10 Must-Have Android Apps

10 Must-Have Android Apps | PCMag.com: "A few days ago, I was showing my girlfriend, an iPhone 4 owner, something on my Android-based Sprint Epic 4G. 'Wow,' she said, 'You have a lot of apps.' I responded casually, but with a certain about of nonchalant geek pride: 'Yes, yes I do.'

Indeed, my dogged pursuit of cool apps is a big reason why I sold my Palm Pre back to Sprint and switched to the Android platform a few months back. Although the number still can't quite match the abundance of Apple's App Store, the Android market is chock full of great applications. But with thousands to choose from, where do you start? Start with these 10 must-have Android apps and you can't go wrong. I promise.

Before we get to them, however, I have to mention a few of my favorite apps that I had to leave off the list. The most obvious omission is Angry Birds. It's a must-have download, to be sure, but at this point, I have to assume you have already heard of it. Everyone has, so there isn't much value in including it here. I also left out both the official Twitter client and TweetDeck. I'm a big Twitter user (@dancosta), but the truth is, most people probably don't need to Tweet from their phone. And those that do already know to download the client.

Likewise, I couldn't get the excellent Photoshop Express into this story. More and more people are using their phones as their primary point and shoot, but I don't think most people are up for in-phone editing just yet. If you're a power user, go for it, but this story is for the newbies. And if you're just starting to download Android apps, these are the first 10 you should get...in my humble opinion, anyway.

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6 Predictions for Social Networks in 2011

6 Predictions for Social Networks in 2011: "The past year was an eventful one for the world of social networking. Facebook went on an acquisition spree. Twitter started growing up. And MySpace? Well it’s the same old story over there.

In 2010, we predicted that Facebook would conquer the web. We just didn’t know the social network would do it so convincingly. We’re not oracles, though, and we did miss on some of our acquisition picks. Well, time for round two.

Now that Facebook (Facebook) is clearly king, what is going to happen to the rest of the world’s social networks? What will happen to Bebo (Bebo)? What’s next for MySpace (MySpace)? And will Facebook finally hold that IPO?

Here are my predictions for what will happen in the world of social networking in 2011:

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Tablets galore on tap at major CES gadget fest

Tablets galore on tap at major CES gadget fest - Yahoo! News: "Tablet computers will lead a host of 'smart' gadgets in the Nevada desert this week at a Consumer Electronics Show (CES) spotlighting slick new devices on the horizon.

CES attendance in Las Vegas should top the 126,000 figure from the annual event last January and the roster of exhibitors has climbed 2,000 to 2,700.

Internet software will fuse with televisions, cars and even household appliances at CES, where an army of tablets will be unleashed to challenge Apple's winning iPads.

'Certainly the Number One trend will be tablets,' said NPD Group analyst Stephen Baker.

'I think every smartphone and PC (personal computer) company will either have one on their show floor; be showing them behind closed doors, or announcing things.'

CES organizers said that from 40 to 80 tablets could debut at the event that runs from Thursday through Sunday.

Apple sold more than eight million iPads since the California company introduced the tablets in April and year-end sales could surpass 10 million.

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