We are smack dab in the middle of prime season for year-end lists, and we’ve had more than a few of our own to share with you. Google’s been up to the same sort of thing over at the Play Store, and along with naming some of its picks for the best books, music, and movies, it’s put together a dozen Android apps that it thinks demonstrate the best of what’s been available this past year.

Not all of these were necessarily released for the first time in 2012, but either due to increased interest, or the arrival of new features, they really caught Google’s attention this year. The majority are free downloads, and perhaps surprisingly, games are quite under-represented.

In the organization/productivity sphere we’ve got Mint.com Personal Finance and Evernote. You can get your shop on with the official Zappos app, or book travel through Expedia Hotels & Flights. Social sharing is covered by Pinterest and Fancy, and there’s Grimm’s Snow White for the kids. You can try to better yourself by listening to some talks through the TED app, or trace your roots with Ancestry. Shutterbugs may dig Pixlr Express, Pocket will help you read sites on the go, and if you just want to kick back and watch some TV, Google suggests you check out the SeriesGuide Show Manager.

So, what do you think? Is this a nice cross-section of apps that Google has going here, or are there any stand-out titles you think it erred by missing?

Source: Google