[Mind Made Up] Adw.Launcher vs AdwEX.launcher - Android Apps and Games

So I've had adw launcher for a few months now and quite like it. I use the fluxed theme and it's my regular. I've been contemplating purchasing adw ex as I like the overlapping widgets (adw regular doesn't support it). Adw works fantastically lag free on my epic (stock unrooted) so I am not to hot on chaning that, but adw ex has caught my eye. I am also curious about the page transitions, though I don't need them or anything...
So I am asking for opinions on adw vs adw ex. Anyone switch from adw to ex and regret it? (And went back?) Or is it the most fantastic thing ever and I should buy it now..
Price doesn't matter a whole heck of a lot to me but I don't want to pay for it and end up not liking it...and 15mins is not enough to test a launcher...
Thanks
Epic is as Epic does
Edit: Made up my mind and look below for my thoughts and such on the switch.

I kind of bought it on a whim when it first came out, and was not disappointed at all. I feel like it runs much faster, very nice UI, screen transitions are beautiful. I'm definitely a fan. It might just be my perception, but I think it runs a hell of a lot better than ADW. I recommend it.

ADW for me seems like the basic home replacement
ADW EX is the modified home replacement for those that want that extra "HPMH" on their phone
Thats just me... But personally ADW EX got me off LauncherPRO.

ADW EX ofc because it can be customized alot.

EX is more flexible on Tablets it seems, but otherwise I feel they're really about the same difference. Ignore all of the silly screen transitions, they're (IMO) completely useless.
The new icon drawing is interesting... Improvement, but not huge. Icon scaling is nice, plus the ability to do more rows and columns.
It's worth it to use it for a donation IMO.. I wish EX had come out a week or so earlier, as I donated to ADW just before it did, and I haven't been motivated to do it again just yet..

Well, I am trying out adw ex launcher, downloaded it just a min ago and we'll see...
And yes, the home screen scroll features are totally useless ... just slow things down
Epic is as Epic does

I purchased adw ex and totally loved it! The thing I like about it is the fact that it comes with theme-like options... ie... "iphoneish, nexusish,fast," and much more. The fast was nice for me because it changes all of the screen transitions and dock scrolling to a really fast and snappy speed. That way your not seeing a bunch of bouncing and other "UI" extras that don't matter. You can get good solid fast function out of it

mmm it eats up a lot of RAM than regular adw though imo.. though i like how it functions

ADW as a launcher in general is a fantastic launcher, how ever when I tried out ADW EX I thought it was a bunch of unnecessary eye candy that most likely takes up more battery.
Although having all of this eye candy is nice and fun to play with I feel like it defeats the purpose of a launcher, therefore I think ADW rather would have eye candy and performance than some basic functionality,which every launcher should have.
I'm all about the look and feel of a UI, but for some reason ADW EX just did not do it. It all comes down to your opinion though. If you have the money and are looking to buy a fantastic launcher then go ahead with ADW EX.

darkamikaze said:
mmm it eats up a lot of RAM than regular adw though imo.. though i like how it functions
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I checked my EX ram usage a dozen times since you posted this and it has not over 10 megs. I have used all of the launchers and ADW EX is the best by far imho.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

I've used ADW Launcher since my phone was rooted and I've switched to ADW Ex a day or two after it was released.
Quick comparition:
-ADW Ex runs smoother, most noticable is app drawer when scrolling
-I didn't encounter any FC yet, it sometimes happend in ADW
-there is no problem resizing big images used as custom icons in ADW Ex, ADW sometimes displayed artifacts and UI could become laggy- tested on theme icon packs and png files loaded from SD
Side note- I use Samsung i5700 (Spica) so smoothnes decrease is very noticable especially since device has very low memory performance (max 330 pts in Quadrant)

I am using ADW EX on my Desire Z.
I tried ADW EX after using the standard ADW for a few weeks while running CyanogenMod 6.1.
The differences I have noticed:
ADW EX:
Offers more customization. I do not care for the screen transitions but the ability to change the look of icons, overlap widgets, and customize the app drawer are definitely nice.
My phone seems to be quite a bit 'snappier' than while running ADW. I have not had any FC's, which weren't exactly common before, but did happen occasionally.
They are both great launchers, but I think ADW EX can be adjusted for better performance.

i like adw, but it has no widgets like LP facebook widget or sms widget, thats way i use Lp.
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

I use adw ex and its great. The transitions are smooth, unless ur using a lwp and the customization is amazing. I definitely recommend it. The eye candy does not mess up performance.
Yishtishe

Normally I would not make any kind of advertisement, but if you like ADW, I recommend to also try Go Launcher. It replaced ADW Launcher for me and seems to be often overlooked, because it's quite new.

smoothone said:
I checked my EX ram usage a dozen times since you posted this and it has not over 10 megs. I have used all of the launchers and ADW EX is the best by far imho.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
lol really? I'm looking at mine right now.. and i'm idle at 21.72MB :X
CPU 0%
got 3 pages.. with 12 widgets scattered randomly.. and 4 shortcuts.. with transition 4 :x
on Samsung Captivate.. what phone is yours?

Cimer said:
ADW as a launcher in general is a fantastic launcher, how ever when I tried out ADW EX I thought it was a bunch of unnecessary eye candy that most likely takes up more battery.
Although having all of this eye candy is nice and fun to play with I feel like it defeats the purpose of a launcher, therefore I think ADW rather would have eye candy and performance than some basic functionality,which every launcher should have.
I'm all about the look and feel of a UI, but for some reason ADW EX just did not do it. It all comes down to your opinion though. If you have the money and are looking to buy a fantastic launcher then go ahead with ADW EX.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very simple; don't enable the transitions and other nonsense... The new icon drawing, scaling, and font text is great, especially for tablets..

When adw ex came out, I bought it without thinking twice for couple of reasons;
Customization+reliability
Plus, adwlauncher was so good n the dev was so responsive n reliable that I always felt that I was stealing it from him so it was about time I give anderweb the props deserved by paying..if I recall correct, it isn't even expensive
One of those apps u never regret u paid for
Cheers anderweb! Would it be too much to say I love u? Ha
freex10 beta3+green glow=priceless

So after a bit I've found this:
Adw.Ex just seems snappier. I don't have the little bits of scrolling lag I had on adw. The random (not often) FCs have stopped. The overlapping widgets is a nice feature, and works well. The ability to change the home screen menu button options is friggen fantastic (no more 5 deep to get my theme changed!). I also like the folder options. As in each folder can have it's own icon rather than all same theme (vs adw all folder = same icon). I don't use the screen transitions an actually found them all kind of meh... certaintly not smooth/snappy enough to use. I also don't use custom dockbar bg's (mine is transparent) but I like having the option, should I want it.
So I am happy I switched
Epic is as Epic does

DerEineDa said:
Normally I would not make any kind of advertisement, but if you like ADW, I recommend to also try Go Launcher. It replaced ADW Launcher for me and seems to be often overlooked, because it's quite new.
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I agree. Go Launcher is an excellent and very competitive option.

Related

Is LauncherPro Plus worth $3.50?

Do you find yourself using the added features (widgets specifically)?
Edit: I've spent the past two days playing with and customizing Go Launcher EX and really really like it. It has all the features of Launcher Pro and then some. Using a 5x5 grid for apps is really nice too.
I'd be interested in downloading more widget and icon themes/packs if anyone knows a good resource.
I will probably give ADW a go this weekend.
Think of it this way, its probably cheaper than a happy meal. Why not give it a shot? The worst that could happen is you dont like it. But the money still goes to an amazing developer and makes it so more amazing developers continue to bring us great apps.
Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk
I honestly haven't had one regret with app purchases. Titanium seemed steep at $6, and I haven't used it yet, but if it works, it should be well worth it.
LauncherPro hasn't been updated in 3 months and it's been force closing and hanging on reboot with alarming regularity, both on my old DInc and my Charge. I had to switch to GoLauncher, which has an unfortunately large memory footprint, but at least doesn't crash quite as much. I wouldn't give him my money just yet.
What is this "paying" you speak of?
Sent from my Droid Charge running GummyFroyo 1.9.1
I think at one point it was worth it. I had purchased it when i had my Droid incredible and it ran great. There is more functionality added with the pro version than just the widgets, I really liked the gesture commands on the dock shortcuts.
It didn't run so well for me on the Charge though. I was getting constant redraws and the gesture commands that worked so well on the DInc were slower to pop up on the Charge. Unfortunate but it's good to have choices...
I switched to Go Launcher EX - just seems to work better on the Charge for me, and as stated above Launcher Pro is really slow with updates. LPP is still a really good launcher, but it may just be falling behind. Maybe the re-write the dev is doing will be worth the wait but for now check your options.
Not to mention that Go-Launcher Ex gives all the pay-only features of LauncherPro for FREE
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
lane32x said:
Not to mention that Go-Launcher Ex gives all the pay-only features of LauncherPro for FREE
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Careful with Go-Launcher...ive heard something about data collection with the launcher, I think what freaked most people out is that it is coded in china, and it sends data back? I don't remember exactly, just I know don't use it...might want to research that one... I think the saying goes "You get what you Pay for & Nothing comes for free"
I own both Launcher Pro and ADWex, both awesome in there own right, with each other having a few feature that are needed in the other. As for Launcher Pro it was a day one purchase when it was released from beta and launched as Launcher Pro and Launcher Pro Plus.
The Dev for launcher pro is in the process of doing a rewrite from scratch with it. It's a slow process...
Would I recommend Launcher Pro Plus, I would then, and I still would now.
And for the person that inferred getting it for free...shame on you! If you didn't mean it that way I apologize in advance, if not then well hopefully the guilt consumes you...
If you use the app, its worth $3.50 to compensate the developer for their time. Pay it forward!
It was worth it on the Fascinate but now with the Droid Charge, Go Launcher EX and ADW now appear to have more features.
norm883
I love LP+, but (as mentioned) I do have constant redraws and it's been crashing a lot. Never had either issue on my old Droid Eris.
Also, LP+ has lost it's functionality to display Gmail unread counts on the dock. Google changed somethings in the latest Gmail update that broke it. I alerted Fede that madmack, the dev for NoLED was able to fix Gmail notification issues via new APIs that he's applied to NoLED. So far, no changes to LP+ though.
Honestly, I prefer LP+ to ADW and GO, but these redraws and crashes need to stop. Here's the BIG issue... Fede began work on the LP rewrite during the last week of September 2010. We're almost in September 2011 without release of the rewrite. In that time, we've seen both Gingerbread AND Ice Cream Sandwich. Additionally, Fede just released UberMusic (which is the prettiest music app available, but it needs the features that PowerAmp has to make it legit). In any case, I'm personally concerned that Fede is working his day job and then spending the majority of time on UberMusic. There's no guarantee we'll ever see this rewrite. We're getting into a "Duke Nukem Forever" type of situation with this.
I may make a switch to GO soon though. They're super active and are developing an entire suite of apps to compliment each other. Plus, it's free.
I understand the privacy concerns, but they are legitimately funded by VC and Paul at MoDaCo pulled apart the apps and hasn't found anything to cause alarm, in his opinion (which I consider to be an authoritative opinion): http://android.modaco.com/topic/342722-goapps-investigating-the-privacy-claims/
ADW EX is my favorite. Never did care for LaucherPro
my 4 cents (2 for each issue)
I like LauncherPro and paid for it. The speed up features on it seem to make the Charge go faster...
If you like an app, buy it. 3 bucks isnt much and worth it. Do I download apps to try the "extra" features? Yes I do. If I find them useful I buy it. If I don't use them either I use the free version or uninstall it.
The exception would be that 3d launcher that I saw awhile back. It was something like 20$. I wouldnt buy that one, but I also don't think I would really try it much either. 20$ is too much for a replacement launcher.
I haven't noticed any lag. When in browser, after pressing home button it takes a few seconds for the home screen to come back. But honestly I couldnt live without LP+. The Widgets included are unmatched in Android Market. I know not many people like sense, but the people, calendar, and Facebook widgets are like sense, but better.
EDIT
I guess this was what people are calling screen redraw. Sorry, I didn't realize this was a big issue over here. I had screen redraw issues on other phones worse
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
LauncherPro is due for an update, no arguments there, but the Plus widgets are still hands-down the best out there. Facebook, Twitter, Messaging, Gmail, Email, Calendar... totally worth the price.
And even though LauncherPro hasn't been updated since May, ADW is even worse -- it hasn't been updated since December. Even the paid ADW EX was last updated less recently than LauncherPro.
The lag and redraw is pissing me off with LP +. I bought it for my Tab and am using on the charge but keeps force closing. I do like the widgets but the facebook widget shows all the game crap and doesn't give an option to hide it like pure messenger widget. I hope it gets updated and fixes the issues the we are having.
Sent from my SCH-I510 using XDA App
After 2 days with Go Launcher, I'm a convert. I'll give LauncherPro another shot when the rewrite comes out.
Falcyn said:
LauncherPro is due for an update, no arguments there, but the Plus widgets are still hands-down the best out there. Facebook, Twitter, Messaging, Gmail, Email, Calendar... totally worth the price.
And even though LauncherPro hasn't been updated since May, ADW is even worse -- it hasn't been updated since December. Even the paid ADW EX was last updated less recently than LauncherPro.
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Click to collapse
I am a really huge fan of ADW EX, and it is well worth the money ($3.28 USD). Even though ADW EX hasn't been updated in a while, who cares? It runs great, has a boat-load of features, and I can't think of much reason for an update. I think there's a darned good reason why almost all the ROMs I have used in the past have had ADW or ADW EX pre-installed by the developers. That seems like a pretty good sign of quality for me.

Thoughts on Launcher 7

Just curious to see what people think of Launcher 7, for those who've tried it. I gotta say, I put it on yesterday out of curiosity, and was surprised by how much I like it. I love Android, and balked at Launcher 7 at first because it was a completely un-Android UI, but maybe it's because I've been on Android for like 2 years now, but I find it really refreshing. I like its simplicity, efficiency, and different sleek look.
I'm curious to see how it does with battery life. I used my navigation/GPS a lot today so my battery went pretty fast, not a good test of Launcher 7. I'm running it over Synergy (lightest Sense ROM I could find) and under battery use it's not even showing up so I'm guessing/hoping it doesn't have a big effect.
sunsean said:
Just curious to see what people think of Launcher 7, for those who've tried it. I gotta say, I put it on yesterday out of curiosity, and was surprised by how much I like it. I love Android, and balked at Launcher 7 at first because it was a completely un-Android UI, but maybe it's because I've been on Android for like 2 years now, but I find it really refreshing. I like its simplicity, efficiency, and different sleek look.
I'm curious to see how it does with battery life. I used my navigation/GPS a lot today so my battery went pretty fast, not a good test of Launcher 7. I'm running it over Synergy (lightest Sense ROM I could find) and under battery use it's not even showing up so I'm guessing/hoping it doesn't have a big effect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many home launchers don't use much power, i've used GO/LPP and both are normally floating around 1%. Now I used the L7 very long ago, back on my MT3GS, and it was pretty nice to have IMO, I did like the UI's feel overall. But at that time it was still buggy so I think that's why I had abandoned it. I'm a fan of eye-candy so I prefer something more flashy with fancy effects. Which is what GO gives me, it has this cool sphere effect for the app drawer.
Your biggest power drainers will be idle/standnby and Signal, and GPS.
Ace42 said:
Many home launchers don't use much power, i've used GO/LPP and both are normally floating around 1%. Now I used the L7 very long ago, back on my MT3GS, and it was pretty nice to have IMO, I did like the UI's feel overall. But at that time it was still buggy so I think that's why I had abandoned it. I'm a fan of eye-candy so I prefer something more flashy with fancy effects. Which is what GO gives me, it has this cool sphere effect for the app drawer.
Your biggest power drainers will be idle/standnby and Signal, and GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And screen if you're running a Sense ROM. I've always wondered why on a Sense ROM Screen will be like 70% under battery use, but on AOSP only like 5%. I mean, the same screen is being used on all these ROMS right? I've asked that a couple times but never found an answer. Oh well. I'm sure it has something to do with how the ROM is utilizing things, but who knows lol.
Yeah I've been a loyal LPP user for my 3rd party launcher for a while. Love the widgets and the customizable dock. My brother runs GO on his Samsung Galaxy S and is always telling me I should try it, haven't yet but it does look very cool. I've seen pics o that globe app tray thing, looks sick. Is it smooth though?
So far Luancher 7 has been VERY smooth and seems to have minimal battery influence, like you said about 2% I think it wound up being. More than if you weren't using it, but solid nonetheless. I'm doing a lot of driving to new places this week so I'll be using my GPS a lot, it's going to be hard to get an accurate guess of average battery life but as far as function/style I am a big fan.
I will say though that the strength of launcher 7 (simplicity) might turn out to be its ultimate downfall lol. I'm enjoying it now, but it's just been a couple days. I can certainly see myself getting bored with it after a while. It's very functional but there is certainly something to be said for style and flare, and that's one thing it doesn't offer much of.
As an add-on question along with what people think of Launcher 7 in general - I'm curious to hear from any users who are using the donate version - does it offer better performance and features? Or does it just remove the ad in the app drawer? I think it adds a folder feature, which is probably worth the $1.50 in itself, but curious what else it offers.
sunsean said:
And screen if you're running a Sense ROM. I've always wondered why on a Sense ROM Screen will be like 70% under battery use, but on AOSP only like 5%. I mean, the same screen is being used on all these ROMS right? I've asked that a couple times but never found an answer. Oh well. I'm sure it has something to do with how the ROM is utilizing things, but who knows lol.
Yeah I've been a loyal LPP user for my 3rd party launcher for a while. Love the widgets and the customizable dock. My brother runs GO on his Samsung Galaxy S and is always telling me I should try it, haven't yet but it does look very cool. I've seen pics o that globe app tray thing, looks sick. Is it smooth though?
So far Luancher 7 has been VERY smooth and seems to have minimal battery influence, like you said about 2% I think it wound up being. More than if you weren't using it, but solid nonetheless. I'm doing a lot of driving to new places this week so I'll be using my GPS a lot, it's going to be hard to get an accurate guess of average battery life but as far as function/style I am a big fan.
I will say though that the strength of launcher 7 (simplicity) might turn out to be its ultimate downfall lol. I'm enjoying it now, but it's just been a couple days. I can certainly see myself getting bored with it after a while. It's very functional but there is certainly something to be said for style and flare, and that's one thing it doesn't offer much of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think i read somewhere that you can change the autobrightness and stuff of the screen and that sense has theirs up more or something, i don't remember.
But i use adw launcher ex and never see it on my battery stats, so i'm guessing that's good. And it never lags for me either, smooth as butter.
sunsean said:
As an add-on question along with what people think of Launcher 7 in general - I'm curious to hear from any users who are using the donate version - does it offer better performance and features? Or does it just remove the ad in the app drawer? I think it adds a folder feature, which is probably worth the $1.50 in itself, but curious what else it offers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't really notice a difference with the donate version when i used it other than it looks alot better without the annoying ads.
I installed Launcher 7 and used it pretty exclusively for a while.
I got to really like how the UI operated, and found it very quick. But I eventually stopped using it and uninstalled it.
The idea, for me, was to get to a LiveTiles experience, where I could see at a glance how many new emails and social postings I might like to read, upcoming appointments, etc... without having to deal with the rest of the crummy WP7 interface. So I suppose my goal is probably different than many. But I couldn't get there with Launcher 7 (no surprise, since it's built - and named - as a "launcher").
As a simple app launcher, it was decent, for my most-used apps... though the second I needed to use less-used apps, I was somewhat disappointed/frustrated trying to find and run them.
That and, while I eventually understood it wouldn't take me all the way to LiveTiles, the fact that it didn't have (at the time) a clock/date widget that looked decent within the interface (seems like a stupid thing, but actually became a necessity for me) made me opt for something else.
Haha, yep - after about 4 or 5 days, I'm off Launcher 7. It WAS very good and functional, but as I predicted I got bored pretty fast. I play with my phone too much to not have something flashier and more interactive.
Wound up trying Go Launcher Ex, and have to say - it's way better than LPP! Loving it so far!
Question if you read this: how do I get that sphere app drawer thing? Can't find it?
EDIT: NM, I realized they only come up with horizontal app drawer, I had it set on vertical.
sunsean said:
Haha, yep - after about 4 or 5 days, I'm off Launcher 7. It WAS very good and functional, but as I predicted I got bored pretty fast. I play with my phone too much to not have something flashier and more interactive.
Wound up trying Go Launcher Ex, and have to say - it's way better than LPP! Loving it so far!
Question if you read this: how do I get that sphere app drawer thing? Can't find it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup i used Go launcher Ex ever since i got this mt4g and i can say i like this a lot more than launcher 7 ( tried it for like 2 days and then i just got back to Go L Ex)
It sucks what wit the ad s to I rather use a theme for a another launcher like adw <-, best
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
sunsean said:
Haha, yep - after about 4 or 5 days, I'm off Launcher 7. It WAS very good and functional, but as I predicted I got bored pretty fast. I play with my phone too much to not have something flashier and more interactive.
Wound up trying Go Launcher Ex, and have to say - it's way better than LPP! Loving it so far!
Question if you read this: how do I get that sphere app drawer thing? Can't find it?
EDIT: NM, I realized they only come up with horizontal app drawer, I had it set on vertical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look in the settings of Go launcher, look through all the settings, i've ended up on LPP again b/c it has the Sense3 widget skins, and appears to be running faster for me on miui. With GO I would get many fc's and it would lag sometimes, this started on the newer versions of GO though. Sphere is the app drawer effect, look in effects, when on home screen, press menu, goto preference, and look for effects. Sphere effect is with chariot, binary, random, and the other animations.
sunsean said:
Just curious to see what people think of Launcher 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
having just recently moved from a WP7 to an Android phone Launcher 7 made me feel "back home" instantly. I like the WP7/Launcher 7 home screen with the big tiles; IMO it's a nice, fresh look compared to a large number of Android launchers or iOS. I never liked the 2nd page of the WP7 home screen - a one-column alpabetically sorted list of all installed apps? Boring and not very flexible.
I now use Go Launcher Ex and while I still like the look and feel of the Launcher 7 tiles, I do not miss it.

[Q] Thoughts on tablet/TF specific launcher

Since ADWLauncher Ex was on sale for $0.10, I gave it a wurl. It's a fine program but just doesn't fit right with me on the TF, I prefer the stock but it reminds me that the stock isn't optimus prime. On my phone, I principally use Zeam b/c that's what I'm happy with and it does what I want for my phones UX. But what is really oriented towards a tablet, let along a transformer? Everything just seems to be too phone oriented I guess and I think maybe I will play around with Terminal IDE and try making myself a launcher to play with. Maybe someday it will be a launcher that is made to fit me and my tablet like a glove (not necessary anyone else).
This got me to thinking, what do my fellow TF users find their launchers/home applications lacking?
I am always interested in learning about this sort of stuff, which is also why I tend to tune my machines to match what fits me, lol.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
Actually ADW EX was great on the TF till the latest update or two. Supposedly there's gonna be a big update within a week or so.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1379978
I started using adw because it was bundled in cyanogenmod. I bought it for my tf and found out just like my phone that most of the special effect transitions had to be turned off for better performance. In fact it destroyed my krakd rom and I went to prime without the animations and I have been very happy with it. I don't need 8 frickin screens to swipe through, in fact one is perfect for me.
Fascinate CM7 Stable
+1 for ADW Ex - it's the best I've seen...
What don't you like about ADW Ex - I'm curious now....
ADW EX is nice. The last update killed the hidden dock bar which I loved. But the new revamped bar works well. I only use 2 screens.
player911 said:
ADW EX is nice. The last update killed the hidden dock bar which I loved. But the new revamped bar works well. I only use 2 screens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can still hide the dockbar if you want with the latest version (was fixed in the very last version, I believe). The only remaining issue for me is that I can only have 11 icons in the dock now in landscape mode - used to be able to fit many more. Also, it lets you have 13 icons in portrait, but only 11 in landscape?!?! I did report this issue. Haven't heard back though - I'm sure the dev is getting flooded with emails....
But, ADW EX is buttery smooth... Love all of the different effects and the ability to group my apps, etc....
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure ADW EX is the only truly Tablet-capable 3rd-party launcher out there. Go Launcher works well, but it's still obviously designed for a phone.
unfnknblvbl said:
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure ADW EX is the only truly Tablet-capable 3rd-party launcher out there. Go Launcher works well, but it's still obviously designed for a phone.
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Click to collapse
GoLauncher has just released a beta for the 'pad' as they call it. Its a far cry from completely optimized, but stable and works well. You can get it from thier blog, or search the TF Apps and Themes forum. (so many rules, I just don't post links)
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
jtrosky said:
+1 for ADW Ex - it's the best I've seen...
What don't you like about ADW Ex - I'm curious now....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only gain over the stock it really gives me is "Folders" and I don't like the home screen experience on the TF.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk
im still using stock because i love honeycomb. but then again it could just be that i just got the tablet over black friday weekend.
still messing around with it but i got the ADW ex when it was 10c too. i tried it but i usually run the stock launcher on my android phones and so i dont think ill use it. :]

Which Launcher Do You Prefer?

What launcher do you guys prefer to use? Any comments on battery life, options, other things you like or don't? Answer the poll too, I'm just curious as to what my fellow Infusers use.
I am running CM7 with Go Launcher EX over the top. As far as other launchers go, I have used LauncherPro, ADW, and Zeam launcher in the past. Go Launcher just seems to give me the best battery life, and still gives decent options for themes to match the theme of the ROM. I like the ability to hide apps in the app drawer, and I like how the Go themes theme the app icons as well.
Are there any launchers that have shown you better battery life than Go Launcher?
tried all of em, none really seem to impact battery life that much. The infuse can run all of them pretty well so it's just a matter of preference. Because of that I don't see a point in running zeam. The slightly less memory footprint doesn't affect the phone in any significant way, and you are losing customization options because of it.
Go Launcher has been my go-to launcher, its filled with features and is free. It is set to stay in memory and uses (very) slightly more resources than the others.
However I switched to ADW EX lately simply because I prefer the way it scales dock icons better. However I always wind up switching back and forth between launchers so i may find myself back on GO. Since the inclusion of ICS-style folders though it's been real nice and worth the money.
Launcher7 has been my most recent experiment, I used it on an off in the past but im really giving it a shot as a launcher right now. It's pretty smooth and solid, don't have any real problems with it (aside from it being hard to properly implement widgets)
the tweaked TW4 launcher is very nice and very smooth, but also very unstable in my experience. If it crashed less often it would probably be my main launcher.
The stock TW3 (AT&T version, Rogers version puts these ugly boxes around the icons to try to mimic iPhone) works, but like zeam is pretty barebones. Does the job though and if you aren't looking to really customize anything then it's probably the best option.
SPB Shell...tried it and don't really see what's so great about it. Far too expensive as well.
ICS Launcher works, but I personally don't like the "faked" ICS features. Just makes the whole experience feel cheaper.
I can't even vote for one in particular, they are all good and have their strengths and weaknesses. Currently im on ADW EX/Launcher7 right now but that doesn't mean I particularly like them more than the others.
I agree with zeam being underpowered, and ICS launcher being cheap and gimmicky. Both didn't impress me.
I like launcherpro, but for some reason it eats the crap out of my battery.
Go launcher is my go to, seems to have the best battery life even though i know it's more cpu intensive than the others. Also, has similar customization abilities to launcherpro which I like.
Haven't played around with ADW much, and to me, Launcher7 just isn't anywhere near where it would need to be. Just doesn't compare to the smoothness of an actual WP7, and there are still a lot of inconsistencies. If it was as smooth, I would accept the reduced customization, but since it isn't, it's a no-go.
From browsing XDA the last few months, ADW and GO seem to be the most popular, but I prefer Launcher Pro. If GO launcher had better tray options I would probably use that though.
Like many of you ... I've tried them all. I still switch around to different launchers ever couple of weeks. However, the launcher of choice for me is still launcher pro. Its the smoothest one of the bunch even tho the developer stopped supporting it.
My experiences has been different than some of the others. launcher pro actually gives me the beat battery life and go/adw gives me bad battery life.
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+1 for go launcher.
Launcher pro is my favorite!
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ADW EX
Zeam
LauncherPro
In that order.
ADW Ex right now.
Used to be on Go Launcher Ex, but I experienced a lot of slowdowns.. Might try it again after a new flash though.
dustinhayes93 said:
Launcher pro is my favorite!
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Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1
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I love adw personally nothing else compares in my opinion.
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In this order:
ICS Stock
SPB Shell 3d
Go Launcher
i hate adw with a passion. just thought you should know ...
<(^.^<)
(>^.^)>
yep.
Why do all launchers have some kind of lagging ?
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
devgee said:
Why do all launchers have some kind of lagging ?
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find that a lot of times, what is experienced as 'lag' is actually just the animations some of the launchers provide. Those tend to take a little bit to complete, and unless you disable them or speed them up, they become an annoyance.
i have used launcher pro since my first android(first day) so much that i forgot how to use TW ..lol its smooth for me and the customization is also really nice imo.. no battery issues for me with launcher pro!!
I have tried many launchers (and still hunting in free time)
Till now for me whenever I install a new launcher every time i have to set back to "Nemus Launcher"
It is free on android market
Small Size 1.5mb
Simple and nice interface
15 dock option
Customizable grids, App locker.
Ability to add customizable folder under application menu.
ndhanta said:
I have tried many launcher (and still hunting)
Till now for me whenever I install a new launcher every time i have to set back to "Nemus Launcher"
It is free on android market
Small Size 1.5mb
Simple and nice interface
15 dock option
Customizable grids, App hider.
Ability to add customizable folder under application menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Upon your recommendation I just installed Nemus, and so far I like it
Thanks
x
Welcome ExPeRiMeNt
If someone keeps his expectations low, he will not regret after installing this launcher ​
I really liked FTL as a lightweight launcher
Well i recently started using balancer launcher, and it seems pretty stable and it gets the job done. The launcher has a built in file browser that you can get to by pressing the "menu" soft key that is all the way to the left next to the "home"soft key. Its a small size only 1.86 mb. it is fairly simple, but it has some features others dont have (file browser), its smooth and doesnt effect my battery...at least that i can notice. I believe it is relativly new so it can only get better
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Do you like/use go launcher ex?

I'm too scared to root and I wouldn't know the first place to start to mod my SGS2 Skyrocket, so I looked into some themes via google play.
Go Launcher EX is pretty sweet IMO... I won't pay for themes obviously, but they have a few really cool themes for lock screen and the home screen.
Im using the sms theme, the home theme, and lock theme.
I'm pretty happy with the way it works on ICS (stock) on my skyrocket.
So, do you like/use go launcher ex?
shawnj0 said:
I'm too scared to root and I wouldn't know the first place to start to mod my SGS2 Skyrocket, so I looked into some themes via google play.
Go Launcher EX is pretty sweet IMO... I won't pay for themes obviously, but they have a few really cool themes for lock screen and the home screen.
Im using the sms theme, the home theme, and lock theme.
I'm pretty happy with the way it works on ICS (stock) on my skyrocket.
So, do you like/use go launcher ex?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried it, but it drained my battery more quickly that other launchers. I'm using ADW EX, and I like it.
Don't be afraid to root, and install a rom. I would spend a good while reading the stickies, and tutorials before doing anything. If you have questions, just ask.
I use Go Launcher Ex as my primary launcher on both my Nook Tablet and my Skyrocket (As well as Go SMS for SMS) and I love it. There are a lot of themes that are available for free, though I usually modify the themes (using the preferences) to use parts of different themes.
I used to use Go Launcher, and it was pretty good, but now I've moved on to bigger and better things (I'm a Nova Prime user right now.) If you're looking for a good lockscreen, I can't recommend anything other than Widgetlocker. By far the best lockscreen I've found yet. I think it's like, 99 cents in the Play Store, but it's well worth it!
RAM hog
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I seriously dislike Go Launcher. It's a resource hog, it's laggy, and it's not nearly as robust as Apex or the S3 launcher.
Seriously, just root.. follow all the instructions carefully and everything should be fine.
Do these things, in this order:
1) root
2) flash CWM Touch 6.0.1.0 (available here)
3) make a nanbackup
4) flash CM9 Chimera v2.2 (available here)
5) install Apex launcher
6) profit greatly
I use to use Go Launcher the first weeks I was using my phone then after testing out other launchers I stuck with Apex, another good one is Nova. Since I use CM9/AOKP I just use their themes and make it fancy looking :silly:
Using go launcher and I think it's fine, I found the organization of it was better than other launchers I tried.
I would never use go launcher on ics. Apex is far better. Or nova
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Yeah I un installed the applications related to the go launcher and needless to say I saved about 3-400 MB of ram. Needless to say I won't bother using that again.
I'm not quite comfortable rooting just yet. Maybe when I get bored of the phone as I typically get with any phone.
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shawnj0 said:
Yeah I un installed the applications related to the go launcher and needless to say I saved about 3-400 MB of ram. Needless to say I won't bother using that again.
I'm not quite comfortable rooting just yet. Maybe when I get bored of the phone as I typically get with any phone.
Sent from my SGH-I727R using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Either way, I would still suggest either Nova or Apex. If you're not willing to pay money, I'd go with Apex, as it'll have a couple more free features that you're used to from Go Launcher, but if you're okay dropping a few bucks on a launcher for your phone, both Apex and Nova are pretty much equal. I just like the look of the icon and the name of Nove Launcher, so that's why I went with it over Apex.
enterflux said:
Either way, I would still suggest either Nova or Apex. If you're not willing to pay money, I'd go with Apex, as it'll have a couple more free features that you're used to from Go Launcher, but if you're okay dropping a few bucks on a launcher for your phone, both Apex and Nova are pretty much equal. I just like the look of the icon and the name of Nove Launcher, so that's why I went with it over Apex.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to root to get those launchers right?
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shawnj0 said:
I have to root to get those launchers right?
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Click to collapse
Nope. Root helps them integrate a little bit better, but they're just ICS launchers.
enterflux said:
Nope. Root helps them integrate a little bit better, but they're just ICS launchers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Without root, you can't install widgets straight from the app drawer in Apex.
Or lots of other neat tricks.
I tried GO for about a week after getting my phone. As others have said, it's a RAM hog and a battery-drainer. I've also tried 360 Launcher, and am not a big fan of it for similar reasons. Apex Pro is my launcher of choice, as it's versatile, not very memory-intensive, and not much of a battery drain at all. I had intended to try Nova, but Apex has just been so good for me that I never saw a need to.
aycockonxion said:
Without root, you can't install widgets straight from the app drawer in Apex.
Or lots of other neat tricks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol, then I guess he should go with Nova, as I haven't had any problems with it without root
I went with apex. I haven't checked how much memory it's using but I do enjoy their free themes. I'm not one for widgets yet, I'm still an android noob, but I am definitely loving my s2. Makes me wonder if I should've gotten the s3. But for the headache and money and effort to get the s3, its not worth it to me.
The s2 is quite the phone. Android customization ability over apple proprietary operating systems any day, IMO.
Sorry that was OT. However, I like apex. Currently using the Plate Theme 4 with a stolen blue background from another theme. It's lovely!
Based on this thread, I've looked at both Nova and Apex (in the market, not on my phone). Both look great, though I'm not sure that I like the idea of paying for unread notifications...
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against it; just seems a bit odd to me. That's one of the features that I would use most. I can't see any of the other paid features that would be a ton of use to me (provided I could replace icons on either free version, Go has some good themes, but the theme builder being partially in Chinese with no way to change it is a huge turn off).
Go does have one feature I really like that Apex and Nova lack and that is the ability to resize homescreen icons, not just in the dock. Not as important on my Skyrocket, but would be nice to have on my wife's Note since the icons look too small to me on that large screen. But, like others mentioned, it is a resource hog plus runs in the background even when it is not the default launcher (I mean, WTF?!), but the kicker is it cannot use icon packs that I have purchased in the past which work on ADW, Apex, and Nova.
shawnj0 said:
I went with apex. I haven't checked how much memory it's using but I do enjoy their free themes. I'm not one for widgets yet, I'm still an android noob, but I am definitely loving my s2. Makes me wonder if I should've gotten the s3. But for the headache and money and effort to get the s3, its not worth it to me.
The s2 is quite the phone. Android customization ability over apple proprietary operating systems any day, IMO.
Sorry that was OT. However, I like apex. Currently using the Plate Theme 4 with a stolen blue background from another theme. It's lovely!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know about Apex, but I know Nova can use Go Launcher themes. That opens up a lot more customization for you.
liquidzoo said:
Based on this thread, I've looked at both Nova and Apex (in the market, not on my phone). Both look great, though I'm not sure that I like the idea of paying for unread notifications...
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against it; just seems a bit odd to me. That's one of the features that I would use most. I can't see any of the other paid features that would be a ton of use to me (provided I could replace icons on either free version, Go has some good themes, but the theme builder being partially in Chinese with no way to change it is a huge turn off).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have just accepted having to pay for quality apps that are basically system parts. I've payed for PowerAmp, Nova Prime, and Widget Locker and I find it extremely worth it. They're all quality apps that run smooth and integrate perfectly. Now, for random other apps, I'm a total cheap-skate and I hate paying for anything.

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