Wednesday App Review: Zedge

Whenever I get a new phone, one of the first things I do is customize it. Set my own ringtones and get rid of that horrible default wallpaper. But, let’s face it, the customization options that come pre-installed on most devices are pretty terrible. The ringtones are boring and the wallpapers are always the same—someone’s pet, something vaguely naturey, something kind of futuristic and abstract and the ever-present beach scene. Who wants to use the default options? That’s where Zedge comes in. You have probably heard of Zedge. Heck, depending on when your phone was made, you probably already have it on your device in the form of pre-installed “bloatware.” But, chances are you probably didn’t really look at it—I mean, the name isn’t very descriptive and who messes with the pre-installed crap their phone for any purpose other than to try and remove it? While generally I would agree with you, Zedge is well worth a second look. This free app offers an insanely large database of wallpapers, ringtones, themes and even games for users to download. From pop culture to hobbies, nerdly pursuits and artistic or cutsey images Zedge has you covered. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if you haven’t taken a look at all Zedge has to offer, then you’re doing phone customization wrong. Like, really wrong. Originally launched in 2003, Zedge is completely free to use with an extremely simple and user-friendly interface. It’s so simple to use that my techphobic and technology-challenged mother (who can barely turn the TV on and off) is actually the one who first introduced me to the app a couple of years ago and I haven’t looked back. Zedge allows users to search for whatever terms they want, preview the wallpaper/ringtone and then with a couple of clicks download and set it to the phone. Simple. Zedge also boasts a pretty nice recommendation engine that learns what users prefer and helps them find better content. There is a whole social forum and community behind Zedge as well, although engaging in that is far from necessary to use the services. As a side note, downloading images and ringtones does use data so I recommend users wait until the device is connected to a hotspot before launching the app. In addition to wallpapers and ringtones, Zedge offers free games and custom-made themes as well. The game list is nowhere near as expansive as the millions of wallpapers and ringtones available, and personally haven’t tried the themes with my device so I can’t say how they work. There are quite a few options for both themes and games however. In short, if you’re tired of crappy pre-installed customization options and frustrated with searching for high-quality images and such on the internet, then Zedge is definitely worth the time. Zedge is free to download and is available on Android, iPhone and Windows Phones.]]>