Alternate launchers - Thunderbolt General

If I use one of the alternate launchers available (LP, ADW, etc), and decide to go back to Sense, will my current setup be saved or will I have to redo it again?
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Cmotion said:
If I use one of the alternate launchers available (LP, ADW, etc), and decide to go back to Sense, will my current setup be saved or will I have to redo it again?
Sent from my ADR6400L using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're current setup will remain the same. For example, if you setup folders/widgets in the Sense launcher, then install LauncherPro and setup widgets/folders in LauncherPro. Both settings will be saved. They're actually switchable - you can use Sense and switch to LauncherPro, and switch back to Sense.
When you install another launcher and press the "Home" key, a popup will ask which app you want to perform this action with, Sense or <other_launcher>. This popup will appear every time you hit the "Home" key while you're on the home screen until you check the "remember" box.

That's one of the best explanations I've ever seen
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Good info. Can you use the Sense widgets with Launcher Pro? I used Launcher Pro on my old phone, and I'm still debating switching to it for the TBolt. While I like some of the features of Launcher Pro better, I'm also fond of some of the HTC widgets.

HTC widgets will not work with any alternate launcher, unfortunately.

dirtyfingers said:
HTC widgets will not work with any alternate launcher, unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But with launcher pro plus you can get several sense like widgets.

FreemanB said:
Good info. Can you use the Sense widgets with Launcher Pro? I used Launcher Pro on my old phone, and I'm still debating switching to it for the TBolt. While I like some of the features of Launcher Pro better, I'm also fond of some of the HTC widgets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what widgets are you wanting to keep...more than likely there is a better alternate somewhere in the market. That has been my experience anyways.

You can also back up your LPP settings as well... Not sure bout ADW.
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I've been using Launcher Pro and never looked back

Launcher Pro and ADW Launcher are both extremely similar and offer nearly identical functionality.
Launcher Pro has a leg up with the sense-like widgets... but I honestly do not use many of them. I also like the swipe-able dock in LPP.
ADW is a solid launcher as well and I enjoy some of the features of ADW (different gestures, UI stuff).
I recommend trying both and seeing what you like best. And always support the developers... get Launcher Pro Plus or ADW Launcher EX.

Just a note... I found the app HomeSmack makes it very easy to switch between Home apps. I found it a pain on the T-bolt unless you have just installed a new home app.
This lets you pick which one you want to switch to and you can switch temporarily or set it as the default.

If you set it to remember an alternate launcher and want to change, how do you do it?
-sent via 1.21 giggawatts of android.

I'm also a big fan of Home Switcher for Froyo. I'm not sure how it differs from Home Smack, but it's a seamless process to switch between two launchers. That being said, I'm pretty much always on Launcher Pro.

Zeam Launcher is a nice simple Launcher with intuitive controls and it supports HTC widgets.

I liked LauncherPro on my Droid X, but I never used it much because It slowed the phone down ever so slightly.
Does LP cause any noticeable performance decrease or noticeable extra battery usage on the TB?

funkybside said:
If you set it to remember an alternate launcher and want to change, how do you do it?
-sent via 1.21 giggawatts of android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go Settings -> Applications and find the launcher you set as default, select the 'clear defaults' button and when you hit Home again it should prompt what launcher to use.

crazed_z06 said:
I liked LauncherPro on my Droid X, but I never used it much because It slowed the phone down ever so slightly.
Does LP cause any noticeable performance decrease or noticeable extra battery usage on the TB?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't notice any when I tried it last night.
-sent via 1.21 giggawatts of android.

ApplCobbler said:
Zeam Launcher is a nice simple Launcher with intuitive controls and it supports HTC widgets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your comments about Zeam appear to be flawed... in no way does Zeam support HTC's widgets. No home replacement application can use HTC's widgets. While I'll give it to you that Zeam is a simple nice launcher that is a false statement

I forgot to mention one of the main reasons i started using launcherpro was that it can hide all the icons in the app drawer. Priceless

trendsetter37 said:
what widgets are you wanting to keep...more than likely there is a better alternate somewhere in the market. That has been my experience anyways.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've seen some of the alternatives already, although I particularly like the weather/clock combo widget with the weather animations. I'm mainly considering the cost/benefit of switching to another launcher, buying alternative widgets(Such as Beautiful Widgets), etc. I think I'll stick with Sense for now though, until I have a more compelling reason to change it.

Related

Best or Most Favored Launcher?

Im noticing that theres alot of launchers like ADW, LaunchPro, Open Home, etc...I would like to get some input of people who has some experience with each one. Which one has the most options? im looking for more transparent kinda stuff...so maybe which one has the ability to make specific windows transparent. Also ease of use, which one has more themes/icons avialable?
Thanks
I think you will find most people use either launcher pro or adw launcher.
From my experience i had MAJOR force crash issues with OpenHome. I wasnt a fan of pandaHome it was sluggish for me.
Between ADW and Launcher Pro, I think they have very similar features if you arent paying for launcher pro plus for the sense like widgets.
ADW has more themes on the market however you can download any icon you find on the web (usually .png files) i believe for both so you can customize your "theme" and layout very easily to what ever you want.
I personally have the paid version of launcher pro (only available ont he website) because it gives you a sense like people and book mark widget and i wanted to support the developer.
I dont think you can go wrong with either one.
personally, I'm a big fan of adw launcher. I like that I can modify how many rows and columns the home screens have, and also I can set the size of widgets on the screen. I don't know if launcherpro will do that as well, but even besides that, ADW is hugely customizeable, and I swear by it.
I tried Launcher Pro, but it wasn't (imo) a very good Launcher replacement. ADW.Launcher is much better, and with the Paper theme it is my favorite out of all. PHome was very slow, and I didnt really like it in general.
Sent from my Droid using XDA App
I use ADW because of how its integrated into Cyanogen.
However Launcher Pro seems to move quite a bit faster in terms of scrolling and app drawer opening/scrolling.
Just my $.02
~Jasecloud4
I think the two top ones are ADW Launcher and LauncherPro.
I find myself switching between the two.
Personally find myself favoring ADW Launcher recently because it is open-source, and you know how Android fanboys loooove open source.
Thanks for all the great replies guys, im currently using the built in adw that comes with CM6 it is highly customizable...but i did find launcher pro to have a lot more options tho...anyways im going to stick with adw for now its working out pretty good so far.
omegasun18 said:
I think you will find most people use either launcher pro or adw launcher.
From my experience i had MAJOR force crash issues with OpenHome. I wasnt a fan of pandaHome it was sluggish for me.
Between ADW and Launcher Pro, I think they have very similar features if you arent paying for launcher pro plus for the sense like widgets.
ADW has more themes on the market however you can download any icon you find on the web (usually .png files) i believe for both so you can customize your "theme" and layout very easily to what ever you want.
I personally have the paid version of launcher pro (only available ont he website) because it gives you a sense like people and book mark widget and i wanted to support the developer.
I dont think you can go wrong with either one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I get the bookmark widget? I only see "people" in my launcher pro plus.
I had to update and they changed the process. Bookmark widget seems a little flakey with images.
If I could have the dockbar from adw put onto LauncherPro I'd have my dream launcher.
Yea seems most (like with roms) will swear by one launcher or another. IE the person saying launcher pro wasnt a good launcher replacement. I have use both and cant see how someone using ADW could say launcher pro wasnt a good launcher replacement since they are so similar in features and performance over all (in there current state, it is possible the person tested it a while back and maybe it had issues or something then).
I get slightly faster speeds on launcher pro as well. You can set the number of vertical icons on launcher pro same as you can on ADW for horizontal icons you can get more icons app to let you have 8 on any.
As for making the dock bar the same on ADW and launcher pro i may play with my launcher pro and see how similar i can get it. sice you can set each action and create different dock images/icons and can clear icons i can probably get it to be very similar at least in look i will let you know and if i can i will place a tut.
I use both since I play around with CM6 as my experimental rom. I just never worry about customizing deeply my non daily drivers.
LauncherPro Plus, for the win!
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Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk Pro.
Maybe I am the minority here, but i think Sense blows Launcher pro and ADW out of the water, both in smoothness and just plain usefulness. I have used both LP and ADW for extended amounts of time and have always returned to sense and was glad I did.
Launcher pro for its sheer beauty and fluidity. ADW just seems to stutter around like the waterboy.
I gotta say Launcher Pro. especially now that it is coming out with some very nice looking widgets for people who liked the Sense UI stuff.
I do really like the customizations of ADW though. I wish Launcher Pro would incorporate the widget size customizations you can do. That would rock.
if ADW had the 3D drawer and was as smooth and pretty as LauncherPro I may switch.
takmsdsm said:
Maybe I am the minority here, but i think Sense blows Launcher pro and ADW out of the water, both in smoothness and just plain usefulness. I have used both LP and ADW for extended amounts of time and have always returned to sense and was glad I did.
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Click to collapse
And what makes Rosie so superior? Its complete lack of customization and features?
TheBiles said:
And what makes Rosie so superior? Its complete lack of customization and features?
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Click to collapse
I wouldnt say that it cant be customized? There are a ton of themes out there for Rosie. What features are you exactly looking for?
Sorry, but a herky jerky "3D" app launcher isnt exactly mind blowing. Its a waste of screen real estate on the top and bottom. Launcher Pro STILL (as of last week I believe when i tried it again) will not allow you to change the message button to handcent instead of the default messaging app.
Its little things like that that are more annoyances. Sense, no matter what rom, or kernel, I am using, has always been smoother and done everything I asked. Plus some of the HTC widgets are downright useful and better looking then their vanilla counterparts.
This is all my experiences of course, and YMMV, but so far I just havent been impressed by other launchers.
takmsdsm said:
Launcher Pro STILL (as of last week I believe when i tried it again) will not allow you to change the message button to handcent instead of the default messaging app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using LauncherPro Plus v0.7.1.0 and it does allow you to change the message button to handcent. It also allows me to change it on the people widget.
Am I the only one that just likes plain old Launcher 2? I mean Android is so customizable already, I don't see why you would want so many different options.
I tried Launcher Pro and ADW and of the two I liked Launcher Pro better but the plain Google-made Launcher 2 is still the smoothest in my opinion.
takmsdsm said:
I wouldnt say that it cant be customized? There are a ton of themes out there for Rosie. What features are you exactly looking for?
Sorry, but a herky jerky "3D" app launcher isnt exactly mind blowing. Its a waste of screen real estate on the top and bottom. Launcher Pro STILL (as of last week I believe when i tried it again) will not allow you to change the message button to handcent instead of the default messaging app.
Its little things like that that are more annoyances. Sense, no matter what rom, or kernel, I am using, has always been smoother and done everything I asked. Plus some of the HTC widgets are downright useful and better looking then their vanilla counterparts.
This is all my experiences of course, and YMMV, but so far I just havent been impressed by other launchers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The "message button?" Do you mean the dock icon? If so, mine has been set as Handcent for quite some time.
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Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk Pro.
takmsdsm said:
Maybe I am the minority here, but i think Sense blows Launcher pro and ADW out of the water, both in smoothness and just plain usefulness. I have used both LP and ADW for extended amounts of time and have always returned to sense and was glad I did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Total agree, Sense is just so much smoother and doesn't crashes/freezes like adw and launcher pro. Plus I've use both for a while and got really frustrated with the constant freezing and force close and alway end up switching back to sense. Until stock froyo comes out on my phone I'm sticking with sense.

ADW Launcher or Launcher Pro

Which program do you prefer? And what is a feature that you like about the 1 you chose? I have personally used Launcher Pro which came with Fresh ROM on my Evo but while I was browsing the market I noticed ADW Launcher and seen numerous themes.
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ADW for me
I keep coming back to ADW. The single feature I love over Launcher Pro is the swipe action. Nudge up and Notification Bar hides or shows. Nudge down and the notification bar opens. In Launcher Pro you have to set up swipe areas in the dock, too specific for me.
Just my personal preference...
Put me in the launcher Pro group.
I like to run a clean screen and its scrolling dock combined with folder organizer allows me to access everything I want quickly without the screen clutter...
YMMV
Smac61 said:
Put me in the launcher Pro group.
I like to run a clean screen and its scrolling dock combined with folder organizer allows me to access everything I want quickly without the screen clutter...
YMMV
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ditto
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
I prefer ADW because of the horizontal page by page apps scrolling. If LP did this I would probably use it.
ADW - Swipe actions ftw
One more vote for LPP. Paid version is well worth it.
LP
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Like the swype action of ADW. But I love the lp icons. Both are good
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ADW lacks scrollable launcher bar.
Launcher pro +
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launcher pro for me. somehow ADW app drawer seems to lag..
I started with ADW but moved to LP.
The smooth animations alone makes it a better choice for me.
I used too use ads but launcher pro is way better
Sprint Htc Hero
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Launcher Pro Plus. Between the Plus widgets and the Beautiful Widgets clock, I don't really miss anything from the Sense launcher.
I haven't really tried ADW, though.
I'm an ADW guy, the swipe actions are very handy. Also, the custom icon ability makes my home screen much cleaner.
Yeah, those are Launcher Pro icons, so I guess it's a bastardized ADW, oh well.
LauncherPro for me...I too love the scrollable dock. I don't like clutter
Noob question Im learning to use ADW coming off Launcher pro, how do you change the dock icons around or add new ones.
I started with LP then went to ADW when it was included in my ROM. Tried LP again because I love the scrollable dock but LP just seems to lag a bit on my phone. I don't know why
So anyways, ADW for me...........for now.
ADW for me. I like launcher pro but I've just grown accustomed to AdW more. Either way I don't think they're that much different to make a bad choice.

Best launcher?

What is the best launcher? In terms of functionality, ease of use, features, design, speed?
Also is there anyway to customize the "Launcher2" on the Nexus S or is it just stuck that way?
- ADW Launcher
- ADW Launcher EX (If you like ADW Launcher, try this.. it's even better; paid app)
- LauncherPro
- Go Launcher EX(never used this but have heard good things about it)
.. this is going to stirr up a debate between ADW Launcher vs. LauncherPro.
My opinion? ADW Launcher, but try out both of them and see which one fits you.
And Launcher2 on NS stock.. nope.
Thanks, I think I'm going to use ADW EX, seems to have what I want and I've used ADW before so a better version of it should be better?
Yeah, EX was initially missing a few features from the free version, but I think those have all been added now, so it's pretty much a straight upgrade.
That said, a launcher is a UI element, so the best launcher is the one with the features you want and which you find most attractive and easiest to work with. There's a reason multiple launchers enjoy success in parallel; one size doesn't fit all.
Serious_Beans said:
Thanks, I think I'm going to use ADW EX, seems to have what I want and I've used ADW before so a better version of it should be better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adw ex is way more fluid. Not sure what makes the difference, but it performs significantly better. Almost as buttery smooth as stock launcher.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
I've used all of the popular ones; Zeam, GO, LauncherPro Plus, ADW, and ADW Ex and personally, the one that does everything I need it to without much fussing about is definitely LauncherPro. Zeam is nice but I couldn't figure out how to customize icons and for me that is a necessary function. GO is basically a freeware version of LPP but when I set custom icons they all came out slightly pixellated. Not very noticable but considering I've never had such an issue with LPP I saw no reason to switch to one that seems less functional. ADW just isn't customizable enough. Period. ADW Ex has a lot of functionality but when I tried to set my custom icons they came out as black squares, again why use a launcher replacement that I can't seem to get to match my theme?
kenvan19 said:
I've used all of the popular ones; Zeam, GO, LauncherPro Plus, ADW, and ADW Ex and personally, the one that does everything I need it to without much fussing about is definitely LauncherPro. Zeam is nice but I couldn't figure out how to customize icons and for me that is a necessary function. GO is basically a freeware version of LPP but when I set custom icons they all came out slightly pixellated. Not very noticable but considering I've never had such an issue with LPP I saw no reason to switch to one that seems less functional. ADW just isn't customizable enough. Period. ADW Ex has a lot of functionality but when I tried to set my custom icons they came out as black squares, again why use a launcher replacement that I can't seem to get to match my theme?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for zeam, just use desktop visualizer and then drag it into the icon bar.
FaithCry said:
for zeam, just use desktop visualizer and then drag it into the icon bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know but I'd rather not have to have another application installed just to change the icons in the already installed launcher.
there are more to Go Launcher EX, than Launcher Pro Plus + ADW EX combined
(IMO, i think that is actually why the DEV of GO launcher renamed it to GO launcher EX)
on top of all the LPP + ADW features, you can added any amount of screens, where most launcher usually maxes out at 7 screens,
re-size widgets,
add more columns & rows for the widget screens,
same can be done with the app drawer,
you can custom arrange the app drawer icons position, or default to some sorting of your choice,
you can change individual icons or you can change the entire skin,
very easy to apply any skin / theme with the skin chooser
you can make your own skin
it integrates itself with Go SMS, which also have matching skins, or you can customize your own
there is the build in Task Manager/Killer in Go Launcher EX
and so much more options under the hood.
it's build for customization, there are way too much options, so much that you don't know from where to start and all in a easy to use user interface
no need to edit anything manually on the file system, nor need to replace any files to change the theme/skin
just download the skin/theme that you like from the market and enable it.
Zeam all the way, baby!
Sent from my Nexus S
I prefer ADW as well.
Though I wish I could say stock. =T
Stock
Can I give ADW ex looks of stock launcher ?
Can I add more home screens to stock launcher ?
onthecouchagain said:
I prefer ADW as well.
Though I wish I could say stock. =T
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you wish you could say stock? Don't get me wrong the stock launcher works great and I used it for months on my MT3G but it wasn't perfect. The only reason I prefer LauncherPro is that I absolutely can't stand it when icons don't match my theme so I use a custom launcher.
LP Plus just does what I want and its dead simple to set up too. ADW had few issues. Still, one mans Cameron Diaz is another mans Oprah Winfrey
Can LPP be configured to do swipe down on home screen to drop down the notification bar?
I´m using launcher pro and its more stable than the original launcher. But every time I have to reboot, the launcher pro come with black screen then force close and then restart normally... go figure.
alexcinci said:
I´m using launcher pro and its more stable than the original launcher. But every time I have to reboot, the launcher pro come with black screen then force close and then restart normally... go figure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's a weird one, never seen that before, when i was using LPP
AllGamer said:
that's a weird one, never seen that before, when i was using LPP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just adding: non rooted, stock kernell and rom
eventhough I´m having this issue, its way better than the original launcher
alexcinci said:
just adding: non rooted, stock kernell and rom
eventhough I´m having this issue, its way better than the original launcher
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a similar issue. Doesn't happen every time but it does happen. Really isn't that much of a bother.
kenvan19 said:
I have a similar issue. Doesn't happen every time but it does happen. Really isn't that much of a bother.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree

What Launcher is everybody using?

I'm looking at getting either GoLauncher or Launcher Pro (but Ive seen alot of complaints about not alot of updates for this one). I want one that light, fast, customizable and functions well on this phone any suggestions?
Ive been using Launcher Pro and have had zero problems, easily customizable with some good themes. Have seen good reviews on both of them. Try both of them out yourself and see which one works best for you
Cool thanx should I download a program to manage them like HomeSwitcher or something?
Oh yeah and one other question is Launcher Pro premium worth the price or just the free is good enough?
To me premium is def worth the price. It gives you the option to be able to resize the widgets plus a few more option that you cant get with the free version.
Homeswitcher is def good in case you have a couple of launchers installed or just in case you want to go back to the stock home launcher.
been using adw ex
Every Android phone I have owned has had Go Launcher on it. Not sure why but its never gave me a single problem.
After researching it and taking opinions I went with Go Launcher. Thought I had a problem with it, but it turned out to be ME changing too many options up front. Who would have thought that?
I use Launcher Pro Plus (worthy investment)...I have tried Go Launcher and ADW EX, and both are good but Launcher pro seemed smoother to me. Also, since I already paid for LPP a while back I didn't want to not use it even though it wasn't that expensive.
I have installed:
ADWLauncher EX
Balancer
Launcher Pro(free one)
I use Launcher Pro the most. I had GO Launcher EX and Zeam, but uninstalled those. Launcher Pro is what I use the most. I have not played fully with ADW or Balancer. I do feel I like some of the features of Balancer (built in file manager, transparency when in app drawer).
I say download them all, play with them and use what you like.
Go Launcher EX w/ Honeycomb theme (modified w/ICS icons)
Sent from my MB865 using XDA App
Launcher Pro here. It has worked very well for me and I like customizable and scrollable dock.
I went with GoLanucher EX for now and I love it very smooth and has a theme for every piece of it I Have the GoContacts and GoSMS and both work great Ill try it out for a week or two and see how it goes thanks for all the feedback
I've been using Launcher Pro since I had my original Atrix. Never have any problems. I tried all the rest and like this one the most.
Go Launcher EX, the amount of customization is crazy! Very smooth too.
Sent from my MB865 using XDA App
sweeter home 2
Used them all..... now i'm back on Moto Blurr.
I'm currently using adw launcher because i saw a battery drain while using go launcher ex. Probably its just me and not go launcher BUT adw launcher is giving me more battery life and very simple configurations.
916x10 said:
Go Launcher EX, the amount of customization is crazy! Very smooth too.
Sent from my MB865 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep exactly why I like it you can pretty much customize every facet of it only problem Im having is using GoSMS sometime the regular messaging service will show up on my notifications bar and say I have like 56 new messages when Ive already responded to them through GoSMS
jshinn1 said:
Yep exactly why I like it you can pretty much customize every facet of it only problem Im having is using GoSMS sometime the regular messaging service will show up on my notifications bar and say I have like 56 new messages when Ive already responded to them through GoSMS
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go into the regular text messaging app, hit menu > settings, uncheck notifications
svtfmook said:
go into the regular text messaging app, hit menu > settings, uncheck notifications
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats a user error problem, not an app or launcher problem. Just do what svtmook said and you'll be fine
Sent from my MB865 using XDA App

Highly recommend Nova Launcher for S3

Hey folks,
I highly recommend replacing the touch Wiz launcher with nova launcher. I have found it much more intuitive, and much easier to use. (I am not affiliated with Nova in any way.)
Several advantages:
1. The bottom bar (dock) of apps is highly customizable, with as many apps as you choose. You can also create multiple pages of docked apps, so it's possible to access 10 or 15 apps on the lower dock.
2. The App drawer is automatically alphabetized, unlike touch Wiz, which I find so much easier to use. There are of course workarounds on touch Wiz, but why bother? I just dock the icon for the app drawer on the lower dock so it's always available.
3. Nova has one step back up of your screen layouts so that if you are wiping your phone regularly in order to reflash ROM's, it's trivial to reset your screen layouts by doing a restore from nova. This saves a lot of tweaking time.
4. You can customize the layout of your desktop with variable margins, a persistent search bar on all pages, gestures, and with nova launcher prime ($4), you also get unread counts for SMS, missed calls, and Gmail, which is very nice.
5. Basically everything is customizable and modifiable. I greatly prefer it over the stock touch Wiz launcher. Check out the free version of nova, as it has virtually all the features other than the unread counts.
I personally prefer apex but I can see the appeal in nova. They are pretty similar.
jsb5388 said:
I personally prefer apex but I can see the appeal in nova. They are pretty similar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried Apex but had a super annoying rendering hug that would display a box on the main home screen for a split second...
Not even considering that I spent a few hours tweaking Apex for a few hours (loved that it had so many options) but 90% of the Nova defaults were perfect for me and after going from Apex to Nova was convinced that it was right for me.
Sent from my Galaxy S3
android94301 said:
Hey folks,
I highly recommend replacing the touch Wiz launcher with nova launcher. I have found it much more intuitive, and much easier to use. (I am not affiliated with Nova in any way.)
Several advantages:
1. The bottom bar (dock) of apps is highly customizable, with as many apps as you choose. You can also create multiple pages of docked apps, so it's possible to access 10 or 15 apps on the lower dock.
2. The App drawer is automatically alphabetized, unlike touch Wiz, which I find so much easier to use. There are of course workarounds on touch Wiz, but why bother? I just dock the icon for the app drawer on the lower dock so it's always available.
3. Nova has one step back up of your screen layouts so that if you are wiping your phone regularly in order to reflash ROM's, it's trivial to reset your screen layouts by doing a restore from nova. This saves a lot of tweaking time.
4. You can customize the layout of your desktop with variable margins, a persistent search bar on all pages, gestures, and with nova launcher prime ($4), you also get unread counts for SMS, missed calls, and Gmail, which is very nice.
5. Basically everything is customizable and modifiable. I greatly prefer it over the stock touch Wiz launcher. Check out the free version of nova, as it has virtually all the features other than the unread counts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*1. Love Nova
lowg said:
I tried Apex but had a super annoying rendering hug that would display a box on the main home screen for a split second...
Not even considering that I spent a few hours tweaking Apex for a few hours (loved that it had so many options) but 90% of the Nova defaults were perfect for me and after going from Apex to Nova was convinced that it was right for me.
Sent from my Galaxy S3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried Go launcher?
Just fyi... the "work around" to get the app drawer alphabetized is clicking the menu button with the app drawer open and then clicking, "view type" and switching to alphabetized. Not exactly complicated. Or even a work around.
Nova is great, but I'm actually enjoying touchwiz. I do want to switch over and play with nova more... But eh, not seeing a huge need. Coming from sense (which I hated) I'm quite happy on tw.
Though I do miss being able to back everything up
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
How does ADW work on it. I have been rocking them for a while. I am picking my S3 up next weekend when I get back in town. My wife already has hers though and she is rubbing it in my face lol.
adw for ics is apex, is it not?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
doeboy711 said:
How does ADW work on it. I have been rocking them for a while. I am picking my S3 up next weekend when I get back in town. My wife already has hers though and she is rubbing it in my face lol.
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i start to use ADW ex on my old EVO and is really good launcher, by personal reasons i movo to iphone and now that i back to android i found more launchers, and Nova is really good maybe even better than ADW ex, IMO
Using Apex launcher plus. I tried Nova first, but Apex has a few more features. Just my opinion. Coming from my Dinc running Holo launcher after a VERY long run with LauncherPro (rip).
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium
badseed767 said:
Using Apex launcher plus. I tried Nova first, but Apex has a few more features.
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Same here, I prefer Apex Plus also.
Installed Nova and noticed it was killing my batter so I uninstalled it.
Apex here... Nova didnt impressed me
Sent from Verizon Galaxy S 3 w/ XDA APP
I've been using nova launcher for about a week and I like it a lot. It's very smooth and very fast. It is easily customizable as well.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
I noticed Nova was a bit smoother than Apex for me, so I've been using Nova and loving it
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA App
Any idea what's up with the widget selector for Nova? I click on the widgets tab and instead of the expected widget drawer I get a list of widgets similar to ginger bread.
Is this a feature that's unlocked with nova prime? Or is that widget drawer option something different? Other than that Nova is pretty sweet!
tars16 said:
Any idea what's up with the widget selector for Nova? I click on the widgets tab and instead of the expected widget drawer I get a list of widgets similar to ginger bread.
Is this a feature that's unlocked with nova prime? Or is that widget drawer option something different? Other than that Nova is pretty sweet!
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Click to collapse
Tried this? On my last rooted phone, Droid Incredible, it worked perfectly. Haven't tried it on this phone though cuz I don't feel the need to root. REQUIRES ROOT:
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=780828
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app
piiman said:
Have you tried Go launcher?
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I'm running GL - i like it allot.. runs great on the sgs3 with/ICS theme
Apex and Nova are both based on the stock 4.0.x ICS launcher, so they're very similar, but Apex gives more features for free.
You're definitely making a mistake if you use Go Launcher or ADW or LauncherPro on this phone, since those are Gingerbread-based. The ICS launcher is just a much, much better base.
tars16 said:
Any idea what's up with the widget selector for Nova? I click on the widgets tab and instead of the expected widget drawer I get a list of widgets similar to ginger bread.
Is this a feature that's unlocked with nova prime? Or is that widget drawer option something different? Other than that Nova is pretty sweet!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You just need root.
If you have root you can go to Nova Settings... Drawer and enable Widgets in Drawer.
Sent from my Galaxy S3

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