PPTV
Free
PPTV lets you watch your favourite dramas, movies and anime on your Android smartphone or tablet. The video streaming app serves up a wide menu of Mandarin, Cantonese and Korean shows.
Shows are neatly categorised into channels, such as popular Korean dramas, entertainment and variety shows.
Connect to a Wi-Fi network before you stream a show or download it first on your phone and watch it later when you are on the move.
Aldiko
Free
Say goodbye to bulky hardcover books with e-book reader Aldiko.
Load your e-books into the microSD or internal storage on your smartphone or tablet, and open the e-book via the file manager to add it automatically to the app's bookshelf.
Whenever you leave a book, a bookmark is added automatically. So when the mood strikes you, you can read another book, then return and continue from where you left off.
PopCorn, iCathay and iGV
Free
Booking the best cinema seats in your favourite cinema chain for blockbusters, such as Iron Man 3, is now easier with specific apps such as iCathay or iGV.
You can also get movie listings and book a ticket from any of the five cinema chains here with the PopCorn app.
Select your seat, complete the booking form and join the priority queue to beat the crowd when you collect your ticket.
Pulse News
Free
Get all the news that matter to you in an intuitive and easy-to-read format. Add news from websites and watch the Pulse News app lay the news items out as a row of thumbnails with headlines.
Tap on a thumbnail and you can either read the summary or go to the website. Stories can be shared across social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
If you are short of time, you can save stories for offline reading.
Shazam
Free
Hear a familiar tune but cannot think of the song title? Shazam will solve that puzzle in no time. Launch this music recognition app and place your Android device near the audio source. The app will identify the song title and even the singer.
It will also recommend similar songs, but this feature is available only in Shazam Encore, which costs $7.15.
Share this new earworm with your friends on social networks and watch the music video on YouTube. Or click on the Spotify icon and stream the music to your smartphone or tablet.
Spotify
$9.90 a month for premium access
An all-you-can-listen music buffet is what Spotify promises. While the app is free for your use on your PC, you will need a Spotify Premium account to use it on your smartphone or tablet.
Premium access costs $9.90 a month. This lets you synchronise your playlists across multiple devices, including desktops, and download your favourite tracks onto your mobile devices.
Or you can connect to a Wi-Fi network and stream music recommended by Spotify, based on your preferences.
Xbox SmartGlass
Free
The Xbox SmartGlass app can make your mobile life easier. Navigate the user interface on your Xbox 360 console by swiping across the screen on your smartphone or tablet.
Message your Xbox friends easily using the keyboard on your mobile device. Edit your Xbox avatar and watch it come to life on the app.
You can also use the app to track your latest achievements and see if your friends have overtaken you in your favourite game.
VLC for Android Beta
Free
One of the most popular video player apps on the desktop is now available on Android, though it is still in beta.
Its ability to support multiple file formats makes it perfect for you to load movies and music into your devices without requiring file conversion.
The file manager within the app allows you to search directly for your multimedia files in the device's internal storage or microSD card.
If you need to revisit a previous video, just click on the history tab and search for it.
This story was first published in The Straits Times on April 30, 2013
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