Best Android Apps 2013: Free and paid apps for Android

Whether you're after the latest free Android apps or the Samsung Galaxy S4 essentials, T3's app experts pick the best Android apps to grab in 2013

Once the lowly second fiddle to Apple's bustling App Store, Google Play continues to go from strength to strength as more great Android smartphones like the  Samsung Galaxy S4, the HTC One and tablets like the Asus Memo Pad HD 7 and Google Nexus 7 2 show what the Google-powered mobile platform is truly capable of.

If you've just bought a new Android smartphoneor tablet and looking to pack it with the finest app offerings on Google Play, each month T3's app experts will bring you the very best free and paid for Android apps available right now. Here's what delights we have discovered this month. 

Want more of the best apps? Check out the T3 App Chart for all the latest apps across platforms.

 Google Play Games

Going head-to-head with Apple’s Game Centre, Google Play Games is the hub for all your Android gaming needs. With a great UI, both on tablets and phones, along with achievement tracking, score comparisons and obviously the ability to challenge your friends to matches, this is a must for any Android gamer.

Free | Download

Active Notifications

Mimicking one of the Moto X’s headline features, Active Notifications displays an icon on your devices display when a new email or text message comes through. You can also act on the notifications, swiping up to quickly reply and down to unlock, making the process pretty seamless. Sadly though, currently the app is only available for phones running Jelly Bean 4.3 – so basically just the Nexus 4 and 7 then.

Free | Download

Any.Do

This swish, well designed and simple to use task managing app packs in useful features that could see it become your planning app of choice. Cloud syncing, text prediction and sharing capabilities really single it out from a crowded genre.

Free | Download

Price of Persia Shadow & Flame

Relive the classic PC side-scrolling adventure, with updated graphics and redesigned controls. There are 14 levels and five separate environments to guide the prince through, making this perfect for livening up those dull commutes,

Price: £1.99 | Download

BBC Weather

Taking BBC’s normally reliable weather data and putting it in a well designed and very functional app is always going to be a winner. It will automatically detect your location and then present you with up to the minute weather info, ensuring you’ll be suitably in the know if it’s about to chuck down with rain.

Free | Download

Riptide GP2

An advert for how far Android gaming has come, Riptide is great fun, whilst also being pleasing on the eye. In classic racing game fashion, it’s the quickest who wins, yet the change from track to water mixes things up a bit. There’s a career mode, variety of race types, online battles and you can even upgrade your ship.

Price: £1.99 | Download