Best Android Apps (Updated 5/13/2011)

If you have an android phone, here are my recommendations for apps you should try.  All are free unless otherwise noted:

• AppBrain- You need this one.  It allows you to browse software on your desktop, then schedule it for install on your Android device.  Much easier to look through the huge numbers of apps that way, and much easier to filter.
• Amazon App Store - Another you must have.  At least for the time being, Amazon is giving away a paid app every day.  Get in while the gettin's good.  
• Tweetdeck - best Twitter app I've found.  If you're wondering why you'd want to have a Twittter app, just sign up for @breakingNews and you'll know every piece of news before your friends/co-workers/Drudge.  This is also available for your desktop.
• GasBuddy - Because finding the gas station that isn't screwing you is getting more and more valuable.
• Mileage - If you keep track of your MPG, this app makes it easy and provides great statistics automatically.
• Waze - User generated traffic data.  Great if you live in an area with traffic problems.
• Business Calendar - Huge improvement over the stock Android HTC calendar I had.  Works more like Outook and supports drag and drop.  I got the full version free (normally about $5.50) from the Amazon store giveaway.
• Pulse News - The best RSS news reader I've seen.
• Soundhound - Much better than Shazam for telling you what crappy song is playing right now.  Again, I got the $5.00 version free from Amazon.
• Google Maps - Oh the power.... You have a full featured GPS on your phone. And it's free.
• DoubleTwist player - Best music player for Android.
• Mr. Number Call Block - Never get annoying calls again.  Allows you to blacklist or whitelist phone numbers.  Even block calls based on rules.  Your phone won't even ring....Love it.
• Earthquake! - Needed only if you want to be updated on the latest earthquakes.  I do. Best in its class.
• Drudge - If you like to check the Drudge Report, this app makes it a lot easier.  Puts the links in one continuous scrolling page.
• Medscape - Incredible medical related app.  Drug references, disease symptom and treatment guidelines, and the latest news and research.  If you're in the medical field or just into health, this is a must have app.
• Epocrates - Another great medical related app.  Similar to Medscape.
• SPB TV - Pretty good streaming television app. Limited slightly by what broacasters provide, but does a great job with the user interface. Also available as a free desktop app.

Granite Grabbers Work As Advertised

One evening, shortly after I purchased my recently flipped home, I loaded the dishwasher only to find out that it was not attached to our sparkling granite countertop.  I found this out when the dishwasher fell forward from the weight of the dishes in the pulled out upper rack. Nice....

This was one of many 'surprises' of my home purchase.  After that happened I set out to get the problem fixed.  I figured there must be a way to mount the dishwasher bracket to the granite.  The brackets are normally screwed into the underside of a counter.  Good granite installers will put a layer of plywood underneath the counter so that you can mount the brackets to the wood.  Mine, of course, didn't have any plywood, or any pre-drilled holes. I inquired as to how much it would cost to do this from a granite installer, and the price was in the $100's.  Wow...

Then I found Granite Grabbers.   The idea was simple enough.  An epoxy glue strip attached to a metal plate with the screw hole pre-drilled for the bracket screw.  But would it hold the weight of a full dishwasher rack?  I didn't have many (read: any) other choices, so I bought a set.

8 months later they're still holding and have held up the maximum weight I could ever put in the upper rack.  So if you're facing the same situation with a mounting a dishwasher to a granite countertop, definitely get these.  They work well.

Granite Grabbers

Popchips Are Pretty Good

Picked up some of these Popchips at Target tonight. They're potato chips...but not baked or fried. They are pressure cooked. And I can verify the barbecue ones are pretty freaking good.

Price wise...I think they were pretty expensive since it was only a 3 oz bag..but you're not paying for any of the oil that's soaked into the chips.

1 oz Popchips has 12o calories, 0 cholesterol, 4 grams of fat, 0 grams of saturated fat

vs

1 oz Lay's regular chips: 130 calories, 10 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat

Check it out at Popchips

A Purchase You Can't Afford *Not* To Make

Psst. Want to know a secret? You're not brushing your teeth very well.

That is, if you're using an 'old fashioned' toothbrush. In case you didn't know it, the debate between manual vs. electric toothbrushes is over. And it's long over. You can go over here and read all the studies you want to convince yourself that it's time to give up the manual and go electric.

And it doesn't have to cost a fortune. There are several good electric toothbrushes that are under $20. I personally believe (and there are studies to back me up) that oscillating toothbrushes like the Braun Oral-B are the best electric toothbrushes out there. The Braun Vitality Precision Clean is about $18. I've been testing one out for about a year now and it's fine. I also have a more expensive Oral-B, (About $70 originally) but the only real difference you'll notice is battery life. If you travel, you might want to get the more expensive one (it has a NiMH battery instead of a NiCd , which is used in the Vitality) as the charge will last longer. But the Vitality chargers are so small, they can easily be packed away. For 2-3 day trips you should be fine either way.

Seriously, what are you waiting for? Also, don't forget to floss. It really is important.

Reynolds Handi-Vac: Much Better Than Expected

Image By sygyzys, Licensed Under Creative Commons

I recently purchased the Reynolds Handi-Vac (Flash enabled site) a product which promises to deliver hand-held, vacuum bag sealing capabilities for about $8.

I'm pleased to report, that it actually does work as advertised. After purchasing the initial 'kit' (as shown above) of the vacuum sealer and a set of 3 special vacuum bags, I have purchased an additional box of bags as I've found more and more uses for this product.

One use I've found for it is with cheese. I'm a huge fan of the stuff...but it frequently goes moldy if you don't eat it fast enough. If you shop at Costco or Sams, you can also buy huge lots of it, but typically it's more than most people/families can eat before it goes bad. With the Handi-Vac, I've been able to preserve a 2lb pack of sliced swiss long enough that I've actually been able to eat all of it. That alone has probably paid back the purchase price. If you have a large family and freeze things, it also does a great job in preventing freezer burn as you will be able to vacuum seal bulk packages in meal-sized bags just like a professional vacuum sealer. Get yourself one of these things quick. This guy has a much better review that this one, and he liked it too (with videos!)

If I were one of the companies that made 'professional' vacuum sealers, I'd be scared.

*Update: Looks like the June 2008 Consumer Reports (pg 9) has given the Reynolds Handi-Vac the thumbs up as well.

The Best Commercially Available Chocolate

© 2007, Paul Wright

I'm sure you've wondered, "Who makes the best, widely available chocolate"? Wonder no more. The answer is Guylian. Well known for their sea shell shaped chocolates, Guylian makes milk chocolate so well it's like tasting it for the first time. The chocolate bars are incredible. I highly recommend the milk chocolate bar & the dark chocolate bar. Now I've just got to find a box of truffles. Sure, you could pay $854 a pound for some re-badged couverture, but at twice Guylian's $10/pound price tag this stuff would be a steal.

'Bagless' Vacuum Cleaners Are (For The Most Part) A Scam

I have to admit, the first time I heard of a bagless vacuum cleaner I was very interested. Anyone who has ever gone to a Wal-Mart at 11pm in search of an elusive vacuum cleaner bag gets a warm feeling when thinking of the self-sufficiency of a bagless vacuum cleaner. Before buying my first bagless vacuum, I remember seeing TV adds for the super lightweight Orick with David Oreck making a huge mess while trying to clean out a competitor's bagless vacuum. "Look at the mess!" he would say. I remember thinking, "this poor old fool...trying to cling to the past with his 'bag' vacuum cleaner. . His days are SO numbered" Then one day, after purchasing my 2nd bagless, I caught onto the scam.

It turns out, David Orick was right. What they don't tell you about bagless vacuum cleaners is that while it's true there are no bags, there are plenty of (more expensive) filters to wash, and you can only do that for so long. And it really is filthy.

Take for example, my second bagless, the Eureka Optima 431A. No bags. But wait! It has a filter that can be washed "up to 6-times". The truth is, you will need to wash that filter after just about every whole-house vacuum (or equivalent) that you do, Then what? You guessed it. Then it's off to Wal-Mart at 11pm to try to find an elusive vacuum FILTER. In this case, it's the Eureka DCF-10. Amazon has it for $19.94. If you get 6 washes out of it, you're paying about $3.32 per vacuum. That makes the 'old fashioned' bags look cheap, and that's not even counting the work you put in cleaning the filthy dust cup.

And what about the self-sufficiency aspect? Well, it's all an illusion. Just how long will Eureka make this very unique filter? No one knows, but one thing is for sure, it's a lot more complicated than a paper bag. That fact alone is going to make it unlikely that some other company will begin manufacturing it. And who wants to bet the filter is patented anyway?

My advice to you. Stay away from the 'bagless' vacuum cleaners until they are truly free of the filter/bag money pit.