by Al Sacco

Android Apps: 9 Best, Free Social Networking Choices

News
Mar 21, 2011
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Share, save and savor all things social with these nine free Google Android apps, hand-picked by CIO.com's mobile maestro, Al Sacco.

Modern social networks let you share thoughts, impressions, frustrations, images, lessons learned, favorite restaurants or whatever else may be on your mind at any minute. But you won’t always be at a computer when social-sharing inspiration strikes; on the contrary, you’ll probably be out and about when you want you want to share with your social connections.

Thankfully, there’s no shortage of great social-networking apps available for Google Android smartphones today. In fact, if you’re using a popular social networking service, chances are there’s an Android app for it. But which apps look and work best?

Check out the following nine, free Android apps for today’s coolest social networks. (Note: The following apps were tested on a Motorola Atrix 4G running Android v2.2.1, but most should run on all new Android devices.)

Twitter for Android

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Any and all Twitter users with Android devices should download the most popular Twitter app on the Market: the official Twitter for Android app. The software boasts an intuitive and visually appealing interface. And though more advanced, feature-packed apps exist—like Plume for example—Twitter for Android provides all the basic Twitter functionality you’ll need for free, with no ads.

Download Twitter from the Android Market

Twitter Bible: Everything You Need To Know About Twitter

Untappd

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You’ve heard of Twitter and Facebook, where you post the mundane details of daily life online. You’ve seen Foursquare, which lets you share your location with others. But you may not have been introduced to one of the latest social networking crazes, Untappd, a mobile-based service for beer drinkers to share and discuss their various brews of choice. Find new beers and breweries, connect with other likeminded drinkers and earn tons of creative badges for your troubles. You’ll never drink alone again. Cheers. (Note: Untappd is a browser-based Web app, and it works on iOS, BlackBerry and other mobile platforms, as well.)

Visit m.untappd.com and use your Android settings menu to create an Untappd home screen shortcut.