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I had ordered this without ever even giving touchwiz a thought. Figured the phone would show up, I would play with it about 5 minutes, install new launcher, never look at touch wiz again. After I ordered it I downloaded the user manual and did some reading and it appears that there is some interesting and useful work here that without having the phone I think I like. Watching videos to see if I could see some of the stuff in action seemed to me to confirm that there is some good stuff there.
My question is how are you liking touchwiz? Not the phone, the phone with touchwiz. I Have encountered an older version and was left heavily underwhelmed. Please be specific, I like this, I hate that, and give a reason. If its just because that works fine but have a reason.
Remember guys this is mostly about opinion and little about fact. Leave folks be with theirs and vice versa.
edit.... Also please add in your predilections toward flashing roms, or not, as it were. An opinion from a daily flasher is much different than one from someone who never flashes and runs the stock rom.
I thought I'd hate it but I'm actually really liking it! Some features I love:
- The lockscreen is great and you get little tabs you can slide when you get a text or missed call.
- You can reject a call with a text message (So handy)
- Resizable widgets
- Customiseable dock
- Hold down 'Menu' for search in apps
- Quick settings in the notification tray
- Movable homescreens
- Customisable app tray
and more Besides you could always replace it with another launcher and I'm sure custom ROMs are on the way.
I changed it within seconds to launcher pro. However the drawer in launcher pro isnt smooth at all, im actually thinking of changing back.
rocketpaul said:
I changed it within seconds to launcher pro. However the drawer in launcher pro isnt smooth at all, im actually thinking of changing back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Go Launcher EX
It is faster than Launcher Pro
I have a lot of time flashing roms and all that fun stuff so I have an idea about the possibilities going that route. Going to edit the op in regards to people adding their experience and preferences as far as flashing roms and such go. Thanks for your input. As a question Im on a custom rom now and the widets are all resizable. Are you talking about the touchwiz widgets then?
Another question would be can you access some or all of the touchwiz widgets from another launcher or do you give them up?
krabman said:
Another question would be can you access some or all of the touchwiz widgets from another launcher or do you give them up?
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Click to collapse
If you go use a third party launcher, you usually lose access to manufacturer widgets, since they work in a slightly different way from plain stock ones...
But if you go Launcher Pro Plus (it's a couple of dollars for the plus version) you get more "custom" widgets like that in return I guess it just depends what look you are going for.
So you have the handset and can confirm they are toast? Figured they would be but I haven't done touchwiz yet.
krabman said:
So you have the handset and can confirm they are toast? Figured they would be but I haven't done touchwiz yet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, hence why I say "usually". I've been in this business for a while, but not got the SGS II yet.
I have to admit that I like Touchwiz. On SGS, I dont have a SGS2 yet. In my opinion, Samsung Glass lockscreen is a way better than the Android stock lockscreen.
At the moment I'm in love with Zeam laucher but I always come back to Touchwiz from time to time. Launcher Pro and ADW have always left me cold.
Did more reading, I see that you can change the fonts system wide. Does this carry over to a new launcher or do you lose that? Pretty nifty feature.
In my personal opinion, touchwiz 3 was dire. But after using my Galaxy S II for a few days touchwiz 4 has come a long way. I'm sticking with Touchwiz for now
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA Premium App
I've been playing with the demo models at the office solidly for the past 2 days, and as a Sense users for the past 2 years, I really don't like Touchwiz even in it's newest incarnation.
Probably more down to being used to how everything works in Sense though, I don't like change
Touchwiz 4 is a huge improvement over 3 in my opinion. Using it on both my SGS and SGS2 now. The new calendar widgets on the SGS2 are awesome as well Touchwiz 4 can also put folders in the applications menu now
Semi-regular flasher (ooer) - would generally flash a new rom every couple of months. Been with Android since the G1 so have a pretty good idea of what's possible.
Things you KEEP going to another launcher:
Lockscreen
Dialler (reject call with text etc)
Holding down Menu to search
Settings toggles in the notification bar
You can resize widgets with LauncherPro Plus
Things you might LOSE
Movable homescreens (most launchers do this, but not with the motion sensing twist action like touchwiz)
Customisable app tray (again, most launchers do this)
Resizable widgets (possible with LauncherPro Plus)
Customisable dock (most launchers do this)
Overall, I don't miss the touchwiz launcher, but I like some of the other features. Looks like the Samsung widgets are standard and work in other launchers too - just added Mini Paper, Ap Mobile, and Yahoo! Finance, and they seem fine.
krabman - I've changed my system font to Helvetica S (Settings -> Display -> Screen Display -> Font) and in general it looks great! Carries over to most apps too. The only downside is that it's slightly wider, so you get some buttons wrapping For example, the password "Remember / Not Now" dialog has one, I forget which . . .
Overall, ditch the launcher (I like LauncherPro, smooth for me) but enjoy the other aspects
TW4 is not as bad as many are saying. its still not nearly as good as SENSE 2.x. and I wont even attempt to compare it to the new 3.0 version. I sure hope someone port it.
darkalchemist said:
Touchwiz 4 is a huge improvement over 3 in my opinion. Using it on both my SGS and SGS2 now. The new calendar widgets on the SGS2 are awesome as well Touchwiz 4 can also put folders in the applications menu now
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Click to collapse
Same here, playing with both the SGS and SGS2 and yes it is an improvement for sure, but I am still not liking the iphonish looks.
DJGibbon said:
Things you KEEP going to another launcher:
Lockscreen
Dialler (reject call with text etc)
Holding down Menu to search
Settings toggles in the notification bar
You can resize widgets with LauncherPro Plus
Things you might LOSE
Movable homescreens (most launchers do this, but not with the motion sensing twist action like touchwiz)
Customisable app tray (again, most launchers do this)
Resizable widgets (possible with LauncherPro Plus)
Customisable dock (most launchers do this)
Overall, I don't miss the touchwiz launcher, but I like some of the other features. Looks like the Samsung widgets are standard and work in other launchers too - just added Mini Paper, Ap Mobile, and Yahoo! Finance, and they seem fine.
Overall, ditch the launcher (I like LauncherPro, smooth for me) but enjoy the other aspects
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You pretty much mentioned what I was about to! Using launcherpro plus with widgetsoid and pure calendar widget. I have to say that launcherpro work a bit smoother on the original SGS for be, but with the upcomming update that should be fixed.
Overall, combining the best of what I had on my SGS before, with the new functions from touchwiz 4!
Hi all,
n00b questions here. Basically, I'm trying to figure out what exactly Rosie and Launcher Pro are.
I downloaded Launcher Pro (the free version) from the Market last night and see that it basically changes the layout of the home screen and icons and such. Seems fairly customizable, and you can also change transition effects between home screens. It also changes the buttons on the bottoms on the bottom of the home screen, sort of like a "quick launch" as seen in Windows. Is there anything else I'm missing?
I'm mainly confused about what Rosie is. I've installed some Roms that include Rosie, but I have no idea what it does or how to use it. The only thing I've seen is that there was a Rosie button on the bottom right of my home screen, which would open up one app that I assign that button to. And when I go into the Rosie settings from my app drawer, the only thing I can change is what program that one button opens. I think I'm missing something here, but Rosie seems pointless.
Also, is it worth it buying the paid version of Launcher Pro? Or do some custom ROMs include a mod of launcher pro that you don't need to pay for?
Thanks!
Rosie is what the sense launcher you got when you got your phone.
Launcherpro is basically just another home, which will replace rosie if you decide to make it your default home. No Roms will include the paid version of launcherpro and I highly recommend you to buy it to support the dev.
bomber889 said:
Rosie is what the sense launcher you got when you got your phone.
Launcherpro is basically just another home, which will replace rosie if you decide to make it your default home. No Roms will include the paid version of launcherpro and I highly recommend you to buy it to support the dev.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info.
Is Launcher Pro generally considered better than Rosie and what most seasoned Android users would use?
stojakapimp said:
Thanks for the info.
Is Launcher Pro generally considered better than Rosie and what most seasoned Android users would use?
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Click to collapse
It's all about preference. Launcher Pro is very easily customized while Rosie is pretty much the same on every device (albeit there are differences with each Sense version). Launcher Pro is a lot leaner because it doesn't come with all that Sense baggage and I prefer it to other home replacements when using AOSP roms.
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
stojakapimp said:
Thanks for the info.
Is Launcher Pro generally considered better than Rosie and what most seasoned Android users would use?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's all really what you like and don't. LP is very nice and cinfigurable, bit its all in personal preference.
There are also a few other launchers out there worth checking out.
SPB Shell 3D
ADW EX
Regina
Zeam
GO Launcher
QuickDesk
Just need to pick the best one for you & your needs.
I use Go launcher. Has the quick launch bar on the bottom nice features and its free. Be aware you cant use sense widgets with an aftermarket launcher
I also use Go Launcher EX, was using Zeam but needed something more customizable.
But as stated before.... It's your preference
is there a way to modify Rosie to allow changes to the 3 icons on the bottom of the launcher? switch out the personalize icon for handcent?
is there a way to remove pages from the rosie launcher?
I love the profiles feature that senseui brings but I hate the fact that you only get two dock buttons. Are there any launchers that are as robust as sense or GO Launcher that also offer profiles?
LauncherPro paid version is definitively worth it.
I use Go launcher,but adw too good
So, maybe some of you have seen this launcher around. I think it's freakin fantastic, but there are a couple problems that would be cool to have someone fix.
What's Important:
The No Corners version from the original post (link below) is the only one that is fully compatible with qHD. Problem is that the dock isn't quite aligned correctly when I install. I'd like to see that fixed.
Secondly, there is not qHD compatibility for w/ Corners launcher.
Not so important, but would still be sweet:
Ability to change # of rows and columns on home-screen (not app drawer), # of screens and also hide icon labels.
I have no deving ability whatsoever. So if anyone likes the launcher and feels like tackling this one, lets work something out!
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1325108&highlight=arc
Found some other stuff
Other dev post
Other ways to edit
Bummer. No one feels compelled eh?
the stock launcher for sgs2 is touch widz.
i'm used to it and did not find anything seriously wrong with it.
due to curiosity, i tried out other launcher such as launcher pro. go launcher. zeam launcher, adw launcher.
many users like to support their favourite launcher, and often bash at other launchers.
but honestly i feel they are all very similar. just some minor difference.
non of them are perfect to me,
launcher pro: epic fail due to vertical scrolling app tray, hard to find the app i want. cant create folder in app tray
adw launcher: cant create folder in app tray, otherwise very similar to launcher pro. at least got horizontal app tray
go launcher: nice effects, able to create folder in app tray, but battery drain, so fail
touch widz: very nice, but has bug, apps in folder gets rearanged randomly each reboot
zeam launcher: cant make folder in app tray
so finally i'm using touch widz. it has a neat trick as well to be able to pinch to zoom at the app tray, not useful, but nice effect.
despite the problems i find in other famous launcher, they are still highly popular.
is there some other goodness that i miss out?
or is there some major flaw in touch widz that i dont know of?
please enlighten me.
(tell me the hidden pros of other launcher, or fatal weakness of touch widz)
apparently it's the "hip" or "in" thing to do.
just go with what you want. I personally prefer touchwiz as well.
There is no flaw with twlncher. After u modify something in app drawer, u need to press menu > save to keep the changes after reboot.
Twlauncher is my fav launcher, I tried 10+ other launchers, but twlauncher is the best to my liking.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
I don't hate TouchWiz.
I actually do like it, there's a lot of good things about it and things I like better when compared to the "original" Android launcher.
I prefer GoLauncherEx though (it's what I use on my "daily use setup") because it gives me even more options for customizing my launching and app browsing experience - for one I love cusomizing my stuff and I am also one of those with like 4398 icons on their desktop (and similar as much apps on their homescreen) so the 7 screens of TouchWiz are just not enough for me and GoLauncherEx allows me to use virtually unlimited screens.
my 2ct
Stick with what you like. It's the only thing that matters, not the opinions of others (Esp deluded fanboys).
PS - I do NOT prefer TW, but, that's my opinion.
Ray1 said:
the stock launcher for sgs2 is touch widz.
i'm used to it and did not find anything seriously wrong with it.
due to curiosity, i tried out other launcher such as launcher pro. go launcher. zeam launcher, adw launcher.
many users like to support their favourite launcher, and often bash at other launchers.
but honestly i feel they are all very similar. just some minor difference.
non of them are perfect to me,
launcher pro: epic fail due to vertical scrolling app tray, hard to find the app i want. cant create folder in app tray
adw launcher: cant create folder in app tray, otherwise very similar to launcher pro. at least got horizontal app tray
go launcher: nice effects, able to create folder in app tray, but battery drain, so fail
touch widz: very nice, but has bug, apps in folder gets rearanged randomly each reboot
zeam launcher: cant make folder in app tray
so finally i'm using touch widz. it has a neat trick as well to be able to pinch to zoom at the app tray, not useful, but nice effect.
despite the problems i find in other famous launcher, they are still highly popular.
is there some other goodness that i miss out?
or is there some major flaw in touch widz that i dont know of?
please enlighten me.
(tell me the hidden pros of other launcher, or fatal weakness of touch widz)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it seems you're judging launchers on a very limited number of criterion. creating folders on homescreens, included widgets and themes, ability to configure and modify themes, and widget resizing are just a few other factors. i use 'Go' and battery drain is not an issue for me at all, actually, at (on average) <10mA consumption it tested better than the others for me. but these are mostly subjective evaluations.
also, TW and other stock launchers for other phones (i.e. Sense) are NOT evil. actually, i really like sense. but often stock launchers mean tolerating other stock crapware, and that's not something i was willing to do.
those are my thoughts and opinions...but when it comes down to it, the user-interface affects the user-experience. which again is not objective.
trying to convince someone that the TW launcher (or Go, or whatever launcher) is better than another is like trying to convince someone that chocolate ice cream is better than vanilla.
Ray1 said:
epic fail due to vertical scrolling app tray
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Click to collapse
Why do you consider that feature a epic fail? I personally prefer it since horizontal paging is to slow. I use vertical with Zeam launcher since with horizontal I have to swipe my finger over my screen repeatedly (anything over 4 times starts to feel like a waste of time)
With vertical I flick once and it scrolls the whole way and at any time I can press my finger to stop it in the middle. Or smoothly scroll slower.
1 second vs 10 seconds to get to the end of the list.
But I am not trying to force the feature I think all launchers should provide the toggle-able option after all that is why I like Android, the options.
ADW Launcher EX is what I use as my daily driver and is by far the smoothest I have used.
I find TW the less responsive of them all and customization is just none existent. It's a good launcher to say it came stock with the SII but for people like me who like to customize their launchers and the overall experience, TW is simply not enough.
My top 5:
1) ADW Launcher EX
2) LauncherPro Plus
3) Go Launcher EX
4) Zeam Launcher
5) Nemus Launcher
Rizur.
Hi,
I wanted to get a sense of what others are using for their launcher interface for their TS.
I have tried a handful but nothing really seems to fit the bill all that well.
I have tried
Google Now Launcher
Launcher 8
Smart Launcher
Various "Big" and "Senior Phone" launchers
Nova Launcher
among others....
I seem to be constantly going back to the stock launcher (not OUI 2.0 as that is just crap)
What are you guys using or recommend trying?
One thing I seem to really hate about going to alternative launchers is the loss of the "real" status bar..... I have tried Swipe Status Bar, but that just introduces issues with having to swipe down when you need to access touch points that are near the top of the screen. (Plus the last version that was released completely made icons no longer clickable)
D.
Stock launcher for me seems fine.
I switch between stock Android launcher and GEL. I never use OUI2.
"OK Google ! Find me a smart watch like the TrueSmart was promoted to be during Kickstarter..."
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
trent999 said:
I switch between stock Android launcher and GEL. I never use OUI2.
"OK Google ! Find me a smart watch like the TrueSmart was promoted to be during Kickstarter..."
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Smart Launcher for me, Operative style.
I'm pretty happy with lucid launcher across all my devices.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I have used ADW EX on my other devices for a few years, so I installed it. After tweaking the icon/text sizes and a few Gravity box tweaks, seems to work quite ok.
I think pretty much any launcher will do, as long as you can customize it around the limited screen space.
Lightening launcher with x3 UI layout.
Just tried smart launcher 2 as mentioned on here. It's really good! all the elements fit perfectly on the screen almost like it's made for the TS.
I really use the OUI... But I only tried stock and OUI, didn't try any others yet, so this might change
nova for me just with the icons set very big like my status bar to much and not a fan of the status bar app that will give you access to it never worked quite like the stock status bar should.
I've been using Mini Launcher... although only for a few days and haven't tried many other options yet, so i might change if there's anything better
+Lokifish Marz. Can you please elaborate a little on your set up.
Thanks in advance.
Right now it based on Lightning but really needs to be a standalone.
Thank You Sir?
---------- Post added at 01:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:28 PM ----------
Would love to have this for my Watch!
Personally, I really liked the WP8 launcher. Could fit lots of useful info and apps on the watch screen.
jd
I keep falling back to the stock launcher. I've tried a few (nova, apex, and similar), but the status bar is the biggest issue. I'm really fond of the bar for easy overview of new notifications, and can't really live without one. Swipestatusbar solution works ok:ish, but not having the bar there after exiting apps and having the bar interfere with touch event at the top makes it a dealbreaker.
OUI is almost there - it has widgets, app drawer and screen sorting, and the status bar. It does however lack in other ways, like missing an indicator for which screen you are on, and everything looks very blurred, together with almost no customization. Some widgets looks as if they are rendered at like 50x50 pixels and zoomed to fit the screen. Also seems unstable, it has crashed a ton of times.
If the stock launcher could just get widget support, an app drawer and preferably a way to add/remove/sort your screens, I'd be happy with it. For now it works though, and seems fast and stable with status bar working..
EDIT: After playing around a few hours with different launchers today, I finally went back to Nova. It takes some getting used to, but the status bar issue now feels like an acceptable loss compared to all the gains. It works very well, and renders on small screens better than most other launchers (some have too much paddin in the grid, some render icons very pixelated or blurry, and so on). Nova does a good job, my only peeve is that icons are aligned to the top of their grid position, and widgets are aligned to the center. This means that if you place an icon next to a widget, they will not align, and also the icons come a bit too close to the top. However, it's still better than the alternatives I've tried, so sticking with Nova for now.
When?
Lokifish Marz said:
Lightening launcher with x3 UI layout.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When will you be releasing it??? :highfive:
I am using launcher 8.
The tiles uses most of the screen at any given time, as opposed to a more regular android launcher.
Android launchers in general wastes a lot of screen real estate. This is because of the way the icons are organized, with lots of empty space between them.
The tiles you get in launcher 8 is quite tight, like in a proper windows phone.
I like this.
The tiles are also customizable in size, so stuff that is often used will have big tiles, while the lesser used programs get smaller tiles.
Launcher 8 also runs smoothly.
jdommer said:
Personally, I really liked the WP8 launcher. Could fit lots of useful info and apps on the watch screen.
jd
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
am using this too
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
i use tsf shell for many years on all my phones and tablets.
now i use it on the truesmart and it really works great.
its smooth, it looks cool, you reach everything you want in short time.
shure i have to use swype status bar, but that is not really a problem.
ok it is not really cheap, but you only pay one time and can use it on all devices, so i think the price is fair if you have more devices