Top 10 Android apps for 10/29/2008

The Android Market has only been open for a week to US users, with UK users coming online today. Developers have been able to register and upload their own applications for Android phones such as the T-Mobile G1 since Monday. Even so, close to 100 new programs are available now for free, with more being added every day. Here are the top applications and games (by popularity) in the Android Market as of this writing.

Applications

1. The Weather Channel - There are several weather programs available now but this one is on top due to its rich interface and quick updates. The only down side is the size - 1.4MB, which is relatively hefty by Android standards. If you want a smaller one you might want to consider
2. WikiMobile Encyclopedia - You could always to go the wikipedia web site, but this version is segmented and architected for the small screen and narrow bandwidth of your phone. In my opinion, though, Quickpedia is better.
3. CompareEverywhere - The best of the three barcode readers, from Jeff Sharkey. Right now it's more likely to find your item than ShopSavy, but ShopSavy developers vow to make a comeback through agreements with retailers. We'll see, it should be interesting.
4. MySpace Mobile - Stay in constant contact with your friends any time, any place.
5. Ringdroid - This is my personal favorite out of this week's batch. It lets you edit any audio file (or even record one) and save a snippet as a ringtone, alarm, notification, or a new audio file. The user interface is far beyond most other Android applications at this stage (see screenshot above).

Games

1. Pac-Man - Namco's port of the perennial favorite. What can I say, except turn down your volume before trying it: it's loud! Works best with the little trackball on the G1 phone.
2. Solitaire - What computer slash phone would be complete without a game of Solitaire? Ken Magic's take on it is graphically uninteresting and pixelated, but if you gotta play, you gotta play.
3. Brain Genius Deluxe - Beautifully drawn, but slow and not very fun. It's also large, weighing in at a hefty 6MB.
4. CB Blackjack - Charlene the bikini wearing beach beauty is back in this, um, bouncy and somewhat fun version of Blackjack. It's a poor fit for Android, though, looking more like a 16-color port of a J2ME rerun. Sorry, Charlene.
5. Bonsai Blast - A big game, at 6.5MB, but this one is worth the download. Try to line up three or more balls of the same color by shooting at a moving ball train with magic cards. Hmm, it's easier to play than explain (see screenshots).

Honorable Mention

These applications didn't make the top 10 list this week but I like them so I thought they deserved to be recognized here:

• mem - A simple but fun version of Simon. It even talks to you.
• Quickpedia - Another mobile version of wikipedia but this one is faster and more full featured.
• AnyCut - Creates shortcuts out of anything, including hidden activities inside of larger ones. For example you can go directly to the WiFi configuration with one touch.
• TuneWiki - Synchronized music and lyrics of your favorite songs.

What's your favorite Android app? Let us know in the comments.