There’s been a whole lot of love given to Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch since the App Store debuted. And the preceding twelve months. Maybe too much.  But the competing Android-powered T-Mobile G1 is getting its moment in the spotlight: carrier T-Mobile is spending an estimated $1 million on a two-day web-wide ad blitz for the phone today and tomorrow.  Which leads us to ask: which Android apps are worth a try? And which ones are so good that we’d fork over our hard-earned cash?  IM+ All-in-One Messenger [Handango Store] - Granted, this app is at a serious premium to the equivalent setup now offered for iPhone users. A $19.95 premium, to be precise. Alternatively, the option available in Apple’s App Store is free. But, if you want to equip your G1 with a multi-protocol instant messaging utility, IM+ is the thing. What has us sold on this one? You can demo the app for a week without cost.  Mobiola Video Studio [Handango] - The name is terrible, we’ll admit, but the getting content from YouTube, and WMV, AVI and iTunes-compatible formats to your G1 sound downright kick-ass. That’s the upside. The downside, meanwhile, is it’ll cost you $5 more than IM+. Yep, $24.95. Again, a demo is offered, which you’ll want to jump on to see if its technological mettle is akin to your own before having to pay the piper, but you may well love it to pieces, so consider yourself one Andy Jackson and one Abe Lincoln poorer.  EasyTranslator [Handango] - You may not be able to buy the Google G1 through official outlets the world over like you can with the iPhone, but you damn well can pay $5.95 for translations that include, Spanish, French, German, Greek, Italian, and of course, English.  Golf Tracks [Handango] - Let’s face it. You’re going to want to use your $179 G1 to do things that you could ordinarily do just fine with a paper pad and a pencil. Like tracking your golf score. Yes, for $4.95 Golf Tracks can be yours. And no, a score card is not all it is. It links to Google Maps so you’re able to view the course as a satellite snapshot. In case you get lost around hole 6 or 7, perhaps. Demo is available.  Par 72 Golf II [Handango] - Perhaps you don’t want to walk out onto the golfing green whatsoever. That’s fine. Virtualize the experience with Par 72 Golf. It delivers a 3D environment complete with “three 18 hole courses” featuring “hills, water, sand traps” and more. Spiffy, eh? This one will run you $9.99. Unlike Golf Tracks, a demo is not available.  Vegas Pool Sharks [Handango] - You know where this list is going, don’t you? Games, games, and more games. As has been the case with the iPhone, so goes Android as well. So how about some billiards, folks? This development comes from RESETgame, the same developers that created Par 72, R and costs an equal amount, too. No demo to play, either.  TETRIS [Handango] - Suffice it to say that this one will be among the most popular games shopped to Androiders. (Or is it just Androids?) At $7.99, it costs precisely the same as the iPhone option, and presents three modes of play. Depending on your fascination with this classic title, that could be a bargain in the long run.  Android File Manager [Handango] - $9.99 for a file manager may not seem like such a smart purchase, but if you’re interested in seeing all that lives on an SD card installed in your G1, this is the thing for you. As an iPhone owner, I really couldn’t go without my copy of DataCase. If Android File manager evolves into anything resembling that utility, it’ll be a real keeper.  SMobile VirusGuard [Handango] - How’s mobile antivirus software that costs $9.99 sound to you? If you can help it, stay clear until a roundtable of security experts has their way with it.  GoogHelper [Handango] - Web search is a wonderfully useful thing. But having to pay for the privilege doesn’t seem very appealing. Which is what this piece of kit is equipped to do. If you can’t manage to resist, download the trial before you splurge the $5.
If you’re willing to pry yourself away from the current class of freebies and fork over some cash, you just may love your gadget that much more with these apps.