Widgets may not be as popular as apps, but they can be very handy. Widgets are not too different from apps, actually. They are like small portable apps that live on your phone. The Android widgets appear as small units on your mobile screen, and you can start and open the application (or connect to parent application) by clicking on the widget. What sets Android OS apart from iPhone OS is its ability to support widgets on the home screen.

Android widget development concentrates on making it faster and easier for the user to access her favorite apps or websites. Android Widget development is not as extensive a field as apps development, but a number of medium and large businesses opt for Android apps to cement their place in the minds of Android OS users. The best and biggest sites always provide a widget, or even multiple widget focusing on their diverse offerings.

The best part of custom Android widget development is that the widgets on your Android device display all the relevant information on the screen, and you do not have to open the app except for when you need to access additional details. The following are some of the best widgets; they are a must-have for any Android user.

Pandora

This widget makes the life of music lovers a lot easier. Using Pandora, you can create several customized radio stations. You can indulge in several types of music to your heart’s content, and discover new artists at the same time. Once you install the app on your Android device, you will never be too far from your favorite bands.

Evernote

Arguably, Evernote is the king of all note-taking apps. It is one of the few note-taking apps that come with a widget. The widget makes it very easy for you to manage existing notes and create new notes. If you are the kind of person who needs to take notes frequently, you will thank Android widget development for this app.

3G Watchdog

This app is made for people like me. If you tend to overshoot your ‘Unlimited Bandwidth’ data plans, this widget will let you watch your bandwidth usage like hawk. Most ‘unlimited’ plans come with a 5GB cap, and this app will track your usage and let you know how much it’s going to cost you.

Power Control

Smartphones batteries are notorious for their short life. Power Control is another very useful app to come out of custom Android widget development. This app lets you save power by messing around with a number of settings. Allows you to adjust brightness, sync your mobile online and even lock the orientation of your device.