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So umm, I see a lot of people talking about "changing the launcher". But I do not know what a launcher is. I see it in my settings (running MIUI on my Infuse 4G).
So my question, and yes I know I probably sound like a knowledgeless-fool. But, what is a launcher?
A launcher is an interface replacement that gives u a new home screen and app drawer. U can customize it a lot according to ur choice
Best are go launcher, adw and launcher pro
I think this will help you. if it does please THANK me.
Sent from my Blade
Like ICS said, a launcher changes your homescreen and appdrawer, making it prettier and sometimes even more useful. I haven't used MIUI personally. Maybe it comes with a launcher, and maybe it has some features that a new launcher would duplicate. I know CM7 comes with ADW Launcher.
My favourite things about LauncherPro: First, you can change the homescreen grid size. Second, you can swipe between multiple docks. You can make dock icons link to activities, not just applications. And you can assign different shortcuts for swiping a dock icon. So if I press the phone icon, it goes to the dialer; if I swipe it, it goes to the call log. Plus any launcher is going to be prettier than stock, but MIUI is beautiful itself.
There's no harm in trying out a couple of different launchers. I prefer LP, others prefer Go or ADW. I know Go and ADW are much more theme-able. The only thing is that with a rom like MIUI that already looks good, a new launcher might look out of place.
Launcher is the bit you see and use when your not running an app or making a phone call.
You can change it easily by going to the android market and downloading a new one like nemus launcher or go launcher ex.
Once downloaded they will auto install. You can try the new launcher without changing your current one by pressing phones home button.
Menu pops up asking which launcher to use, choose the name of the new one and try it out.
If you want to keep it press home again but before choosing new launcher this time tick the box it shows saying "use as default launcher".
If you don't like it just do the same with the tick but choose your original launcher instead.
Dave
Sent from my LG P920 using Tapatalk
I.. do not understand.. So it is like a theme?
Not exactly. It's a replacement.
For example, suppose ur running the stock eclair with the slide up vertical app drawer
Now, u want a button to launch the drawer., and u want it to be horizontal. How will u do it?
Enter Launchers
It replaces the drawer with its own, and its own dock bar
In short, it is not a theme, but a replacement that CAN BE THEMED
Sent from my Blade using xda premium
You know Sense, AOSP and Touchwhiz? Well they are default "Launchers"
Launchers can be downloaded from the market w/o root.
They are like a different style of homescreen...
The launcher is the programm you use to launch or start an app on your phone. The launchers UI (User Interface) is what you see as your home screen. Changing the launchers behaviour means changing the way icons are displayed or the pages flip. It lets you customize the way your phones OS feels and looks.
Does this answer your initial question?
Andy
Sent from my DesireS using XDA
Exactly on my mind
Well.put
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If you are running ICS, Nova Launcher is a good one to check out too. It can be found in the Google Play Store. There is a pay version, but the normal one is fully featured IMO. Of course, try out a few and see what you prefer for your setup. When I hit the home button on my phone, it lets me select which launcher it uses by default so you can swap them out.
Hey
I am using ADW EX with cm9. Everything is great but one thing is bothering me and I have not been able to find a solution. In landscape mode on the top of the screen is a bar with a menu button on the right. This just takes up space as I have a menu button on the bottom. Anyone know where I can go to remove this? I will attach a photo
Thanks!
Hmm ... I used to use ADW EX with CM9 and I don't recall that. Perhaps try turning off the persistent search (I think it's in CM settings).
Thanks will give that a try
Was not sure if it was a cm9 setting or something with ics's version of adw ex
Looks like that didn't fix it
The cm settings only change the cm launcher which is trebuchet, I am using adw ex.
I'll try installing ADW EX again tonight and giving it a try.
Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk
I'm not sure what that is. I don't see an option to remove it, and I don't really see any reference to it in the change notice. He has added some "unique" features in the past that he later gives options to disable (e.g. the "one dock to rule them all"), and I do see a couple of comments in the reviews about it. Perhaps there will be more functionality (and an option to disable) in a future update.
Hey thanks a ton for atleast helping me understand what's going on
The status bars appear to be locked in cm9, apart from removing the search setting and clock details. I haven't been able to get the bottom status bar to appear/disappear with an up or down swipe trying several launchers. Have to wait for an update or go searching for the status bar details in the programming. Not to fussed at the moment, just waiting eagerly for 3.0 kernel to get integrated.
Its specific to adw.
I've been using adw ex on my Xoom through Honeycomb roms and ICS roms and they've always been there. Its a bit redundant but..oh well.
Thanks..hopefully ads devs address this by giving us an option to shut it off
I wouldn't count on it. The app was last updated December 7th.
Hopefully apex or nova launcher will enable docks for tablets soon instead. The dock is the only reason I still use ads ex.
Sent from my NookTablet using Tapatalk
I use it because it let's me create icons that are shortcuts to each home screen. Those I can then edit with simple text app. Do you know of any other launchers that do this
mikenexus said:
Hey
I am using ADW EX with cm9. Everything is great but one thing is bothering me and I have not been able to find a solution. In landscape mode on the top of the screen is a bar with a menu button on the right. This just takes up space as I have a menu button on the bottom. Anyone know where I can go to remove this? I will attach a photo
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to adw settings, UI Settings, Screen Preferences, Show desktop Indicator. Uncheck Show Desktop Indicator and it will disappear. If left on you can select what is shown and where. I leave mine off as I know which screen I am on.
Good Luck!
That's not the right thing. He's talking about the empty space with the menu button in it.
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Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, it looks as if show desktop indicator was already unchecked =/
Looking for a good "Quick Launcher" to use with GestureControl. GestureControl has a "Launchpad" which is pretty good, but a little basic, and slow to come up. I've seen videos on youtube with nice launchers for Acer devices ( Looks like a circle type launcher ) and also one for the Iconia which runs the Windows OS, it's also a circle type launcher. Was wondering if anyone has any good apps for assigning a gesture to the app via GestureControl then having the app overlay pop up and you can select an app to run that you've configured to show there.
This would be a great addition to use in conjunction with GestureControl, couldn't find much looking on the play store due to the fact that searching for "launcher" even with modifier words shows mostly desktop launchers( ADW, Go Launcher, Apex, etc... ) and their themeing counterparts.
I've seen SwipePad in the app store, although thats a "Drag circle onto app" type launcher, not sure how this would work with GestureControl. I'm using the Transformer Prime with a dock, so I'd like to just make a gesture, see a small popup with icons( would be really nice if we had an app that showed apps you wanted to quick launch and running apps underneath that or something to that effect ) so I can choose the app with the touchpad or touching the screen( or keyboard shortcut would be nice too but I can hack that part out after I find a good app )
Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2
Have you tried wave launcher?
novo2393 said:
Have you tried wave launcher?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks pretty interesting ... Can you assigne a GestureControl gesture to it, so I could do, say, a 3 finger expand to see it, or a 3 finger drag down from top border to show it instead of the default settings?
Good find, still interested in what other people have tried out too though
EDIT: Checked out "Smart Taskbar" which is pretty good, but couldn't get a gesture to activate it ( Even tried Nova Launcher's "Activities" but there isn't one to activate the overlay ) that app would be pretty decent, although kinda big for a tablet screen. Yea, I know, maybe I'm just beeing too picky lol
Wave launcher stays at bottom always and opens when you tell it to. Really think itd suit your needs. If you do try it let me know how it goes. I use it and it saves alot of time.
If you try go launcher you can set swipe up or swipe down in order to launch gesture launcher.
I've been trying out every launcher under the sun and decided to settle on the Google Now launcher, which is totally sweet as you can just say Ok Google soon as you unlock your watch which is very cool.... However, how on earth do you get to see the notification bar??? Every launcher except stock and OUI2 hide it for some reason... anyone have any ideas??
I use both the Google Now launcher and stock (I don't like OUI at all). I switch between OK Google and stock for the notification bar. Some use an app to display notifications, but there are reportedly issues with swiping down with it installed, etc. SwipeStatusBar or something like that.
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I find there are some issues with the Now Launcher and compared it with Nova Prime...
Now Launcher
Pros:
OK Google hot word works soon as you unlock your phone (Best feature ever!)
Now Cards when you swipe left....
Cons:
Can't seem to easily add another page
Scrolling is a bit laggy and not quite as sensitive, seems to try and open an app quite a bit, you have to be quite deliberate with your page scrolls.
Nova Launcher Prime:
Pros:
You can resize icons & remove app names to save space.
Very fast page scrolling
Seems to be easier to add widgets I like "One More Clock" widget...
Cons:
Can't say "OK Google, order me pizza!" ;(
Is there a Google Now widget or something???
death_entry said:
I find there are some issues with the Now Launcher and compared it with Nova Prime...
Now Launcher
Pros:
OK Google hot word works soon as you unlock your phone (Best feature ever!)
Now Cards when you swipe left....
Cons:
Can't seem to easily add another page
Scrolling is a bit laggy and not quite as sensitive, seems to try and open an app quite a bit, you have to be quite deliberate with your page scrolls.
Nova Launcher Prime:
Pros:
You can resize icons & remove app names to save space.
Very fast page scrolling
Seems to be easier to add widgets I like "One More Clock" widget...
Cons:
Can't say "OK Google, order me pizza!" ;(
Is there a Google Now widget or something???
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can set nova with ok google commands or in that case whatever you want to say like "ok phone listen to me..." by using an app called tasker and an app called autovoice. Look on youtube and you can find some great tutorials.
I did a bit of digging around and found SwipeStatusBar to be a good app for Apex - I made the adjustment so it fits on the top right of my screen.
I got the name from someone on here, but I've forgotten who - sorry!
OK, this is simply bizarre. On my Mate 10 ALP-L29 8.0.0.119 (C636) I cannot get any browser (I've tried Chrome and Firefox) to save a particular URL/Page to my Homescreen. I've tried it with the default Huawei launcher, and also using Nova and Apex. I make the normal request within the browser to save the page to my homescreen, and then it acts like it's saving, but then there's nothing added to my homescreen!?!
I've got to think I've got some setting somewhere messed up, but can someone simply confirm that they can do this basic action on their Mate 10 and, if so, using which launcher and browser? If I know it can be done, then it's easier to figure out! Thanks.
Edit: once I uninstalled the third-party launchers, I could create an Url homescreen shortcut with Huawei Home. But no love yet for either Nova (which also doesn't work yet with dynamic calendar icons) or Apex (which does).
Continued researching and sort of solved my own problem. This is apparently a known flaw of Oreo with most launchers (although not with Huawei Home, to their credit). There's a beta of Pixel Launcher that solves it, but I can't say I love that launcher. Instead, my workaround was a 2011 app, called Url Shortcut (by KebabApps), still available in the Play store. It has no UI, but when you long-press on your homescreen to add a shortcut (not a widget), it gives you a 1x1 shortcut where you can manually enter the web url and the title you want under the icon. And it works, although you will then need to edit the icon image to your liking.