Greetings...
Until today, I’ve been just a reader of the forums and have gotten great information that way. I've finally found something that I really want to contribute on because I want to see it go to the moon and back. That said I apologize for the wall of text. If you're looking for a TL;DR, scroll to the bullets.
We all (or most of us anyway) know that TSF Shell 3D was released a couple days ago and the buzz is slowly growing. Anyone who has read the Market description of this launcher pretty much knows that it's straight from Google Translate. By no means am I bashing the developers for this. Hell, I purchased it the day after purchasing SPB Shell. So I more than support their work.
However, as I stated, the Market description is pretty terrible. As far as I can tell, the TSFUI website is down, and there really isn't a one-stop-shop to find out what features you just spent $16.80 on (more on price later).
So, hopefully the wonderful users of XDA can come up with an unofficial guide which can be added to as we stumble across features. Everything I've found has been in random article comments, very few forum posts, and personal experience. At any rate, I'll list what I've been able to confirm and hopefully we can go from there?
TSF Shell - Unofficial User Guide [WIP]
Disclaimer: This guide is based on personal experience. I have no connection to the developer of TSF Shell. All claims regarding working/broken, supported/unsupported features are strictly based upon my experience using a rooted, stock rom Motorola Milestone X. If you see something incorrect, please let me know and I will correct it immediately.
The Switch Button
The switch button is used to switch between your 4 personalized pages as well as the App Drawer or App Page.
You can tap the Switch Button to show a preview of your screens. Simply tap any screen to switch to it.
A slightly quicker way to use the switch button is to tap and hold it, and then drag your finger to the desired screen.
Tapping and holding an icon from any Personalized Page and dragging it to the Switch Button will also show the screen preview, allowing you to quickly move the icon to a different screen.
The App Drawer
The App Drawer or App Page can be accessed by tapping the Switch Button and then tapping the far left page.
The App Drawer uses a horizontal paginated scroll effect. As of yet, there is no way to switch to a vertical scroll.
There are 6 different scroll animations to choose from. You can switch the animation style on the fly by tapping the small tab in the upper left (just below the first row of apps).
Double tapping an app in the App Drawer will put a green check mark on it. This can be done to several apps at a time. Click and hold any of the apps you've pre-selected and the screen preview will appear, allowing you to move several apps to the same screen at once. When you drop them on the preferred screen, they will automatically arrange nicely into a grid. You can resize and move this grid to your liking. Tap anywhere off the grid or tap the circular arrow (refresh-looking symbol?) in the upper right.
When a new app is installed, it will have a fire animation on it until it is launched for the first time. On my phone (Milestone X), the fire is only animated while scrolling and is static while not scrolling. I'm unclear whether this is intended or a bug.
Personalized Pages
Personalized pages are fairly similar to the standard screens we are used to with Android. One major difference, however, is swiping them does not switch screens. It draws a lasso instead.
This lasso can be used to select multiple icons. When you complete a full circle with the lasso, a menu will pop up. This menu allows you to Arrange, Multi-Choice (like double-tapping in the App Drawer), Create a Folder, or Delete. There is a fifth option called "Gather", this feature is unavailable thus far. There is also a '?' in the center of the option menu which appears to do nothing. The lasso tool cannot select widgets.
All normal widgets can be placed on the Personalized pages as usual. Long press, or Menu > Add. Both of these methods allow you to change wallpaper as well. **Note** Live Wallpaper is apparently not supported currently.
Personalized pages do not have a defined grid, so the only way to align your asia neatly is to lasso them and use the arrangement option.
Personalized pages also allow you to place apps at any angle using multi-touch. Press and hold the app and turn it with the other finger.
The Side Bar
By default, the tab that activates the Side Bar is located on the middle left of the screen.
The Side Bar has 3 available tabs, they are as follows:
Smilie Face - I assume the Smilie Face implies favorites? Basically you can drag and drop apps in and out of this tab for fast access.
Settings Cog - This tab contains all TSF Shell specific widgets. You will NOT find these widgets (yet, anyway) through Menu > Add > Widgets or through Long Press > Widgets.
Thumb Tack - I'll call this the "Decorations Tab" because, as far as I can tell, there are three items listed here. A cloud, a ghost, and a pumpkin. Each of these can be places on any Personalized page. You can not tap through them, so placing them completely over an app or widget will require you to move them before being able to use the app or widget from that location. These "Decorations" don't appear to be animated and don't appear to serve any purpose other than "Hey guys, check this out!” I would imagine these will be elaborated on in the future?
Finally, if you tap and hold any of the above listed tabs, you can change their order around, as well as drag the whole side bar tab. You can move the side bar tab vertically anywhere between the bottom of the notification bar and the top of the Switch Button.
The Price:
One tiny rant on that... please stop complaining about the cost of this launcher, people. I don't see anyone crying over the $200 "Diamond Widget" app that does literally nothing but prove you have $200 to blow. Or, worse yet, that you have only $200 to your name and you've now blown it all accidentally The developers put a lot into this and it shows. Appreciate it or use the plethora of free launchers available.
Personalised pages also don't have a defined grid, so you might wanna add that.
Also, long press an icon, and use multitouch to rotate it freely for even more control on your pages.
some of the feature that were demo in their website wasnt implemented in this release,so what happen and is it worth??
from the ARC
lenny_kano said:
Personalised pages also don't have a defined grid, so you might wanna add that.
Also, long press an icon, and use multitouch to rotate it freely for even more control on your pages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, thank you! I completely forgot to add that.
Rashid,
I'm confident the developer will release the missing features as they can. Admittedly, I have little to base my confidence on, but they have released several updates already. If that continues, I'm sure the features will too.
As far as whether or not it's worth it? I believe so. It's the only launcher that was brave enough to throw out the standard feel of android and completely change it.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
Watched the video on the market and seriously the most feature packed launcher I've seen and incredibly smooth. If I ever am ready to pay 15+ on a launcher it would definitely be this one. Im using the stock launcher on my bionic at the moment and im satisfied.
Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
if they are going to have a page for apps instead of an app drawer then really should let you "hide" apps...i currently use go launcher and it is essential as i have a lot of system apps that i do not want something accidentally clicking or opening and changing something....also a lot of addons that ive downloaded show up in the app drawer or in this case app page and it leads to a lot of clutter
is it a nice launcher? yes, definitely...gorgeous animations and extremely fluid...but for $17 it better have everything the free ones have and some (which it does not) the features it does have are nice and pretty...but they are more luxury then necessities..go launcher, adw have a bunch of essentials that this launcher does not have...this launcher completely cripples artistic creativity (due to its lacking features)
Scott,
I totally get where people are coming from with the price... To am extent.
However, in the grand scheme of things, this is a launcher that took a lot of time and excellent coding. Lets not forget you can use it on all your future androids as well.
Jdiddy,
I also agree on the app page. App hiding isn't that important to me personally, but I get why it can be for some. Also, it's just a tad inconvenient. I can honestly say
I'm not sure why I perceive it as inconvenient... It's not like it takes long to access.
Aside from that, I do miss my dock. I can't seem to find a convenient place to put my dialer.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
doberman16 said:
Scott,
I totally get where people are coming from with the price... To am extent.
However, in the grand scheme of things, this is a launcher that took a lot of time and excellent coding. Lets not forget you can use it on all your future androids as well.
Jdiddy,
I also agree on the app page. App hiding isn't that important to me personally, but I get why it can be for some. Also, it's just a tad inconvenient. I can honestly say
I'm not sure why I perceive it as inconvenient... It's not like it takes long to access.
Aside from that, I do miss my dock. I can't seem to find a convenient place to put my dialer.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its convenient because we arent used to an app page...normally we press the button and have the ability to back out back to the homescreen..the app page forces to to switch between and choose which screen to go to after...its quite annoying...an app drawer is a lot easier
and the lack of a dockbar is a no no...i, as well as everyone else, have grown accustomed to a dockbar as even the stock launcher incorporates one...phone, contacts, texts need to be accessible from any page or else you have to have multiple clicks to perform simple tasks
IF and WHEN they incorporate the other basic stuff..dockbar, app drawer, grid size, # of pages...this launcher will be up there with the best
having an android is all about customization and using this launcher takes that away...its like having a glorified iphone...in terms of what your screen looks like
Nice collection of instructions; thanks for this. I hadn't realized that the tabs could be moved!
I've played a bit with creating a false "dock" at the bottom of each page to allow me to always have quick access to the Phone, Google Voice, Gmail, and Chrome apps. Seems to be a fair compromise so far.
codesplice said:
Nice collection of instructions; thanks for this. I hadn't realized that the tabs could be moved!
I've played a bit with creating a false "dock" at the bottom of each page to allow me to always have quick access to the Phone, Google Voice, Gmail, and Chrome apps. Seems to be a fair compromise so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is the obvious work around...however, at this point -all launchers have it (especially for a $17 launcher) a dock seems like a pretty basic feature
Jdiddy,
The thing is... If this were iOS you'd be stuck. On Androids, we can provide feedback to the developer and, dare I say it, actually be listened to! The launcher is new, but from my perspective, the devs are listening.
Easier said than done, but if they incorporate a few more features, no other launcher competes. The fact that they have decided to say "To hell with the standard, lets be innovative." Is huge. I mean... Seriously, other launchers are nice, but come on. They're all same **** different day. They come up with slightly different ways to do it, but never far enough off the beaten path to really drop jaws.
Code, thank you! Glad I could help. Good idea with the pseudo dock. I might try that. I'm just the type of person that likes everything aligned and there really isn't a way to do that. At the same time, I enjoy the option to place things wherever you want. If a snap to grid feature were added... It'd be perfection.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
Jdiddy, I don't disagree at all. Lets again not forget the fact that this launcher is not written in stone. Smart devs, which I believe the TSF devs are, will listen. If they don't... I'm out $17... I've spent way more on way less useful things in my lifetime.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
I keep seeing folks lamenting "oh, it doesn't do this that Launcher X does". So what? It does plenty of things that other launchers can't touch! It wasn't meant to be just another clone of the stock Android launcher (like ADW, LauncherPro, Apex, Nova, Trebuchet...). TSF Shell is revolutionary, a way to interact with your Android device that is completely new and breaks from tradition. It's fantastic to have the option of a launcher that is truly different from all the others.
did i state my comments in a negative way? i was just stating what they needed to add..and giving reasons as to why its important...im commenting on the state of the launcher as it stands right now and nothing else...i said it crippled customization...which is the truth..i didnt blast their product or say their work was shoddy..its called constructive criticism
and yes, this launcher does things that others dont...but the KEY is that it limits customization...im not asking for bells and whistles to be taken from other launchers...its great that this launcher is unique...but im not about to trade convenience for a few cool animations..tell me that the app page is more convenient then a drawer and tell me that not having a dockbar is a good idea...didnt think so..thats all im saying..if they add all the customization options and had everything they have in their demo video then i can understand the hefty price tag
that was my entire point.
also..my perspective is of someone that creates a lot of artistic homescreens in the http://mycolorscreen.com mold
so to me grid size, icons, # of pages all that stuff is crucial...and after seeing the stuff this launcher has to offer...if they added those things, it would be incredible
Jdiddy,
Perfect response. I don't think anyone took your comment negatively... I didn't at least. Does it have took for improvement? Absolutely! Does it have the capability to meet our expectations? Yes! The only question is whether the devs respond to their paying customers in the way that they should.
I could email them myself, but lets be realistic. They're flooded as it is. My email would get lost in the mix and I completely understand that. The key here is to be the squeaky wheel... Because that's the one that gets oiled first.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
When install new app, icon of this app will be on fire, but not animated for now. Music widget allso will appear in nice music preview mode when swipe over it. And one bug - when using lasso function to select icons and release screen, then choose arrange icon function, the last selected app will run automatically.
Nice launcher, very fast with great potential, but it's only born before 3 days , will be improved.
Sent from my HTC HD2 using xda premium
Vallcho,
The fire animation shows up only while scrolling. I some this is a bug.
The lasso function you are talking about is the multi select. And, yes, it does open the last app you selected. I'd assume this will be fixed.
Edit: I noticed that double tapping in the screen preview makes the screens jump in an odd way. Could be a bug, could be a broken feature.
Also, I somehow was able to get the lasso to appear in the app page. Again, could be a bug or intended. Let me know if you see the same and how you got it to happen. Haven't been able to replicate it intentionally.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
I will say one thing, this launcher is the single most unique launcher available for android. I challenge anyone to give an example of something with as much creativity. There all either stock launcher clones, or clones of other OS's like windows phone.
That said, its far from perfect, but looking at a lot of apps on the market, the price vs effort/originality ratio is better with this then any other launcher available , so I very much look forward to what they can do in the future.
Very well said, Lenny. The thing we need to keep in mind is that it's a new launcher. It's innovative, and it's about time. If the devs need time to release everything... Give it to them. It will pan out.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
doberman16 said:
Very well said, Lenny. The thing we need to keep in mind is that it's a new launcher. It's innovative, and it's about time. If the devs need time to release everything... Give it to them. It will pan out.
Sent from my Milestone X using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As long as they don't abandon it. Its a great idea if they support it and keep it up.
Don't let it go the way of uber music. Great start, **** commitment and follow through. Innovative is a very good way of putting it. First original idea I've seen on the market for a long time.
And no offence to other launchers devs , there's amazing work going on in terms of feature adding and bug fixing, but the innovation is low to nonexistant.
Related
Probably not the first thread on the subject but nevertheless: Which home screen replacement are you using and what do you like about it?
I developed a home screen replacement called "Simple Home" and it is all about simplicity. Feel free to try it out (search for "Simple Home" on Android market). I'm interested to hear what features people really want to have in their launcher!?
I use launcher pro. my favorite feature is having the scrollable dockbar.
Sent from my Droid using XDA App
At least you were somewhat up front about spam, if misleading in the title.
I am genuinely interested due to fact that I've developed an app in a certain way, not out of any commercial reasons! If it was an unsolicited post then I would a) not answer you b) not ask questions or c) not promote a free app. My post is meant as a basis for a discussions. Yours on the other hand is not!
regarding the scrollable dockbar in launcher pro: hmm yes, it is very nice feature to have some kind of menu bar with pinned apps. Strange though that it disappears when you go to the app drawer. On the other hand there needs to be some kind of icon for the return button some how.
something to try could be developing a way to organize the app drawer using sections, folders, etc. if I knew anything about app creation that's what I would be working on haha.
Sent from my Droid
You can enable/disable the return home button in preferences. I particularly like the extended froyo theme dock for pinned apps. Keeps my desktop clean. I don't care for multiple dock rows as I just use 4 icons, but I like the options. I recently paid for the paid program of launcher pro.
The best part is you can make it simple or complex in options. Theme support is also nice... and its speed is wonderful.
I think launched pro has it figured out. If you are building a launcher perhaps try to think out side the box instead of trying to compete with such an already complete launcher.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
ADW all the way on my X10
infernox51 said:
something to try could be developing a way to organize the app drawer using sections, folders, etc. if I knew anything about app creation that's what I would be working on haha.
Sent from my Droid
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny thing you mentioned it, because this is exactly what I've done for my app and of course using frecency sorting (frequency + recency). This is exactly what I want to have for my app drawer plus filtering to narrow down the list (which is also in there).
player911 said:
You can enable/disable the return home button in preferences. I particularly like the extended froyo theme dock for pinned apps. Keeps my desktop clean. I don't care for multiple dock rows as I just use 4 icons, but I like the options. I recently paid for the paid program of launcher pro.
The best part is you can make it simple or complex in options. Theme support is also nice... and its speed is wonderful.
I think launched pro has it figured out. If you are building a launcher perhaps try to think out side the box instead of trying to compete with such an already complete launcher.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am, I think the ones that are out there really do the Android style launchers to perfection. My approach is simplicity and speed. I personally don't believe in arrangeable desktops. It works fine when you have a few apps but when you have a fair amount installed it becomes tedious to do rearrangements..
ADW. But I like eye candy. If your going for simple you could have a niche to yourself.
One feature I'd like, played with a few programs last night as was not happy with any, is a task SWITCHER.
Double tap home and bring up a nice screen, if it can use a wall then even better.
No killing just switching.
Yes, I agree! Ubuntu- or mac-style task switcher would be truly great. I don't think that exposé will work as good on a mobile phone as on a PC
My approach was to add an indicator on top of app icons in my app drawer for apps that are running (according to the ActivityManager) together with the ability to sort the list on running apps. I find that simple and very useful..
I tried ADW, Helix, LauncherPro, Simple Home, and PandaHome. I like Panda's side docks & app hiding, and ADW's hidden dockbar & screen swipes to launch apps (though it still FCs on my Droid 2.1R) . I'd prefer something simple. I don't need more than 3 screens and usually go to 2. I don't need a task switcher because long-pressing Home shows my last six apps. I don't need flash, I just want it to work. ADW works for me now because I have four quick action buttons (so it replaced Helix) and six more in the dockbar, though I can scroll for more. Just my .02
I have used Stock sense, ADW, and LuncherPro in the last 3 days and I like LuncherPro by far the best. I like having the 4 icons on the bottom to clear icon clutter on the screen and the menu system is nice.
So I just signed up here after getting a G2X. I have been into Android for about a year. I started out with the Cliq XT which I actually loved, then got the Defy which I hate to see go, and now am on the G2X [the first superphone to really impress me since it can actually do something my Defy couldn't]
I am very happy with my G2X. I don't get the fuss over screen bleeding as phone displays have come such a long way from my first cell phone, the Panasonic GD55. I also have not had ONE reboot. My battery life is between 4 to 6 hours and I'm pretty much browsing the web ALL day.
but lately, I've wondered, am I wrong? dumb? blind?
I only use three home screens. The main one has just 4 small icons: camera, messaging, browser, and navigation. Then to the right home screen just the weather widget, and to the left screen, the android power bar widget. and after that, nothing else, nothing.
Is there something I'm missing? or am I right in not loading up the screens and just hitting the menus if I need something? I realize, for example, the google search widget would work for me, but I don't see the point of having it on the screen when I can just press browser and it opens to a blank google window I don't facebook much, but I can just open the app drawer, click the facebook button, and it's all right there.
So am I just crazy? or is my approach more common and popular than I think?
On another note, I'm missing some things from my defy. I was able to install the connected music player apk to use instead of the horrible stock one, but I'm missing my airplane mode button and timer built into my clock/alarm app.
but still...I feel weird..they added homescreens to make it 7..so people obviously love them and need them..and yet if I really wanted to I could put EVERYTHING I use on one.
Its your phone best used how you see fit. I have on extra page filled with a few apps I use since I've gotten into rooting my phone and playing around with things the devs help and teach me on. But I do the same I go to the app menu if I wanna use something too.
Sent from my HTC G2 using XDA Premium App
You're not an idiot lol I myself have a pretty much bare set up haven't really customized anything due to the fact that I've been bouncing from rom to rom. Plus the wonderful thing about android is that you can pretty much do what you please. If you're only using 3 pages I'd suggest you use Launcherpro or ADW (or whichever launcher you prefer) and have only 3 pages up so you're not left with all these blank pages. I used to just use 1 page back on my MT4g Bottom line is you're not an idiot
I know exactly what you are saying. I've got launcher pro and have the dock all customized with 15 icons in 3 docks. Some camera apps and different markets and the usual messaging and stuff.
Now I'm like...why do I need anything in my home screens? I've got my vacation days left widget on the home screen and the launcher pro contacts widget on another. That's it.
But then I downloaded three icon packs and see myself customizing the screens more. There sure are a lot of cool choices. If I do that the dock choices become redundant.
I just don't use most of the apps in the drawer enough to put them on a home screen. Only a select few.
Having a blast playing around though.
Instead of having all my apps on one page, I'm thinking of giving the pages themes, like games, tools, camera, messaging etc.
I also like to keep one home screen blank so the wallpaper, living or not, is highlighted.
i also have 3 screens
I also have just 3 screens.
I use LauncherPro + QuickDesk + SwipePad
Screen #1 just has 9 icons for each of my fave Google apps: Browser, Calendar, Market, Latitude, Maps, Navigation, Talk, Voice and YouTube.
Screen #2 has minimum of 2 icons: Shortcut > Direct Message > My Wife
The second icon is either my ToDoList for the day or a ShoppingList.
I use ColorNote.
Screen #3 is for my widgets.
Battery Monitor Widget, Catch Notes Widget, Pure Calendar Widget.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
I really love the scrolling dockbar in LauncherPro. I use just two dockbars for a combined quick access to a possible 10 apps + 10 gestures.
I also use SwipePad for quick access to 12 more apps, and also QuickDesk for additional quick access to s'more apps & shortcuts
Using the Hidden Apps feature of LauncherPro, I hide most of my apps in the app drawer.
I access everything else from the capacitive touch Search button.
I run simple as well. However adw ex utilizes both cores for instant function.
Buy adw ex. Open settings/Profiles and select FAST SETTING.
it will be like nothing you've had before.
I call it Instant.
I don't even use any animations at this point.
Its more impressive not to even need any then to watch one.
It will impress you.
Sent from my LG-P999 using XDA Premium App
as many people are customizing there phones, i thought the launcher is the first screen that people always see, and they seem to provise the most customizable attributes. i am curious and on the search for the most versitile lancher out there and what they can do.
i know there is a post your homescreen thread out there and there is quite a few responses and nice pics, but not all list their lancher preferences or apps they used to get those.
posting screenshots and tools you used would be great
super simple laucher pro, but not done yet
Haven't had much success with it but sslauncher is pretty customizable. Really though most of the launchers give you roughly the same features.
Looking through the post your home screen threads many use apex, adw, or launcher pro. They let you replace homescreen icons with custom ones.
Uccw is a popular clock and weather widget but us rough to figure out.
Those are the main 2 I would say. A good place to start anyway.
Sent from my SGH-I997 using xda app-developers app
You can surely find plenty of launcher reviews, if you search.
Some require Android 4.0.. I haven't looked at those.
Among remaining it seems frequent mentions are ADW, Go Launcher, Launcher Plus, Holo
I haven't done a lot of comparison. I tried Holo launcher first and have mostly stuck with it. It does what I want, and I'm not interested in spending a ton of time comparing and setting up launchers.
I did try ADW later. It has more options but also more complicated interface so I stick with Holo. (I may change in the future...maybe if I learn about something big that I'm missing during this thread)
Attached are screenshots.
The first one highlights something I like about Holo (only the pro version) - you can put any widget into the dock area at the bottom.
So the first two icons on the left of the dock are Tasker toggle widgets in there for Wifi and Data. The color changes when the status changes (grey for off, green or red for on depending on what parameter). They are controlled manually or by Tasker which changes status based on location. Then in the center/right of the dock, I have Elixir widgets displaying battery level, MB free, number of applications running. Clicking on these widgets launches handy menus - the memory free sends you to settings/applications, the running applications lists running applications with option to switch to any running application... I use this often to make sure I have closed out all the applications I've used recently (may not be required but makes me feel better).
The 2nd screen highlights easily resizable widgets - I use them heavily for lists on my homescreen. I have 9 screens available, so plenty of room to have many lists on homescreen and move them around. Also of course I can change which note is displayed in a given position or get rid of a note from home screen and it remains (stored in Color Note).
Also I like the gestures. For me swipe down laucnhes a Tasker tasj to turn the screen off (save wear and tear on my power button). Swipe up launches a Tasker task for brightness control... if no response in 7 seconds it sets to max brightness (handy when you're in bright sun). There are several other gestures available to be assigned to whatever you want (applications or shortcuts)
That's not all the features, just a few that I like. I suspect most or all of above features are available in other launchers. And I suspect most of the others have more than Holo. I like Holo for simplicity and good useful tools. Not what you asked for... just throwing in my opinion.
Like any launcher, Holo has a few non-optimum features that are discussed in the Holo thread. There is only one that bugs me a little but I learned to cope. The main screens and three dock screens move independently of course. When you press home button with main screen not in home position, both the dock and main screen jump to their home position. But if you press home button with the main screen at home position and dock in non-home position, the dock does not jump to home position. Not a big deal since it's not hard to manage scrolling within 3 dock screens, but I'd like home to take me to home on main/dock screens regardless of where I started.
electricpete1 said:
You can surely find plenty of launcher reviews, if you search.
Some require Android 4.0.. I haven't looked at those.
Among remaining it seems frequent mentions are ADW, Go Launcher, Launcher Plus, Holo
I haven't done a lot of comparison. I tried Holo launcher first and have mostly stuck with it. It does what I want, and I'm not interested in spending a ton of time comparing and setting up launchers.
I did try ADW later. It has more options but also more complicated interface so I stick with Holo. (I may change in the future...maybe if I learn about something big that I'm missing during this thread)
Attached are screenshots.
The first one highlights something I like about Holo (only the pro version) - you can put any widget into the dock area at the bottom.
So the first two icons on the left of the dock are Tasker toggle widgets in there for Wifi and Data. The color changes when the status changes (grey for off, green or red for on depending on what parameter). They are controlled manually or by Tasker which changes status based on location. Then in the center/right of the dock, I have Elixir widgets displaying battery level, MB free, number of applications running. Clicking on these widgets launches handy menus - the memory free sends you to settings/applications, the running applications lists running applications with option to switch to any running application... I use this often to make sure I have closed out all the applications I've used recently (may not be required but makes me feel better).
The 2nd screen highlights easily resizable widgets - I use them heavily for lists on my homescreen. I have 9 screens available, so plenty of room to have many lists on homescreen and move them around. Also of course I can change which note is displayed in a given position or get rid of a note from home screen and it remains (stored in Color Note).
Also I like the gestures. For me swipe down laucnhes a Tasker tasj to turn the screen off (save wear and tear on my power button). Swipe up launches a Tasker task for brightness control... if no response in 7 seconds it sets to max brightness (handy when you're in bright sun). There are several other gestures available to be assigned to whatever you want (applications or shortcuts)
That's not all the features, just a few that I like. I suspect most or all of above features are available in other launchers. And I suspect most of the others have more than Holo. I like Holo for simplicity and good useful tools. Not what you asked for... just throwing in my opinion.
Like any launcher, Holo has a few non-optimum features that are discussed in the Holo thread. There is only one that bugs me a little but I learned to cope. The main screens and three dock screens move independently of course. When you press home button with main screen not in home position, both the dock and main screen jump to their home position. But if you press home button with the main screen at home position and dock in non-home position, the dock does not jump to home position. Not a big deal since it's not hard to manage scrolling within 3 dock screens, but I'd like home to take me to home on main/dock screens regardless of where I started.
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wow, that was one lenghtly response.
i am not really on a search for a launcher, i have done that. i know how to do my homework. i was basically creating a social type of environment for those who really love their Infuse and fully exploit all the freedom we have in customizing.
the other thread, again, has a lot of great pics and i am really like liking some of the more simplified screens. however, most do not post the tools they used.
i have just discovered the SS launcher yesterday and it is pretty unique. still trying to figure it out. another one i found intresting was FullScreen launcher and of course, i still need to dive into that one too.
captemo said:
wow, that was one lenghtly response.
i am not really on a search for a launcher, i have done that. i know how to do my homework. i was basically creating a social type of environment for those who really love their Infuse and fully exploit all the freedom we have in customizing.
the other thread, again, has a lot of great pics and i am really like liking some of the more simplified screens. however, most do not post the tools they used.
i have just discovered the SS launcher yesterday and it is pretty unique. still trying to figure it out. another one i found intresting was FullScreen launcher and of course, i still need to dive into that one too.
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Sorry I misunderstood.
Hopefully you didn’t view my post as being in conflict with your goal of social post (would that make me anti-social )
Launchers are of interest to me, but maybe for a different reason than for you. I have only done a litle exploring them but have been using Holo for a few weeks.. It strikes me that changing launchers has a big impact on our experience, but we don’t discuss that very much on these forums, even though chaning launchers is much eaiser and less risky than changing Roms. I guess maybe that’s because Roms are Infuse-specific and launchers aren’t.
I did think my setup is unorthodox having lots of things indicated on the bottom dock. By the way, my Data icon shows not only data on/off but also how many MB used this month (91.2MB in the first screenshot)... it’s updated daily by Tasker sending an SMS to AT&T requesting data usage and putting the value from the AT&T response into my widget label. Putting Tasker widgets like that into the dock seems pretty useful/versatile to me. I just don’t know if the other launchers allow the same approach. Lots of ROMs have similar stuff up in the notification area but I don't really like that as they tend to be small and also a busy notification area makes it harder to recognize new stuff popping up there.
electricpete1 said:
Sorry I misunderstood.
Hopefully you didn’t view my post as being in conflict with your goal of social post (would that make me anti-social )
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not anti social, you responded in the first place. i was trying not to sound as if i was being a ****. i understand the reaponse though. there are way to many people who wont even look at the previous post, and ask a question that was just addressed. so many questions would be answered if they just did some reading. instead they are pissing off developers who then decide to leave our device.
with all the Jellybean work being done, which is amazing, however JB is pretty much JB. not a lot of individualism. with everything working so good, there is not a lot of movement on the threads. so i have gone back to gingerbread and contiuing my quest for the ultimate set up.
i love the idea od swapping my icons for text, and simple text is pretty easy to work. i would love some vertical text though. i am running the JW8 v2 version of Saurom and like it pretty good. pretty fast. trying to find everything else to complete the package.
i would say most customizeable would be go launcher but i hold tru to ftl launcher pro, basically becuz of the cube scrolling effect for your apps
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
I would use launcher8 its smooth and nice, look for it on the play store
Ive used Go Launcher, ADW and Holo in the past. I used Go launcher extensively on my Infuse and my Gio since it was so customizable but after playing around with other phones using more recent versions of android I felt it was too resource hungry. Holo I used for a bit for that ICS look but found it lacked a few options when compared to Go. But I actually DLed it recently and the experience is now closer to true ICS and reminds me a lot of Trebuchet and its simplicity. Currently Im using Trebuchet since putting my infuse on a CM10.1 ROM and I really like it. Very smooth and simple.
I used GoLauncher for a long time, but have used Nova for almost 4 months now, and I love it! Very customizable and easy to save and reload between flashes
I personally love Apex pro mycolorscreen.com has customization guides that use mostly apex you'd be amazed.
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I use nova and like it a lot!
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I have tried them all my friend. GO, ADW, Holo, Apex, Nova, Are all pretty close in the number of options. I used Go forever because of the folder system in the app drawer. Unfortunately it didnt seem to behave very well with all the ROMs I started flashing (thanks Faux.) Now I use the HoloHD+ and will likely continue to do so ...until the KLP hits me.
Just started using sslauncher and i have to say this is by far one of the most customizable launchers if ever used although there is a learning curve
Slim SON
Ss launcher gives pretty new styles of launcher.
You might want to try this launcher.
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Nova
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Nova + rom control.
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I was wondering if there was a way to get all widgets to be availible on an non-stock launcher. I am using the Nova Prime launcher, and widgets for Samsung's S-Planner are not showing up in the list of available widgets. Anybody know a way to get full access to all my widgets, on this launcher (I don't have any plans to switch to another launcher)?
(The device is unrooted, if that's relevant.)
If you figure anything out please feel free to share, I've been trying to get my ****ing swidgets to work with now for a long time
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I believe they only work on the touchwiz launcher, even if you have touchwiz installed.
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I guess our best bet, is for all of us to keep messaging Samsung, until they recognize that enough people want this capability, that they should work at getting it to happen. Another, that comes to mind, is to seek out a ROM, that could allow that compatibility.
For immediate purposes, I imagine that some app developer(s) have discovered this royal pain of incompatibility, and was smart enough to realize that:
A) Very few people actually keep the launcher on their devices as stock
B) Samsung is undisputed as the current most popular Android-device manufacturer, with the highest number of users & sales,
So they released what would pretty much be a clone of these Samsung apps, but with more universal compatibility to other apps. I will browse the market when I have the time. I will, and ask that other users do as well, post the best/most similar/user-friendly/useful/blah of these finding.
otherwise, we may have to set the stupid touchwiz as our default (if we prefer and wish to regularly utilize Samsung's S-planner & other launcher-picky S-widgets) and have the touchwiz default homepages remain relatively uncluttered, except for these widgets, obviously. Then put in an app icon to switch to the launcher you actually prefer most.
OR
I just did a search in the google app market for "launcher switcher". There seems to be a semi-decent number of apps to help make it easy to toggle between the use of 2+ different launchers. Again, no time for me to test them out at the moment. Will also try to report back with anything promising... this is getting to be an annoying obstacle. lol.
If, like me, you mostly just want to be able to be able to keep on top of your S-planner to-do's, & don't have a great need for that apps menu that pops out of the side when you take out your S-pen, then change the s-pen settings, so that S-planner appears whenever the pen is detached.
I just remembered I could change it. for me this is GREAT because I never used that pen-apps popup. Also, I have really bad A.D.D., alongside O.C.D. . The result is that I constantly do ocd things, like put a lot of time into making detailed lists of things to do for the day, and set a stopwatch counter to track how long a task takes me to finish, but then I Always get distracted to the point, that All the time i put into countless overboard ocd attempts to keep on top of things, become completely worthless, because I have great difficulty keeping up any platform consistently. I feel like Sisyphus, rolling the giant bolder up the hill, and having it always roll back down. Anyways, on my Note tablet, I use the S-Pen more often than I use my finger, so for me, This works well.
Tablet_JF said:
Also, I have really bad A.D.D., alongside O.C.D. . ...
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I guess we all are to some extent or we wouldn't be on this forum reading things like this...
I decided to give Aviate a try yesterday, and I really liked the concept, but it was a little too rigid for me. So I spent some time last night playing around with different widgets and Nova features to incorporate the parts of Aviate that I appreciate into my current setup.
One concept I really appreciate is the categories idea. The screen to the right of my default home screen has long been a collection of folders that kind of function the same way.
With Nova's option to turn off padding, you can essentially turn a screen into a full-page widget, and I was wondering if anyone has ever come across a widget that works like the categories page on Aviate.
I would like to be able to put my most frequently used apps along the left edge, so they are visible and one-tap accessible, and then be able to expand to see the apps I don't use as frequently. And I would like to be able to scroll through the categories.
Any suggestions or recommendations? If I had any knowledge about building apps, I would try to throw one together. Alas, I lack such knowledge. If anyone else is feeling inspired, I would be happy to chip in to support their efforts.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
ejchis said:
snip
most frequently used apps along the left edge, so they are visible and one-tap accessible, and then be able to expand to see the apps I don't use as frequently. And I would like to be able to scroll through the categories
/snip
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apart from the "scrolling through the categories" it sounds like you are a prime candidate for Action Launcher... :victory:
One of the key features with AL is that you can set folders so that a single tap opens the "primary app", and an upwards swipe starting on that icon opens the folder. So you can have a folder called "Social", for example, where a single tap opens Facebook, but a swipe gives you the folder with Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
You can also set widgets in place of the folder; i.e. an icon for Chrome, where a swipe opens the Bookmarks widget
This even works with the dock!
I've been using Action Launcher on my Nexus 10 and Nexus 5 since it came out (and Aviate on my Nexus 5 since beta) and I've simplified everything down to one home screen with the Dock having icons as described above for games, social, internet, media, photos
chaosdefinesorder said:
apart from the "scrolling through the categories" it sounds like you are a prime candidate for Action Launcher... :victory:
One of the key features with AL is that you can set folders so that a single tap opens the "primary app", and an upwards swipe starting on that icon opens the folder. So you can have a folder called "Social", for example, where a single tap opens Facebook, but a swipe gives you the folder with Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.
You can also set widgets in place of the folder; i.e. an icon for Chrome, where a swipe opens the Bookmarks widget
This even works with the dock!
I've been using Action Launcher on my Nexus 10 and Nexus 5 since it came out (and Aviate on my Nexus 5 since beta) and I've simplified everything down to one home screen with the Dock having icons as described above for games, social, internet, media, photos
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I really appreciate the thorough response. I'll have to check this out tonight when I have some time to play around with it. I'll report back on how it goes. Thanks.
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I'm running through Action Launcher now. This is a very different approach, and I like that. The one area where I think it falls short is in aesthetics. It doesn't look very refined to me. I'll keep experimenting with it for now, but I'm hoping someone has an idea for a widget I can just stick on my right screen.
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ejchis said:
I'm running through Action Launcher now. This is a very different approach, and I like that. The one area where I think it falls short is in aesthetics. It doesn't look very refined to me. I'll keep experimenting with it for now, but I'm hoping someone has an idea for a widget I can just stick on my right screen.
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It's certainly a lot "fresher" than the more established brands due to being significantly newer. Things are likely to pick up again soon as the developer has time to work on updates again now.
One thing you can do with the "Pro" version that might be contributing to your aesthetics opinion is hide the little white square indicators on the icons... certainly makes a big difference in my opinion! I definitely prefer the alphabetically indexed single-scroll list in the app drawer once I got used to it!
chaosdefinesorder said:
It's certainly a lot "fresher" than the more established brands due to being significantly newer. Things are likely to pick up again soon as the developer has time to work on updates again now.
One thing you can do with the "Pro" version that might be contributing to your aesthetics opinion is hide the little white square indicators on the icons... certainly makes a big difference in my opinion! I definitely prefer the alphabetically indexed single-scroll list in the app drawer once I got used to it!
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Well I'm going to keep it on my devices and continue tinkering. I'll keep an eye on updates and development too. I appreciate the recommendation. Sometimes when the approach is different from everything else out there, it takes a few days to adjust to it.
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ejchis said:
Well I'm going to keep it on my devices and continue tinkering. I'll keep an eye on updates and development too. I appreciate the recommendation. Sometimes when the approach is different from everything else out there, it takes a few days to adjust to it
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Absolutely! I used to have about 4 different homescreens for various collections and widgets but after getting used to AL I've slimmed it down to one single screen with zero loss of function thanks to shutters and covers
The fact that you can access the app menu (left side) and "quick page" (right side) from any other app or launcher is also pretty useful (again once you get used to it)