As an Operating System for smartphones, Android is a tough competitor for Blackberry and i-phone based mobile devices. This Google-owned mobile platform is used by renamed phone manufacturers such Samsung, Dell, Sony Ericsson, and Motorola for their smartphones. The Android had 25% share of US smartphone market in mid 2010. The percentage increases since then and it is reported in May 2010 that about 400,000 new Android-based smartphones are activated each day.

To support the ever-growing Android market, Google and other mobile software manufacturers have developed a wide collection of paid and free Android apps. To install these apps, you can directly download them via your phone. Once the download finishes, the apps will be automatically installed in your phone. Alternately, if you want to minimize data charges, you can download them from your PC or laptop and later install them to your Android phone with the help of software like Astro Download Manager. Below are some of the best android apps you can get for your smartphones:

1. Google Docs

This is one of several excellent apps for Android mobile phones because it enables you to manage and store your documents easily. Google Docs allows you to synchronize your phone with documents you have in your Google account. Therefore you can freely access and edit your documents from your smartphone.

2. ezPDF Reader

Although this is not the official PDF Reader (the official one would be from Adobe), this app is worth downloading and using. While the feature from this app is basically the same as the Adobe PDF Reader app, ezPDF Reader is probably better for beginner user since it is more user-friendly.

3. Astro File Manager

Beside helping you to install apps easily on your Android phones, Astro File Manager has more useful features. This file manager also functions as task manager and file customizer. The Astro File Manager can also extract or create Zip and Rar files and attach them to your e-mails. If you are afraid of losing the precious data in your device, you can use this application as file backup creator which backs up the apps and data from your phone to its memory card. With the Astro File Manager, you can also check the performance of your Android OS.

4. Gmote 2.0

This is by far the coolest Android application. The Gmote 2.0 comes without the bugs from the 1.0 version. With this software, you can change your smartphone into a remote control and use it for your computer. Gmote 2.0 enables you to control your computer when playing medias such as music and movies. Beside functioning as a remote control, this app can also help you in presenting PowerPoint presentations and slide shows. Another plus side of this improved version of Gmote is that this app can turn your phone into a WiFi touch pad.

5. Google Voice

This app is ideal for business purposes. Google Voice will notify you when a message appears. It also transcripts messages from the voicemails you have received. This Android app is highly recommended for busy entrepreneurs and business people.