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Im noticing that theres alot of launchers like ADW, LaunchPro, Open Home, etc...I would like to get some input of people who has some experience with each one. Which one has the most options? im looking for more transparent kinda stuff...so maybe which one has the ability to make specific windows transparent. Also ease of use, which one has more themes/icons avialable?
Thanks
I think you will find most people use either launcher pro or adw launcher.
From my experience i had MAJOR force crash issues with OpenHome. I wasnt a fan of pandaHome it was sluggish for me.
Between ADW and Launcher Pro, I think they have very similar features if you arent paying for launcher pro plus for the sense like widgets.
ADW has more themes on the market however you can download any icon you find on the web (usually .png files) i believe for both so you can customize your "theme" and layout very easily to what ever you want.
I personally have the paid version of launcher pro (only available ont he website) because it gives you a sense like people and book mark widget and i wanted to support the developer.
I dont think you can go wrong with either one.
personally, I'm a big fan of adw launcher. I like that I can modify how many rows and columns the home screens have, and also I can set the size of widgets on the screen. I don't know if launcherpro will do that as well, but even besides that, ADW is hugely customizeable, and I swear by it.
I tried Launcher Pro, but it wasn't (imo) a very good Launcher replacement. ADW.Launcher is much better, and with the Paper theme it is my favorite out of all. PHome was very slow, and I didnt really like it in general.
Sent from my Droid using XDA App
I use ADW because of how its integrated into Cyanogen.
However Launcher Pro seems to move quite a bit faster in terms of scrolling and app drawer opening/scrolling.
Just my $.02
~Jasecloud4
I think the two top ones are ADW Launcher and LauncherPro.
I find myself switching between the two.
Personally find myself favoring ADW Launcher recently because it is open-source, and you know how Android fanboys loooove open source.
Thanks for all the great replies guys, im currently using the built in adw that comes with CM6 it is highly customizable...but i did find launcher pro to have a lot more options tho...anyways im going to stick with adw for now its working out pretty good so far.
omegasun18 said:
I think you will find most people use either launcher pro or adw launcher.
From my experience i had MAJOR force crash issues with OpenHome. I wasnt a fan of pandaHome it was sluggish for me.
Between ADW and Launcher Pro, I think they have very similar features if you arent paying for launcher pro plus for the sense like widgets.
ADW has more themes on the market however you can download any icon you find on the web (usually .png files) i believe for both so you can customize your "theme" and layout very easily to what ever you want.
I personally have the paid version of launcher pro (only available ont he website) because it gives you a sense like people and book mark widget and i wanted to support the developer.
I dont think you can go wrong with either one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do I get the bookmark widget? I only see "people" in my launcher pro plus.
I had to update and they changed the process. Bookmark widget seems a little flakey with images.
If I could have the dockbar from adw put onto LauncherPro I'd have my dream launcher.
Yea seems most (like with roms) will swear by one launcher or another. IE the person saying launcher pro wasnt a good launcher replacement. I have use both and cant see how someone using ADW could say launcher pro wasnt a good launcher replacement since they are so similar in features and performance over all (in there current state, it is possible the person tested it a while back and maybe it had issues or something then).
I get slightly faster speeds on launcher pro as well. You can set the number of vertical icons on launcher pro same as you can on ADW for horizontal icons you can get more icons app to let you have 8 on any.
As for making the dock bar the same on ADW and launcher pro i may play with my launcher pro and see how similar i can get it. sice you can set each action and create different dock images/icons and can clear icons i can probably get it to be very similar at least in look i will let you know and if i can i will place a tut.
I use both since I play around with CM6 as my experimental rom. I just never worry about customizing deeply my non daily drivers.
LauncherPro Plus, for the win!
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Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk Pro.
Maybe I am the minority here, but i think Sense blows Launcher pro and ADW out of the water, both in smoothness and just plain usefulness. I have used both LP and ADW for extended amounts of time and have always returned to sense and was glad I did.
Launcher pro for its sheer beauty and fluidity. ADW just seems to stutter around like the waterboy.
I gotta say Launcher Pro. especially now that it is coming out with some very nice looking widgets for people who liked the Sense UI stuff.
I do really like the customizations of ADW though. I wish Launcher Pro would incorporate the widget size customizations you can do. That would rock.
if ADW had the 3D drawer and was as smooth and pretty as LauncherPro I may switch.
takmsdsm said:
Maybe I am the minority here, but i think Sense blows Launcher pro and ADW out of the water, both in smoothness and just plain usefulness. I have used both LP and ADW for extended amounts of time and have always returned to sense and was glad I did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And what makes Rosie so superior? Its complete lack of customization and features?
TheBiles said:
And what makes Rosie so superior? Its complete lack of customization and features?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldnt say that it cant be customized? There are a ton of themes out there for Rosie. What features are you exactly looking for?
Sorry, but a herky jerky "3D" app launcher isnt exactly mind blowing. Its a waste of screen real estate on the top and bottom. Launcher Pro STILL (as of last week I believe when i tried it again) will not allow you to change the message button to handcent instead of the default messaging app.
Its little things like that that are more annoyances. Sense, no matter what rom, or kernel, I am using, has always been smoother and done everything I asked. Plus some of the HTC widgets are downright useful and better looking then their vanilla counterparts.
This is all my experiences of course, and YMMV, but so far I just havent been impressed by other launchers.
takmsdsm said:
Launcher Pro STILL (as of last week I believe when i tried it again) will not allow you to change the message button to handcent instead of the default messaging app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using LauncherPro Plus v0.7.1.0 and it does allow you to change the message button to handcent. It also allows me to change it on the people widget.
Am I the only one that just likes plain old Launcher 2? I mean Android is so customizable already, I don't see why you would want so many different options.
I tried Launcher Pro and ADW and of the two I liked Launcher Pro better but the plain Google-made Launcher 2 is still the smoothest in my opinion.
takmsdsm said:
I wouldnt say that it cant be customized? There are a ton of themes out there for Rosie. What features are you exactly looking for?
Sorry, but a herky jerky "3D" app launcher isnt exactly mind blowing. Its a waste of screen real estate on the top and bottom. Launcher Pro STILL (as of last week I believe when i tried it again) will not allow you to change the message button to handcent instead of the default messaging app.
Its little things like that that are more annoyances. Sense, no matter what rom, or kernel, I am using, has always been smoother and done everything I asked. Plus some of the HTC widgets are downright useful and better looking then their vanilla counterparts.
This is all my experiences of course, and YMMV, but so far I just havent been impressed by other launchers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The "message button?" Do you mean the dock icon? If so, mine has been set as Handcent for quite some time.
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Sent from my HTC EVO 4G using Tapatalk Pro.
takmsdsm said:
Maybe I am the minority here, but i think Sense blows Launcher pro and ADW out of the water, both in smoothness and just plain usefulness. I have used both LP and ADW for extended amounts of time and have always returned to sense and was glad I did.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Total agree, Sense is just so much smoother and doesn't crashes/freezes like adw and launcher pro. Plus I've use both for a while and got really frustrated with the constant freezing and force close and alway end up switching back to sense. Until stock froyo comes out on my phone I'm sticking with sense.
What is the best launcher? In terms of functionality, ease of use, features, design, speed?
Also is there anyway to customize the "Launcher2" on the Nexus S or is it just stuck that way?
- ADW Launcher
- ADW Launcher EX (If you like ADW Launcher, try this.. it's even better; paid app)
- LauncherPro
- Go Launcher EX(never used this but have heard good things about it)
.. this is going to stirr up a debate between ADW Launcher vs. LauncherPro.
My opinion? ADW Launcher, but try out both of them and see which one fits you.
And Launcher2 on NS stock.. nope.
Thanks, I think I'm going to use ADW EX, seems to have what I want and I've used ADW before so a better version of it should be better?
Yeah, EX was initially missing a few features from the free version, but I think those have all been added now, so it's pretty much a straight upgrade.
That said, a launcher is a UI element, so the best launcher is the one with the features you want and which you find most attractive and easiest to work with. There's a reason multiple launchers enjoy success in parallel; one size doesn't fit all.
Serious_Beans said:
Thanks, I think I'm going to use ADW EX, seems to have what I want and I've used ADW before so a better version of it should be better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adw ex is way more fluid. Not sure what makes the difference, but it performs significantly better. Almost as buttery smooth as stock launcher.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
I've used all of the popular ones; Zeam, GO, LauncherPro Plus, ADW, and ADW Ex and personally, the one that does everything I need it to without much fussing about is definitely LauncherPro. Zeam is nice but I couldn't figure out how to customize icons and for me that is a necessary function. GO is basically a freeware version of LPP but when I set custom icons they all came out slightly pixellated. Not very noticable but considering I've never had such an issue with LPP I saw no reason to switch to one that seems less functional. ADW just isn't customizable enough. Period. ADW Ex has a lot of functionality but when I tried to set my custom icons they came out as black squares, again why use a launcher replacement that I can't seem to get to match my theme?
kenvan19 said:
I've used all of the popular ones; Zeam, GO, LauncherPro Plus, ADW, and ADW Ex and personally, the one that does everything I need it to without much fussing about is definitely LauncherPro. Zeam is nice but I couldn't figure out how to customize icons and for me that is a necessary function. GO is basically a freeware version of LPP but when I set custom icons they all came out slightly pixellated. Not very noticable but considering I've never had such an issue with LPP I saw no reason to switch to one that seems less functional. ADW just isn't customizable enough. Period. ADW Ex has a lot of functionality but when I tried to set my custom icons they came out as black squares, again why use a launcher replacement that I can't seem to get to match my theme?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
for zeam, just use desktop visualizer and then drag it into the icon bar.
FaithCry said:
for zeam, just use desktop visualizer and then drag it into the icon bar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know but I'd rather not have to have another application installed just to change the icons in the already installed launcher.
there are more to Go Launcher EX, than Launcher Pro Plus + ADW EX combined
(IMO, i think that is actually why the DEV of GO launcher renamed it to GO launcher EX)
on top of all the LPP + ADW features, you can added any amount of screens, where most launcher usually maxes out at 7 screens,
re-size widgets,
add more columns & rows for the widget screens,
same can be done with the app drawer,
you can custom arrange the app drawer icons position, or default to some sorting of your choice,
you can change individual icons or you can change the entire skin,
very easy to apply any skin / theme with the skin chooser
you can make your own skin
it integrates itself with Go SMS, which also have matching skins, or you can customize your own
there is the build in Task Manager/Killer in Go Launcher EX
and so much more options under the hood.
it's build for customization, there are way too much options, so much that you don't know from where to start and all in a easy to use user interface
no need to edit anything manually on the file system, nor need to replace any files to change the theme/skin
just download the skin/theme that you like from the market and enable it.
Zeam all the way, baby!
Sent from my Nexus S
I prefer ADW as well.
Though I wish I could say stock. =T
Stock
Can I give ADW ex looks of stock launcher ?
Can I add more home screens to stock launcher ?
onthecouchagain said:
I prefer ADW as well.
Though I wish I could say stock. =T
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why do you wish you could say stock? Don't get me wrong the stock launcher works great and I used it for months on my MT3G but it wasn't perfect. The only reason I prefer LauncherPro is that I absolutely can't stand it when icons don't match my theme so I use a custom launcher.
LP Plus just does what I want and its dead simple to set up too. ADW had few issues. Still, one mans Cameron Diaz is another mans Oprah Winfrey
Can LPP be configured to do swipe down on home screen to drop down the notification bar?
I´m using launcher pro and its more stable than the original launcher. But every time I have to reboot, the launcher pro come with black screen then force close and then restart normally... go figure.
alexcinci said:
I´m using launcher pro and its more stable than the original launcher. But every time I have to reboot, the launcher pro come with black screen then force close and then restart normally... go figure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's a weird one, never seen that before, when i was using LPP
AllGamer said:
that's a weird one, never seen that before, when i was using LPP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just adding: non rooted, stock kernell and rom
eventhough I´m having this issue, its way better than the original launcher
alexcinci said:
just adding: non rooted, stock kernell and rom
eventhough I´m having this issue, its way better than the original launcher
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a similar issue. Doesn't happen every time but it does happen. Really isn't that much of a bother.
kenvan19 said:
I have a similar issue. Doesn't happen every time but it does happen. Really isn't that much of a bother.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree
Hey guys, since its not possible to edit my last poll thread, im creating a new one to include more options and ICS based launchers.
I think for now im going to leave the other thread since the comments contain lots of useful information.
So like the last thread, post any pro's and con's you found on any of the launchers and the overall feel of it on your tablet.
Let the polling begin!
I think Nova runs better/smoother than apex. I know there are a couple graphical errors at the moment, but im hoping there will be a update soon seeing as i bought prime and dont want it to be a waste. I have it installed as a system app and it smooth as butter. Im usually docked, so the portrait mode layout isnt of concern for me right now.
Once they take a look at it for tablets, IT WILL DOMINATE!
Gibve a try to
Go Launcher HD Beta.....
WOW
---------- Post added at 11:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:55 AM ----------
But apex haven't dock icon or not?
Still liking ADW EX
I love ADW EX but with ICS there is a blue line in the horizontal on top of the screen.
Does anybody knows how to take it out???
Nova the best at the moment 4 me..
Sent from my rooted Transformer TF101
Go Launcher hd
Right now I think the most complete tablet launcher is the stock ICS launcher. Google intended to step up their game as far as interface goes and with this addition they have really made significant improvements to ease of use, beauty and the goal of eliminating the need for skins. I have played with SPB Shell, Nova, ADW and most recently the Go Launcher Beta. Of them all, I think the Go Launcher is going to eventually evolve into something pretty special due to the commitment of the developers to improve. However for now at least, I'm enjoying the stock ICS launcher (or the slightly themed Asus Launcher) as the "one" that just works and is customizable enough to meet my fickle and ever changing needs.
SWEagle said:
I love ADW EX but with ICS there is a blue line in the horizontal on top of the screen.
Does anybody knows how to take it out???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1 (reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally hate the blue line, so I'm using Nova for now)
Go launcher Beta !
Nova and Apex for sure. Clean, stable, and ICS exclusive.
Go Launcher HD seems ok but it's way too early in beta to tell anything. It's not ICS exclusive. Doesn't show widgets in app drawer even though the stock ICS app drawer shows widgets. It has a special edit mode but I don't really care about it because how often would I use it anyway? It also seems bloated and take a lot of system resources. Putting icons and widgets on my screen is already easy enough.
ASUS Launcher shortcut
Hi!
I have an ASUS Transformer tablet with ICS that is setup for my work needs, which require each screen to be setup a specific way with shortcuts, etc exactly the way my job requires them to be. This isn't a great arrangement for my personal tablet use needs, so I am using Go Launcher for my custom setup.
It has been annoying to have to choose which launcher I want to use, every time I use the "Home" function, so I set Go Launcher as my default. However, I still need to use the ASUS Launcher sometimes. I know I can clear defaults for the launchers in settings, but I hope for a quicker way to load the ASUS Launcher when I need it.
I have been trying to find a shortcut for switching the launcher back and forth from the built-in ASUS Launcher, to Go Launcher EX.
I've read about a couple of apps to do that, Home Manager and Home Switcher, but the review comments for them make me very leery of trying them.
Is there a way I can have a shortcut for the ASUS Launcher on my Go Launcher Screen, so that I can just load ASUS Launcher? It seems like there should be a simpler way to switch between them without having to install yet another app.
Thanks so much for any advice you can give!
Barbara
Apex launcher without a doubt
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
BabeB said:
Is there a way I can have a shortcut for the ASUS Launcher on my Go Launcher Screen, so that I can just load ASUS Launcher? It seems like there should be a simpler way to switch between them without having to install yet another app.
Thanks so much for any advice you can give!
Barbara
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure about Go Launcher but on ADW EX you can long press then hit custom shortcuts/pick your activity /activitys scroll down to launcher and tap it then tap launcher(2.launcher) and that will create a shortcut that opens the stock launcher
Thanks so much for the response, but Go Launcher didn't include such an option...at least, not that I could find.
Home switcher in the app store
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using xda premium
@Bongzilla: OK...I had been leery of using it, based on many of the reviews I read, but since you are using the same tablet as I am, I'll give it a whirl. Thanks so much!
I've been using GO Launcher EX, but I'm not entirely enamoured with it I love the transitions and the themes, but it freezes fairly often and its been reverting my wallpaper to the default every once in a while...
Been using ADW the whole time and loved it for the most part. It's not buttery smooth but that's more on my end of having way too much on hubs, changing wallpapers, widgets and such.
Seems like it's been abandoned though so I'm waiting until I get my Prime before moving Apex. Between the ones I've seen so far, I've liked Apex the best, especially over other guys like Nova and Go Launcher.
I like ADW above APEX for a few reasons.
Compatibility with Simple Text is better with ADW. Somehow APEX is cropping the icon. ALso screen size is better on ADW. With ADW you can align left, where APEX will leave a huge gap in between widget/icon and left/right side.
All in all, I like APEX more for its smoothness and simplicity. Will make a switch when screen size and icon size is changed.
So I'm fairly new to the android OS and recently got an HTC One X. I haven't really done enough research to actually get around to rooting it, but for now I've been having fun running different launchers since I have grown tired of the Sense UI. I have currently messed around with GO Launcher EX and Nova, but there are a few more I also want to experiment with (Apex, Launcher Pro, ADW etc.)
When I switch to a new launcher and save it as default does it erase the screen and widget set up of the previous launcher? If go back to Nova for instance will I have to set the screens up again? I noticed when I went back to Sense from Nova everything I had organized in Sense was gone. Is there an app of something that will save this?
It shouldn't unless you erase the data yourself, though I don't know about Sense itself.
I tried out multiple launchers on my phone and never had loss of configurations (except when intentional).
No, you can safely change and default between Launchers, so long as you don't 'clear data' for that Launcher. Rosie (Sense) included
I've encountered some stability issues with LauncherPro on Android versions greater than Gingerbread, and it hasn't been updated in a long time, but it's still my favourite Launcher for older phones
Have fun!
Try the holo launcher. I love it because it is clean and straightforward.
Thanks for the answers, Holo kind of reminds me of Nova which I liked so I'll try it also!
I liked Nova and Apex almost as much, but Apex won out for me since I really needed infinite scrolling in the app drawer.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using xda app-developers app
try to backup every time you want to switch different launcher..
i think every launcher have backup-restore feature
sorry for my english.
If you change between launchers it can happen that widgets etc. you had on your screen can disappear due to different stuff the launchers put on your homescreen by default. Other than that all should be the same - if you didnt delete anything vital
From personal experience I favour apex launcher: it's clean, highly customizable, good looking and fast.
Using TouchWiz the "Edgebar" is always in forground...that is usefull. But when i'm using some other launcher the edgebar thinks : oh an app is open i switch into background. then you always have to tap the edge to get it back.
how does cocktailbarservice (edgebar) know that it can stay in forground with touchwiz launcher?
and is there a way to edit app to let it stay in forground with other launcher ?
I would love to know the answer to this too. Even though I hate Touchwiz, I have stuck with it for that very reason.
Mirkohmm said:
Using TouchWiz the "Edgebar" is always in forground...that is usefull. But when i'm using some other launcher the edgebar thinks : oh an app is open i switch into background. then you always have to tap the edge to get it back.
how does cocktailbarservice (edgebar) know that it can stay in forground with touchwiz launcher?
and is there a way to edit app to let it stay in forground with other launcher ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I noticed that too. Even the venerable Nova launcher doesn't fix that. Check in the Themes section of this phone forums. I wanted a different launcher solely cause of the ability to have scrolling background images. But the tradeoff with the Edge screen wasn't worth it. So I found an app called landscape wallpaper that does that. Why do you want a different launcher?
edo101 said:
Yeah I noticed that too. Even the venerable Nova launcher doesn't fix that. Check in the Themes section of this phone forums. I wanted a different launcher solely cause of the ability to have scrolling background images. But the tradeoff with the Edge screen wasn't worth it. So I found an app called landscape wallpaper that does that. Why do you want a different launcher?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and with root and xposed framework you can use 'wanam xposed' to set scrolling background thats a solution for all rooted devices.
it would be nice to use nova launcher - more settings, more individual look. I dont like touchwiz launcher.