Best Android-Only Apps

Mobile users are forever debating the relative merits of iOS and Android. While some developers would say Apple's OS is easier to work within, it's also a much more controlled system. One of Android's major strengths is its openness, which allows app makers more freedom. From fantastic widgets, app launchers and task automators, these Android-exclusive apps showcase the power and flexibility of Google's platform. (Image Credit: Twin Design/Shutterstock.com)

Solid Explorer

Unlike iOS, Android allows users to organize and manage their device's internal file system, for good or ill. One of the best apps for the job is Solid Explorer, an impressive Android file manager that brings the two-pane interface over to phones and tablets while also rigorously adhering to a clean Material design style. The two independent explorer panes and drag-and-drop support makes copying and moving files a breeze, and you can even set a panel to browse popular cloud storage services, such as Drive, Dropbox and SkyDrive. Solid Explorer also includes support for archived files such as .ZIP, .TAR, and .RAR, an indexed search function, and root explorer mode for rooted users. In addition to its already impressive raft of features, Solid Explorer supports a wide variety of plugins that add new features like USB OTG support, an FTP server plugin, and more.

Chromer

Tapping on an in-app link to launch your preferred or in-app browser can be a jarring interruption to your workflow, unless you've got a browser like Chromer up and running. Combining elements from "bubble" style browsers like Quickly and LinkBubble with the new Chrome custom tabs feature, Chromer is a light, Chrome-based browser that can preload links that you tap on inside an app, with a WebHead floating bubble to show you the load progress. Tapping on the WebHead brings up the most recent page loaded, and a long press on the WebHead brings up a list of loaded tabs to selectively open, close or share.

Greenify

Are you plagued with pesky battery hogging apps that run in the background? Greenify them. Greenify puts an app in a state of hibernation, unable to access system resources, bandwidth or run background processes. However, Greenify allows you to run an app normally in the foreground when explicitly called on by the user without any extra fuss. If you've got memory or battery hogs that keep draining resources in the background, don't bother with a task-killer when you can just Greenify it. Just don't do that to your alarm clock, messenger, email app or anything with important notifications unless you want them to stop working.

AirDroid

Remote command is another place where Android edges out iOS. Like a remote desktop app but for your Android device, AirDroid lets you take remote control of your device from your Web browser. Built around a philosophy of "one less cable, one less screen, one less worry," AirDroid lets you move files to and from your device wirelessly, send SMS messages from your desktop, view notifications, and manage, install and uninstall your apps remotely. The app even lets you remotely locate, lock or (should the need arise) wipe all of your data remotely.

Flud

Another type of app you won't see on iOS devices any time soon is a torrent downloader. Flud may not be as well known as bittorrent clients like Vuze or µTorrent, but it's a great torrent app built with mobile in mind. The latest version of Flud sports a clean Material interface, comes with no speed limits for uploads or downloads, and sports staple features such as selective file downloading and prioritization, magnet link support, sequential downloading support and a Wi-Fi-only mode. You can also dig deep into more advanced functions in case fiddling with router port forwarding is your idea of fun. The free version is fully functional, while a paid version removes advertisements.