While I spend a lot of time checking apps out so that I may share them with you all, friends and family and just generally know what I'm talking about it, fact is -- I rarely stray away from my main ones. I'm a creature of habit, and once I find something I like I find it hard to move on to something else. My main apps of choice may interest you though, and if that is the case -- jump on past the break to see what I use most often.

I'm not a big app guy, I'll admit.  I like to check them out, and maybe even keep them around for a week or so, but there's just a few I keep around forever.  I do happen to like buying them and checking them out, though, so I go through a lot of them.  Here's my list of "keepers." Check them out after the break.

Also: Phil's most-used apps of 2011

In the continuing story of "Nobody knows what the hell's going on with the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab," (see Part 1 and Part 2) a new report out of Korea suggests that the manufacturer's 2010 flagship devices may receive a "Value Pack" update instead of a full-fledged refresh to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The "Value Pack" -- we'd expect a better name once all the translation and marketing is done -- would bring some of the sex of ICS without the hastle of an actual OS update.

That's probably a good middle ground, if indeed it is the case. It's not going to silence those who won't settle for anything less than Android 4.0, of course. But for the vast majority out there (who likely wouldn't really notice the difference anyway), it's a compromise worth exploring.

Source: Daum.net (translated); via Unwired View

Word on the street is that the original ASUS Eee Pad Transformer (read our full review) is in the midst of another firmware update. Nope, it's not Ice Cream Sandwich, but instead it's a bunch of little tweaks, which we're always more than happy to see. Head on in to ASUS' update app to download it for your own, and then head into the forums at the link below to see what everybody else is seeing.

More: Transformer forums; thanks to Chris, and everybody else who sent this in!

Word on the streeets of Korea today is that Samsung is taking another look at possibly getting an Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update to the original Galaxy S smartphone and 7-inch Galaxy Tab tablet, after previously saying it wasn't going to happen. Hey, that'd be great. Sure would make a lot of people happy.

Only, does anyone really think Samsung doesn't already know if it's technically feasible to put Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab? Is it really possible Samsung explained why they won't get it without actually trying first?

Nah. If in fact Samsung's taking another look at things, it's because someone's finally starting to put a dollar value on the backlash received worldwide after it announced that its wildly popular 2010 flagship devices were being left behind. Never mind that year-old tech is still year-old tech (even if it is good year-old tech).

And keep in mind we're still talking about things on a global scale here. Even if Samsung changes its mind and figures out how to get ICS on the Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab in a timely and economical manner, we have zero idea of what the U.S. carriers -- not really known for update expediency -- will do to their aging lines. After all, some phones didn't start getting Gingerbread until the last quarter of this year.

Sources: ajnews.co.kr; MSN Korea; via The Verge

Youtube link for mobile viewing

The folks at Max MP have released version 2.0 of PowerAmp, their excellent music player for Android.  We've loved PowerAmp in it's previous versions, and 2.0 looks to be a great update with improved media scanning,  Samsung Galaxy Nexus support, and SD card mounting fixes.  Add this to their list of great features, like tag editing, theme support, scrobbling, and that amazing graphical EQ and you have one of the best music players for mobile on any platform.  You can download the 15-day trial version of PowerAmp after the break, and the full version costs $4.99.  PowerAmp requires Android 2.1 or higher.

To help celebrate they also have a new Twitter account and a contest to give away 32GB microSD cards to store some music on.  The contest starts Friday Dec. 30 at noon Central time, and ends Jan.1 at midnight Central.  Follow @PowerAmp2 for the full details.

So you found a new Android phone under your tree this year did you?  Welcome to the family, we're glad you're here, and you picked the right place to visit.  We understand all the options and choices can be a bit overwhelming if you're new to smartphones in general, or switching from another platform.  We have you covered, and here's a great set of resources to get you started.

• Android forums: Most times the answers you want and need come from people just like you -- Android users.  You'll find out forums full of helpful and friendly people, who also know their stuff when it comes to Android devices. 
• Help and Tips: When your new phone or tablet can do so much, sometimes it's hard to figure out the how and where.  These handy tips will get you pointed in the right direction so you can begin to make things you own.
• Accessories: Looking for a case to protect your new phone?  Or maybe you want a spare battery or a new data cable?  We have you covered at the Android Central store. 
• Applications: Android has about half a million apps, and sorting through them all is impossible.  We can help -- we look at more than a few and let you know about the ones we're particularly fond of.  Check it out!
• And finally, our own forums adviser milominderbinder has the ultimate resource for any Android user in his Getting Started With Android post.  It's legendary, and we're darn lucky to have him around.  Be sure to have a read -- I promise you'll learn something. 
• The Android Dictionary:  You're going to see a lot of terminology you may not understand, and we've got a great reference here for you.  Bookmark this one.

You're in for a treat with your new Android powered device, and you can always count on us to steer you right.  Settle in, and enjoy yourselves!

The gift-giving season is winding down to a close, and we're all enjoying the time with our loved ones, warm holiday comfort foods, and maybe some cool Android goodies.  Did you get a new Android phone?  Or a tablet?  Maybe you got a Google TV unit of some sort or another, or your stocking was full of accessories.  Sound off and share with us (we're like your extended Android family) to let everyone know what great stuff you got this year. 

The Dell Streak 7 may never have been the most popular tablet ever released, and it may also be discontinued officially. That doesn't stop British retailer Currys shipping them right now for an online only price of £99.97

The listing still shows the Streak as shipping with Froyo, but Dell began rolling out Honeycomb for the device a couple of months back. At the £100 price point we're in impulse buy territory, so if you want one hit the source link below. They might not be about for long. 

Source: Currys UK

Look at what we have here, an update for the Amazon Kindle Fire on Dec 20, and it has been rooted already again on Dec 23. It is always nice to be able to keep up to date with the most current OS versions because they tend to make performance better and fix previous issues, but no one wants to be without root, right? Thankfully we have some amazing people hard at work behind the scenes and Rootzwiki and AndroidPolice have teamed up and released a root method for the Kindle Fire already. If you took the update and want to root, or skipped the update until it was rooted, be sure to hit the source link to check out what you need to do and how to do it!

Source: Rootzwiki