5 must-have Android apps for Indian users

5 must-have Android apps for Indian users

Let's Indianize Android, and Droidise India!

Ok, so first and foremost of all, I'm very sorry for having taken such a long break from blogging. Because of some real-life issues, not the least of which was my suffering from chronic migraine, caught me unprepared to blog further. But then again, here I am, flexing my fingers and typing out my gibberish again. And as such, you'll have to tolerate reading them! ;)

What are these apps for?

As the title says, this post is about 5 must-have, indispensable apps for Indian smartphone users. Why do I call them indispensable? Because they are that kind of apps which can boost your productivity in real time, helping you get your life organized better.

Good quality apps are often a rare sight, and even rarer are those amongst them that are actually useful to you. That's why, most of us simply install new apps, keep them for a while and then discard and uninstall them. I personally believe, it is very important to have a methodology for picking out apps from the vast wilderness we call Play Store. These apps should:

1. Actually be useful

2. Have re-use value 

3. Be lightweight and user-friendly 

4. Be less heavy on data 

5. Actually allow us to design our lives. 

Ok, so point #5 is from the Samsung commercial for Galaxy Note III. Then again, it's quite catchy and cool, and I believe every Android user should use those apps that are able to help them design and plan their lives ahead. Otherwise, what's a smartphone for?

Without more fuss, lets head straight to the apps.

1. Make the TV yours with What's on India 

Yeah, the home is the new
cinema hall. :D

If you're like me, you're a TV buff. Especially with the digitization of cable TV, we have just way too many channels to keep track of. Everyday, quality movies are being broadcasted on channels such as Star Movies, Movies Now, HBO and WB, and it has become difficult to select what to watch and what not to. In addition, we have news programmes, documentaries, travel videos, programmes featuring peace of mind, and so much more! How exactly do we, Indian users, plan our TV schedule?

We've several apps on Google Play featuring Indian TV channels and their schedules. And by far, the most helpful one I've discovered is What's on India. It packs in a whooping 500+ set of channels across almost all Indian languages, and provides 7-day ahead schedule of programmes to be aired on them. You can register a free account inside the app, and all your favourite channels will be stored on the cloud.

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.whatsonindia

What makes What's on India so special? Well, reasons are many, some of which are:

A. It sports a fluid interface, which is easy to use and informative. Once you start the app, you're greeted with a list of multiple helpful options such as Trending programmes, Favourites, Weekend, Now/Next, Regional, etc. You can browse programmes and channels. In addition, you're free to add as many channels as you like to your list of Favourites.

B. Built-in notification system, integrated with Google Calendar. You can select any programme that you like, and with the push of a button you can add it to your calendar. That automatically notifies you when the event starts, either via Android's inbuilt notification system, or you can choose the SMS notification facility.

Never miss a favourite
programme!

C. Gallery-style representation of upcoming movies and programmes. Yeah, it's like your own personal cinema hall! With the flick of a finger, you can get the upcoming movies at your disposal. Never miss a world TV premiere now.

D. Smart choice and automatic sorting of upcoming programmes. There are hundreds of channels, and it is often difficult for you to browse each and every single channel. But with What's on India, that's no longer a problem. Smart lists such as Weekend, Now/Next etc automatically filters out the best from the rest, helping you focus on the content rather than the discovery.

E. Helpful informative guides about each programme. Each single programme, be it a movie, an upcoming match, a new series or an old cartoon, has a small but helpful post, telling you about it.

F. Next schedule facility. Now never miss an event, because you can re-schedule it for a later time. What's on India allows you to view the repeat telecasts of programmes in the next 7 days.

G. Content-oriented discovery. Smart lists such as 'Bengali Movies', 'Hindi Movies' etc allow you to discover new content on the basis of genre, and not just the channel.

Overall, I'd give What's on India 4.5/5.

2. Personalize your city-life with TimesCity 

Everything is here

This is perhaps one of the best apps to have ready, if you're living in a large metropolis such as Kolkata/CMA, Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Hyderabad etc. This nifty little app tells you about everything happening in your locality, be it a new food court being held 1 KM from your residence, or the annual Book Fair! Using your phone's built-in GPS, TimesCity automatically detects your current location in the city, and then recommends everything worth checking out, in the close vicinity. Because of its powerful integration with Google Maps, it also gives you driving instructions for reaching your place of interest.

If you're a Calcuttan like me, or a Delhite, or a jolly ol' Mumbaikar, or the resident of any of the 8 + 3 cities featured in TimesCity (8 metros + Goa, Chandigarh and Jaipur), then you are possibly baffled at times like me. Here in my case, Kolkata is such a large city, that it's practically impossible to explore it from top to bottom in a single day. And then, everyday there's something happening in the neighbourhood, be it the Kolkata Literary Meet 2014 or an art conclave somewhere, a photographic exhibition or a chess competition, it's somewhat like SimCity as featured in Sims 3. But unlike in the city, in reality it's difficult to stay uptodate on everything, Most of the time there's none to tell me about the events. But now, TimesCity has solved that problem.

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phdmobi.timescity

What matters, is right here!

With TimesCity, you can discover what movies are playing in the halls and multiplexes close to you, what restaurants are there in your vicinity, what art festivals are going on and much more! In addition, contact details for every place/event is provided. As for movies and events, you can check the latest reviews, the exact location etc. Thus, it's a must-have app if it supports your city!

3. Stay up-to-date on Railway news with Disha 

Yeah, Disha can point you to
the right direction

Ok, so although flights are getting trendier each day, we still need to make use of the prestigious Indian Railway service at times. At times you might need bits on info, such as the running status of a train, seat availability and reservation status. You may also want to check out which trains are available between two stations, for planning your next trip. As I said, designing your life is easy with Android and Internet. You can always check manually with the Indian Railway official site, but that's a tedious process. So, why not make use of Disha?

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rails

Although there are several apps on the same topic, Disha is by far the most feature-rich, and packs in regular updates. It helps you make your PNR enqueries, train live status and even smart alarms for trains, booking positions and reservation status! Seat availability is easy to get with Disha, and in addition the running status of any train, together with its arrival and departure information at and from any station is a breeze with this nifty app. The full list of its features can be found on Disha's Google Play Store page.

4. Get the latest Akashwani news on your Android, 'cause old is gold! 

Not many of us care to turn to our radios nowadays, right? Of course, I'm talking about those jumbo boxes from the forgotten era, and not the modern iPod types or built-in FMs that we carry with us all the time, just for fashion. But then again, even with so many sources to get our daily dose of news from, do all of us get to read everything in our busy lives? If not, AIR News is your thing. 

AIR or All India Radio is the premiere official radio, every today. In a way, despite being outdated, it continues to be the voice of the nation. And now, they've taken the next step by devising their nifty and cute app for reading and listening to the best news. As a news-reader, it's not much. But as a source for your daily dose of audio news, it's by far the best.

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.parsarbharti.airnews

This is the age of podcasts and internet radio. We have Xiialive, TuneIn radio and Sticher. We can always listen to IBNLive's daily podcast, or BBC's worldnews. Then why should we care to turn to AIR? The reasons are:

AIR News main interface

A. It's extremely low on data. Yeah, it's a reality. BBC's 30 minutes podcasts take up a whooping 20-40 MB data per episode. The result is simple - while the audio quality is just awesome, not many of us have unlimited data plans. AIR News solves this problem beautifully. It broadcasts its news episodes in low quality, but don't get me wrong here! While you may now hear those fancy sound-effects, the voice is still extremely clear and up-to-the-mark. And it works flawlessly, without buffering, even on connections as slow as 10kbps.

B. It packs in a huge number of radio stations. Whether you're in for the latest Bengali news from Akashwani Kolkata, or the latest program from Mumbai, AIR News can smoothly get you the latest episode flawlessly well from its web-repository. Almost all official and regional languages are supported.

C. All AIR programmes, events and discussions are featured. In addition to your daily dose of news, you can grab interesting events and programmes from the app. It's all data-friendly, and streams without buffering.

While the interface is not very friendly or fluid, it does what it says. It's the perfect companion if you're taking your evening stroll, or the morning cup of coffee. ;)

5. MyCityWay India 

MyCityWay - India

Oftentimes, we get stuck while visiting alien cities. You might be from Bangalore visiting Delhi or from Mumbai visiting Kolkata. It's difficult to get important bits of info, such as Hotel availability, somewhere to grab your daily snack or even get medical help. MyCityWay India makes it possible and easy, with their powerful app that works even offline.

Google Play Link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mcwindia

The app's size is around 10 MB, but in return it provides you with up-to-date info about almost everything in the city, be it dining, outing, tourist places, medical facilities, hotel and lodgings and more. A total of 13 cities are supported, including Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and more. While you may turn to Mojostreet or its kind for the same set of tasks, I believe MyCityWay is better for the job since it doesn't require a constant data connection. However, lack of regular updates is a major concern.

Otherwise, the interface is very flashy and modern, and the app is low on resource-consumption. Let MyCityWay be your guide on your next trip. 

All these apps are free, and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. I believe they will help you design your life like they helped me. :)