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[Q] Launcher and home screen smoothness

Ok, maybe this has been discussed, and maybe this is posted in the wrong forum (I was considering apps/themes). If so, I apologize, and please move my thread.
But during my years with android, there is one thing that has annoyed me, and it still does. The animation when flipping through homescreens is really cool, but it is not nearly as smooth as it should be (compare it to the iPhone). With my magic it looked awful, with my galaxy s it was almost comparable to an iphone app drawer, but still not what I would call silky smooth. With the nexus s, it seems I've taken a step back again. I've tried stock launcher, zeam, LP and ADW. I have not tried ADW EX yet because of some credit card issues. Is there something to be done about this? I mean, the phone should be more than capable hardware wise, and everything else is blazing fast (opening various apps, settings, the widget scrolling is smooth, games run perfectly and so on).
I've currently only tried out stock 2.3.1 and CM7 alpha 2 and alpha 2-2 (jan. 6th).
Anyone with any insight in whats causing it? Is there something I can do other than disable live wallpaper and wallpaper scrolling? Disabling those two is a small let down, because I really like the features. Or am I simply imagining it?

Sorry I have no insightful input, but I would like to say, no, you're not imagining it. This has been my experience with Android overall as well.
I am no fan of Apple's tight grips and dated OS, however, I know where credit is due and they deserve respect for what they do get right: namely, the screen and the touch interface. Something about it is just 'perfect' -- almost magical. It truly responds to every command you have, and this spills over not just with scrolling or hitting icons, but with typing, as well. Their keyboard (which I'm sure succeeds thanks to a combination of hardware and software) is second to none. I've been an avid critic of Android's keyboard experience in other threads. Anyone who has typed extensively on both platforms will know the difference. I can type (and use the screen) on an iPhone, even an iPod Touch, with confidence that it'll get what I mean to press. The same cannot be said for Android.
At the end of the day, it's a trade-off. I stick with Android for its customizations, open-ended potential, market, and because I am a user of everything Google -- it just makes sense to stick with Android. I also don't appreciate Apple's philosophy, which essentially comes down to: "the average user is an idiot," which isn't entirely untrue and, needless to say, is a philosophy that works wonders for them. It just isn't for me. However, I am and continue to be critical of Android. I do so out of the desire to see it improve. They close the gap with every iteration, but it would be dishonest to say that they've matched areas in which Apple excels in; one of them being responsive touchscreen and scrolling. You're not imagining it.

dingdonghei said:
Ok, maybe this has been discussed, and maybe this is posted in the wrong forum (I was considering apps/themes). If so, I apologize, and please move my thread.
But during my years with android, there is one thing that has annoyed me, and it still does. The animation when flipping through homescreens is really cool, but it is not nearly as smooth as it should be (compare it to the iPhone). With my magic it looked awful, with my galaxy s it was almost comparable to an iphone app drawer, but still not what I would call silky smooth. With the nexus s, it seems I've taken a step back again. I've tried stock launcher, zeam, LP and ADW. I have not tried ADW EX yet because of some credit card issues. Is there something to be done about this? I mean, the phone should be more than capable hardware wise, and everything else is blazing fast (opening various apps, settings, the widget scrolling is smooth, games run perfectly and so on).
I've currently only tried out stock 2.3.1 and CM7 alpha 2 and alpha 2-2 (jan. 6th).
Anyone with any insight in whats causing it? Is there something I can do other than disable live wallpaper and wallpaper scrolling? Disabling those two is a small let down, because I really like the features. Or am I simply imagining it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've definitely noticed what you have.
Both ADW (I believe) and Launcher Pro have settings that can make it slightly smoother.
I use Launcher Pro on Bionix ROM 1.1 with stock kernel. In launcher pro, I have disabled "Advanced Settings"->"High Quality Scrolling" and it seems to be less laggy with screen scrolling.
The setting in ADW is "System Preferences"->"Scrolling Cache"->Low Quality.
The binoix rom definitely helps too.

Ye, just installed bionix and it's a bit better than cm actually. All the other tweaks, I've already configured. Still not like I would want it to be though. I'm wondering if it's that hard to actually make a smooth launcher. The guys making these launchers are doing an awesome job in all other aspects, so my guess is google isn't making it all that easy for them. The whole thing strikes me as weird, but hey, I haven't got even a small insight in developing for android.
@onthecouchagain I totally share your views on android. But I would never switch to an iPhone, it was just a comparison, because Apple really have that part nailed down.
EDIT: With bionix and OC on demand, I actually think the stock browser is smoother than ADW.
EDIT2: I've been thinking things through a bit, and the comparison with the iphone isn't entirely fair. The flexibility of the home screens by far superseede the iphone. I mean, basically the iphone only has an app drawer, and the app drawer is supersmooth on the NS. The home screens incorporate widgets that can be scrolled and update and all that, so I guess that takes up a lot more resources than an app drawer alone will. But still, the lag takes away from the user experience, and they really should try to improve it.

OP did you not find launcher pro extremely smoother over stock launcher? pretty sure LP is hitting up near 55 FPS for homescreen scrolls, stock launcher is much more choppy. in fact LP (and ADW somewhat, i find LP smoother) is buttery smooth scrolling i find. i believe LP uses more hardware graphics where stock launcher does not, that's why its smoother than stock.
however perhaps the nexus s is not yet configured with LP for its graphics? cause i know on all the other phones like nexus one and droid x, LP is insanely smoother over stock.
around 50-55 fps.

RogerPodacter said:
OP did you not find launcher pro extremely smoother over stock launcher? pretty sure LP is hitting up near 55 FPS for homescreen scrolls, stock launcher is much more choppy. in fact LP (and ADW somewhat, i find LP smoother) is buttery smooth scrolling i find. i believe LP uses more hardware graphics where stock launcher does not, that's why its smoother than stock.
however perhaps the nexus s is not yet configured with LP for its graphics? cause i know on all the other phones like nexus one and droid x, LP is insanely smoother over stock.
around 50-55 fps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I'm aware of that, and was using LP on my galaxy s. However, on the NS it doesn't seem smooth at all. And for some reason it freezes up real bad from time to time as well, and requires a restart. This was on CM7 alpha, so it may be related to that.
Have you tried LP on the NS or other phones?
EDIT: Tried out LP on bionix now, and it's by far the best so far. Still not perfect, but very close. I think I've read that the LP still isn't optimized for GB, if thats true, it should be really good once it is. Now I just have to get my damn pay pal account working, so I can pay for LP.
On thing about LP though. The scrolling seems very smooth once the animation has started, but it always hangs a bit after you have started moving your thumb, if you get what I'm saying. It's like it takes some time before the launcher registers that you're swyping your thumb, and then starts the animation. I haven't found a setting for this. Anyone? I know I'm being very picky here, It's kind of an obsession for me

dingdonghei said:
Yes, I'm aware of that, and was using LP on my galaxy s. However, on the NS it doesn't seem smooth at all. And for some reason it freezes up real bad from time to time as well, and requires a restart. This was on CM7 alpha, so it may be related to that.
Have you tried LP on the NS or other phones?
EDIT: Tried out LP on bionix now, and it's by far the best so far. Still not perfect, but very close. I think I've read that the LP still isn't optimized for GB, if thats true, it should be really good once it is. Now I just have to get my damn pay pal account working, so I can pay for LP.
On thing about LP though. The scrolling seems very smooth once the animation has started, but it always hangs a bit after you have started moving your thumb, if you get what I'm saying. It's like it takes some time before the launcher registers that you're swyping your thumb, and then starts the animation. I haven't found a setting for this. Anyone? I know I'm being very picky here, It's kind of an obsession for me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got ya. What I'm thinking is that just like the nexus s is not optimized its video graphics in the browser for hummingbird, launcher pro also is hit by this bug and will need to wait for the driver fix from Google and Samsung. Currently its optimized for snapdragon so I'm thinking that's the problem.

For me on nexus s it works really smooth as long as I disable wallpaper scrolling... You can also check in advanced settings, clear cache on exit and play with other configs there, but disabling the wallpaper scrolling improves a lot...
Btw, on the Jobs phone, there is no wallpaper scrolling, widgets, and any other cool stuff we have in android, which also requires some work from CPU, something to think about...
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

guys234 said:
Btw, on the Jobs phone, there is no wallpaper scrolling, widgets, and any other cool stuff we have in android, which also requires some work from CPU, something to think about...
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Yeah, that's what I was pointing out in my last edit. But I still think it takes away from the overall user experience, and the avg user doesn't even think about what takes up CPU power, they just want fluidity and everything to work out of the box without having to be tweaked. And even though all the tweaking and options is what makes android so great, that shouldn't compromise user experience.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Hello people !
I'm also a bit disappointed by the overall user experience provided by the Nexus S.
That laggy behavior is very disappointing.
My girlfriend's iPhone 3G is even smoother at switching from one homescreen to another.
I've been owning Android handsets for the past year and the half and I thought I would get rid of that laggy behavior with the Nexus S and Gingerbread.
Well, too bad for me... same ****, different day

Allright, so just a small update. In my neverending quest for smooth home screen scrolling I discovered a new launcher galled Go Launcher. And wouldnt you know, it's a lot better than anything else I've ever tried when it comes to home screen. Can't get much smoother than this. Not a big fan of the app drawer on that launcher though, but the launcher is a clear first choice for now.

guys234 said:
For me on nexus s it works really smooth as long as I disable wallpaper scrolling... You can also check in advanced settings, clear cache on exit and play with other configs there, but disabling the wallpaper scrolling improves a lot...
Btw, on the Jobs phone, there is no wallpaper scrolling, widgets, and any other cool stuff we have in android, which also requires some work from CPU, something to think about...
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Yeah except other android phones like my nexus one are smooth as butter with launcher pro. So it must be some issue with nexus s drivers.
We know there is a graphics problem with the nexus s browser, so its not a far stretch to have similar issues with other areas not being smooth.

dingdonghei said:
Allright, so just a small update. In my neverending quest for smooth home screen scrolling I discovered a new launcher galled Go Launcher. And wouldnt you know, it's a lot better than anything else I've ever tried when it comes to home screen. Can't get much smoother than this. Not a big fan of the app drawer on that launcher though, but the launcher is a clear first choice for now.
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Click to collapse
Problem is : with Go launcher switching between homescreens is smoother, but switching between pages within the app drawer is insanely laggy.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

theophane said:
Problem is : with Go launcher switching between homescreens is smoother, but switching between pages within the app drawer is insanely laggy.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Yep, I know. It's kinda annoying

guys234 said:
Btw, on the Jobs phone, there is no wallpaper scrolling, widgets, and any other cool stuff we have in android, which also requires some work from CPU, something to think about...
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
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Click to collapse
Here is a fun test : remove everything you have on your homescreens and just leave one app icon. Switch between homescreens, and you'll notice that even with nothing on the desktop, performance is still crappy.
I guess that widgets have nothing to do with those lags.
Sent from my Nexus S

Adw on cm is smooth? Try to download eugene373 gingerbread launcher. Its file size is smaller and other benefits
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App

Yes, there is an occasionally happening swipe lag in the home launcher, browser and other application. It is like it missed a swipe. It is very annoying and I even had it with the ADW launcher EX. Reminds me of the bug on the Nexus One. There I had the same problem that often the first swipe on the home launcher wouldn't do anything. I can't believe that this missed swipe or lag however you wanna call it slipped through the testing. I am a bit disappointed because I haven't had any problems with the Sense UI on my MT4G and missed swipe or laggy swiping.

mine was laggy aswell, but once i rooted, did a full WIPE/CLEAN/DATA wipe and a factory reset it didnt lag anymore???
now its silky smooth, and applying the 1.2Ghz kernel did make the iphone look like a snail

hansmrtn said:
Adw on cm is smooth? Try to download eugene373 gingerbread launcher. Its file size is smaller and other benefits
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADW on CM isn't smooth at all. Haven't tried out eugene's.

smaberg said:
mine was laggy aswell, but once i rooted, did a full WIPE/CLEAN/DATA wipe and a factory reset it didnt lag anymore???
now its silky smooth, and applying the 1.2Ghz kernel did make the iphone look like a snail
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. This is stock launcher you're talking about, I presume? I'll try it out.

Thoughts on Launcher 7

Just curious to see what people think of Launcher 7, for those who've tried it. I gotta say, I put it on yesterday out of curiosity, and was surprised by how much I like it. I love Android, and balked at Launcher 7 at first because it was a completely un-Android UI, but maybe it's because I've been on Android for like 2 years now, but I find it really refreshing. I like its simplicity, efficiency, and different sleek look.
I'm curious to see how it does with battery life. I used my navigation/GPS a lot today so my battery went pretty fast, not a good test of Launcher 7. I'm running it over Synergy (lightest Sense ROM I could find) and under battery use it's not even showing up so I'm guessing/hoping it doesn't have a big effect.

sunsean said:
Just curious to see what people think of Launcher 7, for those who've tried it. I gotta say, I put it on yesterday out of curiosity, and was surprised by how much I like it. I love Android, and balked at Launcher 7 at first because it was a completely un-Android UI, but maybe it's because I've been on Android for like 2 years now, but I find it really refreshing. I like its simplicity, efficiency, and different sleek look.
I'm curious to see how it does with battery life. I used my navigation/GPS a lot today so my battery went pretty fast, not a good test of Launcher 7. I'm running it over Synergy (lightest Sense ROM I could find) and under battery use it's not even showing up so I'm guessing/hoping it doesn't have a big effect.
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Click to collapse
Many home launchers don't use much power, i've used GO/LPP and both are normally floating around 1%. Now I used the L7 very long ago, back on my MT3GS, and it was pretty nice to have IMO, I did like the UI's feel overall. But at that time it was still buggy so I think that's why I had abandoned it. I'm a fan of eye-candy so I prefer something more flashy with fancy effects. Which is what GO gives me, it has this cool sphere effect for the app drawer.
Your biggest power drainers will be idle/standnby and Signal, and GPS.

Ace42 said:
Many home launchers don't use much power, i've used GO/LPP and both are normally floating around 1%. Now I used the L7 very long ago, back on my MT3GS, and it was pretty nice to have IMO, I did like the UI's feel overall. But at that time it was still buggy so I think that's why I had abandoned it. I'm a fan of eye-candy so I prefer something more flashy with fancy effects. Which is what GO gives me, it has this cool sphere effect for the app drawer.
Your biggest power drainers will be idle/standnby and Signal, and GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And screen if you're running a Sense ROM. I've always wondered why on a Sense ROM Screen will be like 70% under battery use, but on AOSP only like 5%. I mean, the same screen is being used on all these ROMS right? I've asked that a couple times but never found an answer. Oh well. I'm sure it has something to do with how the ROM is utilizing things, but who knows lol.
Yeah I've been a loyal LPP user for my 3rd party launcher for a while. Love the widgets and the customizable dock. My brother runs GO on his Samsung Galaxy S and is always telling me I should try it, haven't yet but it does look very cool. I've seen pics o that globe app tray thing, looks sick. Is it smooth though?
So far Luancher 7 has been VERY smooth and seems to have minimal battery influence, like you said about 2% I think it wound up being. More than if you weren't using it, but solid nonetheless. I'm doing a lot of driving to new places this week so I'll be using my GPS a lot, it's going to be hard to get an accurate guess of average battery life but as far as function/style I am a big fan.
I will say though that the strength of launcher 7 (simplicity) might turn out to be its ultimate downfall lol. I'm enjoying it now, but it's just been a couple days. I can certainly see myself getting bored with it after a while. It's very functional but there is certainly something to be said for style and flare, and that's one thing it doesn't offer much of.

As an add-on question along with what people think of Launcher 7 in general - I'm curious to hear from any users who are using the donate version - does it offer better performance and features? Or does it just remove the ad in the app drawer? I think it adds a folder feature, which is probably worth the $1.50 in itself, but curious what else it offers.

sunsean said:
And screen if you're running a Sense ROM. I've always wondered why on a Sense ROM Screen will be like 70% under battery use, but on AOSP only like 5%. I mean, the same screen is being used on all these ROMS right? I've asked that a couple times but never found an answer. Oh well. I'm sure it has something to do with how the ROM is utilizing things, but who knows lol.
Yeah I've been a loyal LPP user for my 3rd party launcher for a while. Love the widgets and the customizable dock. My brother runs GO on his Samsung Galaxy S and is always telling me I should try it, haven't yet but it does look very cool. I've seen pics o that globe app tray thing, looks sick. Is it smooth though?
So far Luancher 7 has been VERY smooth and seems to have minimal battery influence, like you said about 2% I think it wound up being. More than if you weren't using it, but solid nonetheless. I'm doing a lot of driving to new places this week so I'll be using my GPS a lot, it's going to be hard to get an accurate guess of average battery life but as far as function/style I am a big fan.
I will say though that the strength of launcher 7 (simplicity) might turn out to be its ultimate downfall lol. I'm enjoying it now, but it's just been a couple days. I can certainly see myself getting bored with it after a while. It's very functional but there is certainly something to be said for style and flare, and that's one thing it doesn't offer much of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think i read somewhere that you can change the autobrightness and stuff of the screen and that sense has theirs up more or something, i don't remember.
But i use adw launcher ex and never see it on my battery stats, so i'm guessing that's good. And it never lags for me either, smooth as butter.
sunsean said:
As an add-on question along with what people think of Launcher 7 in general - I'm curious to hear from any users who are using the donate version - does it offer better performance and features? Or does it just remove the ad in the app drawer? I think it adds a folder feature, which is probably worth the $1.50 in itself, but curious what else it offers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't really notice a difference with the donate version when i used it other than it looks alot better without the annoying ads.

I installed Launcher 7 and used it pretty exclusively for a while.
I got to really like how the UI operated, and found it very quick. But I eventually stopped using it and uninstalled it.
The idea, for me, was to get to a LiveTiles experience, where I could see at a glance how many new emails and social postings I might like to read, upcoming appointments, etc... without having to deal with the rest of the crummy WP7 interface. So I suppose my goal is probably different than many. But I couldn't get there with Launcher 7 (no surprise, since it's built - and named - as a "launcher").
As a simple app launcher, it was decent, for my most-used apps... though the second I needed to use less-used apps, I was somewhat disappointed/frustrated trying to find and run them.
That and, while I eventually understood it wouldn't take me all the way to LiveTiles, the fact that it didn't have (at the time) a clock/date widget that looked decent within the interface (seems like a stupid thing, but actually became a necessity for me) made me opt for something else.

Haha, yep - after about 4 or 5 days, I'm off Launcher 7. It WAS very good and functional, but as I predicted I got bored pretty fast. I play with my phone too much to not have something flashier and more interactive.
Wound up trying Go Launcher Ex, and have to say - it's way better than LPP! Loving it so far!
Question if you read this: how do I get that sphere app drawer thing? Can't find it?
EDIT: NM, I realized they only come up with horizontal app drawer, I had it set on vertical.

sunsean said:
Haha, yep - after about 4 or 5 days, I'm off Launcher 7. It WAS very good and functional, but as I predicted I got bored pretty fast. I play with my phone too much to not have something flashier and more interactive.
Wound up trying Go Launcher Ex, and have to say - it's way better than LPP! Loving it so far!
Question if you read this: how do I get that sphere app drawer thing? Can't find it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup i used Go launcher Ex ever since i got this mt4g and i can say i like this a lot more than launcher 7 ( tried it for like 2 days and then i just got back to Go L Ex)

It sucks what wit the ad s to I rather use a theme for a another launcher like adw <-, best
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App

sunsean said:
Haha, yep - after about 4 or 5 days, I'm off Launcher 7. It WAS very good and functional, but as I predicted I got bored pretty fast. I play with my phone too much to not have something flashier and more interactive.
Wound up trying Go Launcher Ex, and have to say - it's way better than LPP! Loving it so far!
Question if you read this: how do I get that sphere app drawer thing? Can't find it?
EDIT: NM, I realized they only come up with horizontal app drawer, I had it set on vertical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look in the settings of Go launcher, look through all the settings, i've ended up on LPP again b/c it has the Sense3 widget skins, and appears to be running faster for me on miui. With GO I would get many fc's and it would lag sometimes, this started on the newer versions of GO though. Sphere is the app drawer effect, look in effects, when on home screen, press menu, goto preference, and look for effects. Sphere effect is with chariot, binary, random, and the other animations.

sunsean said:
Just curious to see what people think of Launcher 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
having just recently moved from a WP7 to an Android phone Launcher 7 made me feel "back home" instantly. I like the WP7/Launcher 7 home screen with the big tiles; IMO it's a nice, fresh look compared to a large number of Android launchers or iOS. I never liked the 2nd page of the WP7 home screen - a one-column alpabetically sorted list of all installed apps? Boring and not very flexible.
I now use Go Launcher Ex and while I still like the look and feel of the Launcher 7 tiles, I do not miss it.

Interesting develpment, am I the only one?

So I just installed the new (official) 2.3.4 update released by Tmobile USA. When it started back up Sense was set back as the default launcher (boo!), but I must say it felt very smooth and quick. In fact, when I set Launcher Pro back as the default it seems as if Sense is actually faster. Has anyone else experienced this?

I would not say faster than LP... but it is a lot smoother than 2.3.3

I dont know, Sense does now feel very fast as much as I hate to admit it.

Even though I hate sense. It is pretty fast on the new update. For me though I need to be able to run 5 icon rows which sense does not let you do. Plus I still think the launcher looks outdated
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App

Yep, I have to agree that the update made Sense run faster, but I still love my LP. I love how I can have 5 apps dock with gesture to open additional apps. Also, I hate how Sense's app drawer looks and controls...just awkward.

I totally agree. Sense really does suck in every regard, and I cant stand it. However, I must say that this newest upgrade has done wonders for it.

Resolve for ICS displeasure

Looks like the aftermarket has been working hard on Android 4.0 compatibility because I was able to install both the ADWLauncher EX and LauncherPro Plus launchers on my ICS phone and they work fine. I chose to stay with ADWLauncher EX because of looking much more like the original ICS UI and allowing the same folder creation as in ICS. And the dock looks much the same. The only drawback is the lack of the search bar at the top. I prefer it.
Usability wise, these launchers completely smooth out ICS to buttery goodness. ADWLauncher EX allows for scrolling speed adjustment that makes a quick flick a pleasurable experience, no lag to be suffered anywhere. Both launchers bring back the more desired widget choosing function of previous Androids...tap & hold on homescreen.
It's really pleasing now. You get the functional goodness of ICS (excellent multitasker, softkeys and all that ICS brings performance-wise without the troubling UI performance issues.
Oh, and you get to use the OEM scrollable widgets.

Oh dear... And now you're back to liking ICS. You're quite impulsive with your opinions, what will it be tomorrow?
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using xda premium

MartyLK said:
Looks like the aftermarket has been working hard on Android 4.0 compatibility because I was able to install both the ADWLauncher EX and LauncherPro Plus launchers on my ICS phone and they work fine. I chose to stay with ADWLauncher EX because of looking much more like the original ICS UI and allowing the same folder creation as in ICS. And the dock looks much the same. The only drawback is the lack of the search bar at the top. I prefer it.
Usability wise, these launchers completely smooth out ICS to buttery goodness. ADWLauncher EX allows for scrolling speed adjustment that makes a quick flick a pleasurable experience, no lag to be suffered anywhere. Both launchers bring back the more desired widget choosing function of previous Androids...tap & hold on homescreen.
It's really pleasing now. You get the functional goodness of ICS (excellent multitasker, softkeys and all that ICS brings performance-wise without the troubling UI performance issues.
Oh, and you get to use the OEM scrollable widgets.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a great setup on an Evo I modded for someone with Launcher Pro skinned to look exactly like ICS, on a CM7 ROM with Theme Chooser set to an ICS theme. It looks and feels amazing.
I don't think I will ever use stock launcher on an aosp device, it's so funny how 3rd party launcher guys make it so much smoother than google does.
ICS as an OS, although I like it, is starting a trend I don't like as "user friendly" to the point where things are harder to deal with. I actually prefer GB style widget adding instead of the HC sort and ICS sort where you swype the dock to get to the widgets. Other things like that. I don't know, maybe I just need to get used to it.

This should go in your other thread about ICS being a letdown, rather than starting a new one. Would you raise that for a mod please?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Archer said:
This should go in your other thread about ICS being a letdown, rather than starting a new one. Would you raise that for a mod please?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have a look at that thread...I won't spoil it for you, go take a look.

MartyLK said:
Have a look at that thread...I won't spoil it for you, go take a look.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see it was quite rightly closed.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Archer said:
What I meant was that you should not have started this thread. Please ask a mod to merge them or close this one.
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Click to collapse
Wow...really? You didn't see that the other thread was closed??
Apologies for seeming insensitive.

Duhh..i thought the biggest new thing about ICS would have been the ability to have a decent experience out of the box, knowing that i can change the launcher doesn't impress me much. Tbh 2.3 had already nearly all of the functions i needed, what i really wanted was a smoother and simplified ui, with less workarounds to be used, and at the end of the day it doesn't seems like ICS is really bringing that stuff to the user. Just my 2 cents.

vnvman said:
Duhh..i thought the biggest new thing about ICS would have been the ability to have a decent experience out of the box, knowing that i can change the launcher doesn't impress me much. Tbh 2.3 had already nearly all of the functions i needed, what i really wanted was a smoother and simplified ui, with less workarounds to be used, and at the end of the day it doesn't seems like ICS is really bringing that stuff to the user. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tend to agree, I like 2.3 with a custom launcher over 4.x with stock launcher any day.

I just did a clean install of Android 4.0.3 on my HD2 and the difference is night and day. It is sublime. So buttery smooth and fast. The Galaxy Nexus is now back on the table and a wanted piece of hardware.

MartyLK said:
I just did a clean install of Android 4.0.3 on my HD2 and the difference is night and day. It is sublime. So buttery smooth and fast. The Galaxy Nexus is now back on the table and a wanted piece of hardware.
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Does it compare well to the ui smoothness of wp7 as not having ics myself I am curious?
Dave
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk

mistermentality said:
Does it compare well to the ui smoothness of wp7 as not having ics myself I am curious?
Dave
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk
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Not with the stock UI. It approaches iPhone smooth, but not WP7 smooth. But I am using ADW EX launcher and with that, it is WP7 smooth. I was using ADW on 4.0.2 and it made ICS very usable. But with 4.0.3, the difference is spectacular, to put it modestly.

Wish we could get this for Samsung Tab 10.1's already.

I'm liking the stock launcher. My Nexus runs like a champ.
Sent from my Nexus S

vetvito said:
I'm liking the stock launcher. My Nexus runs like a champ.
Sent from my Nexus S
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Yeah, the stock launcher is really, really good. The best stock launcher of any of the Nexus'. I just find more convenience with ADW and it looks almost exactly the same...configured the right way.

I'm a huge fan of how smooth ICS is, regardless of the launcher. I've not messed around with Honeycomb too much, so going from Gingerbread to ICS is a huge jump for me in terms of appearance and performance.

MartyLK said:
Not with the stock UI. It approaches iPhone smooth, but not WP7 smooth. But I am using ADW EX launcher and with that, it is WP7 smooth. I was using ADW on 4.0.2 and it made ICS very usable. But with 4.0.3, the difference is spectacular, to put it modestly.
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Its not because of changes in adw then? Would love to know what they changed to make the difference but glad they did it.
Dave
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk

mistermentality said:
Its not because of changes in adw then? Would love to know what they changed to make the difference but glad they did it.
Dave
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It dawns on me that the quality and pleasure I'm experiencing now could be something entirely to do with Tytung's efforts with his custom ROM rather than a reality of the 4.0.3 OEM.
ADW is exactly the same between the two version. I can't see them making any changes from one to the next in such a short period of time. Not saying it's impossible, just saying unlikely. With this custom ROM, I actually updated to 4.0.3 initially rather than do a clean install. Even with an update 4.0.3 was noticeably smoother. Only until I did a clean install did I experience the speed and buttery smoothness of 4.0.3. It is a dramatic difference.

Well,you can even try GoLauncher on ICS and it'll be buttery smooth too,whereas in Gingerbread it's nowhere near the other launchers in terms of smoothness(Unless you own a 1.6GHz Galaxy S II ).Hardware acceleration does good after all.And some under-the-hood improvements in 4.0.3 are what makes it as good.Wait for some proper roms and you'll see(Not that Tytung's rom or any other ICS rom isn't good,but none of them is final,rather something like being in beta phase).

MartyLK said:
It dawns on me that the quality and pleasure I'm experiencing now could be something entirely to do with Tytung's efforts with his custom ROM rather than a reality of the 4.0.3 OEM.
ADW is exactly the same between the two version. I can't see them making any changes from one to the next in such a short period of time. Not saying it's impossible, just saying unlikely. With this custom ROM, I actually updated to 4.0.3 initially rather than do a clean install. Even with an update 4.0.3 was noticeably smoother. Only until I did a clean install did I experience the speed and buttery smoothness of 4.0.3. It is a dramatic difference.
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So maybe tytung somehows trims down ics to remove problem issues?
Dave
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk

Do themes slow down your kindle?

Hey everyone. I recently flashed the Jandycane ROM for my KF, and everything is running smoothly.
However, prior to JB, I had GB with GoLauncher theme installed. My KF was rather laggy. I noticed my phone with GoLauncher was/is laggy also. Do you guys notice the same thing on your devices?
Note: I also tried ADW launcher on both my devices and the lag was still there, so I do not feel like GoLauncher was my problem.
With that being said, what is your favorite JB launcher/theme at the moment?

rice923 said:
Hey everyone. I recently flashed the Jandycane ROM for my KF, and everything is running smoothly.
However, prior to JB, I had GB with GoLauncher theme installed. My KF was rather laggy. I noticed my phone with GoLauncher was/is laggy also. Do you guys notice the same thing on your devices?
Note: I also tried ADW launcher on both my devices and the lag was still there, so I do not feel like GoLauncher was my problem.
With that being said, what is your favorite JB launcher/theme at the moment?
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Click to collapse
Jellybean is just smoother than GB. And I currently use apex launcher.

Apex.

The standard one. I like how it doesn't switch to landscape mode and mess up my icons and widgets.

jji7skyline said:
The standard one. I like how it doesn't switch to landscape mode and mess up my icons and widgets.
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nice car btw
Guess I'll go check out Apex right now. As for slowing down the device, does this happen to anyone else here?

rice923 said:
nice car btw
Guess I'll go check out Apex right now. As for slowing down the device, does this happen to anyone else here?
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I noticed a little lagginess with the themed rom also.
But, it's negligible in JB because of project butter: the baseline is so freaking smooth that even a little lag added to that is hard to notice.
But to me, the whole reason I switched back was I realized Jellybean was already themed.
By Google.
It's called the "Jellybean" theme, and the time and effort they put in to making it shows, imho.
It's got a terrific, clean, look to it;
the other rom made me think of that hot chick who thinks she's making herself hotter by wearing a ton of extra makeup.
She isn't.
She's covering up what was pretty hot to begin with.
Just my .02, and who knows..?.
Some people prefer trashy women.
(Jk, but not really.)

yourbrotherrex said:
I noticed a little lagginess with the themed rom also.
But, it's negligible in JB because of project butter: the baseline is so freaking smooth that even a little lag added to that is hard to notice.
But to me, the whole reason I switched back was I realized Jellybean was already themed.
By Google.
It's called the "Jellybean" theme, and the time and effort they put in to making it shows, imho.
It's got a terrific, clean, look to it;
the other rom made me think of that hot chick who thinks she's making herself hotter by wearing a ton of extra makeup.
She isn't.
She's covering up what was pretty hot to begin with.
Just my .02, and who knows..?.
Some people prefer trashy women.
(Jk, but not really.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha got ya on that one. I'm likely to stick with the stock Jandycane JB ROM. It's pretty customizable and has a clean look already.
My phone however (Droid Charge), probably might have to go back having no theme. It doesn't have the luxury of JB, so it's kinda slow in comparison.

rice923 said:
haha got ya on that one. I'm likely to stick with the stock Jandycane JB ROM. It's pretty customizable and has a clean look already.
My phone however (Droid Charge), probably might have to go back having no theme. It doesn't have the luxury of JB, so it's kinda slow in comparison.
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Click to collapse
That's what I use: Jandycane.
It's not themed at all; just stock Jellybean, as far as I can tell.
Stock Jellybean = Awesome the way it is, in my book.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using xda premium