G1 Apps: Hangman

After having great luck finding a good Tic Tac Toe game, I was hoping to have equal success finding a Hangman app. No such luck. I tried two different apps and wasn't particularly pleased with either.

Hangman from Vavni is a remarkably pretty application, but it's difficult to use. The touch keyboard on the screen has letters that are so small it's practically impossible to press only one letter at a time. The game also works with the keyboard, but this takes something away from the enjoyment.

HangDroid's touch screen alphabet works slightly better, but is still difficult. The graphics aren't as pretty as Vavni's entry, and the Android figure who gets "hanged" doesn't seem to have enough body parts for an enjoyable game.

I continue my quest for the ultimate Hangman app.

Best G1 Android Phone Games (So Far)

As with many of the new smart phones, several game apps are available for the Google G-1. Some of my favorites so far:

WordPops: Make words as letters "fall" up from the bottom of the screen. A cross between Tetris and Boggle. Comes in a free version (WordPops Lite), but worth the $.99 purchase price for the wider array of usable letters.

Tic Tac Toe: Some of the Tic Tac Toe versions were ponderous and difficult to use, but the free app I found on a quick search of the Android store is fun and fast-moving. It's a great game to play with the kids at restaurants when you're waiting for your food and you've run out of Tic Tac Toe grids on the kids' menu.

AlphaMixr: Also available in a free version, but again worth the $.99 purchase price. Form as many words as you can out of a set of supplied letters while racing the clock.

G1 Apps--Calorie Counter

The free Calorie Counter app is a useful tool for anyone wanting to keep track of their calorie consumption. With lists of major items from fast food chains, as well as a barcode scanner, it supplies enough data to get most people through a typical day. You can also save favorites that you eat often, and at the end of the day it gives you a grand total of your calorie consumption.

The barcode scanner is a bit tricky to use, but once you get the hang of it, it gives you a full nutritional profile for the item in question that you can then plug right into your day's menu. Whether you're watching your weight or just trying to eat healthier, the Calorie Counter can be a big help.

G1 Apps--aBook Reader

The aBook reader for the Android phone provides a surprisingly easy-to-read format for reading. In spite of the small screen, the books are quite legible. Page-turning is accomplished with a simple finger-swipe (or thumb-swipe), accompanied by page-turney noises if you so desire (the sounds can be turned off if you want your reading experience to be quieter or sneakier).

The layout is pretty, too, with a parchment-like background for the text. The only real complaint about this reader is that there aren't many books available that I was able to find.

Read: Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Short Stories of Edgar Allen Poe

G1 Apps--Tag To Do

When consolidating your electronic devices onto your phone, a To Do list is essential. The Android Marketplace offers several, of which Tag To Do has become my list-maker of choice.

Tag To Do allows you to make multiple to do lists based on varying categories--work, home, grocery list, etc. Within each individual list, you can assign priorities and/or due dates. When an item reaches its due date, the application sends a message that appears in the notification area of the phone to let you know the date has arrived and you haven't checked off the item as done.

This combination of flexibility and notification makes Tag To Do a useful tool for anyone trying to keep themselves organized. Best of all, it's free.

My Favorite New Gadgets

Every once in a while I feel the need to buy a new, cool gadget. Here's some info about a couple I've purchased recently and have really enjoyed. I got them both at Target.

iHome. This nifty little iPod dock turns your iPod into an alarm clock. You can also use it to set music to play for a certain amount of time while you drift off to sleep. With a little manipulation of my playlists, I can drift off to Iron and Wine and wake up to Cake.

RCA DVD Recorder. This is a gadget I've been waiting for half my life and only just now managed to acquire. Record from TV directly to DVD, or convert old VHS tapes to DVD format. It's easy, the quality is equal to whatever quality you put in (recordings from the DVR look great), and DVDs use up a lot less storage space than those old videotapes. There are lots of different brands available--shop around and see which one fits your needs the best.