Database Info

[Q] Stock Launcher smoother than Launcher Pro

I just got the Nexus S. Before installing CM 7 i tried out the stock launcher with a live wallpaper running. I was surprised at how smooth it was and that it had a very nice way of scrolling through the app drawer. After installing CM7 and launcher pro plus i noticed that opening the app drawer wasn't as smooth with a live wallpaper running and it didn't have the nice way of scrolling. Launcher pro has many more features but the stock did have that smoothness. Is there anyway to get this on launcher pro?

You could try playing with the settings and see if you can normalize it.
There are other alternatives to launchers if you like.
ADW Launcher EX (Paid), ADW Launcher (Free), GO Launcher EX, and more.

zephiK said:
You could try playing with the settings and see if you can normalize it.
There are other alternatives to launchers if you like.
ADW Launcher EX (Paid), ADW Launcher (Free), GO Launcher EX, and more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
not sure what you mean by normailzing. also i would like to use launcher pro only. thanks!

Launcher pro is almost always smoother than stock launcher. But with live wallpaper I know what you mean with the choppy app drawer. Only solution is use static wallpaper instead.

damn that sucks..thanks anyways

The only launcher where the app drawer stays smooth with a live wallpaper selected is the stock launcher, all the other ones get choppy.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App

Vandam500 said:
The only launcher where the app drawer stays smooth with a live wallpaper selected is the stock launcher, all the other ones get choppy.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is there a reason for this or a fix? also is there anyway i can get the stock launcher back onto nexus s with cm7?

njiwani said:
is there a reason for this or a fix? also is there anyway i can get the stock launcher back onto nexus s with cm7?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes find launcher2.apk and put it onto the phone.

zephiK said:
yes find launcher2.apk and put it onto the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here is a thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=933517 it's a zip that removes adw and add stock launcher

Stock launcher is the only one that can use hardware acceleration therefore it will always be faster/smoother than any 3rd party launcher.

with the exception of UD Launcher which was used in nscollab for only two releases. Loved it because it was just as smooth and basically the same as the stock launcher but gave you more home-screens and a 5 button dock option and saved a lot of battery even!!!
But then again I guess it is based directly on the stock launcher - at least that'd be my guess.

donaldcaps said:
Stock launcher is the only one that can use hardware acceleration therefore it will always be faster/smoother than any 3rd party launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
is this true? does the stock launcher use hardware acceleration?

anirudh.pullela said:
is this true? does the stock launcher use hardware acceleration?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes it does, only on the nexus s so far with gingerbread. other phones it is powered by the CPU like normal. i guess google wanted to take advantage of the nexus s powerful hardware. just wish they did it for the rest of the phone, like the web browser, etc.

Yes that's true. Stock Launcher is smoother than ADW, ADW EX and LauncherPro.
I realized that a few weeks ago.

How do i enable the stock launcher? I downloaded Gingerbread Launcher from the market? is that the same thing?

Is there a way to force landscape view on rooted 4.0 stock home screen?

I miss landscape from launcherpro but I don't want to switch from default home screen as it is just too good on ics.
I'm sure there is a landscape mode hidden somewhere in order to support devices like the Droid 4. Can this be forced somehow with root?

You can use Nova launcher for that. Nova launcher is the default ics launcher with more options like landscape.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1389071
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk

You mean like this?
View attachment 840461
Sent from my ice cream powered Nexus S

ljordan2 said:
You can use Nova launcher for that. Nova launcher is the default ics launcher with more options like landscape.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1389071
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Nova Launcher looks exactly like what I'm searching for. Installed it and it works perfectly while keeping the vanilla Android look!

DarkhShadow said:
You mean like this?
View attachment 840461
Sent from my ice cream powered Nexus S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, and nova launcher does this. All other launchers have landscape too but they don't have the original ics launcher look. That's why nova is perfect.

Shahpur.Azizpour said:
Yep, and nova launcher does this. All other launchers have landscape too but they don't have the original ics launcher look. That's why nova is perfect.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That pic is stock launcher
Sent from my ice cream powered Nexus S

Trebuchet is CM's official ICS launcher. I looks, feels, and responds exactly the same as stock launcher, because it's a modded stock launcher. It has a ton more features, one of which is auto-rotation.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1386103
IMO, if people can't give a well-informed response, they should just ignore the post.

hp420 said:
Trebuchet is CM's official ICS launcher. I looks, feels, and responds exactly the same as stock launcher, because it's a modded stock launcher. It has a ton more features, one of which is auto-rotation.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1386103
IMO, if people can't give a well-informed response, they should just ignore the post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your referring to me I'm using stock launcher, even if I wanted to use trebuchet I couldn't as I'm not rooted.
I use rotation locker to do it
Sent from my ice cream powered Nexus S

OK I see. Since I'm running unrooted stock rom I guess there is no chance to install it separately from cm...I'd root my Nexus S for it but I'm not interested in CM mod...
hp420 said:
Trebuchet is CM's official ICS launcher. I looks, feels, and responds exactly the same as stock launcher, because it's a modded stock launcher. It has a ton more features, one of which is auto-rotation.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1386103
IMO, if people can't give a well-informed response, they should just ignore the post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

DarkhShadow said:
If your referring to me I'm using stock launcher, even if I wanted to use trebuchet I couldn't as I'm not rooted.
I use rotation locker to do it
Sent from my ice cream powered Nexus S
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh that sounds interesting as I'm really only interested in landscape view. I don't need any other option, and I'm afraid that other launchers like nova will eventually be loaded with too much stuff I don't need. I'll check rotation locker out. Thanks for the hint!

you don't need to be rooted to use a 3rd party launcher. if you can use any other launcher, why wouldn't you be able to use this.
...and that comment wasn't directed at any one user...it was directed at all users who claimed there was no ics-like launcher with rotation, sine trebuchet has been out for over a month!!!

hp420 said:
you don't need to be rooted to use a 3rd party launcher. if you can use any other launcher, why wouldn't you be able to use this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trebuchet requires it to be installed to system so you need root or a unlocked bootloader to place it in /system/app
Sent from my ice cream powered Nexus S

one update on these orientation locker apps. I tried both the free one and another paid app. In both cases the auto setting wouldn't stick. So it would support automatic screen orientation with landscape but only for a limited time. After some minutes it wouldn't work anymore. So this is didn't really help. I swichted back to nova launcher for the time being.

Something better than stock ICS Launcher....

Ok ICS stock launcher is better than HC...but i'm looking for some better.
Any suggest?

I used to have ADW Launcher. Today i discovered Apex Launcher, which is basically the stock launcher with added features. It's mega smooth and stable, and free
The thread is in the Galaxy Nexus forum.

Phlooo said:
I used to have ADW Launcher. Today i discovered Apex Launcher, which is basically the stock launcher with added features. It's mega smooth and stable, and free
The thread is in the Galaxy Nexus forum.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADW Launcher work fast on ICS?

You should try Nova Launcher i use it both on my Transformer and my I9100, i like it! ;-)
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using XDA Premium HD app

I just started using ADW Launcher EX, paid the $3.00 for it, and love it so far but haven't even begun to scratch the surface...

Apex Launcher. Best ICS launcher hands down.

Nova launcher has been pretty sweet so far, similar to stock which I like with added features. Silky smooth, not too many transitions though.
Sent from my cold as Ice Tranny

Nova launcher! Best out there
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

woundedworld said:
Nova launcher has been pretty sweet so far, similar to stock which I like with added features. Silky smooth, not too many transitions though.
Sent from my cold as Ice Tranny
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nova Launcher is available in the Android Marketplace?

At present I'm using Nova on both the TF-101 and the SG2. Liking it (esp the ability to save the configuration).
I do have ADW EX (got it on the US$0.10 sale) but have never actually used it.
Have heard good things about Apex Launcher though.
And then there is always Go Launcher....
Oh, and yes, Nova is available in the Market.

Adw Launcher Ex
highest level of customization
Not ICS exclusive (not sure if it affects performance on ICS)
the only launcher I know that can handle HD live wallpapers without scrolling lag.
Doesn't show widgets in app drawer
Apex
ICS exclusive
decent amount of customization
can't customize folder icons
icon labels disappear if you set desktop grid rows to 8 or higher
Shows downloaded apps and widgets in app drawer if rooted and the launcher is installed as a system app
Nova
ICS exclusive
less customization options than the other 2
can customize folder icons
icon labels disappear if you set desktop grid rows to 8 or higher
background for app drawer is black. Can't make it show the wallpaper
most simple and easiest to set up out of the 3
Shows widgets in app drawer if rooted. Doesn't require installation as a system app
I used ADW on honeycomb. Now I am using Nova. It would be perfect for me if I could remove the black background in app drawer. I tried apex and it felt too much like a beta, which it is. I will most likely switch to apex when it matures.

best for ICS are Trebuchet, Nova, or Apex

BULL3TPR00F said:
best for ICS are Trebuchet, Nova, or Apex
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I use trebuchet on my atrix as well as my tf. Its really smooth. Nova is nice too.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

ADW looks slow.
Tonight i'll try Nova vs. Apex

Using ADW EX right now. I like to keep my home screen to a minimum and since titles me maximize the screen I can put the widgets and app shortcut I need all in one screen. Also it lets me change the drawer background with I set to about 60% transparent.
On my nexus I use Nova.
Sent from my Transformer TF101

Noticed a problem with Nova. When you shift the tablet to portrait the screen real estate is not so great and you lose a lot of space at the bottom and top.
I know you can change the row amount, but anything over 8 and when in landscape you don't get the app name showing up or the widget is slightly cut off.
Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk

Nova for me!
using it for a while now and it's smooth as butter, but i read good things about apax too, you should try them both and decide what works for you

I use apex, it's the best.
Wysłane z mojego GT-I9100

When i originally tried Apex i didn't like it. I gave it another go but this time pushed out to system/app instead of just installing as a regular app. Seems to work much better for me that way.

In apex I change the change screen method to cube. This is very smooth in portrait.
Wysłane z mojego GT-I9100

Highly recommend Nova Launcher for S3

Hey folks,
I highly recommend replacing the touch Wiz launcher with nova launcher. I have found it much more intuitive, and much easier to use. (I am not affiliated with Nova in any way.)
Several advantages:
1. The bottom bar (dock) of apps is highly customizable, with as many apps as you choose. You can also create multiple pages of docked apps, so it's possible to access 10 or 15 apps on the lower dock.
2. The App drawer is automatically alphabetized, unlike touch Wiz, which I find so much easier to use. There are of course workarounds on touch Wiz, but why bother? I just dock the icon for the app drawer on the lower dock so it's always available.
3. Nova has one step back up of your screen layouts so that if you are wiping your phone regularly in order to reflash ROM's, it's trivial to reset your screen layouts by doing a restore from nova. This saves a lot of tweaking time.
4. You can customize the layout of your desktop with variable margins, a persistent search bar on all pages, gestures, and with nova launcher prime ($4), you also get unread counts for SMS, missed calls, and Gmail, which is very nice.
5. Basically everything is customizable and modifiable. I greatly prefer it over the stock touch Wiz launcher. Check out the free version of nova, as it has virtually all the features other than the unread counts.

I personally prefer apex but I can see the appeal in nova. They are pretty similar.

jsb5388 said:
I personally prefer apex but I can see the appeal in nova. They are pretty similar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried Apex but had a super annoying rendering hug that would display a box on the main home screen for a split second...
Not even considering that I spent a few hours tweaking Apex for a few hours (loved that it had so many options) but 90% of the Nova defaults were perfect for me and after going from Apex to Nova was convinced that it was right for me.
Sent from my Galaxy S3

android94301 said:
Hey folks,
I highly recommend replacing the touch Wiz launcher with nova launcher. I have found it much more intuitive, and much easier to use. (I am not affiliated with Nova in any way.)
Several advantages:
1. The bottom bar (dock) of apps is highly customizable, with as many apps as you choose. You can also create multiple pages of docked apps, so it's possible to access 10 or 15 apps on the lower dock.
2. The App drawer is automatically alphabetized, unlike touch Wiz, which I find so much easier to use. There are of course workarounds on touch Wiz, but why bother? I just dock the icon for the app drawer on the lower dock so it's always available.
3. Nova has one step back up of your screen layouts so that if you are wiping your phone regularly in order to reflash ROM's, it's trivial to reset your screen layouts by doing a restore from nova. This saves a lot of tweaking time.
4. You can customize the layout of your desktop with variable margins, a persistent search bar on all pages, gestures, and with nova launcher prime ($4), you also get unread counts for SMS, missed calls, and Gmail, which is very nice.
5. Basically everything is customizable and modifiable. I greatly prefer it over the stock touch Wiz launcher. Check out the free version of nova, as it has virtually all the features other than the unread counts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
*1. Love Nova

lowg said:
I tried Apex but had a super annoying rendering hug that would display a box on the main home screen for a split second...
Not even considering that I spent a few hours tweaking Apex for a few hours (loved that it had so many options) but 90% of the Nova defaults were perfect for me and after going from Apex to Nova was convinced that it was right for me.
Sent from my Galaxy S3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried Go launcher?

Just fyi... the "work around" to get the app drawer alphabetized is clicking the menu button with the app drawer open and then clicking, "view type" and switching to alphabetized. Not exactly complicated. Or even a work around.
Nova is great, but I'm actually enjoying touchwiz. I do want to switch over and play with nova more... But eh, not seeing a huge need. Coming from sense (which I hated) I'm quite happy on tw.
Though I do miss being able to back everything up
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

How does ADW work on it. I have been rocking them for a while. I am picking my S3 up next weekend when I get back in town. My wife already has hers though and she is rubbing it in my face lol.

adw for ics is apex, is it not?
Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

doeboy711 said:
How does ADW work on it. I have been rocking them for a while. I am picking my S3 up next weekend when I get back in town. My wife already has hers though and she is rubbing it in my face lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i start to use ADW ex on my old EVO and is really good launcher, by personal reasons i movo to iphone and now that i back to android i found more launchers, and Nova is really good maybe even better than ADW ex, IMO

Using Apex launcher plus. I tried Nova first, but Apex has a few more features. Just my opinion. Coming from my Dinc running Holo launcher after a VERY long run with LauncherPro (rip).
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

badseed767 said:
Using Apex launcher plus. I tried Nova first, but Apex has a few more features.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here, I prefer Apex Plus also.

Installed Nova and noticed it was killing my batter so I uninstalled it.

Apex here... Nova didnt impressed me
Sent from Verizon Galaxy S 3 w/ XDA APP

I've been using nova launcher for about a week and I like it a lot. It's very smooth and very fast. It is easily customizable as well.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

I noticed Nova was a bit smoother than Apex for me, so I've been using Nova and loving it
Sent from my SCH-I535 using XDA App

Any idea what's up with the widget selector for Nova? I click on the widgets tab and instead of the expected widget drawer I get a list of widgets similar to ginger bread.
Is this a feature that's unlocked with nova prime? Or is that widget drawer option something different? Other than that Nova is pretty sweet!

tars16 said:
Any idea what's up with the widget selector for Nova? I click on the widgets tab and instead of the expected widget drawer I get a list of widgets similar to ginger bread.
Is this a feature that's unlocked with nova prime? Or is that widget drawer option something different? Other than that Nova is pretty sweet!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried this? On my last rooted phone, Droid Incredible, it worked perfectly. Haven't tried it on this phone though cuz I don't feel the need to root. REQUIRES ROOT:
forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=780828
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda app-developers app

piiman said:
Have you tried Go launcher?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running GL - i like it allot.. runs great on the sgs3 with/ICS theme

Apex and Nova are both based on the stock 4.0.x ICS launcher, so they're very similar, but Apex gives more features for free.
You're definitely making a mistake if you use Go Launcher or ADW or LauncherPro on this phone, since those are Gingerbread-based. The ICS launcher is just a much, much better base.

tars16 said:
Any idea what's up with the widget selector for Nova? I click on the widgets tab and instead of the expected widget drawer I get a list of widgets similar to ginger bread.
Is this a feature that's unlocked with nova prime? Or is that widget drawer option something different? Other than that Nova is pretty sweet!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You just need root.
If you have root you can go to Nova Settings... Drawer and enable Widgets in Drawer.
Sent from my Galaxy S3

Launcher

What's the latest favorite for launchers? I use Go Launcher EX, but they really are adding alot of Go crap along with it anymore. I really like how many desktops it allows you to create, don't see near that many in other launchers. What do you guys like?

Nova

monkeyhouse said:
What's the latest favorite for launchers? I use Go Launcher EX, but they really are adding alot of Go crap along with it anymore. I really like how many desktops it allows you to create, don't see near that many in other launchers. What do you guys like?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nova launcher. Haven't needed another since I started using it, it's on all my devices now.

thisisapoorusernamechoice said:
Nova launcher. Haven't needed another since I started using it, it's on all my devices now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've used NOVA, it's close, but Go Launcher Ex is still better.

Google now launcher. I like swiping to my left and have the info that I need.

2nd this,also from what I have observed its the least resource hungry launcher and has been the most responsive by far.
Sent from my GT-i537 using XDA Free mobile app AOSP 4.4.4

Latest Nova launcher beta (materinova#27) with material design.
Just great? ?
Imo best launcher, it has everything I need, fast and stable.

nova launcher I will try it.. is it draining battery?

FloydSmith531 said:
nova launcher I will try it.. is it draining battery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've been using it for years and never have drain issues. If anything, I like to use it to tone down/turn off some of the transition animations to improve battery life

buzz launcher
by far the most customizable launcher and not overly draining has to be the Buzz Launcher withZooper widget which is so custoimizable. i have it on all my phones and tablets and you dont have have root.