Hello, I am quite new on the Xoom and Android, and I just discovered that we can easily change the ICS Launcher ... I thought we could only do this by adding a piece of software on top of ICS and I didn't want to do that for performances reasons ...
But yesterday I discovered I was totally wrong about the launchers, I tried "Nova Launcher" which is free on the market, and I was absolutly amazed about this launcher fluidity : using the stock ICS launcher, I couldn't add a widget without slowing down everything, going from icones pages to icones pages became then laggy ...
Now with Nova Launcher, no more lags !!! (well, as always, except if you use animated backgrounds but I don't).
I was feeling like having a Quad Core Xoom ! Plus the sliding effects are beautiful (3D cube effect), you can also have a dock on the bottom of the screen, chose how many columns and lines of icones you want, etc ...
Any Xoom user should install this, you will feel like having a new device with perfect fluidity !
Great info! Thanks!
Sent from my Xoom
Had to try it Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 running ICS after reading about it here and WOW the speed is amazing. Stock ICS was pretty good but this is just another level. Highly recommendable!
Nice. I like this.
Thanks I'll Install That
A little trick : to have the best fluidity possible, I disabled the option which let the background image move when you change of icones page (sorry, I don't remember the exact name of this feature in the options menu).
APEX is the other high quality ICS launcher. I ended up going with Apex on both phone and tablet. Try the free one on market.
Mandelbrot.Benoit said:
APEX is the other high quality ICS launcher. I ended up going with Apex on both phone and tablet. Try the free one on market.
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Agree! I have Apex on my phone and tablet as well. Best launcher I've ever tried (out of many) and the developer is very open to suggestions and bug reports. Bought the pro version to support this great app.
I also feel Apex Launcher is the best. Plus, Apex Launcher integrates directly into the Cyanogenmod Launcher Settings. It's a neat feature if you're into that. (I am not sure if Nova Launcher does this...)
With the intention of supporting the developer and unlocking the pro features, i also bought Apex Launcher, and I am having no regrets.
I was on Apex, but switched to Nova. I like its dock better on tablets than Apex's; it's a bit bigger and spaced more normally. I also noticed Nova's search bar in both phone and tablet mode is correctly proportioned to the stock launcher's search bars and the Apex one is a bit bigger and stretched. It's picky, but I'm CDO (OCD in alphabetical order) by nature. Also, I like Nova's organization and the fact by integrating Nova Prime with TeslaUnread, I don't have to install another app for unread counts on my widget locker. There's also the issue Apex has with themes on tablets where the themed icons are tiny and look minuscule compared to the ones without a themed icon which are but normal size. I've brought this up MANY times and each time I get a "oh, we just found the bug and fixed it" every time, so Idk if they just found the wrong bug and fized something else by accident or the bug is more pesky than it appears, but I'd much prefer Nova's correct theme scaling regardless of if I have to apply it myself. Currently, however, I've switched from Lustre back to stock ICS cuz I like the rounded better. Does Apex Pro have the platform folder style? That's another thing in Nova I couldn't live without. Plus the overscroll effect on tablets in Nova has correct margines but goes way too far off the screen in Apex.
Nova isn't THAT good - ok, it's fast, but it has some bugs, like dock isn't docked - there can be icons UNDER dock, which is quite stupid (and I haven't seen option to alter that), then, placing icons into dock is frustratingly inaccurate (hovering over the icon place will place icon to RIGHT (not correct, but as direction -> left, right) place).
Not good for me. I prefer stock. Will try Apex now...
I didn't like NOVA.
I am using Go Launcher EX (not the tablet/HD version, but the regular version).
Loving NOVA!
Don't need the dock. With EOS rom, I can add quick launch items to the status bar. Who needs a dock?
Anyhow, very stable and fast.
Also the gestures are a good feature as well. Just remembered that I can also change icons easily.
ravenhr said:
Nova isn't THAT good - ok, it's fast, but it has some bugs, like dock isn't docked - there can be icons UNDER dock, which is quite stupid (and I haven't seen option to alter that), then, placing icons into dock is frustratingly inaccurate (hovering over the icon place will place icon to RIGHT (not correct, but as direction -> left, right) place).
Not good for me. I prefer stock. Will try Apex now...
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I have absolutly no problem with the dock, all is OK for me, I didn't find a single bug yet.
ADW Launcher EX (the paid version) is still the smoothest launcher. Maybe it doesn't have that ICS look that you may love, but it is the best launcher for tablets.
It is smooth even with live wallpapers (only the lightest, but it behaves far better than stock/nova/apex launcher)
Im using Nova a week now and it's awsome! And the bar ahhh it's epic
using Nova after i saw recommendation here!! im satisfied but i have one problem...when i receive sms on ics xoom they dont appear on the screen like it was in honeycombdoes anyone have this problem?
I've been using Nova since its inception, but its just not what I desire for my Xoom. Both Apex and Nova lack the small features I really want for my tablet, but I'm really leaning towards purchasing Apex. It just has a little bit more.
Nova is fantastic for my GNex, but the Xoom is a totally different experience. I can't wait for Chameleon launcher in the fall.
I went back to ADW. Too many force closes with Nova. I too am waiting for Chameleon.
RampageDeluxe said:
I've been using Nova since its inception, but its just not what I desire for my Xoom. Both Apex and Nova lack the small features I really want for my tablet, but I'm really leaning towards purchasing Apex. It just has a little bit more.
Nova is fantastic for my GNex, but the Xoom is a totally different experience. I can't wait for Chameleon launcher in the fall.
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I love them both (Apex has better themes SO FAR but Nova's are coming close already, and the tablet layout of Nova is 10X better on Nova since the overscroll effect actually works best on it and grid sizes are more correct). I prefer Nova's aesthetics (like Holo design for TeslaUnread + the option for changing the Color Theme in the latest beta that makes all of the blues whichever colour you pick). I've got Nova Prime and regular Apex since regular Apex has 9/10 the paid features of Nova anyways. I'm excited for Chameleon as well, though, so we'll see what happens!
Related
I've got a bunch of launchers loaded on my EVO, but my favorite ones for the G-Tab are ADW.launcher and ZEAM (XDA developed launcher).
I like both of them because they're snappy and offer a high degree of customization (e.g. being able to specify the number of columns and rows for both the workspace and the apps).
ADW.launcher seems a bit more customizable since it supports themes, but Zeam is nice because it gives you an app bar on the workspace that you can load up to 8 quick apps.
I still have a soft spot for Launcher Pro. I know that ADW has themes, but LP is fast and does what I need it to do. I have not found a reason to change, yet.
+1 for launcher pro. I liked the themes on ADW but I like the customizable buttons, configurable columns and rows and the widgets with LP.
Perchance I will try Zeam at some point, but in general I am happy with Launcher Pro.
-=Sent from my ViewSonic G Tablet (VEGAn) using Tapatalk=-
zeam cause its lightweight.
Launcher Pro here too.
I'm still playing with Sweeter Home. I like to completely customize the screen layouts. It isn't flawless in operation, but it does provide me lots of time to fidget.
LauncherPro. I like the features and being able to save/load my screen layout/setup is fantastic after flashing ROMs and reinstalling apps.
I prefer GDE but can't get it to work properly (menu's pop up flaky) on the GTab so I'm using LauncherPro.
Launcher pro. Light weight and fast.
Allways been a fan of launcher pro on my android devices it just works how i like
Do any of the themes allow more than sixteen icons per page? There is a LOT of space that more icons could go in.
Is this one of those "phone & portrait" os design constraints?
i'm an ADW fan on my Droid 1 and i tried it on my gtab but i found zeam to be better. its faster and smoother, more lightweight, and actually resizes wallpaper properly. i love adw's themes but i rather go with speed than with custom icons. also love zeam's dock, has tons of space for icons. only thing i don't like about it is that you can't save your configuration.
launcher pro i never liked. probably cuz i can get most of that stuff for free on other launchers. gotta pay to resize a widget? cmon now. also live wallpaper is really sluggish for some reason on launcher pro. keeps stuttering when i turn on the screen, no matter what live wallpaper i try.
gotwillk said:
'm an ADW fan on my Droid 1 and i tried it on my gtab but i found zeam to be better. its faster and smoother, more lightweight, and actually resizes wallpaper properly. i love adw's themes but i rather go with speed than with custom icons. also love zeam's dock, has tons of space for icons.
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Same here. Zeam Launcher + MultiPicture Livewallpaper.
thats really cool! The light effects of that background are live?
I like gde but no icons with all the the themes. But... +10 on launcher pro
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Iam I weird for not running a launcher? I always feel like they slow the system down a bit. I might have to start because all these cool looking home screens are making me jealous!
Launcher Pro... but I think I might try zeam after reading this thread.
I prefer Tap n' Tap for my launcher... OK, who am I kidding
Actually, I use Launcher Pro as well, but I also noticed the live wallpaper stuttering and always thought it was because every app seemed to want to reload itself upon wakeup. However, with all of the love out here for Zeam, I'm going to have to give that a try as well!
has anyone tried the go-launcher?
SInce there are several launchers around I'm curious what the pro's and con's are for each... I think tis thread is going a long way to that. Maybe once we managed to get all the info together we could start making a sticky with pros/cons for each launcher...
Just a thought
Which home launcher do you think is the best? AND WHY?
(i.e. Go launcher, Launcher pro, Adw Launcher, Zeam Launcher,.etc.)
I tried LauncherPro on my Nexus and didn't really like it. Using ADW on the G1, it seems fast and stable and allows me to configure quite a few things.
My choice is currently GO Launcher EX. For some reason ADW Launcher does not work too well for me.
I like LauncherPro for smoothness and the way it handles. I've not found better for that. The lack of options is a real disappointment though. There's very few configuration and customization options, especially with the App Drawer.
ADW has what I would say are those missing options, but doesn't feel as nice or responsive to me. I tend to install either GO Launcher or LauncherPro over it pretty early. I haven't tried Zeam. The "minimalistic" marketing as such doesn't appeal to me and shouts lack of functionality and economy basics. Not what I'm looking for, but then again I haven't tried it.
GO Launcher is my favourite for having so many options, also feeling nice, and a built-in manager. It's not perfect, but it's handy. I am leaning towards the smoothness of LauncherPro as of late and I just really wished it had some extra functionality.
I tried Wave Launcher last night, but I ran into a few issues with not being able to pick a default - It seemed two launchers were active and the phone halted to a crash. Now this solved itself after a reboot, but I expected more. It's not as smooth as I would've hoped and I don't like the gesture activation. I would rather the Wave was smoother and was the springboard dock itself. Also the App Drawer doesn't seem to hide background items properly.
I use zeam, eventhough it is very minimalistic, the features that it gives is great, with gesture binding, scrolling widget support, etc. try it out zeam.org it is also very light on the g1
maximo360 said:
Which home launcher do you think is the best? AND WHY?
(i.e. Go launcher, Launcher pro, Adw Launcher, Zeam Launcher,.etc.)
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I would say Go launcher Ex is best... it has lots of features plus its smooth on g1 and the cool themes that you could download... launcher 2 it also good but lacks features
Go launcher EX is the best I have tried so far.. I used to only use Launcherpro because it was smooth but launcher EX is even smoother on the G1 (and perfect on the hD2 )
I like Adw Launcher. It's pretty fast and has lots of features.
I personally prefer stock launcher2. Light and fast without all the extra customization settings. Other launchers seem to try really hard to improve on what is already pretty good.
Best Home Launcher!
Well, I think GDE was the best! But I think Zeam Launcher is more fast! I tried them both and loved them... if you want extra customizations, etc then go for the GDE launcher but if you want fast and light then Zeam Launcher is best choice for you! Hope that helped.
As I said... I know I can lock my screen orientation on any launcher but I find that I like a launcher that I don't have to bread sideways, I use my tablet about half the time on and half the other.
Touchwiz does a pretty good job here but I must be honest the Folder bug is really annoying me - I admit I am a bit OCD when it comes to my electronics. Is there a way to get one of the third party launchers like Nova, Apex, or even Go Launcher HD to "letterbox" the icon space the way Touchwiz does so that either orientation looks just as good?
ADW Launcher EX just got an update with tons of imrovements, try it, it has all you need
titanshadow said:
As I said... I know I can lock my screen orientation on any launcher but I find that I like a launcher that I don't have to bread sideways, I use my tablet about half the time on and half the other.
Touchwiz does a pretty good job here but I must be honest the Folder bug is really annoying me - I admit I am a bit OCD when it comes to my electronics. Is there a way to get one of the third party launchers like Nova, Apex, or even Go Launcher HD to "letterbox" the icon space the way Touchwiz does so that either orientation looks just as good?
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NOVA LAUNCHER PRIME is Better !
I use Nova Launcher and you can set the borders and icon spacing to your liking. I have mine set so it looks good in both portrait and landscape
Nova, Apex and Trebuchet can't set separate settings for portrait and landscape mode, with ADW EX you can set vertical and horizontal spacing for both modes separately
Nova and ADW launcher is best for me...
Yes I've tried a lot of launchers, and i think that Nova looks better than the others and i also believe that is a little bit faster
OhMyJx said:
Yes I've tried a lot of launchers, and i think that Nova looks better than the others and i also believe that is a little bit faster
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nova is the best imho
Nova is the best for me. Window transition is very smooth
SPB works fine for me on both landscape and portrait... although I have to admit, when it's not an SPB widget, it requires a while to outline stuff in a way that looks good on both orientations.
I would suggest sslauncher the original. I've bought almost every launcher in Google store. This is the only launcher that has separate ui for portrait and landscape. So no widget messed up when u rotate.
Sent from my GT-P3100 using Tapatalk 2
nova works great for me.
Just wondering if any of you switched over to Nova or if your sticking to the stock launcher.
Ive noticed some lag with stock but I enjoy the widgets touch wiz offers.
Stock or aftermarket launcher?
I'm currently using aviate by yahoo and I like it a lot especially with the transparent setting
I pretty much switched to Nova Launcher right away. Didn't even bother playing around with the Touchwiz launcher
Nova, latest beta. Looking good.
I'm using TW with no issues at all.
nova all the time.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app
As soon as I got all my apps installed, switched to Google Experience.
This is clearly a question - it belongs in Q&A, moved. Please post in the correct sections.
Thanks.
DutchDogg54 said:
This is clearly a question - it belongs in Q&A, moved. Please post in the correct sections.
Thanks.
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Looks like your work is cut out for ya today lol.
devynbf said:
As soon as I got all my apps installed, switched to Google Experience.
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That's the Google Now Launcher? I use a lot of different lauchers in my Note2 but Go Launcher is the one I have the most setup due to the extensive customizability-gestures-3D effects but it wasn't as impressive when I quickly installed in on a Note4 in Best Buy perhaps because I hadn't customized it yet but I also like the Google Now Launcher & Nova & Themer.
I generally immediately get rid of TW but it wasn't as bad in the Note4 but still not ultra smooth or interesting as the other lauchers. I really like the ability to change launchers which is another reason Android is & the next time I play with a Note4 I'll go through more launchers as it could definitely look cooler & be more functional.:good:
I switched to Nova Launcher beta instantly. TouchWiz isn't bad, but I can't stand the grid spacing as I like to keep a few widgets and apps on my main home screen.
I've already switched to Nova, phone should be here Friday. ??
DruHill said:
I switched to Nova Launcher beta instantly. TouchWiz isn't bad, but I can't stand the grid spacing as I like to keep a few widgets and apps on my main home screen.
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Agree grid of icons gets old fast like lame iOS & I also try to keep icons to a minimum (Go Launcher lets you program 5 base hideable icons to launch additional apps with gestures like swipe up as well as scroll swipe across to another 5 icons & another 5 icons (5x3=15 x 2 including the programmable gestures upon a long press menu = 30 apps-shortcuts-functions) & I use a lot of widgets so I don't even have to click icons to access some data. I don't think non-Prime Nova lets you customize as much as Go Launcher but there are more & more cool launchers being developed & still setting up other launchers I previously mentioned.
Switched to Nova pretty much immediately. As mentioned above I can't stand the spacing between icons. Also I need gesture support, especially with such a large phone. Why that still hasn't been built into the touchwiz launcher I'll never know.
First thing I did was install the ADW launcher. I've been a fan for a long time.
Would anyone recommend a different launcher to replace Touchwiz?
I've used nova launcher on my OP1 but are there any other launchers that would be recommended?
honestly i haven't used Nova since my Nexus 6p days, after Oneplus 3t i started using default launcher. the samsung one isn't that bad
I have been using Apex launcher since Galaxy S3 together with weather/time/cal widget beautiful widgets app (I found out about this thanks for flossy on youtube) it makes for a perfect experience and I set all the backgrounds to black, looks like app icons are physically above the screen.
Tried giving the stock launcher a good try. I ended up going back to Nova. I like the customization too much. The good news is it's faster then hell on this phone. Love it.
I also ended up going back to SwiftKey. It does such a good job of knowing what I want to type.
I like stock but Nova is great on this phone. Especially if you get into the sesame integration, very quick to use.
Action launcher is the only other one worth a damn IMO.
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
I started out with Action Launcher as I backed it up on my previous phone, put that data on the Note 8 and restored after installing all my apps. Have gone back to TW, it;s not near as bad as it used to be.
I love Next Launcher 3D.
Check out lawnchair. It's a customizable Pixel launcher. Loving it so far. The black theme with Note8 screen looks amazing.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/lawnchair-customizable-pixel-launcher-t3627137
I've been using Smart Launcher Pro for a couple years now. It really makes everything simple and organized for you.
Apex Launcher
I use Apex Pro, with dark matter icons. Swipe down for notification and swipe up for app drawer. Double tap puts the phone to sleep. Blacked out my nav bar so there is no burn-in buttons on the screen. Loving this phone!
Apex Launcher
I use Apex Pro, with dark matter icons. Swipe down for notification and swipe up for app drawer. Double tap puts the phone to sleep. Using xwidgets with the s8 clock widget. Blacked out my nav bar so there is no burn-in buttons on the screen. Loving this phone!
I've been using Nova Prime for a LONG time. I'm actually sticking with the stock TW for the time being (there's a "update" that allows for down swipe to pull down the notification)
Nova prime or action launcher. They both have Android O features. Most other launcher seem old or outdated. Good luck.
Lightning Launcher has no equal. I've used most including Nova (which I like), but I always go back LL. The app allows unparalleled creativity & options. Definitely the most power & complex launcher I've ever used.
stronggeek said:
Lightning Launcher has no equal. I've used most including Nova (which I like), but I always go back LL. The app allows unparalleled creativity & options. Definitely the most power & complex launcher I've ever used.
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^^^^^^This x10!!!! It still is mind blowing how little people know about it and talk about it. There isn't a launcher that comes close in customization. I guess the learning curve scares people away.............
joachimi86 said:
^^^^^^This x10!!!! It still is mind blowing how little people know about it and talk about it. There isn't a launcher that comes close in customization. I guess the learning curve scares people away.............
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I just tried this...to see if it can replace nova....
the learning curve scared me away lol
Try Flick launcher. Available in play store. This is still in Alpha stage, but an amazing launcher. One of the only launcher that allows background blur in the app drawer. This replaced Nova on my phone for now. No other launcher could do that in years!
New Microsoft launcher Beta recommend for most users, easy, simple, beautiful, easy to connect to PC. try it out. it's amazing. its free
Action launcher for power user and Advance users. paid version is better.
Textra (text message)
Gboard (keyboard) or swiftkey
Piktures (Pic gallery)
Samsung internet browser for High contrast mode (if you like black theme).
Weather widget
a4ol said:
I have been using Apex launcher since Galaxy S3 together with weather/time/cal widget beautiful widgets app (I found out about this thanks for flossy on youtube) it makes for a perfect experience and I set all the backgrounds to black, looks like app icons are physically above the screen.
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a40l, most of the launchers I have tried do not let me use the weather widget that I use with stock touchwiz. Could you tell me specifically what weather app you are talking about that gives me a good weather widget for Apex? I'm gonna give it a try. Your post makes Apex, & your configuration, sound inviting. Thanks
I use tabs in the app drawer instead of folders, so Nova Prime works the best for me. And it's still the quickest launcher around, bar none.