life too. Here’s our guide on how to turn your Android into a thoroughly brainy ‘bot, and a mechanical manservant to boot!
Android Invasion! Everything you need to know about Android phones
Turn your Android phone into a personal shopper
Install the free Google Goggles app from the Android Marketplace and your Android phone’s camera can act like a highly evolved eye on the world, recognising books, DVDs, landmarks, logos, artwork, products, barcodes and printed text. Google Goggles doesn’t give your Android phone the ability to recognise people, animals or clothing but it’s perfect for looking up details on books or gadgets when you spot them in the shops.
When Google Goggles recognises an object, it pulls up Google search results which will also show you current deals online. Google Goggles keeps a history of the items you’ve searched for too which is handy if you spot potential birthday or Christmas gifts. You don’t need to remember what you were planning to buy your Mum for her birthday, your Android can do it for you, and it’ll find the best price online too.
Use your Android phone as a babel fish
If you find yourself in a foreign city with no clue what the signs around you say, you’ll need a translator. Luckily, an Android phone can do that for you. Using the full web browsing abilities of your Android phone, just navigate to www.google.com/translate and type in the words or phrases that are confusing you. Google Translate will translate 56 languages including Arabic and Mandarin chinese.
In the future, your Android phone may even be able to use voice recognition to translate speech with Google Translate. Google is reported to be working on babel fish style speech-to-speech translator for Google phones. Even if it takes a while for that technology to arrive, Google Translate already makes your Android phone an easy-to-use interpreter in your pocket.
Let your Android phone guide you
Instead of dealing with an irritating tour guide, use your Android phone to find out about the buildings and landmarks around you are. Grab the free Wikitude World Browser mobile travel guide app and you can point your Android phone at intriguing landmarks and see Wikipedia entries on them overlaid on your camera view.
Wikitude taps into your Android phone’s built-in GPS to determine your location and grab the relevant information. Wikitude World Browser also shows points of interest added by other travellers meaning you’re Android will learn new information every day – something few tour guides manage.
Take the weight off your fingers
Google Android voice search integrates with the Android browser and Google Maps. Just add a search widget to your homescreen by pressing and holding wherever there’s a space, press the microphone button next to the search box, say what you’re searching for or the location you’re trying to get to and Android will listen, understand and do the search for you, all without typing a word!
Google Android voice search already works well with different accents and Google has made sure it can cope with British dialects too, so there’s no need to put on your best New York twang to make your Android understand.
Turn your Android phone into a local expert
Like Wikitude, the Layar Android app is a nifty augmented reality app, but rather than simply showing you information on buildings, the “Reality Browser” app can turn your Android into a real local expert. Layar overlays information onto your Android camera view and makes use of the built-in GPS but has a vast range of information layers to choose from.
If you’re searching for a new house, you can add the Find A Property and House Detective layers to the Reality Browser, turning your Android into a part-time estate agent. Searching for a post box? Try the UK Post Box Finder layer to track down the nearest Royal Mail box. Gagging for a round of golf but can’t find a course? There’s a Golf Courses layer. Lost in London? A Tube Stations layer will help you hunt down the nearest underground ticket office.
