The days of ringtones and coloured fascias being the must-have accessories to your handset are long gone, today’s must have additions to your pocket blower are apps. Ranging from the helpful to the entertaining, the funny to the downright pointless, apps make our smartphones ours and transform the piece of pocket tech into the most enjoyable gadgetwe own.

 

Update: For free Android apps throughout Advent 2010, check out T3's App Vent Calendar!

Here are ten of the apps that your HTC Desire handset is crying out for you too fill it with. So what are you waiting for, read on, log on and dress your Desire’s innards with this host of app goodness. What further encouragement do you need? Oh, ok, well, in that case, all 10 of these top Android apps are completely and utterly free. Bonus.

RAC Traffic
Anyone who has been on the M25 in rush hour knows that traffic jams can turn any sane man into Jack Torrence. Luckily, for those of us who’d rather keep our cool on the road, the RAC has developed an app to make your life on the move that little bit easier. This constantly updated app gives traffic information via Google Maps, helping you to plan your journey easier.
£Free | RAC Traffic review | Top Android travel apps

Layar
Augmented reality is the next-big thing in mobile entertainment. Although it sounds like something out of a William Gibson novel, the premise of augmented reality is fairly simple: it overlays virtual information on to real world places. The Layar augmented reality web browser app brings the internet to the real world and allows you to search exactly what you see.
£Free | Layar review | Top Android entertainment apps

Cardio Trainer
As free apps go, the Cardio Trainer gives you an awful lot of features for nothing. There are four main options to choose from, including recording your workout, a weight loss trainer and an option to race against yourself. Each one is worth a go but if all you want to do is track a run then flick on ‘record your workout’ and watch your journey to physical perfection be charted.
£Free | Cardio Trainer review | Top Android fitness apps

Shoot U!
Android may lag behind the iPhone when it comes to gaming, but with games like Shoot U! appearing at an alarming rate, it means that Android users no longer have to hang their heads in shame when their iPhone toting ‘friends’ show off their latest app find. Shoot U! is deceptively simple: shoot your character into the red target from a canon. With each level the target gets harder to reach, with the number of obstacles in the way increasing.
£Free | Shoot U! review | Top Android games apps

Qype Radar
There’s nothing quite like Qype to make you feel right at home. One of the simplest apps we have used and Qype unlocks the area around you. If you are feeling peckish and don’t know which restaurants are close by, load up Qype Radar, select Restaurants and let the app decide. Once you find the establishment one you want, click on its address and it will show you on Google Maps exactly where it is.
£Free | Qype Radar review | Top Android travel apps

Seesmic
Seesmic is a Twitter client that takes itself very seriously. Instead of being a lite version of Twitter, where all you get is a steady flow of updates, Seesmic allows you to see all your Twitter timelines in one stream and allows one-click replies to fellow tweeters. One of the best things about the app, though, is the ability to share images. This is a major bugbear with some Twitter apps on the market, but Seesmic has links to yFrog, TwitPic and even YouTube so you can add some multimedia love to your portable tweeting.
£Free | Seesmic review | Top Android social networking apps

Pocket Empires
There’s nothing quite like creating your own civilization to give you a bit of an ego boost. And that’s exactly what Pocket Empires lets you do – create an epic world in which you are master and commander, someone who has to protect all that you have created. We know what you are thinking: all this from your Android handset? But, yes, Pocket Empires,  Android's first truly playable MMO really is as big as it is addictive.
£Free | Pocket Empires review | Top Android games apps

Mabilo Ringtones
Choosing the right ringtone can have a dramatic effect on your life. Download something too chirpy and that chirpiness will be the subject of hatred in the office before the day is out. But have a ringtone that’s too sombre and you may well end up looking all Emo – and no one wants that. Mabilo ringtones offers up thousands of songs for you to have as your tune of choice. Whether it’s what’s in the Top 40 or a comedy song from Family Guy, it’s all there.
£Free | Mabilo Ringtones review | Top Android entertainment apps

Fring
If you are an online social-butterfly, then the plethora of instant messaging options your extended social network uses probably makes it increasingly difficult to keep up with what is going on and where. So, if you keep getting your Twitters in a twist, then Fring could be for you. Fring allows you to contact your social network at any time without the need of logging into to all the sites you have joined.
£Free | Fring review | Top Android communications apps

Opera Mini 6
If we didn’t know better, we’d think that the Opera Mini web browser for Android was made from witch craft. It’s so quick and slick, the speed of the thing has to be seen to be believed. In fact, in our tests, the only thing holding it back was a shoddy 3G signal. Whack it on while you are using WiFi and the results are electric. The user interface is plain but easy to use. It comes with default bookmarks but these are easily swapped for your own favourites.
£Free | Opera Mini 6 review | Top Android tools apps