Claystone is a new 3D Android home screen replacement, media player, and launcher. We currently distributing developer preview betas to improve the product and get valuable feedback from the developer community. We are looking for feedback about the UI, stability, and overall functionality before we launch on Android Market.
What is unique about this home screen replacement is a 3D user interface with embedded viewers for video, photos, file browsing, web browser, YouTube, contacts, RSS news feeds, and more. The UI was designed for browsing content while you are viewing content.
Feature Summary
- Android 2.1 and higher home screen replacement
- Smart phone optimized
- 3D interface taking advantage of OpenGL
- Integrated media viewer apps for video, file browser, YouTube, web browser, photos, contacts, RSS reader, with more to come…
- Viewer apps bring functionality to the home screen and extending what you can do directly from your home screen in Android
- Claystone reduces the dependence on starting separate app for each media content type and our goal is to provide a more convenient and integrated experience
Widgets
- The Beta 3 widget experience will be replaced with a more standard widget implementation in Beta 4
Getting Started Tips
- Use the swipe left-right gesture to move through the stacked 3D panels
- The following items on the Home panel allow integrated viewing of content in the 3D interface: YouTube, Video, Photos, Contacts, File Browser, Web Browser, RSS Feeds
- Use the press-and-hold gesture throughout Claystone to access additional functions and options
Claystone is Now Available in Android Market
- Claystone is now available in Android Market
- Search for the keyword "Claystone"
Sounds sweet. I hope it won't force me to use popups for anything?
On my phone HTC HD2 (Android 2.3) will work?
Rosa Elefant said:
Sounds sweet. I hope it won't force me to use popups for anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Claystone launches Android Apps full screen and the panels load in a 3D stack that you can scroll through using a left-right finger swipe.
Great, worth a try then thanks!
vespend said:
On my phone HTC HD2 (Android 2.3) will work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android 2.1 and higher are supported so Android 2.3 should pose no issues.
We have tested on HTC devices and the screen resolution is also ideal for claystone.
Let us know if you have any issues.
Doesn't display well on HVGA screen...LG P500
> Doesn't display well on HVGA screen...LG P500
We've been working on getting a bunch more devices to test on. Stay tuned!
Hi. On my Original Droid when a screen is enlarged, it is off to my left and never 100% visible. Also, it was very slow. This may be due to my phone being rooted, but I had to uninstall.
cyanide911 said:
Doesn't display well on HVGA screen...LG P500
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 I can confirm that. The dock icons are huge and the widgets misaligned.
Anyone tried this on a Droid X?
I'm gonna give it a try this evening. I think I tried the earlier beta a few days ago and it had issues as if the screen was off to the left etc. I attributed it to possibly a bad install or something.. I'll give beta 3 a go and report. Screenshot anomolies, etc.
Always a fan of new UI development.
Seems smoother, apps scoll much better-still not fluid yet. Widget screen is bigger. Will give overall in a little while. Limited widgets. Missing recent box-I liked that
On the right track though...
Love the concept of this launcher, but I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get portrait mode working. Using HD2 on 2.3.3 and it is always in landscape, and has no bottom bar.
Try it on the hd2 with cm7 and it work good I would make the 3d windows or what they are called a little bigger and maybe customizable options but other then that good work
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA Premium App
Added Widgets gone after a reboot to be never seen again. <-beta 2 retained these
Still sluggish
Would be nice to be able to resize/move panels
No picture/video bar across top on tablet
SD card (sd2) still not being seen only main storage
You tube still unstable, but better than beta 2
cannot see/launch launchbar
Keep up the good work-it's getting there
unfortunately, I still cannot use this as my daily launcher.
I think you will have more customers if you made a fully customizable one of these...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=13070948
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=907551
On my phone, the window isn't centered, its too far right and down.
Also the dock is huge.
Nevertheless, this is a fresh idea and I see some potential.
Sent from my HTC Legend
It looks nice maybe i will try this on my sgs
Looks a bit like the palm os with the cards. Works fine at all, but it would be nice if the stacks were a little bigger. Maybe it would be possible that the cards go fullscreen when they get focus, and with the homebutton you can make them smaller to see them like its now in standard view.
But thats just a little idea.
Glad to see where this is going.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using XDA App
Beta 3
Still off to the left somewhat but better centered. Complicated to figure out. Videos are small and do not play in landscape and it's difficult to tell which windows are open esp difference between home, app..............Editing launcher bar is nice. Is there a settings (not the one for the phone or info for contact available via the app?
Related
Hello, all.
I've got a confession to make: I like apps. A lot. To an unhealthy degree. I've got a huge stash of apps on my phone, and an even larger collection of .apk backups waiting to be reloaded whenever I feel like it. I love finding new apps to try out, and deciding which ones are worthy to be added to my collection. A lot of the apps that I find and want to try out are paid apps; without finding many thorough reviews on them, I don't know whether they are worth my money - but I can't stand the thought of missing out on the Next Big Thing. And so I buy them, download them, install them, and test them out anyway. If it's an awesome app and well-worth the money, I tell my friends. If it is money that could be better spent on another app that I've tried before, I tell my friends that, too.
Unfortunately, not all of my friends are interested in my opinion on apps. They only listen to me because of my rugged good looks (my theory). This makes me sad, because I spend a lot of time (and money, in some cases) trying apps out - someone else needs to benefit from that time (and money) as well. Until someone decides to pay/reimburse me for all the apps that I evaluate, the next-best thing I can do is offer up reviews to the community of any apps that I have found particularly useful. This is the driving force behind my desire to make this thread.
I will be running down my list of currently-installed useful applications and entertaining games. I will include screen shots, AppBrain links, and as much detail as I can muster up. My hope is that the rest of the community may find some benefit from these reviews - and who knows, maybe you'll find a kick-ass app you'd never heard of.
I'm open to questions, ideas, requests, suggestions, and pretty much any other type of communication or input that could be provided. I only ask that you be respectful - both of me, and of the app developers. And if this list helps you find a neat paid app to try out, please do support the developer(s). Piracy is bad, mmmmkay?
Enjoy!
-codesplice
Credit where credit is due: All screenshots are made using the free ShootMe app.
NOTE: Now that the Android Market has a shnazzy new web interface, I'm going to change the primary links for apps to reflect this. I will add the AppBrain links as a secondary, and hope to add direct market links at some point once I find a site to reliably provide this information. Stay tuned!
Reviews:
Minimalistic Text (Widget)
Clutch Pad(Multitasking App) UPDATED 2/24/11
CircleLauncher (Widget)
Swipe Pad (Multitasking App)
Keyboard Manager (App) UPDATED 2/23/11
Shift Puzzle Game (Game)
ElecroDroid (App)
Hella Umbrella (Game)
Digital Wall (LWP)
Shortyz Crosswords (App)
Elixir (System Info App)
Google Authenticator (App)
Zeam (Launcher)
Lookout / WaveSecure (Mobile Security App double-feature)
If you don't want to subscribe to this thread, you can follow me on that twitting thing, as I will post updates about new reviews there.
Minimalistic Text (widget)
App Name: Minimalistic Text (v.2.1.3, @AppBrain)
Developer: Devmil
Price: FREE
There is quite a handful of text-based widgets available on the Market, and a lot of them are very nice. There are widgets for displaying the time as text, the weather as text, the battery level as text.... but this is one widget that does it all. Just about every aspect of the widget is configurable, from the text alignment and rotation to the font size and colors to even the format for different types of data. You've got several options for the display type, whether you want to use digits or words or even a bar (for days of the week or percentage of battery charge). There is also an optional "blur" text effect which works wonderfully for making accented text appear to be illuminated. To top things off, this widget also functions as a plugin for Locale or Tasker and can be used to display variables from either of those applications. For instance, if you want a small text-widget to display what Locale/Tasker profiles are currently active, this is your answer for a very configurable solution.
For each widget you are also able to define an action to perform when tapped - whether it is launching another activity (my clock widget launches my alarm clock), opening the widget preferences page, or even reading out the text currently displayed on the widget. You are also able to save and restore your widget settings, so don't be afraid to experiment.
Given the sheer amount of customizations available to you with this widget app, the configuration menu may be a little bit overwhelming and complex when you first get into it. Play around for a few minutes, and you're bound to get the hang of it.
This is a fabulous widget, and one that I highly recommend to anyone who will take the time to tinker with it.
Verdict: A highly-configurable text-based widget to display pretty much anything you want, especially with Tasker integration.
Screenshots:
1) Widget(s) in action. I should note there are three separate widgets displayed: Time / weather up top, day / date on the bottom, and a battery level bar on the right-hand side.
2) Preferences Manager for all widgets
3) Text Style menu
4-5) Custom Layout configurator
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Clutch Pad[APP]
App Name: Clutch Pad (v.1.3v.1.4.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: stevealbright
Price: $0.99 $1.99
Clutch is an application that seeks to optimize and streamline the way you multitask on Android. It is currently in beta status, but is very functional in its current state. It is a powerful supplement to the built-in Recent Apps feature.
Clutch manifests itself as a small semi-transparent "trigger" area, which functions similar to "hot corners" on a Mac (I think. I'm a Linux/PC guy). This small region rides at the very top layer of the Android interface (in a user-configurable position) and is accessible no matter what application you may be working in. You can tap this region to instantly bring up a small grid displaying your recently-accessed applications. You can customize how many apps you want to be visible, configure the application to ignore your Home (Launcher) app in its list, and to visually distinguish currently-running applications from terminated apps. This makes it very easy to quickly determine if that app you just exited is still running or if it has been shut down as it should, as well as providing a quick (and lightweight) task switcher.
Nice, but nothing terribly fantastic. Yet. Clutch also has configurable swipe gestures - the most useful (to me) of which is a Last Task functionality. For instance, if I Swipe Up from the Clutch region, I instantly switch to whatever my previous app was. If I swipe again, I am moved back to the app I just switched from. This functions similarly to just pressing ALT+TAB quickly, and is very useful for quickly jumping between two apps.
This little utility is quick and lightweight, and I have found it to be extremely useful. It is still in development, and has many more features planned (and a price increase to accompany them - so get it quickly!) including support for additional gestures (open/close notifications, for example), on-click task control (press-and-hold to kill, for example), and configurable transition animations.
If you've got a dollar to spend, you would do well to add this application to your device in its current state, and I can only imagine the app's versatility and usefulness will increase with the further planned updates.
Update (2/24/11): Clutch Pad has recently been updated to version 1.4. With this update, the application has dropped the "Beta" tag, gained an additional "Pad" in its name, and has added additional features and configurable options. At the same time, the price has also been increased to $1.99. New features include additional swipe gestures, configurable transition animations (that are quite pretty), the option to toggle the trigger button via a press-and-hold on the Search hardware key, and a Favorites option to quickly launch your favorite apps. Options have also been added for additional visual tweaks and adjustments of both the trigger icon and the popup lists, and all known bugs have been fixed. With each incremental update, this app gets more and more useful and I find myself relying upon it more all the time. Even at the increased price, this is still one of my must-have applications.
Verdict: An innovative way to access recent apps, and the Last App gesture functionality is every bit as useful as Alt-Tabbing between apps on your desktop.
Screenshots:
1) Trigger icon
2) Recent apps list
3-5) Settings pages
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
CircleLauncher (widget)
App Name: CircleLauncher (v.1.5.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: db-ware
Price: ~$1.37 (free, limited version here or @AppBrain)
As mentioned previously, I have a lot of apps. One of the problem with having a lot of apps is running out of room on your homescreens for app shortcuts. There are various widgets out there that propose a variety of solutions to this problem, but they often leave you with tiny, almost unusable icons. This would have been fine in the days where the trackball reigned supreme, but this is the oh-tens. It has to be finger-friendly.
One true solution that I stumbled across the other day is called CircleLauncher. What it does is really very simple, but it does it very well. It allows you to create a single widget to group similar applications together (I've used location-themed apps and clock-based apps in my example). Tape the 1x1 widget, and a lightweight menu appears to launch your apps. Pretty standard, but this menu is laid out (by default - you can change this in the settings) in a ring around the icon. As you slide your finger or thumb around the ring, the currently selected application icon grows to make selection a bit easier.
Note that CircleLauncher includes other layout types (configurable from the widget's config menu, which you access by selecting the widget and then press-and-holding the center) including horizontal and vertical lines. I was also very pleased with the way that the widget's application menu adapts to its position on the screen - stick it in a corner, and your full selection of apps will be displayed within a 90-degree pie slice.
Obviously, a menu such as this is a bit limited to a relatively low number of apps (more than 9 or 10 and the ring will be just too cluttered to be functional), but if you need to have quick access to just a few more apps from your homescreen, this should do the trick. Since there is a free version available, why not give it a shot and see if this widget can help you to organize your home screen a bit?
Verdict: An easy way to combine several app shortcuts into one.
Screenshots:
1) Plain widgets (labeled GPS and Time) - you can dress them up a bit more if you are artistically inclined.
2) One widget opened showing the full selection ring.
3) The corner widget open showing the adaptation to the position.
4) One icon expanded while my finger hovers over it.
5) Settings menu
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Keep going mate
gruzman said:
Keep going mate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I surely intend to! Just have to figure out which app to post next
Thanks for the encouragement though. It is appreciated to know at least someone is reading over all this mess!
SwipePad Beta [APP]
App Name: SwipePad Beta (v.0.7.5, @AppBrain)
Developer: Conduction.mobi
Price: FREE
Keeping on the theme of "apps to help you access your apps", we come to SwipePad Beta. Similar in some regard to Clutch, this app also gives you "hot corner" functionality. Use the settings menu to establish what corners (or regions) you want to be active, and then slide your finger from a specified region to the center of the screen. Hold it for just a moment, and a 3x4 grid of application shortcuts magically appears. You can, of course, fully customize what applications should appear on this grid by simply pressing your finger on an empty square or by holding your finger over an existing icon until it is highlighted. The hot corners/region and swipe gesture should work pretty much any time that the screen is unlocked, and is a great way of quickly launching a new app without returning to your home screen.
The application offers to integrate task managing application by the same developer (which is a paid app) that I haven't tried out yet. Personally, I've got plenty of other ways of killing apps at this point - particularly once the function gets built into Clutch.
SwipePad is very nicely polished and quite responsive. It does what it does quite well. My only issue with it is that I just don't use it very frequently. I almost forget that it is there; I must be thoroughly conditioned to launching apps from the home screen. It's free, though, so give it a whirl and see if it can further help to optimize the way you launch apps from within other apps
Verdict: Clever use of hot-corners to gain quick access to up to 12 user-defined apps; non-intrusive to the point that you might forget to use it.
Screenshots:
1) SwipePad in action. Note that putting a link to SwipePad on your SwipePad gives you a quick way to access the settings screens.
2) SwipePad settings, with the hot corners highlighted in red at the bottom.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Deff fav'ing this. Am looking forward to all reviews
(*is thinking about getting clutch)
Epic is as Epic does
Nice! Thanks bro!
waichung said:
is there a video demonstrating the use of Clutch? I want to watch it before paying for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I imagine there should be a video somewhere on the youtubes. Let me know if you find one and I will add it to the post. I'm about to go into work so it will be another 12 hours before I have access to the full internet, but I will look then if you haven't found anything.
Very good! Thanks
Keyboard Manager [APP]
App Name: Keyboard Manager (v.1.1) Keyboard Manager (v.1.4)
Developer: ne0fhyk
Price: FREE $1.99
NOTE: This app requires root!!
It took me quite a while, but I finally weened myself away from requiring a physical keyboard on a mobile device when I got my NexusOne. With the multitude and variety of available software keyboards available for Android, I haven't really missed the physical keys. The only annoyance at this point is that I find keyboards that work great for one-handed operation in portrait orientation, like Swype or 8pen (if you're in the mood for adventure and don't really care how long it takes to get a message completed ), but are next-to-worthless for dual-thumb landscape input. With a physical keyboard, you'd just slide that bad boy out and away you go. For those of us with only a touchscreen and maybe a few additional buttons, it can be a bit of a chore to manually change the selected input method each time we rotate the device. If only there was a way for the device to read my mind and select the appropriate keyboard.....
As luck would have it, XDA member ne0fhyk has provided us with a solution to this difficulty, in the form of his Keyboard Manager application. Simply select what keyboard you want to use in each orientation (I use Swype for portrait and SwiftKey for landscape), and the app will handle the tedious business of choosing the appropriate input method. It's that easy, and it works.
Mostly. The app is a bit of a hacked solution, and requires root permissions to be able to get around the Android security feature which prevents applications from changing the input method. Installation is not always straight-forward (instructions are available in the first post of the application thread, and it may cause a few software keyboards to force-close if you change orientation while the keyboard is displayed. The current version (1.1) has come a long way from the previous releases in terms of usability, stability, and reliability, and I haven't had any major issues with it. I highly recommend that you give this application a shot and see if it will help you out with your input needs.
Update (2/23/11): Keyboard Manager is no longer available for free, but is now installable from the Android Market. The now-current 1.4 version has fixed most of the install issues and should be a very easy set-up for you. If you run into any issues with the purchased version, please contact the developer - he helped me solve issues specific to my device, and the application works like a charm now.
Verdict: A functional hack to auto-select the appropriate software keyboard based on device orientation.
Screenshots:
1) The optional persistent notification icon. Activating the notification will give you quick access to the Keyboard Manager settings page, and I recommend you leave it enabled until you get things set up the way you want. After that, disable the persistent notification at your own risk (the persistent notification keeps the process in the foreground and prevents Android from terminating it).
2) Settings screen
3) Selecting which keyboard to use
4) Demonstrating that the app has automatically selected Swype for portrait...
5) .... and SwiftKey for landscape.
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
Shift Puzzle Game [GAME]
App Name: Shift Puzzle Game (v.1.2, @AppBrain)
Developer: Handmark
Price: $1.99 (Free ad-supported version here or @AppBrain let's you try out 15 levels; full version features 40 additional levels and no ads)
The Shift Puzzle Game is a tasty Android port of the ever-popular SHIFT game by Armor Games, which you can play free in your Flash-enabled browser at the Armor Games website. If you're not familiar with the original (as I wasn't until I found this app just an hour ago), then let me fill you in on the skinny.
Shift is a new take on the classic adventure-puzzle platformer game. Your mission is to get from point A to point B, dodging whatever nasty traps and obstacles may be in your path. The twist is the ability for you to literally shift the game universe upside down. White becomes black, up becomes down, and you find yourself walking on the flip side of the surface you were just standing on. You can (and will) use this clever maneuver repeatedly in order to successfully navigate each challenging level. Not quite tracking? It can be rather tough to explain... Hopefully the screenshots below will help clear it up (or go play the flash version for free here).
This implementation for a touchscreen device is phenomenal. The controls are large and appear on either side of the landscape display - and you don't even need multitouch. Just tap the left arrow to move left, the left-up diagonal to jump left, and the SHIFT button at the top to do that groovy shift thing. The gameplay is engaging, and the levels can be quite challenging (and quite addictive). The game is worth trying out (the free version) solely for experiencing the joy that is puzzle-solving by twisting the fabric of the universe, and you might just get hooked enough to purchase the full version. It would be two bucks well spent.
Verdict: Quickly becoming my latest Android gaming addiction.
Screenshots:
1) Main menu
2) First level
3) First level - SHIFTED!
4) It gets twisted!
(tested on NexusOne / Kang-o-rama 1.2 T1 (CM7.n13 / GRH78C / Android 2.3.2))
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
jinsfch said:
This is a little off topic but is anyone attempting a Tor app?
Sent from my SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just slightly off topic, but no worries.
A quick search on AppBrain found Orbot: Tor On Android. Impressive, since Android still doesn't have proper proxy support on its own...
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
Can't find clutch video on youtube...
Btw,i think swipepad is better than it as swyping from the bottom is easier than from the right
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
codesplice said:
I looked for Clutch videos as well and was disappointed to see that there aren't any. I may try to shoot a video once I get home from the desert in a few weeks (hopefully).
You can change the position of the Clutch region to really any spot on the screen. And I don't really see the two as competing anyway as they have entirely different purposes: Clutch gives you quick access to your recently-executed apps, while SwipePad offers a fixed menu of apps for you to launch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
waichung said:
The likely alt-tab function of clutch is really fantastic but does it show the recently-executed apps or the running apps? I use swipepad together with the virtual task switcher which allows switching among the running tasks. These 2 apps are completely free and no need to paid $1 for the "swipepad: tasks". But I prefer quick accessing recent tasks to showing those apps running at the background.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The set {recently-executed} apps includes the subset {running apps}. The default behavior of Android is to show all recently-executed apps under the Recent Apps functionality, regardless of whether those apps are still running or have been terminated. I thought that Visual Task Switcher behaved the same way, but based on the application page it does appear to only display currently-running apps. Personally, I prefer to see recent apps (with a visual distinction between those that are still running and those that have been terminated), as I often end up re-launching the same app over and over; of course, you could also just pin a shortcut to those frequent apps to SwipePad. We all operate our devices in different ways, so either option is of course valid.
Visual Task Switcher (at least the last time that I used it) tended to make my phone lag significantly for whatever reason; I did use it for quite some time though, and was pleased with its functionality as a complete Recent Apps replacement (after configuring the long-press home trigger to launch it via CyanogenMod settings). Also note that the free version includes ads (which may contribute to the lag I was experiencing?) while the full version will set you back $1.99.
** Claystone Launcher- A quick update and we just launched our first theme pack **
- A lot has been happened over the last month with Claystone Launcher
- We have now had over 14,000 downloads combined from the following App Stores:
Android Market
Android Freeware Market
Handango / Appia
SlideMe
MobiHand
GetJar
Handster
Aproov
** Themes **
- We just launched our first theme called BlueBerry and added skinning to the features
- We designed and launched a solid business user theme with a clear, crisp interface and colour scheme
- Our goal is to release many themes over the next few months (catching up wit the other launchers)
- Search Android Market fore the keyword "claystone" to install and see all the latest.
** New Features ***
- Besides themes we added sharing functionality and more customization and preferences (a big request from our users)
- Performance and memory management was tweaked and enhanced over a challenging 5 week period of intensive testing, retesting, and responding to user feedback and suggestions
- Launching a new home screen replacement has really been challenging because there are so many solid options already available
- Claystone works on more devices and adjust performance settings to match the hardware capabilities
- Performance can also be adjusted through Preferences if you want to tinker with speed and performance
** We Debuted Claystone on XDA Forums and your feedback is welcomed **
- We welcome your comments, feedback, suggestions and requests for additional Claystone themes.
- Inside the App you can conveniently "Share Claystone" item on the options menu to share Claystone with your friends.
- You can also conveniently rate Claystone and send the Claystone Team a feedback email from Claystone preferences
*** Thanks ***
- I thought I would take some time to reconnect with the XDA forum community and say thank you for all your support and feedback over the last two months.
- I have uploaded some of the latest screen shots and the current APK if you would like to see all the latest changes.
### Minimum Requirements
- Android smart phone or tablet
- Android 2.1 and higher
- OpenGL 1.1 and higher
- Normal screen size or higher
- Medium screen density (160 mdpi) or higher
Claystone Is Now Available in the following App Stores:
- Android Market
- Amazon Android App Store (soon)
- Android Freeware Market
- SlideMe App Store
- Handango App Store (Appia)
- GetJAR App Store
- Search for the keyword "Claystone" to install Claystone from Android Market
- To get the latest version use Android Market updates
Sound amazing and would live to help you test it, but where's the link?
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA App
Sounds sweet
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
Initial impression is that its very confussing and difficult to use... it took me a while to work out what I was looking at. Don't get the widget folder as it negates what a widget is. I do like the potential concept, but this really needs a lot more thought into user experience.
To start with look at changing the folder controls to make them easier to select.
This is a very original approach and I'll going to watch this one with interest...
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA Premium App
Often only shows black screen on HTC legend.
The dock icons are too big and there is hardly any customization possible.
But it is a really interesting idea and different from other launcher. I'll stay tuned.
Sent from my HTC Legend
Widget Question
pantera70 said:
Initial impression is that its very confussing and difficult to use... it took me a while to work out what I was looking at. Don't get the widget folder as it negates what a widget is. I do like the potential concept, but this really needs a lot more thought into user experience.
To start with look at changing the folder controls to make them easier to select.
This is a very original approach and I'll going to watch this one with interest...
Sent from my HTC Desire using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We would really appreciate any more detail you can provide about Widgets. We are tweaking the UI throughout the beta program and any additional ideas or recommendations would be really helpful.
Kevin
Can someone post screen shots?
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
claystoneinc said:
We would really appreciate any more detail you can provide about Widgets. We are tweaking the UI throughout the beta program and any additional ideas or recommendations would be really helpful.
Kevin
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unless I'm missing something the only place to add widgets is in the folder at the top of the screen. This limited the use of widgets... for example if I add a 2x2 clock thats all I can see and use unless I expand the folder. This is compounded by the difficulty in using the folder controls. Widgets are supposed to provide quick and easy access and viewing of apps and info you use most, currently this is lost in Claystone... If you could make widget use a little more traditional it would go a long way...
Like I said previously though the whole user experience would be vastly improved if you added larger controls to the folders making it quick and easy to expand/close etc.
Like ms_green says the dock is a little large and it makes the screen feel a little cramped.
A very short review, sorry for being blunt:
* On my Droid Incredible: great, now applications are even smaller/hard to read. UI is not very responsive. Toolbar buttons are too small but making them any bigger would mean even less real estate.
* Tablet: Ooooh now you're talking! The layout makes much more sense, especially in landscape mode. This is actually getting closer to WebOs' take on multitasked UI.
I think this app has a great future on tablets.
Ima dl right now
Sent from my SPH-D700-EPIC-using Tapatalk
Can someone post screenshots? Thanks
This is great!!! VERY GOOD!!! the concept is amazing
things u might want to improve:
The loading speed of panels are slow. Even opening the appdrawer takes no less than 3 seconds, not to mention browser etc
When u scroll vertically but a bit sideways on a panel it just pops u into another panel, very excruciating
Panels. seriously, all u can have is a home panel and a widget panel? i want to make my own (not just folders) for example media, games etc
"items" u can add. to be honest all there is is file explorer, browser and youtube (not to mention the youtube one really sucks). U need more of these "items", but i understand this is a beta
lol no offense
I could see this possibly having potential on a bigger screen, like a tablet maybe. But as it stands things feel too cramped on my 3.7 inch screen. Also things are a bit slow atm.
It's an interesting concept, but implemented in a moderately confusing fashion. The widget box resizes widgets oddly, making things look bulky, etc.
Great idea, though.
Opening the inbuilt contacts force closes the app for me.
But apart from that, a brilliant concept! I can't wait for new additions! Great job
Misleadingg said:
This is great!!! VERY GOOD!!! the concept is amazing
things u might want to improve:
The loading speed of panels are slow. Even opening the appdrawer takes no less than 3 seconds, not to mention browser etc
When u scroll vertically but a bit sideways on a panel it just pops u into another panel, very excruciating
Panels. seriously, all u can have is a home panel and a widget panel? i want to make my own (not just folders) for example media, games etc
"items" u can add. to be honest all there is is file explorer, browser and youtube (not to mention the youtube one really sucks). U need more of these "items", but i understand this is a beta
lol no offense
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the great feedback!
You can create more panels ("folders") as well, you can copy and paste any item in any panel. In our next drop we are going to make it simple by adding applications to the "create" menu.
Meltus said:
Opening the inbuilt contacts force closes the app for me.
But apart from that, a brilliant concept! I can't wait for new additions! Great job
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you mind telling us what phone/version you are using? We'll look into it. Thanks.
downloaded and will try it out on my Viewsonic G Tablet when I get home tonight
I'm a visual person. Anyone got screenshots?
Nothing to see here...
What Is HoloWeb ?
HoloWeb Is An Ultra Fast And Stylish Web Browser Built For Android 4.0+
How Fast Is HoloWeb ?
As Every Developer Would Say About Their App Its Amazingly Fast But Users Have Said That HoloWeb Smokes The Stock Android 4.1 Browser, Chrome And Firefox And Thats Amazing.
What Does HoloWeb Feature ?
Start Page For Quick Access To Bookmarks And Recently Visited Sites
Phone And Tablet Support (With Full Tablet UI)
Only A Little Over 300KB In Size
An Array Of Settings And Controls
Addons
Find In Page
Full Screen Mode For Phones
The Full HoloUX
Full Sandboxing Of Webpages
Full Security To Protect Users From The Web
Flash Video Support
Instant Video Loading (Tested On YouTube And Its Amazing)
Multiple Tab Support
Preloaded Bookmarks
Page Sharing
User Agent Choices
Split URL And Search Bar
Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ask Jeeves, Wikipedia Search Providers
And More
Whats New In 1.4
New Features
Adding The Status Bar Back
Brand New Custom Holo Theme
New White Icons
Updated Design
Smaller APK File Size
New Home Button For Tablets
Upgraded Coding
Updated Tablet UI
Updated UI Icons
Speed Improvements
Brand New App Icon
And More
You Can Download 1.4 Below
HoloWeb Is An Amazing Browser And I Encourage You To Try It Out.
Version : 1.4
Download : http://bit.ly/R6AJhv
See Screenshots Below For More Details
SPECIAL THANKS TO ANASTHASE FOR THE SOURCE CODE AND FOR MAKING THIS ALL POSSIBLE
So Enjoy HoloWeb
Thanks,
Jack
Version 1.2
New Features
Major UI Polish
New Smaller Exit Full Screen Button
New Nexus 7 User Agent
Redesigned Pages
Fixes Minor Bugs
The New Icon From The Vote On My Google+ Page (Left Was The Winner And The Vote Has Now Closed)
And More
Release Date : 20/09/12
Version 1.3
New Features
UI Design Changes
Redesigned Controls Including The New Tabs Buttons And Exit Full Screen Button
New Color Scheme For New Tabs Buttons And Exit Full Screen (The Exit Full Screen Button Is Now Black)
New Search Key On Keyboard For Getting To Websites Or Search Results
New Delete Key In The Bookmark / History Screen
Many Redesigned Pages
No More Status Bar On Phones
New Theme For Phones And Tablets
New Addon Store Linking To My Google Drive Account
Updated Start Page Theme (PS : The Background On The Start Page Is Only On The Start Page The Other Pages On HoloWeb Is The Default)
New About HoloWeb Page With Details Of Whats New In Your Version Of HoloWeb And How To Update
And More
Version 1.3
Release Date : 1/10/12
Version 1.4
New Features
Adding The Status Bar Back
Brand New Custom Holo Theme
New White Icons
Updated Design
Smaller APK File Size
New Home Button For Tablets
Upgraded Coding
Updated Tablet UI
Updated UI Icons
Speed Improvements
Brand New App Icon
And More
Version 1.4
Release Date : 12/10/12
Will try it out, currently using Firefox, lets see what happens, thx
Credits to Tint Browser wouldn't go amiss.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda app-developers app
First of all: bravo! The browser looks awesome!
After that, I'd like to show you some little problems I've met on my lil' Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0": (sorry I can't add pics)
if you compare the real space for the page that Chrome is giving us:
http: //dl.dropbox.com/u/315701/Screenshot_2012-09-17-22-44-47.png
with the one that your app is providing (is it yours, btw?)
http: //dl.dropbox.com/u/315701/Screenshot_2012-09-17-22-53-03.png
you'll discover that there's really too little space for the web pages :\
I know, there are maybe just few pixels less, but that big fat gray bar is killing me lol
why don't you use all the available space for the bookmarks/start page?
http: //dl.dropbox.com/u/315701/Screenshot_2012-09-17-22-43-57.png
could you please provide the user agent for tablets in the list of the available choices? just use the one that the Nexus 7 is using, for example (as a workaround I've set the one that Chrome is using)
Keep up the good job!
rickdesantis said:
First of all: bravo! The browser looks awesome!
After that, I'd like to show you some little problems I've met on my lil' Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0": (sorry I can't add pics)
if you compare the real space for the page that Chrome is giving us:
http: //dl.dropbox.com/u/315701/Screenshot_2012-09-17-22-44-47.png
with the one that your app is providing (is it yours, btw?)
http: //dl.dropbox.com/u/315701/Screenshot_2012-09-17-22-53-03.png
you'll discover that there's really too little space for the web pages :\
I know, there are maybe just few pixels less, but that big fat gray bar is killing me lol
why don't you use all the available space for the bookmarks/start page?
http: //dl.dropbox.com/u/315701/Screenshot_2012-09-17-22-43-57.png
could you please provide the user agent for tablets in the list of the available choices? just use the one that the Nexus 7 is using, for example (as a workaround I've set the one that Chrome is using)
Keep up the good job!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi There Thanks For Installing HoloWeb
I've Just Been Examining Your Photos And I'll Be Adding A Nexus 7 User Agent To HoloWeb In The Next Build.
If You Do Have Any More Issues With HoloWeb Please Just Post Here Or Message Me And I'll Hopefully Try To Solve Your Problem
Hi cant import bookmarks.
Nothing happens . Nexus jb.
But seems fluid.
So fast... only one thing.. i hate The persistent bottom bar ... anyway great job ...this is my main browser now
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
blackbearblanc said:
Hi cant import bookmarks.
Nothing happens . Nexus jb.
But seems fluid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi There You Have To Export Your Bookmarks From Other Browsers Or If You Use Firefox You Can Download An Addon From The Play Store And You Can Import Them From Firefox
drigerott said:
So fast... only one thing.. i hate The persistent bottom bar ... anyway great job ...this is my main browser now
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thankyou For Installing HoloWeb Which Bottom Bar Don't You Like ?
Whats the difference with tint browser?
Im using tint... and would using holo too if there will be playstore automatic updates)
But i want to know whats the difference with tint
Not bad. Maybe takes a second to render clear text when scrolling but its good.
Good one! But still a plenty of work to do. SwiftKey is not showing predictions wherever I type - a login or a message. Used it about ten minutes, in the end I couldn't launch the keyboard tapping on a blank field.
The good thing is I could choose the words to quote in a forum. Stock jb browser and opera fail to do it.
Bravo! Looking forward to seeing this updated!
Great browser, pages loads extremely fast!
2 things though:
- That bar on the end of the page could be more transparent so we could be able to see more of the page
- I don't know if it's just with me but after typing the web adress I want using Swype keyboard and hiting enter button the page don't start loading, I need to click on the browser button to do so and it's a bit annoying.
Despite those 2 things , congrats, it's a great app and definitely I'm setting it as my main browser!
This is tint I assume?
Need better navigation between tabs and get rid of that stupid semi-transparent bar at the bottom.
Sent from my XperiaS via transwarp conduit.
Pretty good so far. Sexy as hell. Not liking that white bar at the top though, and it has some lag/stuttering.
So far so good on my Sensation running Jelly Bean
Very fast browser. Should add a option to toggle the bottom search bar from showing after scrolling the page. Also a dark/blue theme would be awesome. Look forward to future updates.
Sent from my Optimus V via Tapatalk
Exellent. But maybe you cloud replace that bar at the bottom to an Small button in an corner
sony xperia ray ics 4.0.4
stock rom unrooted
This is pretty cool, only used it a few minutes. Seems to load pretty fast, will use more and give feedback
Hi friends...
A amazing launcher launched on play store...
pls note that i m not the developer of vire launcher
For more information, visit http://www.virelabs.com
Feel free to contact in case of launcher problem or feedback: [email protected]
---
http://www.facebook.com/virelabs
http://www.twitter.com/virelabs
https://plus.google.com/u/0/118076862226286766462/posts
Description
Vire Launcher quickly improves your smartphone experiences.
***** Most beautiful launcher in the store!
***** Awesome !!
***** Great launcher
***** We have a newcomer!
Try it now for free! This fast, fluid and power friendly custom home screen makes low-end Android phones feel like high-end and adds realistic 3D effects into all devices. Vire Launcher previews some cool features, such as real-time lighting, 3D transitions and automatic theming of all UI elements, including widgets and icons.
Vire Launcher supports features such as dynamic grid, widget resize, screen manager and folder support – even with older Android versions. You can test out the multi-functional Vire Clock by swiping it down from the clock area and adding application shortcuts and widgets to the revealed panel area.
This is a beginning of how our technology changes the barriers of icon-based thinking. We can combine any 3D object and UI element together and freely place them using innovations such as Vire physics/FX/layout engines, software MRT and Virtual Window Manager. Our UI engine is designed from ground up for multi-core support and load-balancing. As it includes tomorrows atomic object architecture and design, it is fully packed to be future-proof.
Stay tuned for eye-opening launchers!
New features in following releases:
- High-performance widget mode
- Landscape and tablet support
- And much more...
DOWNLOAD VIRE LAUNCHER FROM PLAYSTORE LINK
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vire.launcher
Re: [App][2.2+]Vire Launcher Beta[14feb]
Nice 3d effects, a good preview version. Waiting the final with more functions:thumbup:
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
Re: [App][2.2+]Vire Launcher Beta[14feb]
Hoping it doesn't consume RAM
Sent from my Moms STOCK Mini 2 (
Launcher is Good But One Problem
I Like this Launcher ...its Good with 3D & Transparency effect but one problem is it uses around 55mb to 60mb ram :silly: ... so for who using 512mb or less ram phone this launcher is not affordable for them... so plz fix this huge ram usage problem and plz also add the App Drawer Own Order app sorting option :good:
anyone have the apk for this launcher? something is wrong with my androidmarket
pharandeamit said:
I Like this Launcher ...its Good with 3D & Transparency effect but one problem is it uses around 55mb to 60mb ram :silly: ... so for who using 512mb or less ram phone this launcher is not affordable for them... so plz fix this huge ram usage problem and plz also add the App Drawer Own Order app sorting option :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi all, I'm the CTO of Vire Labs Ltd.
First, thanks to all of you for all the good feedback, it's very valuable to us! Keep them coming.
We are actively working on reducing the memory consumption of the launcher, and will keep updating the beta launcher at Google Play. That being said, 55 to 60mb seems a bit high and we usually see less than that. It would help if you could give more details about your phone, such as how many applications you have installed, and the resolution of the display. Bot these factor into how much texture memory we are going to need at peak memory usage.
The "own order" feature is a good suggestion and we'll put it to our work queue! While the application window of Vire Launcher doesn't yet allow user to freely order the applications, one can stow away icons in the panel area of the included Vire Clock. Just swipe down from the metal clock and it reveals a panel area you can place your icons and widgets to. The application window currently support sorting alphabetically (A-Z, Z-A), as well as having four categories for apps (All, User installed, Most frequently used, and Recently used).
/Jani Huhtanen
AW: [App][2.2+]Vire Launcher Beta[14feb]
Really nice Launcher, the idea with the clock is great. I'm looking forward to this Project :thumbup:
Sent from my XT910
tcc1 said:
anyone have the apk for this launcher? something is wrong with my androidmarket
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've attached the latest Vire Launcher APK v1.5.5.8.2.
winograd said:
Hi all, I'm the CTO of Vire Labs Ltd.
First, thanks to all of you for all the good feedback, it's very valuable to us! Keep them coming.
We are actively working on reducing the memory consumption of the launcher, and will keep updating the beta launcher at Google Play. That being said, 55 to 60mb seems a bit high and we usually see less than that. It would help if you could give more details about your phone, such as how many applications you have installed, and the resolution of the display. Bot these factor into how much texture memory we are going to need at peak memory usage.
The "own order" feature is a good suggestion and we'll put it to our work queue! While the application window of Vire Launcher doesn't yet allow user to freely order the applications, one can stow away icons in the panel area of the included Vire Clock. Just swipe down from the metal clock and it reveals a panel area you can place your icons and widgets to. The application window currently support sorting alphabetically (A-Z, Z-A), as well as having four categories for apps (All, User installed, Most frequently used, and Recently used).
/Jani Huhtanen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Jani,
Thank you for sharing this with the community. I have to say that I am quite impressed by this launcher. Overall fluidity and speed are very nice indeed. I can confirm the high RAM consumption of the launcher (I just checked on both my Xperia T and my EVO 3D, and they both clocked about 66 MB being used). While I do know that this is a beta version, I did spot a few things:
* Transition animations of Fade and Cube (both in and out) are almost identical. You guys should consider either taking a set out.
* Under Settings > UI Settings under both entries for theme and style, it reads "switch theme" and "switch style" respectively. It would be more useful to say what you currently have active and simply relabel the main line as "Change Launcher Themes" and "Change Home Transition Style".
* Ability to create folders is gone. Now, I personally don't use this but it is always nice to have such an option.
* There is a small lag/delay when opening apps (maybe a quarter of a second or so). I am trying this in my Xperia T and the stock launcher has 0 lag. This is not that big of an issue but it is a bit noticeable.
I read your site back and forth as well as the market page. You mentioned Stereoscopic 3D. Does this mean that it will utilize the autostereoscopic screen of the EVO 3D and the Optimus 3D?
Also, unless I missed it somehow, the only multitouch support enabled is within the Cube Free transition, which allows you to manipulate the cube...
I also see that a bunch of features and widgets are still "in the works", so I guess I will have to wait a tad for those
Great job and keep an eye on the Portal
Re: [App][2.2+]Vire Launcher Beta[14feb]
@OP
What new applets do you have planned for the launcher?
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2
egzthunder1 said:
* Transition animations of Fade and Cube (both in and out) are almost identical. You guys should consider either taking a set out.
* Under Settings > UI Settings under both entries for theme and style, it reads "switch theme" and "switch style" respectively. It would be more useful to say what you currently have active and simply relabel the main line as "Change Launcher Themes" and "Change Home Transition Style".
* Ability to create folders is gone. Now, I personally don't use this but it is always nice to have such an option.
* There is a small lag/delay when opening apps (maybe a quarter of a second or so). I am trying this in my Xperia T and the stock launcher has 0 lag. This is not that big of an issue but it is a bit noticeable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the good feedback!
Having folder support is certainly something we will be adding, as well as the ability to resize widgets.
By lag when opening apps, do you refer to opening the application window, or launching an application? We're aware of lag when the application window is first opened, and we have a fix for this in the pipeline. If you refer to launching an application, there's a small delay applied due to animations involved when starting an app. We might add an option to disable the animations or the delay, though.
egzthunder1 said:
I read your site back and forth as well as the market page. You mentioned Stereoscopic 3D. Does this mean that it will utilize the autostereoscopic screen of the EVO 3D and the Optimus 3D?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It means the engine behind the launcher can be used to render stereoscopic content, but currently we have not utilized it in the launcher itself.
Re: [App][2.2+]Vire Launcher Beta[14feb]
Love it! Needs swipe up and down controlls for shortcuts and I'll use it everyday
Sent from my EVO using xda app-developers app
Re: [App][2.2+]Vire Launcher Beta[14feb]
Nice launcher but I think battery life will be drastically reduced. The accelerometer is in constant use for that nice clock effect. That will drain a lot of battery.
Re: [App][2.2+]Vire Launcher Beta[14feb]
Tried it for a short time and noticed two things immediately. The stock launcher and the one I use (Nova) usually take about 30 - 40 Mb of RAM on my device. This launcher used more than 50 Mb. It also felt like everything was just a little bit slower, device felt like if was lagging in general. This was on a Motorola Razr M. I do like the outline icons.
Sent from my XT907 using xda premium
This launcher is working great on my GS3 and looks amazing. I'm looking forward to seeing what gets added in the future. Are there plans for resizing widgets and changing the amount of rows and columns in the screens?
Just installed it. Will give you a detailed feed back later on. So far there is no lag observed.
One feature request: Widget Import from other Launchers
Device: Saga
ROM: AOKP unofficial Saga builds by djpbx http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2115573
Update:
The Cube transition effects (all 3) seemed a bit sluggish, rest trasition effects are smooth. Okay I know, Desire S is prehistoric when compared to current devices. But still, its not that bad .
Everything else working fine, as already requested - would love to see resizing of Widgets. Rebooted a few times, no problem (BTW I have uninstalled the default launcher).
it looks great on my htc desire z
thanx:laugh:
Just saw this thread, seams to be a nice piece of work. Installing, coming back with feedback.
and2nckiko's channel
it is really an amazing launcher..but its eating a lot of ram on my gsmini
love the looks and ui of this launcher...i know its still in beta, just add a few more features such as swipe up and down gestures, create folder of apps in home screen and docks and perhaps a customize transparent for status bar :fingers-crossed: this will be my daily launcher. you gotta love the crystal transition and the clock applets :good:
September 13th
Today I released Appsi 1.5. This release includes the following new features:
1. A new (100% free and a part of Appsi itself) page in the sidebar with support for
- App widgets in the sidebar
- Home plugins (Appsi specific plugins, more below)
- DashClock extensions
2. Full freedom in placing the hotspots and the amount of them.
3. Fast scrolling support
4. More cutomizations and look & feel options
5. Music player controls (with special thanks to xda member Dr.Alexander_Breen for his excellent guide)
.. And a lot more.
September 4th (beta 1.4.21):
It's been a while and I think it is time to give you all a little update on what's going on behind the scenes in beta. I am working on fixing the issues that are left and hope to release the upcoming version as Appsi 1.5 soon.
I have got tons of new cool features coming up. To name a few:
1. A new (100% free and a part of Appsi itself) page in the sidebar with support for
- App widgets in the sidebar
- Home plugins (Appsi specific plugins, more below)
- DashClock extensions
2. Full freedom in placing the hotspots and the amount of them.
3. Fast scrolling support
4. More cutomizations and look & feel options
5. Music player controls (with special thanks to xda member Dr.Alexander_Breen for his excellent guide)
.. And a lot more.
The Home Plugins are small extensions to the home tab/plugin. The are small plugins you can add to the home tab in Appsi. They can be used to show things like, missed calls count, launching certain intents and a lot more. There is an open source sample project with docs on Github. And there's some instructions right here.
If you are looking for screenshots, take a look in the G+ beta community.
July 30th: Version 1.4 released
Last weekend I updated Appsi to version 1.4
New features:
1. Customize the size of the text and icons
2. Change the spacing between the items
3. Global search
4. New icon
July 15th: Version 1.3.3 in beta.
Very small amount of changes for this beta. Moving to production on 18th if no issues arise.
1. Option to minimize the notification. (no icon and smallest possible notification, no extra actions etc)
2. Bug fix for android 4.0.3 and 4.0.4 devices, causing crashed with hardware acceleration enabled.
3. Fix issue with long texts on items in the sidebar when there is a title and a description. The title will now also have ellipsis.
July 13th: Version 1.3 released.
Today I moved version 1.3 from beta to production. The following changes are probably going to make 1.4:
Improved search: Search through all apps, even if the section is disabled. If you have plugins, search will include all results from all plugins.
Live folder support in Appsi (add a live folder as if it is a plugin)
If you have a suggestion, just let me know.
Also I will add new translations once they have been completed. This is just a matter of time. If you would like to help out, pm me.
July 6th: Version 1.3 beta released.
I just finished uploading the new beta version of Appsi to Google play. This new version contains the following new features:
Proper favorites manager
Contextual action bar to perform actions on long press.
Switch plugins by swiping left or right on the sidebar
Updates to all plugins for the contextual actions
Fixes:
Fixed a bug in the icon caching mechanism
This is a beta release, so for now only accessible for beta testers (wanna be a beta tester? let me know). This version will most likely move to production within one week.
July 1st: version 1.2.4 was released
Although it may not sound like a big update, This version adds support for the following new features:
* transparency in the sidebar
* the ability to choose a background image for the sidebar
* Choice between light and dark theme
* Improved the way to get the data from the plugins.
* Improved user experience, especially for new users.
Special thanks go out to all the people helping with translations and beta testing. Thank you very much!
See https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.appsimobile.appsi for the Google play listing.
Appsi sidebar is a sidebar application for android. It comes with an embedded App plugin (more about that later) that allows you to see all your apps and add your favorite 5 apps as favorites.
It supports 3 distinct gestures when opening the sidebar, by default they will all open the sidebar normally. The gestures are moving horizontally after touching the hotspot, moving up or moving down. For each of these you can set the action to perform, these actions are:
- open the sidebar (default)
- open favorites swiper
- open recents swiper (needs plugins with recents)
- open plugin swiper (swipe to the plugin you'd like to open and then open the sidebar)
The swiper is the same as what you might know from other apps (like swipepad), it allows you to open something with one single touch, by moving your finger from the sidebar to the item.
The hotpot is either on the left or right side of the screen, it can be positioned manually and can be as big as you want.
Thanks to the wonderful people on this forum Russian translations have been added in the latest version. Also simplified Chinese has been added. I'd like to know what you all think about this app
Appsi is plugin based (and supported). This means it allows you to buy plugins to extend the functionality. This is not needed for normal operation, but it will add more types of things you can add as a sidebar.
You can either add a hotspot for each plugin, or use one hotspot for all plugins. The opened plugin can be changed by tapping the title of the sidebar.
If anyone has suggestions or improvement, either for plugins or Appsi itself, please let me know.
Download link for Appsi 1.5:
Appsi 1.5 release
Hello everybody,
If there are people out here that would like to test the app and provide feedback that would be great. I am open to suggestions and have a list of upcoming features. One of the features I just released as beta is the ability to change the alpha and to set a background for the sidebar. And the ability to be always up to date with the plugins (no need to load the data when the sidebar opens)
So if you'd like to do beta testing, send me your Google account (e-mail address) and I'll add you to the testers list.
If you do not want to test the beta version but would prefer to test the current version, that will also help very much.
Any feedback will help.
Thank you all!
If I'm right, this sidebar uses a service as "sidebar", doesn't it?
All other apps I've seen start up an activity if you touch the gesture area. If you press the home button and try to launch an activity from the gesture area, it has a 5 second delay.
So that's a really good thing.
Overall UI looks pretty good, which makes the users first thoughts about the app very positive.
ActionBar in the sidebar is awesome and usefull.
Logo isn't the best I've seen, you could improve that.
This is my opinion 4 seconds after installation.
Edit: search bar is very usefull
Sent from my Nexus 4 running Android 4.2 JB
I will try it ASAP and report.
I tried a lot already.... almost all to be honest, and i stick right now to a cryptic one but which really work well. Can be used for inspiration, so here it is (and i am not advertsing, ok. It is just for reference as this one is relly unknown) : overlay launcher.
Gonna install your app and report from my of course subjective point of view.
Cheers
Really like it thus far! Would it be possible to make it easier to switch between plug ins, I.e, when the sidebar is open instead of going to the top to switch plug ins, maybe you can swipe left and right within in the sidebar to switch between plug ins. It will make it a lot easier to use instead of going to the top.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
It is mandatory to add an option to dismiss notification from the notification panel... It's way too big, and it is very annoying for me!
App works really well indeed, and I'm looking forward to try a couple of plugins!
Keep up the good work mate!
Galaxy Note II - Alliance Rom
jlo20431 said:
Really like it thus far! Would it be possible to make it easier to switch between plug ins, I.e, when the sidebar is open instead of going to the top to switch plug ins, maybe you can swipe left and right within in the sidebar to switch between plug ins. It will make it a lot easier to use instead of going to the top.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
+1 for this feature as well! That would be REALLY GREAT!!
mDroidd said:
If I'm right, this sidebar uses a service as "sidebar", doesn't it?
All other apps I've seen start up an activity if you touch the gesture area. If you press the home button and try to launch an activity from the gesture area, it has a 5 second delay.
So that's a really good thing.
Overall UI looks pretty good, which makes the users first thoughts about the app very positive.
ActionBar in the sidebar is awesome and usefull.
Logo isn't the best I've seen, you could improve that.
This is my opinion 4 seconds after installation.
Edit: search bar is very usefull
Sent from my Nexus 4 running Android 4.2 JB
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Thanks! Yes I know I'll ask try to find someone to do some icon design later on. Will become better. I am focusing on improving the usability right now and other performance improvements. They are all in beta now, and if no more issues are found in these versions, I'll be putting this beta to production.
jlo20431 said:
Really like it thus far! Would it be possible to make it easier to switch between plug ins, I.e, when the sidebar is open instead of going to the top to switch plug ins, maybe you can swipe left and right within in the sidebar to switch between plug ins. It will make it a lot easier to use instead of going to the top.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
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Good suggestion, I will add this to my list.
cyberpunk627 said:
It is mandatory to add an option to dismiss notification from the notification panel... It's way too big, and it is very annoying for me!
App works really well indeed, and I'm looking forward to try a couple of plugins!
Keep up the good work mate!
Galaxy Note II - Alliance Rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, the problem with this is running as a service. Android will kill the app if it needs resources. I have tested it and it will kill it quite often and restart it within a few moments. I can add an option (a discouraged one) to disable running as a foreground service. I can also suggest the user to disable notifications for the app if running on jelly bean, and take them there. Another thought was the ability to set a 100% transparent icon so that it does not show up in the notification bar.
The upcoming version (current beta) adds the following features:
custom backgrounds on the sidebar
light and dark theme (dark theme is the current theme, light is like holo light)
better synchronization between appsi and the plugins. (less data loading needed and better user experience)
Improved getting started experience (visible hotspots until the user disables it and an arrow showing how to open the sidebar once the hotspot is touched)
For the next version (after the current beta), I will add the following features for sure:
Favorites manager: Manage the favorites in a proper way and allow for an unlimited amount of favorites.
Navigating between plugins with a simple swipe.
and possibly:
integration with live folders
widgets plugin (already working on this)
Thank you all, and if you have any more ideas or suggestions, please let me know!
May I add something to this already rich and awesome list?
I would REALLY REALLY LIKE to have the possibility to add shortcuts to the apps plugin (as I can do on the launcher screen, for example). That would be really helpful!!
...Maybe also an option to change app icons and names, and a way to hide the "X" for apps removal (which I find quite ugly, this function might be moved to a separate and specific menu to add/remove things maybe?) ?
you may also think about offering an "all plugins package" at a discounted price, rather than having to buy all plugins separately (which, btw, makes the sum of all prices quite high). So that the user can choose if selectively buy the only one or two plugins he needs at their actual price, or directly going for the full thing.. I hope it's clear what I mean!
Cheers and keep up the good work!!
Should you need some beta testers... You know where to look
Galaxy Note II - Alliance Rom
cyberpunk627 said:
May I add something to this already rich and awesome list?
I would REALLY REALLY LIKE to have the possibility to add shortcuts to the apps plugin (as I can do on the launcher screen, for example). That would be really helpful!!
...Maybe also an option to change app icons and names, and a way to hide the "X" for apps removal (which I find quite ugly, this function might be moved to a separate and specific menu to add/remove things maybe?) ?
you may also think about offering an "all plugins package" at a discounted price, rather than having to buy all plugins separately (which, btw, makes the sum of all prices quite high). So that the user can choose if selectively buy the only one or two plugins he needs at their actual price, or directly going for the full thing.. I hope it's clear what I mean!
Cheers and keep up the good work!!
Should you need some beta testers... You know where to look
Galaxy Note II - Alliance Rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the favorites manager will at first be used to replace the current way of adding and removing the favorites. But later on it will also be improved to allow changing names and icons. Also I am planning to do something with icon themes, I still need to determine how and what, but a new theming format is not what I am aiming for (we are talking several releases in the future now)
Shortcuts is definitely on the list of to-dos for the apps plugin. I can't say yet when it will be added but it is something that will definitely be there in the future.
Well beta testers are always very welcome. The XDA Android app testers community is a good starting point, https://plus.google.com/communities/100406373096097711894 . If you join this group and opt-in for beta testing at https://play.google.com/apps/testing/com.appsimobile.appsi you'll be able to get the beta version. I still need to add this community to the plugins, I will update my original post with the details when it is done.
Appsi sidebar is well beyond 1000 downloads from play store! Yay!
I really recommend this app guys, try it out and you'll see that it is even more comfortable to use than it looks!
Note 2 N7100 - Alliance Rom - Perseus Kernel
jlo20431 said:
Really like it thus far! Would it be possible to make it easier to switch between plug ins, I.e, when the sidebar is open instead of going to the top to switch plug ins, maybe you can swipe left and right within in the sidebar to switch between plug ins. It will make it a lot easier to use instead of going to the top.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
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cyberpunk627 said:
+1 for this feature as well! That would be REALLY GREAT!!
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This feature is included in the beta that was released today. I loved it from the moment it worked. Very good suggestion
Today the beta was moved to production. See the original post at the start of the thread for the changes
Very cool app and working great so far.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
New Beta release, for all of you who want the notification icon gone, it is in beta now!
I'm joining this too.
Gonna try out.
Keep the good work.
PMoto
New version released, 1.4 see original post for details
Newest version is great!! An awesome improvement, really!! Appsi is becoming more and more polished and feature rich, while staying lightning fast. Can't think of anything better!!
Now we only need some more theming options, like changing icons (as we do on launchers like nova, apex...)
Cheers and keep up the good work!!
Note 2 N7100 - Alliance Rom DMA6 - Perseus Kernel
Appsi crashing
Firstly, after 24 hours of using Appsi, I have to say that Appsi has become one of my favourite apps. It is well done and provides needed functionality.
However, from time to time Appsi freezes and the only way to get the sidebar back is to force close the app from the application manager and then restart the app.
I'm using CM 10.1 (Android 4.2.1) on Samsung S3.
Any idea why this is happening?
Cheers,
Eran
eranhor said:
Firstly, after 24 hours of using Appsi, I have to say that Appsi has become one of my favourite apps. It is well done and provides needed functionality.
However, from time to time Appsi freezes and the only way to get the sidebar back is to force close the app from the application manager and then restart the app.
I'm using CM 10.1 (Android 4.2.1) on Samsung S3.
Any idea why this is happening?
Cheers,
Eran
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Never ever had a freeze or FC on Alliance Rom.. Maybe the problem you have is only tied to aosp roms and not stock or derivative ones?
Note 2 N7100 - Alliance Rom DMA6 - Perseus Kernel