Software

Jelly Bean Launcher makes your home screen look and feel like you have Android 4.1 instead of an older version. There are a few weird issues with the execution, but Jelly Bean Launcher is a nice compromise if you don't want to root.

You can make this launcher your full-time home screen by making it the default app. The launcher grabs a few widgets from your current app's menu to paste on your home screen. It doesn't check your current home screen layout, though, so you'll be stuck rearranging things to make them match. Since … Read more

If you just need to view (not edit) documents, Office Documents Viewer is a free download that lets you read just about any sort of Office file. It's ad-heavy, but it certainly works in a pinch.

The most prominent aspect of the reader is that it sticks animated ads in any file you try to read with it. They usually don't get in the way, but it's still annoying. Office Documents Viewer displays text and HTML files smoothly, but it has to convert other files before they show up. This can take a long time if the … Read more

If you're looking for a solid, non-Google planner, you've found it in mOffice. It has a smooth layout and most of the features you love about Google--all in a neat package.

This app is designed to sync with your Outlook desktop program. It will also sync with a client called Mobisynapse, but that costs an extra $10. This app falls under the "Getting Things Done" category, which seems to mean it's optimized to make work convenient. As such, mOffice has a very clean interface that makes it easy to find the features and menus you'… Read more

Muzy has one of the most robust set of features we've yet seen in a photo editing app. You won't even have to put up with ads to use it, either.

This app makes you log in before you can start editing your photos. You can save some time by connecting your Facebook profile. If you go that route, you can edit all of your Facebook photos and even some of your friend's photos. The app doesn't stick to one type of photo editing; it lets you create collages, add filters, crop, retouch, and more. There … Read more

Notepad Plus separates itself from the Web-connected memo apps pack not by adding a ton of features, but by barely offering any. While that may be a negative for some users, it's a dream for people who just need to quickly jot down ideas.

The app's layout cleverly mimics a yellow memo pad to make pen and pencil fans feel right at home. You can't change fonts or style, but you can create multiple notes and browse them with ease. The app technically works in both portrait and landscape modes, but landscape mode makes the layout behave … Read more

Expense Manager takes a lot of the effort out of budgeting so you can focus on other things. It's a stylish app that lets you clearly figure out where exactly your money is going. The only way it could be better is if it actually helped you make more.

Expense Manager does most of its work from a menu that fits right in with stock Android. It looks like Google, itself, designed it. The app lets you color-code your spending and view it in several different ways. There are a few preset spending options, but there's also an … Read more

If you need to grab your notes from your smartphone or tablet, you can try OneNote Mobile. It's not as useful as other unofficial Office apps, but it has a layout that you're used to. If you're tied deeply into that ecosystem, it's probably the app you should use.

In order to access this app, you have to log in with a Windows Live account. Once you do, the app only controls stuff saved to your Live account's SkyDrive. It won't open files sent as e-mail attachments. You can create a new note from … Read more

OpenOffice Document Reader lets you view all sorts of Office documents without paying one red cent. It won't work for everyone and is loaded down with ads, but it's still near the top as far as Office readers go.

OpenOffice Document Reader is just a reader app, so you won't be able to edit any of the files it works with. OpenOffice Document Reader displays text and HTML just fine. If it doesn't work with your file, it briefly displays it on a cloud server so you can read it. The reader slides animated ads into … Read more

Easy Touch (iPhone style) adds a super-powered menu button to all of your home screens and even to most of your apps. If you're stuck on Android 2.3 or earlier, Easy Touch (iPhone style) is a solid launcher that taps into some of your phone's hidden powers. However, if you're on Ice Cream Sandwich or later, the app will just get in your way.

Once you go through this app's lengthy tutorial, it sticks a 1X1 button widget on each of your phone's home screens. The button appears in most apps, too. You can … Read more