Closing applications I guess this has to do with our habit on desktop computers where we


open an application
use it
close the application


AFAIK there's no direct way from within the application to close it. And by pressing the Home button app just gets into the background. Still running.

I got a habit of pressing Home, then Recent apps and flicking all open apps out.

Is this a bad habit? Should I leave applications like GMail, FB, Currents, GNow, etc. running or is it better to close them and have as less apps as possible running?
The answer is simple: Do not close apps when possible!

Android takes care of app managemnt by leaving them stick around (which is not necessary in memory) when possibile allowing faster startup times and resumption where you left. Swiping out a app of the recent app list is similar too closing it, but not the same.