Just curious to see what people think of Launcher 7, for those who've tried it. I gotta say, I put it on yesterday out of curiosity, and was surprised by how much I like it. I love Android, and balked at Launcher 7 at first because it was a completely un-Android UI, but maybe it's because I've been on Android for like 2 years now, but I find it really refreshing. I like its simplicity, efficiency, and different sleek look.
I'm curious to see how it does with battery life. I used my navigation/GPS a lot today so my battery went pretty fast, not a good test of Launcher 7. I'm running it over Synergy (lightest Sense ROM I could find) and under battery use it's not even showing up so I'm guessing/hoping it doesn't have a big effect.
sunsean said:
Just curious to see what people think of Launcher 7, for those who've tried it. I gotta say, I put it on yesterday out of curiosity, and was surprised by how much I like it. I love Android, and balked at Launcher 7 at first because it was a completely un-Android UI, but maybe it's because I've been on Android for like 2 years now, but I find it really refreshing. I like its simplicity, efficiency, and different sleek look.
I'm curious to see how it does with battery life. I used my navigation/GPS a lot today so my battery went pretty fast, not a good test of Launcher 7. I'm running it over Synergy (lightest Sense ROM I could find) and under battery use it's not even showing up so I'm guessing/hoping it doesn't have a big effect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many home launchers don't use much power, i've used GO/LPP and both are normally floating around 1%. Now I used the L7 very long ago, back on my MT3GS, and it was pretty nice to have IMO, I did like the UI's feel overall. But at that time it was still buggy so I think that's why I had abandoned it. I'm a fan of eye-candy so I prefer something more flashy with fancy effects. Which is what GO gives me, it has this cool sphere effect for the app drawer.
Your biggest power drainers will be idle/standnby and Signal, and GPS.
Ace42 said:
Many home launchers don't use much power, i've used GO/LPP and both are normally floating around 1%. Now I used the L7 very long ago, back on my MT3GS, and it was pretty nice to have IMO, I did like the UI's feel overall. But at that time it was still buggy so I think that's why I had abandoned it. I'm a fan of eye-candy so I prefer something more flashy with fancy effects. Which is what GO gives me, it has this cool sphere effect for the app drawer.
Your biggest power drainers will be idle/standnby and Signal, and GPS.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And screen if you're running a Sense ROM. I've always wondered why on a Sense ROM Screen will be like 70% under battery use, but on AOSP only like 5%. I mean, the same screen is being used on all these ROMS right? I've asked that a couple times but never found an answer. Oh well. I'm sure it has something to do with how the ROM is utilizing things, but who knows lol.
Yeah I've been a loyal LPP user for my 3rd party launcher for a while. Love the widgets and the customizable dock. My brother runs GO on his Samsung Galaxy S and is always telling me I should try it, haven't yet but it does look very cool. I've seen pics o that globe app tray thing, looks sick. Is it smooth though?
So far Luancher 7 has been VERY smooth and seems to have minimal battery influence, like you said about 2% I think it wound up being. More than if you weren't using it, but solid nonetheless. I'm doing a lot of driving to new places this week so I'll be using my GPS a lot, it's going to be hard to get an accurate guess of average battery life but as far as function/style I am a big fan.
I will say though that the strength of launcher 7 (simplicity) might turn out to be its ultimate downfall lol. I'm enjoying it now, but it's just been a couple days. I can certainly see myself getting bored with it after a while. It's very functional but there is certainly something to be said for style and flare, and that's one thing it doesn't offer much of.
As an add-on question along with what people think of Launcher 7 in general - I'm curious to hear from any users who are using the donate version - does it offer better performance and features? Or does it just remove the ad in the app drawer? I think it adds a folder feature, which is probably worth the $1.50 in itself, but curious what else it offers.
sunsean said:
And screen if you're running a Sense ROM. I've always wondered why on a Sense ROM Screen will be like 70% under battery use, but on AOSP only like 5%. I mean, the same screen is being used on all these ROMS right? I've asked that a couple times but never found an answer. Oh well. I'm sure it has something to do with how the ROM is utilizing things, but who knows lol.
Yeah I've been a loyal LPP user for my 3rd party launcher for a while. Love the widgets and the customizable dock. My brother runs GO on his Samsung Galaxy S and is always telling me I should try it, haven't yet but it does look very cool. I've seen pics o that globe app tray thing, looks sick. Is it smooth though?
So far Luancher 7 has been VERY smooth and seems to have minimal battery influence, like you said about 2% I think it wound up being. More than if you weren't using it, but solid nonetheless. I'm doing a lot of driving to new places this week so I'll be using my GPS a lot, it's going to be hard to get an accurate guess of average battery life but as far as function/style I am a big fan.
I will say though that the strength of launcher 7 (simplicity) might turn out to be its ultimate downfall lol. I'm enjoying it now, but it's just been a couple days. I can certainly see myself getting bored with it after a while. It's very functional but there is certainly something to be said for style and flare, and that's one thing it doesn't offer much of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think i read somewhere that you can change the autobrightness and stuff of the screen and that sense has theirs up more or something, i don't remember.
But i use adw launcher ex and never see it on my battery stats, so i'm guessing that's good. And it never lags for me either, smooth as butter.
sunsean said:
As an add-on question along with what people think of Launcher 7 in general - I'm curious to hear from any users who are using the donate version - does it offer better performance and features? Or does it just remove the ad in the app drawer? I think it adds a folder feature, which is probably worth the $1.50 in itself, but curious what else it offers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't really notice a difference with the donate version when i used it other than it looks alot better without the annoying ads.
I installed Launcher 7 and used it pretty exclusively for a while.
I got to really like how the UI operated, and found it very quick. But I eventually stopped using it and uninstalled it.
The idea, for me, was to get to a LiveTiles experience, where I could see at a glance how many new emails and social postings I might like to read, upcoming appointments, etc... without having to deal with the rest of the crummy WP7 interface. So I suppose my goal is probably different than many. But I couldn't get there with Launcher 7 (no surprise, since it's built - and named - as a "launcher").
As a simple app launcher, it was decent, for my most-used apps... though the second I needed to use less-used apps, I was somewhat disappointed/frustrated trying to find and run them.
That and, while I eventually understood it wouldn't take me all the way to LiveTiles, the fact that it didn't have (at the time) a clock/date widget that looked decent within the interface (seems like a stupid thing, but actually became a necessity for me) made me opt for something else.
Haha, yep - after about 4 or 5 days, I'm off Launcher 7. It WAS very good and functional, but as I predicted I got bored pretty fast. I play with my phone too much to not have something flashier and more interactive.
Wound up trying Go Launcher Ex, and have to say - it's way better than LPP! Loving it so far!
Question if you read this: how do I get that sphere app drawer thing? Can't find it?
EDIT: NM, I realized they only come up with horizontal app drawer, I had it set on vertical.
sunsean said:
Haha, yep - after about 4 or 5 days, I'm off Launcher 7. It WAS very good and functional, but as I predicted I got bored pretty fast. I play with my phone too much to not have something flashier and more interactive.
Wound up trying Go Launcher Ex, and have to say - it's way better than LPP! Loving it so far!
Question if you read this: how do I get that sphere app drawer thing? Can't find it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup i used Go launcher Ex ever since i got this mt4g and i can say i like this a lot more than launcher 7 ( tried it for like 2 days and then i just got back to Go L Ex)
It sucks what wit the ad s to I rather use a theme for a another launcher like adw <-, best
Sent from my HTC Glacier using XDA App
sunsean said:
Haha, yep - after about 4 or 5 days, I'm off Launcher 7. It WAS very good and functional, but as I predicted I got bored pretty fast. I play with my phone too much to not have something flashier and more interactive.
Wound up trying Go Launcher Ex, and have to say - it's way better than LPP! Loving it so far!
Question if you read this: how do I get that sphere app drawer thing? Can't find it?
EDIT: NM, I realized they only come up with horizontal app drawer, I had it set on vertical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look in the settings of Go launcher, look through all the settings, i've ended up on LPP again b/c it has the Sense3 widget skins, and appears to be running faster for me on miui. With GO I would get many fc's and it would lag sometimes, this started on the newer versions of GO though. Sphere is the app drawer effect, look in effects, when on home screen, press menu, goto preference, and look for effects. Sphere effect is with chariot, binary, random, and the other animations.
sunsean said:
Just curious to see what people think of Launcher 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
having just recently moved from a WP7 to an Android phone Launcher 7 made me feel "back home" instantly. I like the WP7/Launcher 7 home screen with the big tiles; IMO it's a nice, fresh look compared to a large number of Android launchers or iOS. I never liked the 2nd page of the WP7 home screen - a one-column alpabetically sorted list of all installed apps? Boring and not very flexible.
I now use Go Launcher Ex and while I still like the look and feel of the Launcher 7 tiles, I do not miss it.
Related
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
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
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.
http://miui-dev.com/forums/showthread.php?4679-ROM-WIP-LG-Optimus-2X-Port-In-Development
Any news for g2x? I have taken a break from making roms and am also new to Porting roms, so someone should have a go.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
Can't be too far behind. Its what I'm looking forward to most.
Yes!!! I love me some Miui :-D
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
After seeing the new update for the MT4G, I can't wait for MIUI! I haven't been this excited about it in months.
EmceeGeek said:
After seeing the new update for the MT4G, I can't wait for MIUI! I haven't been this excited about it in months.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've never personally used MIUI but from what I have read people either love it or hate it. Why do you want it so much? What are the benefits?
its AOSP and the UI is different from the android we are used to here in the US. Even if you use a different launcher. Lots of extra features and customization to be done also.
sryan1983 said:
I've never personally used MIUI but from what I have read people either love it or hate it. Why do you want it so much? What are the benefits?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used it.. and loved it on my G2. It's android with the iPhone polish man. Lots of great eye candy, downloadable boot animations themes, wallpapers, ringtones, notifications, etc... all built in. a GREAT task management/settings/net traffic tracker... built in.
I would suggest you give it a shot when it comes out. TONS of features.
Here's what i boils down to"
If you like a smooth clean polished and highly customizable UI (a lot of the work done for you.. it eliminated my need for quite a few apps I use for system management)... you'll like this.
if you want to run a stock vanilla form of android that allows YOU to do all of the tweaking and enjoy adb pushes and coding... run CM7 (which is also a FANTASTIC option)
I personally liked how aesthetically pleasing miui is. But I bought an android device to run android os not ios ;-)
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App
I know BUT ios is polished so is miui. It's the best of both worlds
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
Right.. that's my point. it doesn't LOOK like iOS.. but i don't think ANYONE would argue that iOS has a lot more "love in the UI details" (ie... POLISH.. it's nice looking and consistently so). While android.. is definitely a hacker/programmers UI. VERY tweakable and functional.. just not that nice looking.
the resemblance it iOS is really peoples only objection to MIUI but the fact is that's only the default launcher. change the launcher and its no longer an issue.
Really?!? people think it looks like iOS?!? why because they're no app drawer? that's literally the only thing I can think of that's like iOS that isn't part of android anyway. (they both have dockable apps at the bottom, they both have a status bar with signal/time/date/etc). otherwise.. it's just Android with some UI love (polish). that's IT.. and like you said.. you can change the launcher.. but i don't see a reason to.
True. The only other thing is the way they changes the ticking system to the tab system. That's all i can think of.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
btate0121 said:
Really?!? people think it looks like iOS?!? why because they're no app drawer? that's literally the only thing I can think of that's like iOS that isn't part of android anyway. (they both have dockable apps at the bottom, they both have a status bar with signal/time/date/etc). otherwise.. it's just Android with some UI love (polish). that's IT.. and like you said.. you can change the launcher.. but i don't see a reason to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the icons themselves have an iPhone feel to them as well. as for the launcher.. that comes down to preference.
regP said:
the icons themselves have an iPhone feel to them as well. as for the launcher.. that comes down to preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But there are themes. If you really hate iPhone you can still live with miui.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA App
I'm quite aware of that. I'm pro-MIUI.. Had it on my Vibrant since it was released for the phone. I was just saying the default theme is what turns people off of the ROM upon first glance.
There are lots of benefits to MIUI. For starters it usually runs VERY fast. It was the first rom to include toggles in the notification menu (CM7 does this now too). Also the menu's are no longer 6 squares, but listed. The whole OS is themable (CM7 is now too).
I am not particularly fond of the homescreen setup (No App Drawer) because all of your apps are on your desktop like iOS. The stock launcher is basically the same as iOS except you can put icons anywhere and supports widgets.
The Icons are very pretty and large, which I like.
You can accomplish most of this by using CM7, a good CM7 theme, and ADW EX with a MIUI theme.
I'm all about more custom roms. I enjoyed MIUI for a few days but damn CM7 nightlies always have me going back to try out the new features.
MIUI is a lot more than a simple skin. As others have said, its blazing fast, has amazing features built in (I really like being able to control all of my connections by the dropdown bar and even being able to reboot and such through the same bar) and is extremely polished.
The availability of themes can make it decidedly un-iOS very easily. The customization options built into the ROM are absolutely insane and I have it on my Inspire as well as my Captivate - I really hope someone picks it up and ports it to the G2x.
In comparison to most other devices, development on the G2x seems to be pretty slow overall which is a huge bummer. I guess too many people are busy constantly exchanging their devices to actually get cracking on development. *eye roll*
I'm rooted on ED1 and i'm kinda liking touchwiz. I dont like the colors but I dont think its that bad at all. I hated the Thunderbolt so much and I really dont think Sense was that much better? I think with a few tweeks it could pretty nice ? Anyone else ?
I done think its that bad either. As a matter of fact, I think its the lightest of all three of the overlays. I really like this phone so far, but it doesn't seem to be getting as much attention as the other manufacturers. I hope it picks up though, cuz this brown and orange is killing me.
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sir2545 said:
I done think its that bad either. As a matter of fact, I think its the lightest of all three of the overlays. I really like this phone so far, but it doesn't seem to be getting as much attention as the other manufacturers. I hope it picks up though, cuz this brown and orange is killing me.
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Don't worry, a lot of people hate the color scheme and are working to fix it.
As for TouchWiz, it isn't a bad UI, but compared to ADW or Launcher2, it is bloated. The widgets that it has only make it worse. As far as OEM launchers go though, it isn't to bad. I like the look and feel of Sense, but that is a resource hog, and I've never used Blur, but I never hear anything good about it.
droidxscott said:
I'm rooted on ED1 and i'm kinda liking touchwiz. I dont like the colors but I dont think its that bad at all. I hated the Thunderbolt so much and I really dont think Sense was that much better? I think with a few tweeks it could pretty nice ? Anyone else ?
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Click to collapse
I don't understand the hate either. I love the phone and with the new kernel and Imnut's ROM there is a significant performance boost that is more than enough for me.
I had a DX and a D1 prior to this one, so this is my first TouchWiz phone, in terms of that side of things I don't see how its really that different from Blur, but some people are just going to be anal.
I never had it on my DX, so I really don't understand the fervor over CM and why perfectly good phone is getting so much hate because it may or may not get it.
This is my first Samsung phone too. Touchwiz isn't too bad, in my opinion, especially for someone who had been using iphone religiously since 2007 to 2010.
Its just tw is way too laggy so I want it gone. I just got my SGS2 and cannot wait to start playing with tw 4.0.
Personally, I'm ok with sense, and I absolutely hate motoblur. Id still rather go with launcherpro or launcher EX.
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Im one of them its plain and simple i really like it
I don't mind TouchWiz at all.
If I had to rate my phone experiences, it would be:
HTC Sense > TouchWiz > LG Revolution UI (Optimus?) > MotoBlur.
The only reason I use LauncherPro vs TouchWiz is because LP has about half the memory footprint and I like the fast-scrolling options and the vertical scrolling app tray better.
I don't mind TouchWiz at all. I had the Fascinate, and then won the Charge through the Droid Landing promotion. While I don't mind TouchWiz, I still ended up putting Go Launcher EX on both of my phones- I like the way it runs, and that all of the options usually reserved for donate/ pay versions of Launcher Pro or ADW are free...and it seems faster/ lighter/ better.
I love it. My wife has an HTC phone and I am not at all fond of the idiosyncrasies of Sense. I am thinking about trying Launcher Pro though, just so when I switch phones down the road I'll be used to it and I can take my interface experience with me if I don't get a Samsung next time.
I'm totally in the opposite camp. My last phone was an Incredible and I really liked the subtitles of Sense. On the other hand I despise touchwiz. I think it's bloated and really ugly. Since I got my charge I've been on a quest to replace it a piece at a time.
TW is pretty clunky and bloated IMO. I dislike the iPhone copycat app drawer too. The only redeeming quality of TW is power control widget built in to the the pull down status bar. Im running inmuts's debloated ED2 rom, running launcherpro, and I have nitsuj17's gingerbread theme installed. Almost all traces of sammy's UI are gone.
bruther1 said:
TW is pretty clunky and bloated IMO. I dislike the iPhone copycat app drawer too. The only redeeming quality of TW is power control widget built in to the the pull down status bar. Im running inmuts's debloated ED2 rom, running launcherpro, and I have nitsuj17's gingerbread theme installed. Almost all traces of sammy's UI are gone.
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Click to collapse
I like it except for the verizon bloatware crap I can't remove.....much better than Motoblur !!
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I like it too, I'm using as we speak. Even though I have both paid versions ADW ex and launcher pro +.
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bruther1 said:
TW is pretty clunky and bloated IMO. I dislike the iPhone copycat app drawer too. The only redeeming quality of TW is power control widget built in to the the pull down status bar. Im running inmuts's debloated ED2 rom, running launcherpro, and I have nitsuj17's gingerbread theme installed. Almost all traces of sammy's UI are gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to say I would strongly reconsider flashing a ROM that didn't have the power control buttons in the notification drawer, those are great and really help my battery life. I'm not using anything else, froze most of the stock apps as well as the TW launcher, running Go Launcher and its great.
bruther1 said:
TW is pretty clunky and bloated IMO. I dislike the iPhone copycat app drawer too. The only redeeming quality of TW is power control widget built in to the the pull down status bar. Im running inmuts's debloated ED2 rom, running launcherpro, and I have nitsuj17's gingerbread theme installed. Almost all traces of sammy's UI are gone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Couldn't you change the app drawer panel to a list?
Bow chika wah wah
I didn't like the list view as much as stock android or launcherpro. I'll have to try golauncher.
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I like TW a lot more now, after I loaded ADW Launcher EX and the Debloated v4 ROM.
I like touchwiz as an interface only. I've wanted an iphone but loved the google-centricity of the android OS. Touchwiz gives me the google integration I need, with the iphone interface I desire. as for the bloat......well root took care of some of it
i didnt mind touchwiz on the nero v5 rom for my vibrant. the reskinning really made it alot nicer, im hoping for some team whiskey love for the charge. i do miss sense tho i had from the virtuous rom on my g2 it was easier to get used to stock personally
Do you find yourself using the added features (widgets specifically)?
Edit: I've spent the past two days playing with and customizing Go Launcher EX and really really like it. It has all the features of Launcher Pro and then some. Using a 5x5 grid for apps is really nice too.
I'd be interested in downloading more widget and icon themes/packs if anyone knows a good resource.
I will probably give ADW a go this weekend.
Think of it this way, its probably cheaper than a happy meal. Why not give it a shot? The worst that could happen is you dont like it. But the money still goes to an amazing developer and makes it so more amazing developers continue to bring us great apps.
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I honestly haven't had one regret with app purchases. Titanium seemed steep at $6, and I haven't used it yet, but if it works, it should be well worth it.
LauncherPro hasn't been updated in 3 months and it's been force closing and hanging on reboot with alarming regularity, both on my old DInc and my Charge. I had to switch to GoLauncher, which has an unfortunately large memory footprint, but at least doesn't crash quite as much. I wouldn't give him my money just yet.
What is this "paying" you speak of?
Sent from my Droid Charge running GummyFroyo 1.9.1
I think at one point it was worth it. I had purchased it when i had my Droid incredible and it ran great. There is more functionality added with the pro version than just the widgets, I really liked the gesture commands on the dock shortcuts.
It didn't run so well for me on the Charge though. I was getting constant redraws and the gesture commands that worked so well on the DInc were slower to pop up on the Charge. Unfortunate but it's good to have choices...
I switched to Go Launcher EX - just seems to work better on the Charge for me, and as stated above Launcher Pro is really slow with updates. LPP is still a really good launcher, but it may just be falling behind. Maybe the re-write the dev is doing will be worth the wait but for now check your options.
Not to mention that Go-Launcher Ex gives all the pay-only features of LauncherPro for FREE
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lane32x said:
Not to mention that Go-Launcher Ex gives all the pay-only features of LauncherPro for FREE
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Click to collapse
Careful with Go-Launcher...ive heard something about data collection with the launcher, I think what freaked most people out is that it is coded in china, and it sends data back? I don't remember exactly, just I know don't use it...might want to research that one... I think the saying goes "You get what you Pay for & Nothing comes for free"
I own both Launcher Pro and ADWex, both awesome in there own right, with each other having a few feature that are needed in the other. As for Launcher Pro it was a day one purchase when it was released from beta and launched as Launcher Pro and Launcher Pro Plus.
The Dev for launcher pro is in the process of doing a rewrite from scratch with it. It's a slow process...
Would I recommend Launcher Pro Plus, I would then, and I still would now.
And for the person that inferred getting it for free...shame on you! If you didn't mean it that way I apologize in advance, if not then well hopefully the guilt consumes you...
If you use the app, its worth $3.50 to compensate the developer for their time. Pay it forward!
It was worth it on the Fascinate but now with the Droid Charge, Go Launcher EX and ADW now appear to have more features.
norm883
I love LP+, but (as mentioned) I do have constant redraws and it's been crashing a lot. Never had either issue on my old Droid Eris.
Also, LP+ has lost it's functionality to display Gmail unread counts on the dock. Google changed somethings in the latest Gmail update that broke it. I alerted Fede that madmack, the dev for NoLED was able to fix Gmail notification issues via new APIs that he's applied to NoLED. So far, no changes to LP+ though.
Honestly, I prefer LP+ to ADW and GO, but these redraws and crashes need to stop. Here's the BIG issue... Fede began work on the LP rewrite during the last week of September 2010. We're almost in September 2011 without release of the rewrite. In that time, we've seen both Gingerbread AND Ice Cream Sandwich. Additionally, Fede just released UberMusic (which is the prettiest music app available, but it needs the features that PowerAmp has to make it legit). In any case, I'm personally concerned that Fede is working his day job and then spending the majority of time on UberMusic. There's no guarantee we'll ever see this rewrite. We're getting into a "Duke Nukem Forever" type of situation with this.
I may make a switch to GO soon though. They're super active and are developing an entire suite of apps to compliment each other. Plus, it's free.
I understand the privacy concerns, but they are legitimately funded by VC and Paul at MoDaCo pulled apart the apps and hasn't found anything to cause alarm, in his opinion (which I consider to be an authoritative opinion): http://android.modaco.com/topic/342722-goapps-investigating-the-privacy-claims/
ADW EX is my favorite. Never did care for LaucherPro
my 4 cents (2 for each issue)
I like LauncherPro and paid for it. The speed up features on it seem to make the Charge go faster...
If you like an app, buy it. 3 bucks isnt much and worth it. Do I download apps to try the "extra" features? Yes I do. If I find them useful I buy it. If I don't use them either I use the free version or uninstall it.
The exception would be that 3d launcher that I saw awhile back. It was something like 20$. I wouldnt buy that one, but I also don't think I would really try it much either. 20$ is too much for a replacement launcher.
I haven't noticed any lag. When in browser, after pressing home button it takes a few seconds for the home screen to come back. But honestly I couldnt live without LP+. The Widgets included are unmatched in Android Market. I know not many people like sense, but the people, calendar, and Facebook widgets are like sense, but better.
EDIT
I guess this was what people are calling screen redraw. Sorry, I didn't realize this was a big issue over here. I had screen redraw issues on other phones worse
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LauncherPro is due for an update, no arguments there, but the Plus widgets are still hands-down the best out there. Facebook, Twitter, Messaging, Gmail, Email, Calendar... totally worth the price.
And even though LauncherPro hasn't been updated since May, ADW is even worse -- it hasn't been updated since December. Even the paid ADW EX was last updated less recently than LauncherPro.
The lag and redraw is pissing me off with LP +. I bought it for my Tab and am using on the charge but keeps force closing. I do like the widgets but the facebook widget shows all the game crap and doesn't give an option to hide it like pure messenger widget. I hope it gets updated and fixes the issues the we are having.
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After 2 days with Go Launcher, I'm a convert. I'll give LauncherPro another shot when the rewrite comes out.
Falcyn said:
LauncherPro is due for an update, no arguments there, but the Plus widgets are still hands-down the best out there. Facebook, Twitter, Messaging, Gmail, Email, Calendar... totally worth the price.
And even though LauncherPro hasn't been updated since May, ADW is even worse -- it hasn't been updated since December. Even the paid ADW EX was last updated less recently than LauncherPro.
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Click to collapse
I am a really huge fan of ADW EX, and it is well worth the money ($3.28 USD). Even though ADW EX hasn't been updated in a while, who cares? It runs great, has a boat-load of features, and I can't think of much reason for an update. I think there's a darned good reason why almost all the ROMs I have used in the past have had ADW or ADW EX pre-installed by the developers. That seems like a pretty good sign of quality for me.
What launcher do you guys prefer to use? Any comments on battery life, options, other things you like or don't? Answer the poll too, I'm just curious as to what my fellow Infusers use.
I am running CM7 with Go Launcher EX over the top. As far as other launchers go, I have used LauncherPro, ADW, and Zeam launcher in the past. Go Launcher just seems to give me the best battery life, and still gives decent options for themes to match the theme of the ROM. I like the ability to hide apps in the app drawer, and I like how the Go themes theme the app icons as well.
Are there any launchers that have shown you better battery life than Go Launcher?
tried all of em, none really seem to impact battery life that much. The infuse can run all of them pretty well so it's just a matter of preference. Because of that I don't see a point in running zeam. The slightly less memory footprint doesn't affect the phone in any significant way, and you are losing customization options because of it.
Go Launcher has been my go-to launcher, its filled with features and is free. It is set to stay in memory and uses (very) slightly more resources than the others.
However I switched to ADW EX lately simply because I prefer the way it scales dock icons better. However I always wind up switching back and forth between launchers so i may find myself back on GO. Since the inclusion of ICS-style folders though it's been real nice and worth the money.
Launcher7 has been my most recent experiment, I used it on an off in the past but im really giving it a shot as a launcher right now. It's pretty smooth and solid, don't have any real problems with it (aside from it being hard to properly implement widgets)
the tweaked TW4 launcher is very nice and very smooth, but also very unstable in my experience. If it crashed less often it would probably be my main launcher.
The stock TW3 (AT&T version, Rogers version puts these ugly boxes around the icons to try to mimic iPhone) works, but like zeam is pretty barebones. Does the job though and if you aren't looking to really customize anything then it's probably the best option.
SPB Shell...tried it and don't really see what's so great about it. Far too expensive as well.
ICS Launcher works, but I personally don't like the "faked" ICS features. Just makes the whole experience feel cheaper.
I can't even vote for one in particular, they are all good and have their strengths and weaknesses. Currently im on ADW EX/Launcher7 right now but that doesn't mean I particularly like them more than the others.
I agree with zeam being underpowered, and ICS launcher being cheap and gimmicky. Both didn't impress me.
I like launcherpro, but for some reason it eats the crap out of my battery.
Go launcher is my go to, seems to have the best battery life even though i know it's more cpu intensive than the others. Also, has similar customization abilities to launcherpro which I like.
Haven't played around with ADW much, and to me, Launcher7 just isn't anywhere near where it would need to be. Just doesn't compare to the smoothness of an actual WP7, and there are still a lot of inconsistencies. If it was as smooth, I would accept the reduced customization, but since it isn't, it's a no-go.
From browsing XDA the last few months, ADW and GO seem to be the most popular, but I prefer Launcher Pro. If GO launcher had better tray options I would probably use that though.
Like many of you ... I've tried them all. I still switch around to different launchers ever couple of weeks. However, the launcher of choice for me is still launcher pro. Its the smoothest one of the bunch even tho the developer stopped supporting it.
My experiences has been different than some of the others. launcher pro actually gives me the beat battery life and go/adw gives me bad battery life.
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+1 for go launcher.
Launcher pro is my favorite!
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ADW EX
Zeam
LauncherPro
In that order.
ADW Ex right now.
Used to be on Go Launcher Ex, but I experienced a lot of slowdowns.. Might try it again after a new flash though.
dustinhayes93 said:
Launcher pro is my favorite!
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+1
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I love adw personally nothing else compares in my opinion.
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In this order:
ICS Stock
SPB Shell 3d
Go Launcher
i hate adw with a passion. just thought you should know ...
<(^.^<)
(>^.^)>
yep.
Why do all launchers have some kind of lagging ?
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
devgee said:
Why do all launchers have some kind of lagging ?
Sent from my Nexus S using xda premium
Click to expand...
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I find that a lot of times, what is experienced as 'lag' is actually just the animations some of the launchers provide. Those tend to take a little bit to complete, and unless you disable them or speed them up, they become an annoyance.
i have used launcher pro since my first android(first day) so much that i forgot how to use TW ..lol its smooth for me and the customization is also really nice imo.. no battery issues for me with launcher pro!!
I have tried many launchers (and still hunting in free time)
Till now for me whenever I install a new launcher every time i have to set back to "Nemus Launcher"
It is free on android market
Small Size 1.5mb
Simple and nice interface
15 dock option
Customizable grids, App locker.
Ability to add customizable folder under application menu.
ndhanta said:
I have tried many launcher (and still hunting)
Till now for me whenever I install a new launcher every time i have to set back to "Nemus Launcher"
It is free on android market
Small Size 1.5mb
Simple and nice interface
15 dock option
Customizable grids, App hider.
Ability to add customizable folder under application menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Upon your recommendation I just installed Nemus, and so far I like it
Thanks
x
Welcome ExPeRiMeNt
If someone keeps his expectations low, he will not regret after installing this launcher
I really liked FTL as a lightweight launcher
Well i recently started using balancer launcher, and it seems pretty stable and it gets the job done. The launcher has a built in file browser that you can get to by pressing the "menu" soft key that is all the way to the left next to the "home"soft key. Its a small size only 1.86 mb. it is fairly simple, but it has some features others dont have (file browser), its smooth and doesnt effect my battery...at least that i can notice. I believe it is relativly new so it can only get better
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