Whether you've got an older Android device or one the latest Android-powered tablets or phones, there are plenty of choices when it comes to loading it with extra software.

There's an app for pretty much everything these days, and it's easy to spend hours browsing the selection in the Google Play Store. That can be a downside as it can be a problem to separate the wheat from the chaff.

That's why we're here. We've tirelessly trawled Google Play looking for the best downloads on offer - many of them are free but if there are apps that we think are worth the money we've included those, too. We've got alternative browsers, keyboards and music players, brilliant free games, apps for kids and a whole lot more.

Read on for links to all of our roundups.

80 best free Android apps

Most of the good stuff on Android is free, thanks to the work of developers who do it for love alone. From social networking apps to ones to inspire you with new ideas at work and at home, these 80 free Android apps should be any Android owner's installs...

Read 80 best free Android apps

80 best free Android games

We've worked our way through a whole load of Android games to reveal the ones you should download to your phone or tablet, and these are our picks.

Read 80 best free Android games

10 best alternative Android apps

Even if you're using a phone layered down with a custom user interface like Sense or TouchWiz, there are many alternatives to your pre-installed tools and settings. These are our 10 favourite alternate Android apps.

Read 10 best alternative Android apps

10 best free Android apps for kids

There are plenty of child-friendly apps in the Android Market. From educational apps to fun apps, we've rounded up 10 your kids will love.

Read 10 best free Android apps for kids

10 best office apps for Android

Android has a wealth of productivity tools at its disposal, ranging from free and simple text editors and "to do" lists up to impressively feature-packed and rather costly suites of document management apps that promise PowerPoint and Excel editing on your mobile.

Read 10 best office apps for Android

Best Android browsers

We wouldn't recommend sticking with Internet Explorer on a PC unless you've tried out some of the alternatives, and you're doing yourself no favours if you've never ventured beyond the stock Android browser for getting around the web. We've listed eight of our favourites below.

Read Best Android browser: 8 compared for speed and features

Best Android keyboards

There's an abundance of Android keyboards on the Play Store, and you can change them until you find one you like. With this in mind, we've selected nine of the best Android keyboards available .

Read 9 best Android keyboard apps reviewed and rated

Best Android music players

The best way to unify your Android music player experience is to use one of the many standalone apps out there, all of which offer their own take on how to best make your MP3 collection sing out of your phone. Here are 10 of the best ways to get your mobile managing your tunes today.

Read 10 best Android music players

Best Android movie players

If you have a relatively modern handset with a fast processor, the following media apps will spice up Google's rather boring movie playback options and widen your options when it comes to video viewing.

Read 10 best Android movie player apps

Source : techradar[dot]com

Samsung's tradition of packing its Galaxy and Note phones with AMOLED displays may have come to an end.

The latest rumour is that Samsung is looking to fit PLS LCD displays on its future phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy Note 4 – both of which are expected in 2014.

According to G 4 Games, who picked up the story from the hit-and-miss etnews, the reason is that Samsung is looking to cut down on production costs.

For your consideration

The important thing to note here it that Samsung is apparently only "considering" at the moment, so don't get too overworked by the news.

But the reports state that Samsung could make a decent 20% cost cut by opting for PLS LCD over AMOLED, so it's no doubt a big decision for the company.

Especially as, at the same time, Samsung is said to be looking to put AMOLED displays on its top-end Android tablets.

• What else is going on with the Samsung Galaxy S5 then?

Source : techradar[dot]com

While Android phones are still being made with a physical menu button on them, Google is making it pretty obvious that they're not wanted by shifting all functions to the on-screen capacitive button in KitKat.

Writes Google engineer Adam Powell:

"The menu button is not pining, it's passed on! The button is no more! It has ceased to be! It's expired and gone to meet its maker! It's a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace! If you hadn't nailed it to a flagship device it'd be pushing up the daisies! THIS IS AN EX-BUTTON!!"

Okay then. Just need those pesky manufacturers to get on board, eh?

More blips

Let's get physical with some more blips.

• Send in the drones: German firm gets in on the unmanned delivery act
• Halo: Spartan Assault for Xbox One release date settles on December 24
• Ebay Xbox scam sucker gets free console for his trouble

Source : techradar[dot]com

This isn't the first time that we've heard the Nexus 8 might be a thing that exists or that LG might be making it, but now we have more fuel to add to that fire.

A recent tweet from @evleaks states that a tablet with the model number LG V510 is indeed a Nexus tablet and it backs that up with what seems to be an inventory manifest which shows that the LG V510 is a Google device.

Seen it all before

Whatever it ends up being, a manual for the device, leaked by the Japanese site RBmen, suggests that its specs will be very similar to those of the LG G Pad 8.3, including in 8.3 inch 1920 x 1200 screen, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, a 5MP rear camera, a 1.3MP front facing camera and a 4600 mAh battery.

The manual doesn't include the word 'Nexus' but it does state that the LG V510 will be running stock Android, which strongly suggests that it will be a Nexus device.

We're still waiting on a Nexus 10 refresh but in the meantime we'd quite happily take a Nexus 8 to tide us over, if that is indeed what this is.

• Can't wait for the Nexus 8? Then check out the Nexus 7.

Source : techradar[dot]com

While the world at large may have poo-pooed the 'phablet' at first glance, Samsung's sales figures show that these big-screened phones are becoming more and more popular with every passing iteration.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has blown previous Notes out of the water by hitting 10 million sales within 60 days of going on sale, which isn't making anyone more enthusiastic about calling it a 'phonblet'.

It joins such Samsung handsets as the SGH-T100, SGH-E250, Samsung Galaxy S, S2, S3, S4 and Note 2 in the Samsung 10 Million Sellers Club which isn't so much an exclusive club as a list of phones Samsung has made.

Infinity and beyond

The Note 2 did pretty well for itself too, hitting 30 million sales back in October 2013 after going on sale a year before - at the Note 3's current speed, it should out-do its predecessor quite comfortably.

Attentions understandably turn to future Samsung products, with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 presumably currently in development - we don't expect to see that get its big unveil until IFA 2014 which, mark your calendars, kicks off in September.

Not so long to wait for the Samsung Galaxy S5, though, which should be birthed after MWC 2014 in February, at which point we may also be treated to a Galaxy Note 3 Lite.

• What spiffy new features will the Samsung Galaxy S5 bring? Find out here

Source : techradar[dot]com