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.

A few weeks ago, I couldn’t find my Motorola Droid. I searched my apartment and car high and low and it was no where to be found.

I eventually remembered having it when I played volleyball the night before and drove across town to go see if they had it.  Fortunately, someone had found it and turned it in to the lost and found. It was probably a good place to lose my phone as most of the people there know each other and are generally pretty honest.

Then last week I was talking to my mom and she mentioned she misplaced her Droid (I convinced her over Christmas that if she was going to get a smartphone, the Droid was her best bet – she’s a former Verizon employee and would never touch anything AT&T so the iPhone was out as an option).

She wasn’t quite as fortunate as I was.  She set it on top of her car and drove off (don’t ask me why it was there in the first place).  She couldn’t figure out where it fell off and she eventually had to use her smartphone insurance, pay the $89 deductible and order a new Droid.

However, that got me to thinking there must be an app to track down and find a lost Android based phone.

As it turns out, there are several.

Probably the most popular is “Where’s My Droid.” I just installed it and tested it out myself and it’s pretty sweet if you’re forgetful and misplace your phone.

You can send a special code word via SMS to your cell phone and it will turn on the ringer even if it’s on vibrate or silent. I wish I’d have had that feature on my old Razr (the flip phone, not the new Droid Razr smartphone) – I always had the ringer off and managed to misplace that thing every couple weeks it seemed.

It also has a special code word you can text (you can pick and customize these words, by the way) your phone that will activate the GPS antenna and will text you back it’s location and a link so you can get directions to your phone via Google Maps.

There’s another fun app called Instamapper that also allows for remote activation where you can watch on a map where your phone is and if it’s moving. I have both installed.  (This one also allows for remote tracking without the phone user knowing it’s on – it’ll run quietly in the background once setup if you like.)  This app isn’t quite as user friendly and takes a little time to get setup, but works great once it’s up and running.

Another app that’s been getting some love in the comments is Lookout Mobile Security.  I’ve used it as well and can recommend that as an excellent alternative to the apps above.   It’s a free app though there’s a premium version available for those who need more comprehensive security.

What If Already Lost Your Phone But Didn’t Install This App?

The app you install after you lose your Android phone.  

Since a lot of people don’t necessarily plan ahead and find this page after their phone has already been lost, I’m often asked what they can do if their cell phone is already gone.  In the past I’ve always had to tell them they’re out of luck.   However, now there’s a new option called Plan B.  It’s from the company Lookout Mobile and best of all, it’s a free app!  In order for this app to work, you’ll need access to your computer and your Google (gmail) account.  Since pretty much every Android phone needs a Google account to work properly, you probably already have that.

Plan B is the Android App that helps you find your phone after you lost it or it was stolen - even if the phone is already lost!

To use the app, you’ll need to use the web version of Google Play (formerly known as the Android Market) – again, the app is called Plan B. Your phone needs to be running Android 2.0 or later but these days, that’s pretty much all of us.

Once you’ve installed the app remotely, you’ll get emails in your Gmail account telling you the approximate location of the phone.  While it isn’t accurate enough to tell you it’s in your couch cushion or that it’s actually sitting on your desk, it is accurate enough to let you know if you forgot it in the coffee shop or left it at home or in your car.

A special thanks to Clayton Hughes for bringing this app to my attention.

Of course, this all implies the phone is still turned on. If it’s powered off or the battery is dead, you’re SOL.

So what can you do if you’re phone’s battery is dead or the phone has been turned off or SIM card removed?

You can use an app like Wavesecure that will lock down your phone should it ever get stolen. It will contact a friend (who you can specify when you setup your account) if your phone is stolen and allows you to remotely lock down your phone so that it can’t be used until the unlock pin code is entered.

And it has one feature that makes this a killer app. Smartphones have access to a ton of your personal information (I’d much rather someone steal my wallet than phone – they can do less damage with my wallet) – that information is worth far more than the price of the phone.

However, with Wavesecure, you can remotely wipe the the data on your phone and memory card so that least your private personal data can stay safe even if your phone can’t be recovered.  (Just remember to do regular backups of your phone – MyBackup Pro is what I recommend – the 30 day trial is free and $2.99 after that, but well worth the small investment – I spent that much on coffee this morning.  You can also use Titanium Backup if you have your phone rooted.)

I also like to make it easy for people to get in touch with me so they can give my phone back to me.

While I know that high end smartphones like the Galaxy Nexus and HTC Vivid are certainly attractive to thieves, I give people the benefit of the doubt and just assume that I misplaced or dropped the phone and that someone found it and would be more than happy to give it back if they could get in touch with me.

One App that makes that simple is to install the “Contact Owner” app on your phone. It’s a very simple app that will display your name on the unlock screen of your phone, an alternate phone number and email address for anyone who finds your phone to contact.

I actually have my Google Voice number set as my contact number. Even when it forwards back to my cell phone, I can still see the call log and will get any text messages sent to that contact number without needing my phone to access them. Also, if they leave a voicemail, I can check it online – no phone required.

So there you have it, some apps to keep track of your phone if you’re as forgetful as I am.

Special note if Where’s My Droid Isn’t Working 

Where’s my Droid is awesome but I recommend you test it out to make sure it’s working before you depend on it to help you find your lost phone.  If you send the specially coded messages and don’t get any response from your phone, your text messaging app may be messing the whole thing up.  If you only use the standard messaging app, skip this section as it doesn’t apply to you.

Go SMS - Open the app and click the menu button and go to settings.  Then go to “receive settings” and uncheck “Disable other message notifications.”  Not go to the built in messaging app, hit menu and click on settings and uncheck the “notifications” box.

Handcent - Open the app, and click the menu button on your phone and again go to settings.  Click on “Application Settings,” “Default Messaging Application” and set to Disable.   Again, open the built int messaging app, click menu and go to settings.  Again, just uncheck the notifications checkbox and you should be all set.

Last Resort – When You’re Phone Really Is Gone

While having the ability to install apps that let you track down your phone often makes finding your phone much easier than finding a lost wallet or misplace car keys, it isn’t fool proof and a sophisticated thief can counter even your best efforts.

But that doesn’t mean you have to let the thief get a working phone free and clear.

When you’re sure you’re not going to get the phone back, it’s time to call up your carrier, report the phone as stolen, and have them flag the phone so no one else can use it.  Each phone has a unique identification number called the Electronic Serial Number – ESN –  for CDMA phones (like Verizon and Sprint) or International Mobile Equipment Idenity –  IMEI – for GSM phones (like AT&T, T-Mobile and most International Carriers).

Your carrier can flag a phone in their system so that your stolen phone cannot be activated and used again unless you call them up and have them remove the flag – keep in mind the person whose name appears on the account must call to get it removed.  While it may not help you phone get back to you, it dramatically decreases the value of the phone to a thief.

Conclusion

So there you have it – my recommendations if you lost your Android phone or if it was stolen.  I hope that one of these apps or recommendations helps you locate your missing phone and that it ends up back in your hands safe and sound sooner than later.

Any apps that I missed?  Is there an app you feel I should have mentioned?  Did one of these apps help you find your lost phone?  - post in the comments and let me know.