Related
Probably not the first thread on the subject but nevertheless: Which home screen replacement are you using and what do you like about it?
I developed a home screen replacement called "Simple Home" and it is all about simplicity. Feel free to try it out (search for "Simple Home" on Android market). I'm interested to hear what features people really want to have in their launcher!?
I use launcher pro. my favorite feature is having the scrollable dockbar.
Sent from my Droid using XDA App
At least you were somewhat up front about spam, if misleading in the title.
I am genuinely interested due to fact that I've developed an app in a certain way, not out of any commercial reasons! If it was an unsolicited post then I would a) not answer you b) not ask questions or c) not promote a free app. My post is meant as a basis for a discussions. Yours on the other hand is not!
regarding the scrollable dockbar in launcher pro: hmm yes, it is very nice feature to have some kind of menu bar with pinned apps. Strange though that it disappears when you go to the app drawer. On the other hand there needs to be some kind of icon for the return button some how.
something to try could be developing a way to organize the app drawer using sections, folders, etc. if I knew anything about app creation that's what I would be working on haha.
Sent from my Droid
You can enable/disable the return home button in preferences. I particularly like the extended froyo theme dock for pinned apps. Keeps my desktop clean. I don't care for multiple dock rows as I just use 4 icons, but I like the options. I recently paid for the paid program of launcher pro.
The best part is you can make it simple or complex in options. Theme support is also nice... and its speed is wonderful.
I think launched pro has it figured out. If you are building a launcher perhaps try to think out side the box instead of trying to compete with such an already complete launcher.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
ADW all the way on my X10
infernox51 said:
something to try could be developing a way to organize the app drawer using sections, folders, etc. if I knew anything about app creation that's what I would be working on haha.
Sent from my Droid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny thing you mentioned it, because this is exactly what I've done for my app and of course using frecency sorting (frequency + recency). This is exactly what I want to have for my app drawer plus filtering to narrow down the list (which is also in there).
player911 said:
You can enable/disable the return home button in preferences. I particularly like the extended froyo theme dock for pinned apps. Keeps my desktop clean. I don't care for multiple dock rows as I just use 4 icons, but I like the options. I recently paid for the paid program of launcher pro.
The best part is you can make it simple or complex in options. Theme support is also nice... and its speed is wonderful.
I think launched pro has it figured out. If you are building a launcher perhaps try to think out side the box instead of trying to compete with such an already complete launcher.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am, I think the ones that are out there really do the Android style launchers to perfection. My approach is simplicity and speed. I personally don't believe in arrangeable desktops. It works fine when you have a few apps but when you have a fair amount installed it becomes tedious to do rearrangements..
ADW. But I like eye candy. If your going for simple you could have a niche to yourself.
One feature I'd like, played with a few programs last night as was not happy with any, is a task SWITCHER.
Double tap home and bring up a nice screen, if it can use a wall then even better.
No killing just switching.
Yes, I agree! Ubuntu- or mac-style task switcher would be truly great. I don't think that exposé will work as good on a mobile phone as on a PC
My approach was to add an indicator on top of app icons in my app drawer for apps that are running (according to the ActivityManager) together with the ability to sort the list on running apps. I find that simple and very useful..
I tried ADW, Helix, LauncherPro, Simple Home, and PandaHome. I like Panda's side docks & app hiding, and ADW's hidden dockbar & screen swipes to launch apps (though it still FCs on my Droid 2.1R) . I'd prefer something simple. I don't need more than 3 screens and usually go to 2. I don't need a task switcher because long-pressing Home shows my last six apps. I don't need flash, I just want it to work. ADW works for me now because I have four quick action buttons (so it replaced Helix) and six more in the dockbar, though I can scroll for more. Just my .02
I have used Stock sense, ADW, and LuncherPro in the last 3 days and I like LuncherPro by far the best. I like having the 4 icons on the bottom to clear icon clutter on the screen and the menu system is nice.
Hey,
I've been looking for ages for a task switching app and I was wondering if anyone had seen something good?
I've always thought that it would be really useful to have one that shows the list of apps in the notification bar and can select what apps are show.
Thanks for any help with this,
Drew
Have you tried holding down your home button?
Hey,
Yeah, tried that one, but its usually filled with settings and other things that I dont ever want to go to, so I only see like three or four apps I want to change to...It allso shows apps that are closed.
I'm being a bit fussy, the home button does do what I'm after most of the time, was just wondering if there was anything else.
Thanks,
Drew
drewhopcroft said:
Hey,
Yeah, tried that one, but its usually filled with settings and other things that I dont ever want to go to, so I only see like three or four apps I want to change to...It allso shows apps that are closed.
I'm being a bit fussy, the home button does do what I'm after most of the time, was just wondering if there was anything else.
Thanks,
Drew
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Advanced Task Killer is a free app that will switch between apps. It is essential on the androids. I keep it widget on my desktop. When launced, it will show all the programs currently running on your android. If you hold your finger on an app in ATK, a window will pop up and you can sellect switch too.
there are lots of them, check out multitasking pro, perfect task switcher, etc.
Just do a market search and you should find what you want.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using XDA App
There are a couple of things I think you might like. Since you don't like having your list of apps cluttered with Settings and the like, you probably want something that you can tweak.
QuickDesk
For one, maybe try QuickDesk. It is basically a single homescreen you can access from any app by either double-tapping Home or holding Search. On top of having any widgets or shortcuts you want, there's also a sliding list of recent apps on the bottom.
SwipePad Beta
If you want something faster and simpler, try SwipePad. Basically, you can create a gesture that lets you access a screen full of shortcuts from anywhere. You choose a corner or side of the screen that you swipe away from to create an overlay that displays shortcuts to different applications.
Wave Launcher
Wave Launcher is similar to Swipepad, only it creates a smaller list of apps that follows your finger around once you do the gesture. I'd recommend following the link and watching the video since it does a better job explaining that I could do.
You should give PreHome a try. You can configure it to only display tasks that are running.
Thanks all,
I'm loving PreHome, for the whole 1 hour I've been using it for...
The double tap home function is better than my 'notification bar' idea...
The other apps look good as well but think I'll be sticking with PreHome.
Thanks again,
Drew
Greetings...
Until today, I’ve been just a reader of the forums and have gotten great information that way. I've finally found something that I really want to contribute on because I want to see it go to the moon and back. That said I apologize for the wall of text. If you're looking for a TL;DR, scroll to the bullets.
We all (or most of us anyway) know that TSF Shell 3D was released a couple days ago and the buzz is slowly growing. Anyone who has read the Market description of this launcher pretty much knows that it's straight from Google Translate. By no means am I bashing the developers for this. Hell, I purchased it the day after purchasing SPB Shell. So I more than support their work.
However, as I stated, the Market description is pretty terrible. As far as I can tell, the TSFUI website is down, and there really isn't a one-stop-shop to find out what features you just spent $16.80 on (more on price later).
So, hopefully the wonderful users of XDA can come up with an unofficial guide which can be added to as we stumble across features. Everything I've found has been in random article comments, very few forum posts, and personal experience. At any rate, I'll list what I've been able to confirm and hopefully we can go from there?
TSF Shell - Unofficial User Guide [WIP]
Disclaimer: This guide is based on personal experience. I have no connection to the developer of TSF Shell. All claims regarding working/broken, supported/unsupported features are strictly based upon my experience using a rooted, stock rom Motorola Milestone X. If you see something incorrect, please let me know and I will correct it immediately.
The Switch Button
The switch button is used to switch between your 4 personalized pages as well as the App Drawer or App Page.
You can tap the Switch Button to show a preview of your screens. Simply tap any screen to switch to it.
A slightly quicker way to use the switch button is to tap and hold it, and then drag your finger to the desired screen.
Tapping and holding an icon from any Personalized Page and dragging it to the Switch Button will also show the screen preview, allowing you to quickly move the icon to a different screen.
The App Drawer
The App Drawer or App Page can be accessed by tapping the Switch Button and then tapping the far left page.
The App Drawer uses a horizontal paginated scroll effect. As of yet, there is no way to switch to a vertical scroll.
There are 6 different scroll animations to choose from. You can switch the animation style on the fly by tapping the small tab in the upper left (just below the first row of apps).
Double tapping an app in the App Drawer will put a green check mark on it. This can be done to several apps at a time. Click and hold any of the apps you've pre-selected and the screen preview will appear, allowing you to move several apps to the same screen at once. When you drop them on the preferred screen, they will automatically arrange nicely into a grid. You can resize and move this grid to your liking. Tap anywhere off the grid or tap the circular arrow (refresh-looking symbol?) in the upper right.
When a new app is installed, it will have a fire animation on it until it is launched for the first time. On my phone (Milestone X), the fire is only animated while scrolling and is static while not scrolling. I'm unclear whether this is intended or a bug.
Personalized Pages
Personalized pages are fairly similar to the standard screens we are used to with Android. One major difference, however, is swiping them does not switch screens. It draws a lasso instead.
This lasso can be used to select multiple icons. When you complete a full circle with the lasso, a menu will pop up. This menu allows you to Arrange, Multi-Choice (like double-tapping in the App Drawer), Create a Folder, or Delete. There is a fifth option called "Gather", this feature is unavailable thus far. There is also a '?' in the center of the option menu which appears to do nothing. The lasso tool cannot select widgets.
All normal widgets can be placed on the Personalized pages as usual. Long press, or Menu > Add. Both of these methods allow you to change wallpaper as well. **Note** Live Wallpaper is apparently not supported currently.
Personalized pages do not have a defined grid, so the only way to align your asia neatly is to lasso them and use the arrangement option.
Personalized pages also allow you to place apps at any angle using multi-touch. Press and hold the app and turn it with the other finger.
The Side Bar
By default, the tab that activates the Side Bar is located on the middle left of the screen.
The Side Bar has 3 available tabs, they are as follows:
Smilie Face - I assume the Smilie Face implies favorites? Basically you can drag and drop apps in and out of this tab for fast access.
Settings Cog - This tab contains all TSF Shell specific widgets. You will NOT find these widgets (yet, anyway) through Menu > Add > Widgets or through Long Press > Widgets.
Thumb Tack - I'll call this the "Decorations Tab" because, as far as I can tell, there are three items listed here. A cloud, a ghost, and a pumpkin. Each of these can be places on any Personalized page. You can not tap through them, so placing them completely over an app or widget will require you to move them before being able to use the app or widget from that location. These "Decorations" don't appear to be animated and don't appear to serve any purpose other than "Hey guys, check this out!” I would imagine these will be elaborated on in the future?
Finally, if you tap and hold any of the above listed tabs, you can change their order around, as well as drag the whole side bar tab. You can move the side bar tab vertically anywhere between the bottom of the notification bar and the top of the Switch Button.
The Price:
One tiny rant on that... please stop complaining about the cost of this launcher, people. I don't see anyone crying over the $200 "Diamond Widget" app that does literally nothing but prove you have $200 to blow. Or, worse yet, that you have only $200 to your name and you've now blown it all accidentally The developers put a lot into this and it shows. Appreciate it or use the plethora of free launchers available.
Personalised pages also don't have a defined grid, so you might wanna add that.
Also, long press an icon, and use multitouch to rotate it freely for even more control on your pages.
some of the feature that were demo in their website wasnt implemented in this release,so what happen and is it worth??
from the ARC
lenny_kano said:
Personalised pages also don't have a defined grid, so you might wanna add that.
Also, long press an icon, and use multitouch to rotate it freely for even more control on your pages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, thank you! I completely forgot to add that.
Rashid,
I'm confident the developer will release the missing features as they can. Admittedly, I have little to base my confidence on, but they have released several updates already. If that continues, I'm sure the features will too.
As far as whether or not it's worth it? I believe so. It's the only launcher that was brave enough to throw out the standard feel of android and completely change it.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
Watched the video on the market and seriously the most feature packed launcher I've seen and incredibly smooth. If I ever am ready to pay 15+ on a launcher it would definitely be this one. Im using the stock launcher on my bionic at the moment and im satisfied.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
if they are going to have a page for apps instead of an app drawer then really should let you "hide" apps...i currently use go launcher and it is essential as i have a lot of system apps that i do not want something accidentally clicking or opening and changing something....also a lot of addons that ive downloaded show up in the app drawer or in this case app page and it leads to a lot of clutter
is it a nice launcher? yes, definitely...gorgeous animations and extremely fluid...but for $17 it better have everything the free ones have and some (which it does not) the features it does have are nice and pretty...but they are more luxury then necessities..go launcher, adw have a bunch of essentials that this launcher does not have...this launcher completely cripples artistic creativity (due to its lacking features)
Scott,
I totally get where people are coming from with the price... To am extent.
However, in the grand scheme of things, this is a launcher that took a lot of time and excellent coding. Lets not forget you can use it on all your future androids as well.
Jdiddy,
I also agree on the app page. App hiding isn't that important to me personally, but I get why it can be for some. Also, it's just a tad inconvenient. I can honestly say
I'm not sure why I perceive it as inconvenient... It's not like it takes long to access.
Aside from that, I do miss my dock. I can't seem to find a convenient place to put my dialer.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
doberman16 said:
Scott,
I totally get where people are coming from with the price... To am extent.
However, in the grand scheme of things, this is a launcher that took a lot of time and excellent coding. Lets not forget you can use it on all your future androids as well.
Jdiddy,
I also agree on the app page. App hiding isn't that important to me personally, but I get why it can be for some. Also, it's just a tad inconvenient. I can honestly say
I'm not sure why I perceive it as inconvenient... It's not like it takes long to access.
Aside from that, I do miss my dock. I can't seem to find a convenient place to put my dialer.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its convenient because we arent used to an app page...normally we press the button and have the ability to back out back to the homescreen..the app page forces to to switch between and choose which screen to go to after...its quite annoying...an app drawer is a lot easier
and the lack of a dockbar is a no no...i, as well as everyone else, have grown accustomed to a dockbar as even the stock launcher incorporates one...phone, contacts, texts need to be accessible from any page or else you have to have multiple clicks to perform simple tasks
IF and WHEN they incorporate the other basic stuff..dockbar, app drawer, grid size, # of pages...this launcher will be up there with the best
having an android is all about customization and using this launcher takes that away...its like having a glorified iphone...in terms of what your screen looks like
Nice collection of instructions; thanks for this. I hadn't realized that the tabs could be moved!
I've played a bit with creating a false "dock" at the bottom of each page to allow me to always have quick access to the Phone, Google Voice, Gmail, and Chrome apps. Seems to be a fair compromise so far.
codesplice said:
Nice collection of instructions; thanks for this. I hadn't realized that the tabs could be moved!
I've played a bit with creating a false "dock" at the bottom of each page to allow me to always have quick access to the Phone, Google Voice, Gmail, and Chrome apps. Seems to be a fair compromise so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is the obvious work around...however, at this point -all launchers have it (especially for a $17 launcher) a dock seems like a pretty basic feature
Jdiddy,
The thing is... If this were iOS you'd be stuck. On Androids, we can provide feedback to the developer and, dare I say it, actually be listened to! The launcher is new, but from my perspective, the devs are listening.
Easier said than done, but if they incorporate a few more features, no other launcher competes. The fact that they have decided to say "To hell with the standard, lets be innovative." Is huge. I mean... Seriously, other launchers are nice, but come on. They're all same **** different day. They come up with slightly different ways to do it, but never far enough off the beaten path to really drop jaws.
Code, thank you! Glad I could help. Good idea with the pseudo dock. I might try that. I'm just the type of person that likes everything aligned and there really isn't a way to do that. At the same time, I enjoy the option to place things wherever you want. If a snap to grid feature were added... It'd be perfection.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
Jdiddy, I don't disagree at all. Lets again not forget the fact that this launcher is not written in stone. Smart devs, which I believe the TSF devs are, will listen. If they don't... I'm out $17... I've spent way more on way less useful things in my lifetime.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
I keep seeing folks lamenting "oh, it doesn't do this that Launcher X does". So what? It does plenty of things that other launchers can't touch! It wasn't meant to be just another clone of the stock Android launcher (like ADW, LauncherPro, Apex, Nova, Trebuchet...). TSF Shell is revolutionary, a way to interact with your Android device that is completely new and breaks from tradition. It's fantastic to have the option of a launcher that is truly different from all the others.
did i state my comments in a negative way? i was just stating what they needed to add..and giving reasons as to why its important...im commenting on the state of the launcher as it stands right now and nothing else...i said it crippled customization...which is the truth..i didnt blast their product or say their work was shoddy..its called constructive criticism
and yes, this launcher does things that others dont...but the KEY is that it limits customization...im not asking for bells and whistles to be taken from other launchers...its great that this launcher is unique...but im not about to trade convenience for a few cool animations..tell me that the app page is more convenient then a drawer and tell me that not having a dockbar is a good idea...didnt think so..thats all im saying..if they add all the customization options and had everything they have in their demo video then i can understand the hefty price tag
that was my entire point.
also..my perspective is of someone that creates a lot of artistic homescreens in the http://mycolorscreen.com mold
so to me grid size, icons, # of pages all that stuff is crucial...and after seeing the stuff this launcher has to offer...if they added those things, it would be incredible
Jdiddy,
Perfect response. I don't think anyone took your comment negatively... I didn't at least. Does it have took for improvement? Absolutely! Does it have the capability to meet our expectations? Yes! The only question is whether the devs respond to their paying customers in the way that they should.
I could email them myself, but lets be realistic. They're flooded as it is. My email would get lost in the mix and I completely understand that. The key here is to be the squeaky wheel... Because that's the one that gets oiled first.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
When install new app, icon of this app will be on fire, but not animated for now. Music widget allso will appear in nice music preview mode when swipe over it. And one bug - when using lasso function to select icons and release screen, then choose arrange icon function, the last selected app will run automatically.
Nice launcher, very fast with great potential, but it's only born before 3 days , will be improved.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using xda premium
Vallcho,
The fire animation shows up only while scrolling. I some this is a bug.
The lasso function you are talking about is the multi select. And, yes, it does open the last app you selected. I'd assume this will be fixed.
Edit: I noticed that double tapping in the screen preview makes the screens jump in an odd way. Could be a bug, could be a broken feature.
Also, I somehow was able to get the lasso to appear in the app page. Again, could be a bug or intended. Let me know if you see the same and how you got it to happen. Haven't been able to replicate it intentionally.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
I will say one thing, this launcher is the single most unique launcher available for android. I challenge anyone to give an example of something with as much creativity. There all either stock launcher clones, or clones of other OS's like windows phone.
That said, its far from perfect, but looking at a lot of apps on the market, the price vs effort/originality ratio is better with this then any other launcher available , so I very much look forward to what they can do in the future.
Very well said, Lenny. The thing we need to keep in mind is that it's a new launcher. It's innovative, and it's about time. If the devs need time to release everything... Give it to them. It will pan out.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
doberman16 said:
Very well said, Lenny. The thing we need to keep in mind is that it's a new launcher. It's innovative, and it's about time. If the devs need time to release everything... Give it to them. It will pan out.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as they don't abandon it. Its a great idea if they support it and keep it up.
Don't let it go the way of uber music. Great start, **** commitment and follow through. Innovative is a very good way of putting it. First original idea I've seen on the market for a long time.
And no offence to other launchers devs , there's amazing work going on in terms of feature adding and bug fixing, but the innovation is low to nonexistant.
As the title says, what are the first things you do after getting your Note 10.1?
Do you root right away? What apps do you install? Do you run benchmarks? Do you apply a screen protector before using it?
After all the initial set up I do root as soon as possible. I don't bother with benchmarks. There are plenty of results already and since our tablets are similar I really don't care about the number on my particular sample. Now if I notice lag or a slow down I will run benches and test to try and find the cause.
Waiting for the dust to settle before rooting - need to make sure all is working properly. Meanwhile, I'm installing fav apps, listening to Pandora, testing everything. So far, so good.
Install CWM and root so that I can install SixAxis app to enable Sony PS3 bluetooth controller to compare games such as Dead Trigger, Modern Combat 3, etc. against my Nexus 7. With the Ultra High graphics hack for Dead Trigger GN 10.1 is even smoother and faster overall than N7.
See how well the pr0n looks on said device... incognito of course
Sent from my GT-N8013 using xda app-developers app
"pr0n"
??? Apologies for being dense...
Mikandi app I suppose =p
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Xparent SkyBlue Tapatalk 2
:good: :laugh:
I smell it.
Do you guys mind sharing your must have apps list?
I personally always tinker with the settings to my liking.
Then I install
data meter,
restore my nova launcher,
install some productivity office apps, notes + ms office replacement
games
music apps (g music + pandora)
and I'm good to go until I find myself needing other things.
antwan* said:
Do you guys mind sharing your must have apps list?
I personally always tinker with the settings to my liking.
Then I install
data meter,
restore my nova launcher,
install some productivity office apps, notes + ms office replacement
games
music apps (g music + pandora)
and I'm good to go until I find myself needing other things.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Root
Then gesture control so I can hide the notification bar to use my full screen
Button savior gives you all the controls of the notification bar on the right side of the screen near where I'd rest my right hand. It makes navigating so much easier.
Ad block to get rid of ads on websites
Thumb keyboard.
Nova launcher
The first thing I did was remove all the widgets and changed the background. Next I added some apps and widgetsI like to use. Like circlelauncher lite, wifi file explorer pro, cool reader, es task manager with es file explorer, fora dictionarys, unit converter, opera mobile (that used to br my favorite browser but the built-in one seems to work so well that opera has become my backup), hp eprint home&bus, some others that I decided I did not need and some games.
Next I started trying out the built-in apps and features which is what I am still doing. I am finding that many of the built-in apps work so well that I don't need many of the apps I have used in the past.
Some good built-in apps, for sure.
First, I open the box. Then I remove the big plastic sheets. Then I slowly remove all the sticky plastic sheets all over the tablet..
(Why did that sound way more pron than it sounded in my head.... )
Because the porn is all in your head.
Hey guys,
First, I really have no clue in which section I should post this, so I just took the General Section. Please move it, if there is a better one =)
Now what I want to talk about:
Multitask is a huge topic on Android devices, and there are several approaches how to handle this best. MultiWindow, Halo and QSlide/SlideAside are the most popular ones in this list to mention.
However, I think this feature is not perfect yet, so I just made a MultiWindow/MultiTask concept for myself.
I don't really think that this is possible to make. But, if there would be a crazy dev who wants to develope this further and create such a feature, I would really kiss his feet
So let's begin:
First, I would consider the Galaxy S4 as the best device for such an App. You will see later why. (Btw, Someone here who knows the mail address of Samsung? Then I could suggest them my concept^^)
What we start with is a simple picture of a running app (don't kill me for the pics, I just made them in Paint.net. But nevertheless I tried to make it good enough to understand what I am talking about.)
Here we are inside the Facebook App with S-Multi (that's how I just called it) enabled. There would be some kind of button/hotspot on the right bottom corner of the screen. If you type it once, a list with S-Multi supported Apps will open
Now you have the option to just select one App (it would open in a normal fullscreen Popup that is like Halo), or you can drag and drop it in one of four slots, or you can multiselect two up to four apps (hold buttons). As you can imagine, this means you can run maximum four apps at the same time. and that would basically looks like that:
Now you have your mainapp on the top and three other running apps on the bottom. To have the mainapp alone on the screen, just swype over the three apps on the bottom from left to right to hide them (and the other way round to show them again.)
With the Minibar (the three bottom apps) open, you have several possibilities.
1. If you type one of the slots once, it will open as a floating window (resizable, free movable)
2. If you type one slot twice, this app will open in fullwindow (minibar hidden)
3. You can drag and drop the slots to whichever position you want it (mainapp or three bottomslots)
4. If you hover you finger over one slot, a preview will popup. That would need Airview Support (Galaxy S4) Alternatively for devices without Airview you could hold the slot for a preview
Now let's begin to make it real multitask. If you have one App in S-Multi in Fullscreen, just hover (hold) your finger over (on) the hotspot to show a preview of all your apps currently opened in S-Multi:
Hover with your finger to the app you want to select while in this view (I will not mention the hold option any longer, but this is still present because it probably won't be able to include airview in a non Samsung app that soon, you know why)
However, this is not the mainidea of the Multitask. here you can generally see which app is in which slot without opening the minibar.
But the main feature would make use of the gesture sensor. And as I know there are several apps that bring these gestures to many non Samsung devices, it would be possible to make use of it.
So if you have Facebook opened in the midslot (which is actually the bottomslot) and whatsapp in the right slot, just swype from right to left over the sensor and the apps will switch. If Facebook is in the upperslot and whatsapp in the bottomslot just swype from the the button to the top direction:
Keep in mind that the apps would hold there slot positions. That means, if Facebook is in the top slot, Whatsapp in the bottom one and another app in the left one, if you would swype down from the other app to whatsapp, you don't get back to the app by swyping up, because then you would get into Facebook. The next pic shows better what I mean:
That's basically the Multitask.
(As an additional Samsung Feature, there could be also the possibility to open two apps aside as in normal multiwindow)
But, it could be more than that: A notification tool.
So if you recieve a notification by any app, a chathead could open and the hotspot of S-Multi would blink:
Now there a several possibilities:
a. Swype from right to left over the hotspot and choose the blinking slot (that's where the app will be open) S-Multi would make a chronic to restore the app that was in that slot once you close the app that caused the notification
b. Touch the chathead directly to open the app in a popup
c. Hover over the hotspot and then choose the blinking slot to open it in fullscreen.
Soo, that would be my concept for a cool Multitask feature =) It would make use of airview and airgesture in a much more sensible way then it currently does on the s4. And at least the airgesture is possible on more than just samsung devices. And I don't think that four running apps is to much. Current devices have 2gb ram, and i never saw my s4 use more than 1,3 of it. And at the end of this year and next year there will be devices with 3gb ram or even 4gb, so I think a better multitasking is a must be now.
So it would be cool if you tell me what you think about my idea and maybe give suggestions to make it better. I personally like it, but maybe it is totally bull**** and I just don't see it at the moment. However, I am not a dev and I will never be able to create stuff like that, but maybe it can be a proposal for one of the talented devs around here =).
A nice day to all of you
xPr0.
Edit: Btw, sorry for writing swipe with an y all the time -.-* I just recognized that it must be an i. Very embarrassing :X
That's a good idea, but I think that actually exist some apps that do the same things you said.
I support your idea!
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FelixMG said:
That's a good idea, but I think that actually exist some apps that do the same things you said.
I support your idea!
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Yep, indeed, there are some apps that do parts of this. There are some apps with floating windows, but with very few (and not really usable apps), and there are some notification apps. And there is an app called "Portal", that comes really near to what Halo on Paranoid does, but here too, there are just few apps supported.
This is the general problem. All these apps that are non-native (not made from the phone company, no official feature) are inevitably restricted. At least, they need root to convey an intimation of what would be possible if the devs would know the source codes. That's why I don't think Airview or Multiwindow will that soon part of non-native apps, unless a very very brilliant dev can crack them. Or unless the companies will make their source codes open source, but why should they do so, as this would affect their profit in a bad way if everyone can use their features to build new apps.
I agree, that is a good idea.
But I've read in a german article, that CM had a ready multi tasking feature for their roms, which has been forbidden from Google. The reason was that Samsung wanted to be the only one with that feature.
In my opinion, the Samsung MultiWindow feature ist a good thing, but if Google combines it with the Apple like switching of Tasks, its really Good.
There is an App called GMD Gesturecontrol, which makes it possible to switch between Apps like you do it on iPads...
artoni said:
I agree, that is a good idea.
But I've read in a german article, that CM had a ready multi tasking feature for their roms, which has been forbidden from Google. The reason was that Samsung wanted to be the only one with that feature.
In my opinion, the Samsung MultiWindow feature ist a good thing, but if Google combines it with the Apple like switching of Tasks, its really Good.
There is an App called GMD Gesturecontrol, which makes it possible to switch between Apps like you do it on iPads...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, honestly, I don't think that Samsung's Multiwindow is that practical on Mobile Devices. It's just good on tablets. And there it is much more variable with the dual view and the cascade view.
Edit: I just tested the GMD Gesturecontrol app, but this app proves what made me think it's better to use the gestures sensor. It is much too complicated to use 4 fingers to swype. I just laughed when I heard SlideAside on G2 uses 3 fingers, now theres an app with 4 to 5 finger gestures. lol
xPr0metheus said:
Well, honestly, I don't think that Samsung's Multiwindow is that practical on Mobile Devices. It's just good on tablets. And there it is much more variable with the dual view and the cascade view.
Edit: I just tested the GMD Gesturecontrol app, but this app proves what made me think it's better to use the gestures sensor. It is much too complicated to use 4 fingers to swype. I just laughed when I heard SlideAside on G2 uses 3 fingers, now theres an app with 4 to 5 finger gestures. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, 4 fingers is too complicated. Also, there is an app (I forgot the name, sorry) that use proximity sensor to do some actions, like, swipe your hands left, without touch the phone, and an app will be open.
It's for free and XDA made an article talking about this app.
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FelixMG said:
Yes, 4 fingers is too complicated. Also, there is an app (I forgot the name, sorry) that use proximity sensor to do some actions, like, swipe your hands left, without touch the phone, and an app will be open.
It's for free and XDA made an article talking about this app.
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The ones I know are Hovering Controls and Air Gesture Control.
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It's exactly those I've thought.. They're pretty cool. :thumbup:
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xPr0metheus said:
Well, honestly, I don't think that Samsung's Multiwindow is that practical on Mobile Devices. It's just good on tablets. And there it is much more variable with the dual view and the cascade view.
Edit: I just tested the GMD Gesturecontrol app, but this app proves what made me think it's better to use the gestures sensor. It is much too complicated to use 4 fingers to swype. I just laughed when I heard SlideAside on G2 uses 3 fingers, now theres an app with 4 to 5 finger gestures. lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can change the gestures in GMD, that u can control it with one finger. Just need to get into settings....
There are many apps that can be usefull with Multiwindows. While you navigate in the car, you can simultaneously choose the music you want to play. Or browse in twitter while you have whatsapp open. In my opinion its practical, if you have a large screen, maybe 4,8"+
artoni said:
You can change the gestures in GMD, that u can control it with one finger. Just need to get into settings....
There are many apps that can be usefull with Multiwindows. While you navigate in the car, you can simultaneously choose the music you want to play. Or browse in twitter while you have whatsapp open. In my opinion its practical, if you have a large screen, maybe 4,8"+
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Click to collapse
Well, sorry. My last post sounded a little too much like hating.
But in fact i love multi window (only cool additional feature would be to be able to open one app twice in mw) and i am so impressed by the gmd app. So please don't understand me wrong
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