Apps were recently gifted unto the human race by the gods of technology to make our lives easier. I have no idea what we did to deserve apps, but I’m sure not giving them back now that we’ve got them.

In case you’re just waking up to the wonderment of the app world, or, you know, are randomly interested in my choice of apps, I will be listing my top ten favorite apps for the Android platform (Apple can wait its turn) in two posts.

Without further ado:

10. Word Up

Word Up is basically a clone of the game Boggle for your phone. The challenge is to pick out as many words as possible from a random jumble of letters are a timer counts down. The longer and more complicated the word, the more points you rack up. You can play alone or pass the phone around and play with friends.

This game rocks for challenging your vocabulary under pressure, but it also requires a dead-on touch screen and some lithe finger action on your part. It’s easy to hit the wrong letter and look more like a dunce than a word stud.

Perfect for a long bus ride, a waiting room, or, you know, work.

9. Pandora

Pandora, our favorite free music site, is now available in app form. It’s basically the exact same website, which means you get any type of music you want. Lots of it. In convenient playlists that you didn’t even have to put together yourself.

Did I mention it’s free?

Strap on your head phones and rock away.

8. Task Killer

Now I usually don’t condone murder, but when it comes to troublesome apps that drain memory and processing speed—get out the chainsaw and do some damage.

On the Android platform, there really isn’t a convenient way to shut off apps that run in the background and slow down the speed of your phone. A quick download of the free Task Killer app will provide you with a convenient list of all the apps currently running on your phone. Simply uncheck the boxes of the apps you don’t need, and they will be summarily shut down.

Makes you feel powerful, doesn’t it?

7. FX Camera

This free app allows you to spend way too much time doctoring your photos by offering multiple different photo modes to shoot in. Ever want to take photos in a “fish bowl” mode? Or turn your photos into an Andy Warhol masterpiece? Of course you do!

FX Camera has a lot of additional functionality, but mostly it’s useful for the funky photos, which I personally guarantee your friends will continue to appreciate, no matter how many you post onto your Facebook page.

6. Wordfeud

Wordfeud is kind of like Scrabble. OK, it’s a lot like Scrabble, which means it’s fun, mentally stimulating, and will reward you for knowing big, complicated words (can you say nerd heaven?)

Play against friends or absolute strangers, doesn’t matter. Just win.

In my next post, I’ll finish the list with my current top five favorite Android apps.

Just in case you’re curious, this list is my own personal opinion. I am not receiving any payment or commission for recommending these apps. However, if any of these companies do want to pay me for saying nice things about their apps, please do. I won’t stop you.