
Since you asked, Gruber, here are my Android "killer apps" - mithaler
http://perpetualstudent.net/blog/2010/11/20/my-android-killer-apps/
======
YooLi
None of those are "killer apps" in the classical definition of the phrase.
Those are apps that are awesome to you, but not killer apps. People use killer
app now to mean any good app, kind of how every model today is a super model
if you know their name. Halo was a killer app for xbox 360. People bought
xboxes to play halo, hence a killer app. People arent going to buy an android
phone to use a music player with a neat cube interface.

~~~
kenjackson
I agree. There are four killer apps to date, and they exist on all the big
players: 1) Web browser 2) Email client 3) GPS/Navi 4) SMS

There is no application I've never heard anyone, other than a Gruber/Scoble
like geek saying, "I need to buy an iPhone because of this app". In fact, ask
someone who does NOT own an iPhone to name one iPhone application. Just one.
Any one will do. I bet most of the time the answer will be a blank stare. If
you're lucky you might get "there's Facebook, right?". And maybe if they're a
gamer you'll get "Angry Birds" or "Doodle Jump".

The notion of a killer app for phones is a dead notion. People have a need for
phones first. Then they decide which one to get. They are NOT looking at apps
and deciding that since app X is on iOS that they'll buy a smartphone or an
iPhone.

~~~
tl
No-strings attached free wireless tethering is a killer app. I expect more
than one Android+US Carrier to have it before AT&T+iPhone does.

~~~
kenjackson
Doesn't Nexus One TMo already have it? Well not completely free... you do have
to have a phone plan.

~~~
tl
That's why I qualified with more than one. The Nexus One is an unsubsidized
model that the carriers effectively fought and T-Mobile tries to make up for
having terrible coverage by doing the technical side correctly. Specifically,
I'm saying Verizon or Sprint with Android will drop the additional monthly fee
(like Verizon used to push on their navigator service) before AT&T does for
iPhone.

------
tptacek
* A redesign of touch-based text input.

* A music player with a unique interface.

* control Youtube on your computer from across the room

* A fork of the stock Android home screen

* Automatically do anything in response to anything.

* The best todo list.

* Get notifications for Gmail labels

* Get notifications for Craigslist search terms

* Easily track packages

This list would appear to prove Gruber's (subtextual) point. Most of these
don't seem interesting enough to break into "Featured", "Top Free", or "Top
25" (for utilities) on the app store.

~~~
mithaler
> Most of these don't seem interesting enough to break into "Featured", "Top
> Free", or "Top 25" (for utilities) on the app store.

Why not? These are high-quality, well-designed apps based on excellent ideas.

~~~
tptacek
Yeah, you might be right. I don't know. My gut is, no. But, for what it's
worth, here's the current app store lists:

 _Featured, New_ :

* Apple Remote - control iTunes & such from phone.

* Path - the social network.

* Airbnb - the iPhone interface to the rental service.

* ComicStrip CS - a comic strip creation app.

* Edmunds - car ratings.

* Pushpin - grocery coupons on your phone (incidentally: what a great idea! Wish I'd thought of this.)

 _Featured, Hot_ :

* Pageonce Bills - track your bills (Comcast, etc) on your phone.

* Cinch - an A/V microblogging app.

* Steinway Metronome - a metronome.

* MotionX GPS Drive - turn-by-turn GPS

* Instagram - the very famous photo sharing app

 _Top, Paid_

* TuneIn Radio - AM/FM from 40,000 stations

* Food Network In The Kitchen - iPhone FoodTV recipes

* Perfect Photo - photo touchup

* Color Splash - another photo manipulation app

 _Top, Free_

* Google Voice

* Doodle Buddy Premium - a drawing app

* Facebook

* The Find - price comparisons

(Top free is just _dominated_ by games).

 _Utilities, Top Paid_

* Perfect Photo

* Skyfire - Flash video browser

* Barcode Scanner

* Alarm Clock Pro

* Splashtop Remote Desktop

* Flashlight

* Battery Management (BTW, the closest thing I see here to one of those maintenance apps that seems to top the Android list)

* Craigslist Pro (our version of that Craigslist notification app)

* 5-0 Pro - Police scanner

This is _today's snapshot_. These are _not_ the killer iPhone apps (with the
possible exception of Instagram). This is just the noise you'd have to beat
with one of those Android apps to have a _shot_ at being an iPhone killer app.

~~~
mithaler
The only point I really care to make with my list is that Android's app
offerings do not lack superb content, no matter how much other catalogs may
have. Does Android appear to suffer in comparison to iTunes? Maybe, but that
doesn't stop me in any meaningful fashion from finding apps I love on my
Droid.

~~~
tptacek
Then the only point you care to make is orthogonal to Gruber's question. He's
asking, where are the apps that:

* Are standouts,

* Are exclusive to the Android platform,

* Have high production values, _and_

* Aren't system enhancements.

You're entitled to say "that's a dumb question", but you can't claim to answer
the question by rejecting it.

~~~
mithaler
That's a great point, and it really gets at the heart of the difference in
design goals between iOS and Android.

'Course, I would argue that all of the listed apps fit all four of those
criteria (even if some of their features exist in other apps on iOS), but I'll
admit there's some room for disagreement there. ;)

------
ghostDancer
This is becoming a religious war like vi/emacs spectrum/c64 , i think that
everyone should use the phone that needs or wants. Find the apps you like or
need and choose the phone stop talking about it like if it's a matter of life.
I think we all know Gruber has embraced the Cupertino church , that's his
choice. If you don't like it don't read him, at least when his talking about
how good are Apple products and how wise is the word from the prophet Jobs. If
someone finds a good app is good to read about it, but to make it a song about
how good is a platform i think is childish.

~~~
roadnottaken
Interesting parallel (vi/emacs). Accordingly, given that people have been
arguing about vi vrs. emacs for >30 yrs, I doubt this one is going to be put
to rest anytime soon.

------
timmins
I'm really surprised a couple app titles are missing on this list.

Swype? I've heard many iPhone owners wish they could have such a utility on
their phone.

WinAmp WiFi sync? Wasn't this similar to an app Apple rejected and later
popped up on Cydia? I know I've heard a lot of interest when it was submitted
to the AppStore.

Barcode scanner? I know, I know. Both can do this today, BUT the G1 was
capable of barcode scanning as a result of autofocus and preceded the iPhone's
ability.

Chrome to Phone. Probably classifies as a system enhancement. Same goes for
the ability to wipe and restore all over the cloud. Since Gruber disqualified
it as part of his article, it doesn't get mentioned but this is huge, IMO.

Grooveshark?

I'm not taking sides as I own both and appreciate the similarities and
differences in both platforms.

------
vito
Parcels seems to be a knock-off of the iOS Delivery Status app, which I use a
lot: [http://junecloud.com/software/iphone/delivery-status-
touch.h...](http://junecloud.com/software/iphone/delivery-status-touch.html)

I've noticed this about the Market - there are a _lot_ of blatant clones of
better-executed iOS apps.

~~~
jamesbritt
"I've noticed this about the Market - there are a lot of blatant clones of
better-executed iOS apps."

Is this not also true of the Apple app store?

~~~
vito
Not from what I've seen. There may be multiple apps for one task, but
generally they don't directly copy one another.

~~~
jamesbritt
Which is pretty much what I've seen on Android. When I go looking for
something I find an assorted of apps but rarely are they just bad clones.

------
random42
In response to Gruber's criteria, a much more objective comparison from end-
user perspective would be to compare android only apps to iOS only apps,
without further restrictions (eg., Who the vendor is or whether app is
_invalid for comparison_ , because one platform policy wont allow it.)

As a user/buyer, I am only interested in what I can or cannot do with a
product, while comparing it with a competing product. Everything else is just
_details_

~~~
moultano
Every time this comes up, my response is always "Google Navigation." This app
is essentially superior in every way to a stand-alone gps device. The only
constraint is that you need to have signal when you first request the
directions. Aside from that I'd prefer it to any of the in-car systems that
typically cost ~$2k. The biggest difference is that it accesses Google's index
of places and businesses, and Google's ability to understand whatever mishmash
of things I speak or type in.

------
ralphc
My killer app is a SDK that lets me develop apps for a device I own without
having to pay $99 a year to keep them from expiring.

------
kyleslattery
To me, the biggest killer app for the iPhone is iTunes integration. I know
many people with Android phones who don't use it for music (myself included)
because it is fairly difficult to put music on it. And, given the fact that
something like 75% of the media player market is iPod, that means that a lot
of people have iTunes installed, and getting an iPhone set up is pretty
painless. I know there are several music sync apps for Android, but from my
experience, none of them are any good, and the fact that you have to actively
look for a way to sync your music turns a lot of people off from the idea.

~~~
jamesbritt
"I know many people with Android phones who don't use it for music (myself
included) because it is fairly difficult to put music on it."

You plug it in into a USB port and drag files over to the mounted drive.

Conversely, any app or product that requires me to use iTunes is pretty much
out of the running for me because it is too damn annoying to work with.

~~~
matwood
_You plug it in into a USB port and drag files over to the mounted drive._

I hope that's not the only way to get music on an Android phone because it
sounds like a PITA. I don't want to pick through 30GB of music looking for
song files to add to my phone. With the iPhone I have selected some playlists
that stay on the phone and are updated anytime I plug the phone back into the
computer (also works for movies, books, documents, photos). I never have to
think about it beyond adding a song to the playlist. I can also tell iTunes to
finish filling the phone with whatever music it thinks I might want. From what
I gather it uses play counts and date the music was added the library.

------
blub
iPhone is - by far - the platform with the most interesting apps. Here's a few
things that impressed me:

* I have this small "survival tips" paper book written by an ex-SAS guy. Now there's an app for that.

* Revolution studios have published their Broken Sword games for iDevices, with UI and audio improvements.

* There are paper magazines that ONLY discuss iPhone apps.

------
akgerber
Google Maps bike directions are my killer app.

~~~
nailer
Same here with walking directions. Without street view I found Maps on my
iPhone to be nowhere near as good.

~~~
PCheese
Can you clarify what it is you're missing? Both walking directions and street
view work well in Maps on my iPhone.

~~~
nailer
I like to see the street I'm walking down with an arrow pointing me where I
need to go.

The iPhone can't do this at present because street view and walking directions
are two separate things.

------
skawaii
I'll leave the debate over what makes a "killer app" to you guys. I just want
to thank the OP for his list. I'm really digging 8pen so far. It's changing
how I interact with my phone (which, one could argue, deems it "killer").

------
henrymazza
8pen doesn't seem to be quicker or simpler than a on screen keyboard. Is there
any prove that it's worth learning? Why not just put a Shorthand keyboard? At
least the method is prove to work!

------
Pent
well at least I don't have to worry about lusting after the Android, after
reading this list...

------
binaryfinery
No mate, that's not what he asked. He asked:

3\. Third-party apps that are exclusive to Android.

And followed it up with this:

"At this point, I’m guessing, Android fans are ready to exclaim that the fact
that Android supports things like home screen replacements (or other system-
level tools, such as touchscreen keyboard replacements) — and that iOS does
not — is precisely why they prefer Android, and/or consider iOS to be an
unacceptable toy, or what have you. But, again, that’s not the argument I’m
making. I’m talking about third-party developer exclusives — and the only ones
Android has are ones that Apple doesn’t want."

And yet you provided:

4 system enhancements (keyboard, media player, homescreen, email labeller)

4 apps available on the iOS

1 possibly genuinely killer app, but that falls into the geeky automation
category

~~~
tomjen3
I fail to see why that matters - a killer app that is exclusive for Android
would by definition be one Apple didn't want.

What matters is what its users wants, and clearly at least one user wants this
app.

