Brian Plaskon’s Must-have Apps

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I began working for Verizon Wireless shortly before the launch of the very first DROID smartphone. I owned a basic device at the time (the ubiquitous LG enV2) and I wondered if Motorola’s newcomer would live up to the buzz. Lucky for me, I was given the opportunity to test drive a DROID and experience firsthand how indispensable a smartphone can be. It’s funny to imagine life today without one – especially without my must-have apps.

  • Sundroid Pro Sunrise Sunset – How did you survive this past winter? Sundroid gave me daily reassurance that warmer days were coming by calculating the sunrise, sunset, length of day and more.

  • Home Automation – I control my connected devices through apps. For example, Philips Hue lets me schedule lighting. Nest alerts me in case of a fire or CO2 emergency. Second to being there, I can see and hear what’s happening at home with Dropcam. My car, too, communicates with my phone via Delphi Connect.
  • My Tracks – Here’s one for the GoPro / geocaching crew. This app by Google measures movement and creates a GPS map of your outdoor adventures, complete with telemetric data such as distance traveled and top speed. Tip: installing the app itself won’t greatly diminish battery life, but recording an all-day excursion will, so you may want to pack a mobile charger if you plan to be in the field for more than a few hours.
  • Games – Two titles that are refreshingly unlike the top trending mobile games are Enviro-Bear 2010 and Stair Dismount. Both are wildly creative, hilarious and available cross-platform for Android and iOS devices, and even for your PC.

Did you find any keepers in my top picks? Are there obvious omissions from these five-star favorites? Let us know on Twitter at @VZWnews or @bplask.

This is part of the Verizon Wireless “Must-have Apps” series, which provides insights into the apps that people use every day to embrace the mobile lifestyle.

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