By Ryan Scott | 07-08-2012 | 10:30AM
Between Google Play and the Amazon Appstore, Android phone and tablet users have a lot of apps to choose from. In this weekly rundown, we give you a peek at five of the very best Android apps -- both free and paid -- to help you get the most out of your Android mobile device.
Chrome
(Free)
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Google's finally freed the mobile Chrome web browser from its shackles, turning it into an overnight gold standard for mobile browsing. Whether you use Dolphin, Opera, or even the built-in Android browser app, it's time to chuck it in favor of Chrome, which features a fast and easy tabbed browsing system. It also rates high for its convenience, especially if you already use Chrome on your desktop: Logging into your Google account syncs it up forever, which means immediate and always-accurate access to your bookmarks, saved passwords, and so forth.
OpenTable
(Free)
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Want to reserve a spot at your favorite restaurant? OpenTable lets you search for nearby restaurants, check for availability, and make a reservation... all from inside the app. Of course, the restaurant you're looking for needs to support OpenTable -- but with 20,000 establishments already utilizing it in North America, it's bound to include at least a couple of your favorite eating spots. And signing up for OpenTable's free member registration allows you to earn points that you can redeem for gift certificates, redeemable at any OpenTable-enabled restaurant.
Screenshot It
($3.99)
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If you're anything like me, you probably find Android OS' lack of a built-in screenshot utility annoying. It's bound to happen in a future update... but until it does, Screenshot It is a very handy utility for snapping pictures of your mobile device's desktop -- or anything else on it. Once you activate Screenshot It, a timer starts counting down, and then it snaps whatever's currently displayed on your screen. You can also utilize a "shake to screenshot" option if you find yourself needing something a bit more automatic. Read Screenshot It's Google Play page; two versions of the app exist, for root and non-root users. Make sure you grab the correct one!
Wikipedia
(Free)
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In one of my previous App Essentials columns, I discussed a handy Wikipedia app called Wapedia. You can go ahead and consider it thoroughly obsolete: The official Wikipedia app is finally available on Google Play, and it's the best way to access the site's wealth of information from your mobile device. Unlike a typical mobile web browser, the Wikipedia app is specially formatted for ease of reading, and it also tends to operate much faster. So, if you're a Wikipedia addict (and let's be honest -- who isn't?), this app is your new best friend.
