Android Central Editors' App Picks for May 5, 2012

While you anxiously sit and await all of the fun that should be coming from CTIA 2012 you might as well check out some new apps on your Android device. Let's hit the break together and take a look at some of our favorites, and be sure to hit up the comments and share some of yours with us as well!

Jerry Hildenbrand - Lightbox Photos (Free)

Lightbox Photos is a picture sharing app, in the spirit of Instagram, but with a much better interface, more features, and less Internet drama. You have the filters everyone loves, social network integration with Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, Flikr, and Facebook, and full control of your photos privacy settings.Using it is simple -- open the app and either take a new picture or import one from the gallery, decide if you want to enhance it with any filters, then decide how and where you want to share it.

The photo stream, with your pictures and those you're following, is nicely laid out in a scrollable list with big thumbnails (it looks great on a tablet) and users can interact with each other in the stream. You also have an online ph oto blog with all your pictures (the ones you've made public anyway) viewable anywhere with a web browser. It's free, and well worth a look. [Google Play Link]

Alex Dobie - SignNow (Free)

Many of us have been there before, downloading a PDF, printing it out, signing it, scanning it and emailing it back. It's a waste of time, money, paper and ink. Fortunately there are a number of Android apps that'll let you fill out and sign forms or contracts, and my weapon of choice is SignNow.

SignNow is a free app for Android 2.2 and up that supports documents in PDF or Word format, as well as captures directly from the device's camera. And there's a Dropbox import option too, for added convenience. On a Galaxy Note or tablet with a stylus, SignNow works brilliantly, though it functions pretty well with just finger input. Even better, it's provided completely free of ads. [Google Play Link]

Kevin O'Quinn - CNN (Free)

There are other ways to get the news, but I prefer the CNN app. It's well organized and navigation is fast. Navigation is pretty straight forward. You can swipe left to right to get to different subcategories such as Top Stories, US, World, Politics, etc. From there you scroll through the headlines and tap on what you want to read. One cool thing is that you can also change it from the default US to International layout, which then gives you regions to get regional news. It's a nice touch. The default layout for text is white on a black background, and I see no way to change it. You can also share articles directly from the app to your favorite social networks, and through the various other sharing options you might have set up. Opinions of various news networks not withstanding, this app is well done and is an easy way to get the news. [Google Play Link]

Richard Devine - Scalado Album ($0.99)

There's only so much you can do with a gallery app, but with Album, Scalado have pretty much nailed it.

What Album does, it d oes well which is why I like it so much. It's quick, it's smooth and it's well laid out. There is a whole variety of categories to browse by too, including by month, location, and the usual all pictures.

It also has a really nice maps integration. Using full bore Google Maps you can view all the locations of your taken photos. Clicking one of the pins brings up the photos you took at that location. It isn't free, but I believe in paying for quality apps -- and this is a quality app. [Google Play Link]

Anndrew Vacca - TripIt (Free)

We've been singing TripIt's praises for a while now, but it's just so good that it bears repeating. If you're a frequent traveler, or just even just an occasional one, TripIt is indispensable. Signing up for an account is free and easy, and once you verify your email address, you'll be able to take advantage of the app's star feature: automatic itinerary creation. How does it work? Simply forward your flight, hotel, or rental car confirmation email to plans@tripit.com, and TripIt will automatically create a "trip" for you, with one-click access to all of your reservations. You can share your trip with others, access maps and directions, and with the $49/year pro account, you can even get real-time flight updates. I'll be using TripIt as I journey down to New Orleans for CTIA this week-- trust me, this one is a must.
The photo stream, with your pictures and those you're following, is nicely laid out in a scrollable list with big thumbnails (it looks great on a tablet) and users can interact with each other in the stream. You also have an online photo blog with all your pictures (the ones you've made public anyway) viewable anywhere with a web browser. It's free, and well worth a look. [Google Play Link]