40+ Beautiful Android Application Interfaces and Icons - Part 01

The strict review guidelines followed in the Apple iOS App Store, in spite of all the flak it gets for being too strict or whimsical at times, ensures a certain quality for applications that get on the market. The Android Market’s open nature tends to work against it in some aspects, not the last of which is eye-candy. For those yearning for good, usable and contemporary UI design, trying to find the right applications in the Android Market can be quite a horrifying encounter.

Let us save you that hassle then. Presented here are 40+ Android applications that boast some of the best user interfaces and icons. Although most of these applications score high on usability and utility, those are not the primary criteria for selection in this list. What we were looking for — and hopefully succeeded in selecting — were applications that offer gorgeous interfaces and equally suitable icons.

Before we begin

Note that games have been left out of the list on purpose. They can be a category for themselves and it’s not fair to have the graphics might of game developers compete with regular applications that don’t necessarily rely on cutting edge visuals to get the job done. Also, the screenshots don’t always do justice to how good an application looks. The best validation would be to try one out yourself.

Androidify

Google surprised everyone last month with an application no one was really expecting from them. Androidify lets you create your own personal Android and use it any way you like. With a beautiful, usable interface and two tons of customization options, Androidify sets a new standard for mobile application design.

Androidify

Calorific

Counting calories made fun and beautiful, that was my first impression of Calorific. The applications lets you record what you eat with a couple of clicks and provides feedback on your food habits. The interface is colorful and full of life, just what the doctor ordered, one would say.

Calorific

Camera360

We have already spoken tons about this Swiss army knife of Android camera applications. Camera360 provides virtually every feature you would ask for in a mobile phone camera and does it in a beautiful, intuitive interface that is invisible when you don’t need it, yet always there at the tap of a button.

Camera360

Chomp

The new web-based Android Market is a big leap from the virtually non-existent entity before, but there’s still a lot of room for alternatives to make a mark. Chomp is a new entrant that starts on the right foot with a stunning look & feel. The visual design, interface and user experience is top-notch, coupled with a very smart search engine that provides way better results than the official market itself.

chomp

Color Blindness Test

Nearly 8% of all men in the world are color blind in some way (as against only 0.5% women, incidentally). The Color Blindness Test application lets you check if you’re one of them with a simple but visually attractive interface and a clever set of questions that should leave little doubt about the results.

Color Blindness Test

DoubleTwist Player

There is no dearth of alternative music players on the Android Market, most of them competing wildly for the ‘most beautiful’ title (as we will see further down). DoubleTwist does little wrong in the race. The excellent icon is coupled with a dark, sleek interface that makes browsing and listening to your music a pleasure.

DoubleTwist Player

Epicurious

Wondering what to cook for dinner tonight? The Epicurious Recipe App is probably one of the best looking applications of its kind on the Android Market. From the browsing experience to the recipe details, everything is neatly laid out and blends beautifully with the red branding of the epicurious website.

Epicurious

Episodes

Episodes is one of the few Android applications with a beautiful and self-explanatory icon. The retro television set icon establishes clearly that this is an application about TV shows and the interface does the rest. Check out all the current shows on TV, review their episodes, save favorites and more.

Episodes

FlightBoard

A checkered grid of colorful LEDs is the basic premise of this application’s interface as well as its icon. FlightBoard turns your phone into the Arrivals & Departure board for any airport, and does a neat job of replicating the real world through good use of metaphor and a neat, clean UI.

[Source]

FlightBoard

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