Best Android Widgets

UPDATED: March 24, 2011

The following contains a listing of best android widgets I've used on the Motorola Droid and Motorola Droid 2, a brief description of the widget, and my *rating.  Scan the barcodes on the right using the Barcode Scanner application on your Android phone to be taken directly to the Android Market page for the widgets.  This listing is up-to-date as of post date noted above.  This listing will change as more widgets become available.  It is possible that some of these widgets have paid version.  Version reviewed as noted:

• Setting Profiles Full [$4.00 USD] -
  
  Setting Profiles Full

  This is a widget and an application.  Allows you to setup profiles that tweak nearly all of your phones settings, and then setup rules and triggers to apply the rules.  I have a profile for work that silences the phone, turns off GPS, turns on AutoSync, etc.  Another profile for home that ups the volume, turns off GPS, turns on WiFi, etc.  Another profile for in the car dock and charging, enable GPS, open Pandora Radio, turn off WiFi, etc.  So much functionality, there's too much to list here.  The documentation on this app is limited, and there's a HUGE learning curve (check out our Setting Profiles Full forum discussion for help).  But persistence is well rewarded.  This widget is placed at the top of the list for its practicality.  There are almost infinite uses for this type of application/widget, and you really need to try it out before you can determine if you "need" it or not.  Really makes the phone "intelligent".   (9/10)
  

• Weather & Toggle Widget (aka Weather Widget Donate Clock and Weather) [$1.50 USD] -
  
  Weather & Toggle Widget

  Gorgeous graphics coupled with the Motorola Droid's high-resolution screen make this widget a permanent fixture on my main home screen.  There are several skins available allowing you to customize the look and feel of the widget.  Allowing users to interface with the favorite weather forecast site is another nice feature of this widget.  Well worth the money if you're having trouble locating free alternative clock widgets and weather widgets.  Absolutely the best Android widget available for weather and clock.  The developer is constantly updating and adding new features and graphics to this widget.  Every update brings something new and refreshing to the widget.  (10/10)

• BatteryLife [Free] -
  
  BatteryLife

  Awesome battery widget showing percent battery life remaining.  Especially helpful if you've installed a home replacement app and are needing a battery indicator.  Allows for basic color customization and user-defined stop light (red/yellow/green) based on battery level.  In addition, the widget uses the battery temperature sensor to display the ambient temperature of the phone.  (10/10)

• Android Agenda Widget [Free] -
  
  Android Agenda Widget

  FINALLY, an agenda widget that pulls from your corporate calendar and allows for significant tweaking to the display.  Has a 4x1 widget that displays your next 4 agenda items clearly.  Just a quick tap pulls up the meeting information.  One of the BEST excecuted widgets available on the Android market.  (10/10)

• Calendar Pad Pro [~$2.00 USD] -
  
  Calendar Pad Pro

  For those looking for a grid calendar with a 4x3 widget, this might be your only option…  This widget offers a ton of customization, but it is somewhat cumbersone to use.  This calendar works best with the Android Agenda Widget right below it.  (9/10)

• MotoTorch LED [Free] -
  
  MotoTorch LED

  Nice little widget that utilizes the dual-LED flash on the Motorola Droid as a flashlight.  There are still some technical hurdles relating to handling of screen brightness  to get over before making this a completely polished widget.  However, the developer is extremely responsive and improving the widget all the time.  (9/10)

• News and Weather (formerly known as Genie Google News and Weather) [Free] -
  
  Stock widget, no barcode

  It's amazing to me at the lack of news widgets…  Allows for user-selectable topic selection for news feeds.  Weather portion is a nice addition (though lacking in graphics).  This widget is available stock on Android 2.1 and higher devices.  The interface with The Weather Channel API is smooth and offers some features I haven't seen in other weather widgets like temperature and precipitation graphs.  Another bonus, the weather application uses your current location based on GPS.  The only things really missing here are some customization skins and additional widget sizes…  (9/10)
  

• SportsTap [Free] -
  
  SportsTap

  For keeping up to date with your favorite sports teams, I don't think this widget can be beat.  Tons of teams including most popular college and professional sports.  Again, we need customization and additional widget sizes. (9/10)

• Facebook for Android [Free] -
  
  Facebook for Android

  Unfortunately there isn't too much worthy widget competition in this area…  The stock Facebook widget is functional and gets the job done.  I hope this is addressed with Android's next release (version 3?).  It is by no means the optimum solution.  Aside from additional facebook functionality and defining the page your phone hits when it accesses facebook, we need customization skins and additional widget sizes.  I feel like this widget is the last widget holding back my Android phone.  It just looks clunky...  NOTE:  This widget may lose out to the Motorola Social Networking widget available on the Motorola Droid 2.  (8/10)
  

• Pure Grid Calendar Widget [~$2.00 USD] -
  
  Pure Grid Calendar Widget

  A grid (think full-month view) calendar that also shows your schedule for each day.  Blocks of color represent your schedule.  I use this calendar as a grid calendar, and the Calendar Pad Pro to display a week's worth of events in more detail, followed by the Android Agenda Widget to show upcoming meetings and appointments.  Overall a nice calendar widget, just wish it had some more skin options...  (8/10)
  

• Photo Frame Deluxe [$0.99 USD] - A nice picture frame widget that allows you to display your favorite pictures on your home screen.  This app has so much potential…  I have some problems with the widget stopping the slideshow.  A quick setup of the photo album again gets it moving, but I shouldn't need to do this with a paid application or widget.  (8/10) - No longer supported.
• Stock Picture Frame [Free] - Basic picture frame widget that allows you to display your favorite pictures on your home screen.  This app has so much potential…  We need some customization in the framing options in addition to multiple widget sizes.  (7/10) - Without a slideshow funtion, this widget loses out to the Photo Frame Deluxe widget.
• Analytics Widget [Free] - Basic display widget that allows you to track basic information provided by Google Analytics about your favorite site(s).  A little color customization and some additional features would be nice for this widget.  (8/10) - Way too many force closes with this widget...   ended up just uninstalling this widget.
• Where [Free] - Kinda hard to truly call this a widget, but it advertises itself as such…  Amazing little widget that uses your GPS (or manually provided) location to provide information.  Tell the application you want "pizza" and it pops up the closest pizza restaurants to you.  If available, the widget will also provide you reviews on the results.  In addition to searching, the application also has gas prices available based on location, news, traffic info, movies, and more.  One item that really caught my eye was the section underneath gas prices.  We'll refer to it as "pulse"…  This pulls up location-based social networking posts based on a radius of your current location.  To be truly interesting, more users will need to make posts, but it could really provide insight into the "pulse" of your current location.  Voice Recognition on my Motorola Droid was near flawless.   (9/10) - I've moved to using the Places Directory more...  The only real gripe I have this this widget/application is that it was SLOW.