Price: Free
AppBrain Link
Unless you know what you’re searching for, it’s pretty difficult to navigate through the Android Market, especially if you’re just looking for new and interesting apps to try. Even the official online interface only highlights a select few downloads. AppBrain, amongst others, presents the Android Marketplace in an easy-to-navigate format, categorizing downloads by popularity, top rated, etc. There is a corresponding AppBrain app which, when downloaded, presents the same more powerful search presentation on your phone. More uniquely, the app also allows you to sync a list of your apps between the mobile and web interface, giving you the ability to browse for apps on your computer, mark them for installation, and launch your phone’s app to download them through the marketplace. Given the limited functionality of the official Android Marketplace, you have to manually press the install and permission-granting buttons, but AppBrain links you to each app for quick installation.
The other notable feature of AppBrain is the ability to share your installed apps with other people via your profile page. This isn’t meant to be a social networking feature, per se - the links are pretty much hidden unless you know the user’s username, but it works as an easy way to see what other users have installed and quickly mark them for installation later. The design might not be as slick as the OEM Marketplace, but with the improved search and functionality, I’ve removed the standard Market shortcut from my home screen.
AppBrain Link
Unless you know what you’re searching for, it’s pretty difficult to navigate through the Android Market, especially if you’re just looking for new and interesting apps to try. Even the official online interface only highlights a select few downloads. AppBrain, amongst others, presents the Android Marketplace in an easy-to-navigate format, categorizing downloads by popularity, top rated, etc. There is a corresponding AppBrain app which, when downloaded, presents the same more powerful search presentation on your phone. More uniquely, the app also allows you to sync a list of your apps between the mobile and web interface, giving you the ability to browse for apps on your computer, mark them for installation, and launch your phone’s app to download them through the marketplace. Given the limited functionality of the official Android Marketplace, you have to manually press the install and permission-granting buttons, but AppBrain links you to each app for quick installation.
The other notable feature of AppBrain is the ability to share your installed apps with other people via your profile page. This isn’t meant to be a social networking feature, per se - the links are pretty much hidden unless you know the user’s username, but it works as an easy way to see what other users have installed and quickly mark them for installation later. The design might not be as slick as the OEM Marketplace, but with the improved search and functionality, I’ve removed the standard Market shortcut from my home screen.
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