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Android is a powerful mobile platform. For me, functionality is always a top priority and Android delivers functionality in spades. Despite its engineering roots, Android also offers the opportunity for seemingly endless customization. Others will argue that Android is “ugly” and that “dressing up” Android is like “putting lipstick on a pig.”

I understand the reference. Android appears less polished compared to iOS or WebOS. However, whatever Android currently lacks in fit and finish it more than makes up for in function. With Googles’ acquisition of WebOS design guru Matias Duarte, I’m excited for the future of the Android UI.

The next version of the Android OS 3.0 codenamed Gingerbread is rumored to be available as early as November so stay tuned. See our take on the future of Gingerbread here. In the interim, I invite Android 2.1+ users to enjoy a collection of my favorite free “live wallpapers” to help make your phone screen yours. Please feel free to email me your favorites or leave your favorites in the comments section.  Update: With the holidays around the corner click to see our story on free Halloween apps.

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1. Aquarium Live Wallpaper — Beautiful fish and plants dress up your desktop. Double-tap to feed them, tap to get their attention!
2. Cube Live Wallpaper – Cube wallpaper that lets you customize the cube shape and background.
3. Fantasia Nr.7 Live Wallpaper — Put a bit of fancy on your smartphone. A fancy wallpaper with so many little and colorful particles that will move on your screen. Settings: particles number, type and speed.
4. HypnoTwister Live Wallpaper — Soothing, hypnotic, gently turning spiral wallpaper. Changes colors periodically. Highly customizable. Also includes a bonus optical illusion app.
5. Lonely Coyote Live Wallpaper — A curious friend walking around attracted by suspicious activities. Watch the prints walking around your home screen and follow your taps, icons and widgets.
6. TimeSlider Live Wallpaper — A live wallpaper that displays the current date, day and time on a sliding background. 12/24 hr. option, 3-ate formats, 3 font choices and multiple colors.
7. Quads Live Wallpaper — A live wallpaper that draws quads/lines. Supports color cycling, random movements & PS3 looking mode. Double tap to generate new random lines.
8. Ocean Waves Live Wallpaper — Great live wallpaper originally made for Samsung Galaxy S now available on other Android devices. Cool looking wallpaper that imitate ocean waves!
9. Silhouette Live Wallpaper — A beautiful live wallpaper showing a ridge line and silhouetted trees with an intense sunset behind and layers of moving clouds. Donation version has a settings menu!
10. TweetTrends Live Wallpaper — Live wallpaper that shows the latest trends from twitter.com

Filed under: Android, Software, Android, Android OS, Desktop Customization, Google, Halloween, Holidays, Mobile phone, Wallpaper