Google released its latest flagship mobile device a couple of weeks ago, the Nexus 5, and what a mobile device it’s turned out to be.
Sporting the cool new Android 4.4 KitKat operating system, a sleek, modern design and hardware performance worthy of far more expensive devices, the Nexus 5 has got to be one of the best phones on the market at the moment. It boasts a 4.95" HD screen, an 8MP camera and can offer up to 7 hours continuous usage on 4G.
Find out more about the Nexus 5 here, and read all about what is so good about Android KitKat here.
But now, let’s look at some of the best apps you can download from Google Play for your brand spanking new Nexus 5. We’ve chosen 10 of the best…
Dashclock
The Dashclock widget improves your Nexus 5 immeasurably. The widget itself has a solid core set of functional extensions such as weather, calendar and Gmail that can be displayed on the homescreen for easy viewing, but there’s also a whole bunch of other extensions you can download like Facebook, Twitter and even a battery extension.
Dead Trigger 2
What’s the use in having all this power in your phone if you’re not going to push it? Dead Trigger 2 is an amazing looking zombie first person shooter that really shows off what the Nexus 5 is capable off. Blasting away head after head of nasty zombies has never looked better on a mobile phone, and Dead Trigger 2 is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to flawless looking games on Android devices.
Dolphin
Dolphin is a browser for Android that definitely competes up there with Chrome and Firefox. Websites look great on Dolphin on the Nexus 5’s 5" screen, and it has this swipe feature where you can designate a shape you draw that can take you to a website of your choice. For example, I can set Facebook.com to a heart, so if I draw a heart on the phone with my finger the browser will direct me to Facebook. Awesome!
Evernote
Evernote is a note-taking app that can keep all your thoughts, notes, ideas and memorable information in one place.
With Evernote, which is free by the way, you can record voice, take photos, upload attachments of all sorts and even tag places in with your ramblings. Again, all documents are synced with Evernote’s cloud service.
Nexus Flashlight widget
A simple app that makes a whole world of difference, don’t take this ‘lightly’. Turn your Nexus 5 into a torch using this app, handy in all situations from power cuts, night time door openings and under-the-sofa expeditions.
In terms of news reading, Google Currents is pretty good, but you can’t beat the sheer beauty of Flipboard. You can add to your profile what genres or sites you want to be in your virtual ‘newspaper’ and then flick through them like you would a real paper. It’s pretty, useful, and even supports integration with your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. You can add stories to your own ‘magazine’ for later reading, and fetch story shorts for offline reading at a later time.
Lookout security
Lookout offers a great all-round free service (which can be upgraded to a paid subscription if you want more features). Every app you download first runs through Lookout so it can make sure it’s safe, as well as routinely running checkups on my device. Lookout also backs up your data onto your account online, and with a premium account, you can safe the web safely and securely and also get a privacy advisor function.
Pro HDR Camera
Pro HDR is a fantastic replacement to the stock camera application on your Nexus 5. You can add a whole heap of effects such as adding frames, filters, and textures, and also shoot in full resolution HD.
Spotify
Are dedicated MP3 players a thing of the past? I reckon so. Furthermore, with services like Spotify you don’t even need an offline music collection anymore as everything can be streamed.
Spotify is the perfect accompaniment to your smartphone. No it’s not free, but for a small price a month you can stream as much music as your data allows you, or even download entire playlists of your favourite music for offline listening. This app is functional, handy and works flawlessly on the Nexus 5.
Swiftkey Keyboard
The latest version of Android already comes with a ‘swipe’ style keyboard, and KitKat on the Nexus 5 is no different, but that ingenuity can be built upon with Swiftkey.
Swiftkey is a perfect stock keyboard replacement that ‘learns’ your writing style and gives you accurate auto-correct suggestions. I find the swipe function is also a little smoother than the stock experience.
