Must-Have Android Widgets for Your Smartphone and Tablet

One thing that truly sets Google’s Android mobile OS apart from other mobile platforms is its ability to use home-screen “widgets.” These applications sit on your Android device’s home panels to display related information. You never have to open those apps unless you want additional details.

Not all Android applications have widgets, but the best ones do. Some great Android apps even offer multiple widgets. Keep clicking for a list of Android apps with some of the best widgets — most of which won’t cost you a dime. (And if you just can’t get enough Android widgets, hit this link for 19 more widgets worth the space on your home screen.)

Google’s Play store has its own valuable set of widgets that gives you quick access to all of your Play books, magazines, music and media. The basic Play Store widget just launches the store; the Play Recommendations widget suggests content that may be of interest — and my favorite Play widget, the My Library option, lets you pick the type of content you want on your home screen, such as music, books, newsstand (magazines) or movies and TV, and then shows clickable album, cover or movie-poster art.

The Play widgets are part of the Android OS, so you don’t need to download anything to access them.

The Mint.com Android app makes it simple to monitor your various bank, credit, loan, investment and other finance accounts in one place. The associated widget lets you view all or some of your data (based on your preferences) right on your Android home screen. Just tap the widget’s refresh button when you want the latest information. The service uses the same encryption as most banks, and it’s certified secure by TRUSTe, Verisign and RSA so you don’t have to worry about security – though you should definitely password protect your device if you enable the Mint widget.

Download Mint.com Personal Finance for Android for free on Google Play.

TripIt is by far my favorite travel service and associated mobile application, and the Android widget makes it even more valuable. There are two TripIt widget size options, large and small, so you see as much information as you want – or as much as you can fit on your home screen. The widgets update with relevant information as you need it during your travels, including travel times, airlines, flight numbers and lodging information. You can tap sections of the widgets for details on specific travel information.

Download TripIt for Android for free on Google Play.

Many of the official apps from professional sports leagues have widgets including, MLB At Bat and NBA Game Time. But those widgets are sport-specific. If you want a widget that provides at-a-glance scores for your favorite teams across sports leagues, you’ll appreciate theScore. The app itself provides a ton of information on most professional sports, and the widget is customizable so you see what you want when you want. (ESPN ScoreCenter for Android is another worthy sports widget I recommended.)

Download theScore for Android for free on Google Play.