For a single platform, there sure are a lot of ways to use Android.
From the variety of devices and apps available to the near-endless array of customizations -- everything from basic home screen arrangements to advanced tools that change how a phone or tablet is used -- there's practically no limit to the possibilities for making the operating system your own.
Keyboards are a core piece of that customization puzzle -- and so for this next chapter of my ongoing "How I use Android" series, I thought it'd be interesting to see how someone involved with one of Android's most popular keyboards uses the platform himself.
In his own words, this is how Joe Braidwood -- chief marketing officer and frequent public face of SwiftKey -- uses Android.
The basics
Your current primary phone: Nexus 5, but my LG G4 in gray has been dispatched!
What case is on your phone (if any): None.
Your current tablet (if any): iPad Air. (Sorry?)
Your current smartwatch (if any): Pebble Steel -- but I was hanging out with [Android Central Editor] Phil Nickinson at Google I/O and I can't remember the model, but his steel watch with full color screen on Android Wear absolutely bossed mine. Phil, I want that watch, please. He also had the leather G4. These journalists, you know?
[Author's note: I believe we're talking about the LG Watch Urbane (which I'm wearing as well at the moment -- great device). Also: Hi, Phil!]
The home screen
A quick walk-through of your phone's home screen setup: I didn't arrange it; SwiftKey's Hexy Launcher did it for me. We launched this a couple weeks ago off the back of an innovation week that we held. It automatically sorts your apps into groups of hexagons by the colors of their icons -- and as you use the apps, it brings their icons closer into the center. The best thing about it is its simplicity and responsiveness.
What wallpaper you're using: One of the ones that ships with the Nexus 5. How boring is that? But because Hexy Launcher overlays icons, you can't really tell. It's more there as a texture.
The apps
Beyond the obvious stock Google programs, a few apps you can't live without right now (and a quick word about why):
Well, so aside from Hexy Launcher and SwiftKey:
Spotify. Because it's changed music discovery and those awesome moments when you say, "Hey, I love that song from back in the day" -- and there it is, playing out loud.
Munchery. Long days in the office, get home, delicious home-cooked and healthy food on demand. It's a fantastic business model, putting brilliant chefs to work in the comfort of their own kitchens.
AccuWeather. Because you never really know in San Francisco...
Check out other "How I use Android" profiles below (scroll down) -- and stay tuned for even more entries in the weeks to come!
Android Power Profiles PreviousNext How I use Android: YouTube sensation Marques Brownlee Currently reading How I use Android: SwiftKey bigwig Joe Braidwood How I use Android: Developer, writer, and podcaster Gina Trapani How I use Android: Android VP Brian Rakowski How I use Android: Open source superstar Jean-Baptiste Quéru (JBQ) How I use Android: Android Wear Engineering Director David Singleton