Android Apps: The Best 10 So Far In 2012 (Download Links)

The Android App Market recently changed its name to Google Play. This, however, doesn't mean that the nature of the apps has changed. On the contrary, Google has introduced a number of new apps to go with the newly launched Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich. The lists of apps below are meant to make your otherwise tough everyday life a bit easy.

Here are the 10 apps you should have in 2012

Google Chrome Beta: Any ardent Android fan will have the beta version of Google Chrome in their devices. The Chrome has eventually evolved from just a web browser to an operating system at the moment. Now with the arrival of Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich, Chrome has become a mobile browser. This browser from Google has always been known for its simplicity, speed and, to an extent, efficient syncing. The new mobile browser also features Google’s Omnibix, which is a single search bar that serves web history, bookmarks, searches and more. All the open tabs lie above it. The app is absolutely free for download.

Google Play Music: Google Play Music lets you listen to your music collection anywhere. All your favorite music is stored online so that you don’t need to sync every time you want to listen to music and worries about storage space. The music purchases from Google Play automatically appear in the app and you can add up to 20,000 more songs from your personalized music collection present on your computer for free. You can also share a free full play of the songs you purchase from Google Play with your friends present on Google+.

Cut the Rope: An award-winning game, Cut the Rope lets you take control of Om Nom, a little monster who is addicted to candy. You just got to cut the ropes that hold the candy he wants. Swipe your finger across the ropes to release the delicious bundles into his mouth. However, don’t forget that you will also need to collect the stars and break the bubbles along the way. Beware of the host of enemies that will create obstacles for you. The app will cost you $0.99.

Shazam: Shazam identifies music instantly and is the quickest and easiest way to discover more about music. You just need to hold your phone up to the music to identify a track. You can later buy it, watch the video, get the lyrics or play in Spotify. Shazam Encore lets you do even more with the music that you find information about. You can also tag TV shows and commercials for exclusive content and share tags with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Though Shazam is free, the Shazam Encore will charge you $4.99.

ESPN ScoreCenter: ESPN ScoreCenter delivers live scores, news and standings from hundreds of leagues around the world. Whether you follow the NFL or the Premier League, the Ashes or MLB, MMA or Formula One, ScoreCenter offers the broadest global sports coverage available on your Android device. With the myTeams feature, you can now follow your favorite teams on one card. Just pop in to get scoring updates or catch up on news coverage of your favorite teams from ESPN and from combined, local sources. The app is absolutely free.

Iris: Iris, very frankly, is similar to Siri on iOS devices. The app makes your phone talk on topics ranging from Mozart to stock prices. However you got to remember that you will need to have Voice Search and TTS library installed in your phone for iris to work. Although most of the phones have these pre-installed, if not please install them from Android market before you try iris. Again, Iris is free.

TV Listings: TV Listings is the best free app on Android to find out what's playing. The app covers over 13 000 TV channels in total that includes over-the-air, cable and satellite TV. It will also show an overview of what's on right now including all the shows, movies and sports events. You will also have access to filtering, reminders, movie ratings and more.

Battery Indicator: Battery Indicator shows your battery charge level (percent) as an icon in your status bar, with temperature, health, voltage, and time since plugged/unplugged in the notification area. This free app is pretty simple and straightforward and easy to access. It is an open source app and does not drain your battery.

Movies by Flixster: Flixster is the best app to get instant movie times, movie trailers, reviews and more. This free app lets you search for movies by what's coming out soon or by your favorite local movie theatre. Flixster also lets you play the trailer, view photos, and even rate the selected movie. Flixster also has a section with a list of movies and their DVD release dates.

Words With Friends: Words With Friends is a top mobile word game. This game can be played with friends who not only own an Android device, but also an Apple-made iOS device. One of the most popular games on Google Play, the game has the same idea of that of Scrabble. The app is free for download.