Top 5 Android apps

You finally got your long awaited Android phone. It might be the new Motorola Droid, or even the HTC G1 you’ve had, it’ an Android based phone and you’ve got your selection of apps to download (10,000 and counting), but here are the absolute must have best apps for fun and productivity.

1. Twidroid

If you’re a Twitter user and used to the iPhone, the first thing you might notice is that Tweetie isn’t in the Android Market. Not to worry, though: Twidroid has your back. The Android-based Twitter app is available in a free and a pro (paid) version.

Both of Twidroid’s offerings provide most every Twitter function you might need, from the basic — viewing and sending tweets, following and unfollowing users, viewing profiles — to the more advanced: saved searches, URL shortening, photo posting, and geo-location support. The pro version adds support for multiple accounts, bit.ly integration, video posting, and a handful of other options. It runs about $5.

2. Meebo for Android

Twitter? Check. Instant messaging? Check. Our second featured app will keep you connected to all of your IM accounts while you’re roaming around with your new Droid. Meebo links multiple IM protocols into a single app that you can always keep running on your phone. AIM, MSN, Yahoo, MySpace IM, Google Talk, Jabber and ICQ are all supported — and, if you create a Meebo account, you can save a collective log of all your chats that’ll be accessible online.

The Meebo for Android app is free.

3. Pandora on Android

Crank up the tunes on your new Droid immediately by installing Pandora’s Android app, available for free in the Android Market. Like its online and on-the-iPhone counterpart, the Pandora Android app lets you listen to personalized radio stations based on your favorite artists or songs. Thanks to Android’s multitasking capabilities, you’ll be able to rock out while running other apps — something the iPhone can’t handle.

4. Google Voice for Mobile

File this one under “outlawed on iPhone,” too. The official Google Voice for Mobile app fully integrates Google Voice functionality into your new Droid phone. Once installed, you can make outgoing calls from your Google Voice number with the touch of a button, right from your contacts list. You also gain easy access to voicemail and Google Voice-based SMS messaging.

The Google Voice for Mobile app is free to install and use. You do need to have an existing Google Voice account, however, for it to work.

5. KeyRing

Get rid of all those annoying membership cards with KeyRing, an Android app that puts your barcodes into your Motorola Droid. Simply scan your various cards — anything from gym memberships to drug store discount clubs — and Key Ring will categorize them into a drop-down menu.

The next time you need a card, you just pull it up on your phone — no need to actually carry the physical piece of plastic.

So there you have it: 5 Android apps to get your Android device working. There are so many more to explore, so help your fellow Androiders out and leave your recommendations below.

For more on the Droid phone, click over to “Droid Vs. iPhone: Who Will Win?”