I’m a big fan of the ocular arts. Every now and then I find a little morsel of “visual crack”: blog.yimmyayo.com.

Be Warned: Some of the content is NSFW. But all is tasty in its own way.

Enjoy.

So, I’m not that big into lists. But on occasion, I have been known to organized. So here I present my top 5 favorite *free* Android apps.

Swype (http://swypeinc.com/index.html) Softkeyboard replacement. This is one of those things where it just makes sense. I was not too thrilled with the softkeyboard on my HTC Hero. With this app though, I look forward to having to type on my phone. Its quick, simple and fun.

Timeriffic (http://code.google.com/p/autosettings/) I use my phone as my alarm clock, and I was in the process of writing my own app to control the settings on my phone based on time of day, when I came across this app. It does the job very well, and can have multiple profiles, for say, the weekend, vacation, etc. My phone all but turns off at night, and automatically sets the ring tone volume, and notification volume back to normal at a decent hour.

Cubed (http://abrantix.org/rockon.php) Link is to producer, not the actual app. This player is top notch. Great interface, and impressively well done for a free app. This IMHO puts my phone on par with my iPod. (for the features of music play).Cubed Music Player

Dolphin Browser (http://browser.mgeek.mobi/) The built in browser is good, but Dolphin is better. Gestures, and a slew of other great features make this my browser of choice. I’m interested to test out Fennec (Firefox Mobile) when it comes out, it might be a contender for this spot.Dolphin Browser

Layar (http://layar.com/) Search + Location Aware + Augmented Reality . Points you in the right direction for whatever you are looking for. This thing is awesome! I’ve used it often and is one of the first apps to get showcased when talking to anybody about my phone

Runner ups (Yelp, Wapedia, Google Voice, Replica Island)

Clayton Boyer is a wood worker, or a conductor conducting a symphony comprised entirely of the wood section.

He is also a clock designer and a bit of an engineering marvel in my opinion. His clocks are masterpieces that rival convention and inspire oohs and awes.

Bird of paradise

The designs vary from intricate to simple elegance. His designs are also up for grabs. He believes that most anybody can re-create one of his creations by following his plans which he sells through his website.

I am a moderate tinkerer, and my skills at wood working are fine for general carpentry. I know my way around chisels, lathes, hand saws, and a myriad of power tools; I would be dubious at my ability to complete one of his designs.

He even has a section for the über determined, the masochists’ corner. He will only sell you the plans for one of these clocks if you have successfully completed one of his more “basic” designs. So there you have it. A challenge.

If I wasn’t already up to my ears in projects, I would definitely attempt one.

If you are like me and just into admiring and imagining how one of these art pieces would look in your home or office, here is a Youtube link for several of his designs in action.

Clayton Boyer’s clocks in action

There is also a Flickr gallery of some of the completed clocks done by others.

Clocksters completed works on Flickr

Links:
http://www.lisaboyer.com/Claytonsite/Claytonsite1.htm
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisaboyer/sets/72157622224676987/

I’ve been playing with a browser I found by accident in Android Market for about a day now, and I’m quite impressed. I was happy with the built in browser, but this one gives customizable gestures, tabs, and a whole slew of popular sites, and social links as a catalog of bookmarks by default. Its interface is well thought out, the tabs can hide to give up that valuable real estate.

The browser even supports multi-touch for the cynogen builds, which I haven’t tested, but I am willing to bet it makes the power of this little browser that much more awesome.

I would highly recommend this browser to anybody, especially if you are a web junky like me.

Dolphin Browser (Social&Smart) was developed for Android by MGeek. Get it in the Android Market or use your scanner here or through the official website: http://sites.google.com/a/mgeek.mobi/browser/