[Our Apps] Tony’s “Can’t Leave Home Without ‘Em” Roundup

As a rooted Android device user, I constantly find myself flashing new ROMs on my devices and having to reinstall my apps. Of course, there are a ton of apps that may or may not make the cut each time, but there are a few select “must-have” apps out there that I simply cannot leave home without. To avoid redundancy, I won’t mention any Google apps in this post, other than Google+ — I have a slight addiction — don’t judge me.

I’ll break these down by category for you and you can decide for yourself whether or not you’d like to install any of them for yourself.

System Tools and Customization

Titanium Backup — You already know about this one, and if you don’t, I suggest you check it out on the Play Store. A MUST HAVE for any rooted Android device.

Download - Free

Download Pro Key – $6.58

Apex Launcher — This is the first app I have to install after TiB. My homescreen is the most important feature of my Android devices, and Android Does did an excellent job of helping me keep everything in check with this amazing launcher. It covers all of my homescreen needs, and looks amazing while doing so. Unfortunately, it only works on Ice Cream Sandwich, so that counts a lot of people out.

Download - Free

Download Pro – $3.99

Boot Animation Installer — Granted, this app was developed by our very own David Wagner Jr, but it wouldn’t matter to me who made it. Again, this is an app that requires root, and will do exactly what the title implies — it installs new boot animations without any guesswork. It’s only a buck, and Lil’ Davie could surely use the extra scratch for devices to develop more apps for.

Download – $0.99

Ice Cream Sandwich Theme — Believe it or not, I do have a must-have theme that I download with every new flash. Even though I own a phone that runs Ice Cream Sandwich, it’s painted over with HTC Sense.

For those of you who haven’t paid any attention to my thoughts about Sense, I’d rather eat nails than look at it. Call me an Android purist. I dislike almost any skinned Android experience, and I always opt for an AOSP ROM whenever possible. Unfortunately, AOSP does not exist for my HTC Amaze, so I have to go with the next available option, this amazing ICS theme, from Kovdev.

Oh, and these also work on Gingerbread devices. Enjoy!

Download – Free

Zedge Ringtones and Wallpapers — Zedge is, by far, my favorite app for downloading ringtones, notification sounds and wallpapers. In a recent update, the app also lets you browse through live wallpapers, which are downloaded via the Google Play Store, rather than being downloaded directly through the app, like everything else. In either case, this is a win for anyone looking to change the way their phone/tablet looks and sounds.

Download – Free

Social

While, the majority of my social networking time is definitely spent on Google+, I do spend time on other networks, as well. There are only two apps I need to keep me connected with everywhere besides G+:

Tweetcaster — The offerings from OneLouder Apps are always awesome. I’m love with the Tweetcaster user interface and the app provides all the functionality I need to stay on top of both Twitter and Facebook, though I rarely use TC for the latter. For those of you still active on Twitter, feel free to follow me at @TonyTha1AndOnly. Follow @OneLouderApps too, for that matter.

Download – Free

Download Ad-Free – $4.99

Foursquare — Okay, what can I say? I’m a check-in junkee. I’m especially loving the new update and the awesome new UI. I’m also in stiff competition with one of my co-workers to become and remain the mayor of the brewery we both work at. True nerd problems, right? Millions of users can’t be wrong, and I’m totally hooked. How about you?

Download – Free

News, Sports & Weather

There are a ton of options out there to keep one up-to-date with current news, sports and weather. Here are the ones I need to get by, not counting Google Reader or Google Currents, which are my absolute go-to choices, but since I said I would skip Google apps, here are my next options:

ESPN ScoreCenter — Say what you must. I know there are better options available out there, but there’s just something about that official ESPN news ticker that makes me get all warm and fuzzy in the pants. This app is a must-have for me, especially whenever football or basketball season is underway. The only thing that would make it better is the ability to watch live streams, but I don’t foresee that happening any time soon due to broadcasting rights issues.

Download – Free

News Republic — If I have to pick one non-Google news app, this is definitely it. There’s a version for phones, as well as one for tablets, which plays very nicely on my TF101. As you can tell from most of my other picks, I’m a big fan of a snazzy UI and News Republic delivers just that. The app covers your topics and delivers full articles, photos and videos directly to your device so you never miss an important story.

Download for phone – Free

Download for tablet – Free

Go Weather  EX — This is an app that comes from another development team that I suggest anyone who is unfamiliar with should check out. GO Weather EX is an awesome customizable weather app that has some of the most beautiful widgets you’ll ever find. Best of all, it’s free.

Download – Free

So, there you have it, folks. These are the apps that I absolutely must install every time I flash a new ROM, or buy a new device. I hope that some of these will come to you as new discoveries, and I’d love to hear if you have any suggestions for me. I’m always open to new discoveries.

Thanks for reading!