Most smartphone users have to keep an eye on their data usage. Even for those on a theoretically unlimited plan, there’s usually a ‘fair use’ limit which, if exceeded, can lead to a throttled connection. Theoretically, at least.

As you’d expect, there’s an app for that. In fact, there are several but so far our favourite is NetCounter. This nifty little tool keeps a track of your ‘cell’ and wi-fi traffic by day, week and month. It runs in the background, automatically re-starting itself after a re-boot and the collected data persists which isn’t the case with all the alternatives.

netcounter-homenetcounter-counter-menu

NetCounter’s data collectors are customisable by duration and start date (so you can match your own billing renewal date) but maybe the most useful feature is the alert which pops into your notification bar if you exceed the limit you’ve set for a given time period.

netcounter-notificationnetcounter-alert

Should you download this app? Well, it’s a bit of a no-brainer if you have any kind of data cap whether it’s a network imposed 3G/GPRS limit or a chargeable temporary wi-fi cost. Either way for those on a tight data budget NetCounter could be a real life-saver.

Tested on: T-Mobile G1 (HTC Dream)

Developer: Cyril Jaquier

Price: Free

Availability: Android Market

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