1. GOOGLE TRANSLATE
We've seen a few clever translation apps in our time, but recently Google Translate has crushed them all. It now offers (sometimes clunky, word-for-word) translations of over 70 languages with input via text, handwritten words or symbols, spoken words or even text recognition via the camera. It can then give you the translation in the form of text or speak it for you.
The core app can do all this with a data connection, and language packs can be downloaded for free so you can use it abroad without the need for Wi-Fi or the fear of roaming data charges.
2. NASA APP
This isn't the best looking app in the world, but it's full of geek-level info and media from the NASA archive, along with news and updates on what's going on up there and back at base.
More after the break...
3. TWICKETS
Twickets is a way to buy or sell spare tickets to gigs or events, but what makes it special is the rule that tickets can only change hands for their face value or less. That means the profiteering touts stay away and genuine fans get to recyle spares in good faith - great if one of your mates has dropped out and left you in the lurch, or you need an extra seat at short notice.
4. AUDIBLE FOR ANDROID
Long journey? Tired eyes? Audio books! A bit like radio shows that you actually want to listen to, a bit like podcasts before all the funny people stopped doing them, a bit like books being read to you (OK, mostly the latter), audio books are a treat to be savoured.
5. NAVFREE
You've got Google Maps already and that's lovely. However, that relies on a data connection, which isn't always available even in your home nation and will sting you with ludicrous charges abroad. Navfree is based on an open-source map database and provides mapping and voice-guided sat-nav for no cash at all.
Hotels are great when other people are paying, or if you have pots of cash to waste, but otherwise they're rarely situated where you want them. Airbnb is one of the stars of the so-called shareconomy, an accommodation network built around normal people offering up their unused rooms for a little bit of extra cash.
The result? You'll be able to find somewhere to stay right in the heart of the city, up a mountain or even down a river, often for a very decent price. Just spend a minute browsing the amazing pads on offer and you'll be hooked.
7. ANY.DO TO-DO LIST & TASK LIST
We're all busy. Busy creating Stuff To Do lists and sticking them in our bags, on the front door, in our back pockets and tapping them into note apps on our phones. Any.do is the best way to keep on top of all those loose ends, thanks to its cloud syncing and sharing skills. You can have it running as a live widget on your homescreen and also separate your tasks into different folders.
8. COMICS
With access to over 45,000 comics from DC, Marvel, Image Comics, IDW and Disney, the Comics app is the place to go for all things graphically novel. You get quite a few freebies to get you started, with more free titles released each week. Paid-for comics will typically set you back between £0.69 and £2.49. The app really comes alive on larger devices, where you can pore over the panels in a more leisurely manner than on a phone.
9. ZOOPLA PROPERTY SEARCH
It won't necessarily find everything in your chosen area, but Zoopla (which incorporated Findaproperty.com in 2012) has a huge amount of properties for sale, and even if it's just used as a jumping off point it can give you a good idea of what's available and the prices involved. The app itself could be easier to use, but it does the basics of allowing you to search on specific area, property type, number of bedrooms and add keywords, then browse photos and link up with the agent.
10. COCKTAIL FLOW - DRINK RECIPES
The best feature of this cocktail recipe book is the way you can tell it what odds and ends you've got lurking in the cupboard under the sink, and then ask it to suggest palatable ways to mix them up. It also comes with a library of popular cocktails, with additional packs that can be downloaded for a small fee.
11. MONEY TRACKER
Easily our favourite app for keeping a handle on incomings and outgoings, Money Tracker strikes a sensible balance between simplicity and features. As well as the basic sums, it lets you create your own folders and categories, so you can see where it all goes each month, and more easily define where you might be able to make savings in future. Did you really spend that much on coffee this week? Maybe you should invest in a flask this weekend.
12. HANGOUTS
"Hey! Who wants brunch at Choochies today?" "Count me in! I've got tickets to the Nicks game, wanna come too?" Etc. Alternatively you can use Hangouts to message friends via text, video and emoticon-style "emojis" in a more realistic manner. "Train cancelled again", or "Dad, get on the video call so you can show me how to fix the boiler". That sort of thing. Woah! Hangouts rocks!
More after the break...
13. DUOLINGO: LEARN LANGUAGES FREE
Google Translate may be great, but the long-term aim should be to learn to speak all those languages yourself. Duolingo does an amazing job of making this fun, with a format that's a bit like a pub quiz machine. It currently supports Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian and English, and if you "play" it regularly you'll definitely pick up at least some competence in your chosen language. With more intensive use you can give yourself a week's crash course before a trip abroad.
14. HOUZZ INTERIOR DESIGN IDEAS
This one is all about inspiration. As you would hope from an app about design, Houzz itself is neat, logically laid out, smart and pretty in all the right places, making it the perfect distraction as you recline on your Eames lounge chair, feet up on the ottoman, contemplating the witty juxtaposition of that chandelier in your bedsit.
15. FXGURU: MOVIE FX DIRECTOR
This slightly gimmicky special effects app is nonetheless very clever, verging on useful. It comes with a batch of free effects (the kind of things you'd see in a disaster movie) with additional packs as in-app purchases.
You point your phone or tablet at a scene (say, your office, the street or your garden), and then the app records a short video clip with a destructive missile attack or perhaps a hovering UFO superimposed over the live action. Motion tracking allows you to pan as you film, too.
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