Google's favourite apps of 2012

Any parent knows you shouldn't pick favourites, so Google's decision to release a curated list of what it considers the best apps of 2012 is an odd one. The list, published via the Play store website, details some of the Android creator's favourite apps.

Many of the listed apps are very good indeed. Evernote is much loved, and Ted is utterly inspiring, for the content, rather than the app itself. We've just fallen in love with Pixlr Express too, thanks to the Google suggestion. Also included is an electronic pop-up book of Grimm's Snow White and Expedia's tablet-compatible travel and hotel app.

It's interesting to compare the best apps to those which phone users download most often. For example, Google doesn't consider the atrocious Facebook app to be a "must have", but the general public can't get enough of it, pushing it to the top of the download charts. Also missing are games, which dominate the paid-for charts, with Need for Speed and Grand Theft Auto being the biggest selling apps currently.

It also makes sense for Google to ignore the apps that "improve" on the core Android experience too. After all, wouldn't endorsing Swiftkey - a massive seller and, according to its producer, the biggest-selling Android app of 2012 - mean admitting its own built-in keyboard wasn't much cop?

So what would we at Pocket-lint say are the best apps of 2012? We give a suggestion every weekday in our App of the Day section. A good percentage of these are Android apps, so if you've got a new Android-powered device, take a look for some ideas.

The full Google list is available on the Play store, so check them out. You'll almost certainly find something awesome to play with for the rest of your Christmas holiday.

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