10 Best Android Apps That Use GPS

I love my GPS which I assume you were able to guess based on the domain name of this site – GPSMaestro.com.

However, if you’ve been reading my posts lately you’ve probably seen more stuff written about phones than dedicated GPS units… a sign that the times they are a changin’.  Dedicated handheld units are being phased out and fancified smartphones with AGPS chips in them are taking over.

So if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

And I’ll be honest, smartphones (like my Motorola Droid) can do a lot of really cool stuff that regular old GPS units can’t.

Here are my 10 favorite Android Apps (or Droid Apps) that use GPS (all are free or at least offer free versions):

1. Google Maps Navigation Beta – Free GPS Navigation software that doesn’t suck.  In the three months I’ve been using this software I can tell you it’s getting better… slowly but surely.  Will it completely replace PND units from Garmin and TomTom – not yet.   And it’s not up to Navigon levels either (iPhone app), but for a free app, it sure as heck has a lot going for it… and the always up to date maps sure are great.
2. Carr Matey – Ever parked your car but can’t for the life of you remember where you parked it?  I know I’ve done it several times (especially at airport long term parking) which is why this app is so darn cool.  Just park you car, fire up Carr Matey and “drop anchor.”  It’s a great app and the pirate theme is just fun.  You can load up a map to find your car or use the compass and feel like you’re searching for buried treasure.  It even has a built in timer so if you’re at a parking meter, you can set the timer and make sure you get back to your car before time is up. There are other apps like Car Locator but that one costs money and does the same thing but it does add support for parking garages.
3. WeatherBug – Android 2.1 has it’s own weather app built in but until we’re all on 2.1, Weatherbug is perfect.  The latest version will track weather (require you to install an additional plugin, but it literally takes 15 seconds to do) as you travel so you always know what the temperature is.
4. Google Goggles – In an attempt to get people to use Android, Google has developed some really nifty apps.  Google Goggles is one that will seriously blow your mind.  Take it downtown or any place there are a lot of businesses.  Now fire up Google Goggles.  Point your phone’s camera at any business – Layar will pull up the businesses name, phone number, and reviews (great if you want to eat at a restaurant but don’t know if it’s any good).   You can also fire it up and find all the pizza places, coffee shops, or apartments in a certain area.  Definitely fun to play with and actually useful.
5. Where – This is another great app for finding local businesses.  You can find what’s playing at the movie theater and what the closest one is.  It also will tell you the price of gas, and again, how far away each gas station is… and it does a whole lot more – well worth downloading from the Android Market.
6. My Tracks – If you like to go hiking, biking, or running, you’ll love this app.  You can record the route you took, how long it took you and you can export the data to Google Spreadsheets.  It sounds simple but it’s really cool – try it out!
7. Instamapper / Where’s My Droid – Should you ever lose your phone or, heaven forbid, it gets stolen.  These are apps you’ll want to have installed to find it.  Both allow for remote activation so you can send a text to your phone via your computer or a friend’s cell to figure out where the heck your phone is.  And if you’re like me and keep your phone on vibrate or silent all the time, Where’s my Droid has a feature that will turn the speakers on max so you can hear it no matter what setting it’s on… great if your phone is hiding in your couch cushions.
8. Spectrek Light – I’m pretty sure this is the only game I have on my phone.  This is an augmented reality ghost hunting game.   Basically you use your phone’s GPS and camera to hunt and capture virtual ghosts.  Go find a park, field, or forest and give it a try… lots of fun.  (will keep kids busy for hours too)
9. Locale – Have you ever been in a movie theatre, class, or a meeting, and had your cell phone go off?  Locale is built to fix that problem.  You can set your phone to go to silent at certain times of the day or based on certain locations.  For example, you can tell Locale that any time you’re in or a movie theater to put your phone on silent – that way if you forget to do it, you don’t have to worry about it.  It can also work in reverse, if you’re in a place where you need your ringer on all the time so you can hear it, you can do that as well.
10. Google Sky Map / Celeste Lite - Have you ever wanted to impress your date by telling here where the constellations are in the sky?  Of course you have!  This app will help you do just that.  Take your phone outside at night and point the camera skyward.  Google Sky Map will tell you what you’re looking at.   It also identifies planets and the moon.   I also put Celeste in this list.  It tracks the sun, moon, and planets (the free Lite version only tracks the sun and Saturn).   It can tell you where the sun will be at a certain time and where it currently is in the sky even if you’re inside or it’s cloudy.

Have an app you feel belongs in this list?

Did I make any egregious omissions?

Just want to chime in and add your two cents?

Post a comment and let me hear it.

Related posts:

1. 10 Must Have Android Apps