Google lists best Android apps of 2012

With Apple recently releasing a list of what it considers to be the best iOS apps of 2012, we've been waiting with bated breath for Google to reveal its own list. The wait is over, as today Google named the best apps to land on the Google Play Store in 2012. The apps range to ones that probably everyone has installed on their Android device to ones that will be relatively unknown to the mainstream crowd, so you could potentially use Google's list to discover your new favorite app.

Google doesn't assign any particular ranking to these apps, so none of them are supposed to be considered "better" than the others. Some of them bring online storefronts to your device, while others are services that many users take advantage of on a daily basis. The majority of them are free to install, save for just one app on the list. In no particular order, here are Google's best Android apps of 2012:

Evernote

• Zappos

Pinterest

• Grimm's Snow White

• Expedia

• Pocket

• Ancestry

• Fancy

• Mint.com Personal Finance

• SeriesGuide Show Manager

• Pixlr Express

• TED

It isn't very surprising to see Evernote and Pinterest show up on the list, and Zappos is a clear choice considering it seems to be pre-installed on nearly every Android device that comes through our doors. It's good to see apps like Pocket, Fancy, and Pixlr Express get some much-deserved attention, and it seems that Google has delivered a list that's quite diverse.

As diverse as it is, it notably doesn't feature any games unless you want to count Grimm's Snow White – an interactive storybook – as one. Perhaps Google will also release a list of its favorite Android games for 2012? Only time will tell, but for now, let us know if you use any of the apps listed in Google's favorites for the year!

[via Google]