Tag Archives: launcher

Facebook Home hits 1 million downloads (update: almost)

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Facebook Home hits 1 million downloads

While Facebook Home may not be for everyone, it gained some serious traction since its introduction. Today at Facebook HQ, Cory Ondrejka, Director of Mobile Engineering let loose that, in the month since Facebook Home was first released, it's been downloaded over almost 1 million times. And, the addition of the launcher to those phones is turning out as Facebook had hoped, as the company has seen it drive 25 percent greater engagement (time spent using Home and numbers of comments and likes) with the social network once Home is installed. Naturally, most of those million are early adopters, but Director of Product Adam Mosseri stated that they are seeing the user base shift to "more normal users" with each passing week.

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Apex Launcher 2.0 hits Google Play, puts notifications on app icons (Updated)

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DNP Apex Launcher 20 hits the Google Play Store with new Apex Notifier integration

Apex can honestly claim to be one of the more popular launchers on Android, with over a million installs and 44,000 ratings over at Google Play. The stock-like skin has just been updated to version 2.0, with the biggest addition being support for Apex Notifier. This feature enables better control over iOS-style notifications on individual app icons, but you'll have to fork over $3.99 for Apex Launcher Pro to make it work. In the proper spirit of Android, however, you'll also get to pick which apps get notifications and which don't, from a list that includes Phone, SMS Messages, Gmail and many others. If you're getting bored with the stock launcher or just want to hide the cartoonish visage of TouchWiz, hit up the source link to download Apex for yourself.

Update: We amended the post to clarify that version 2.0 brings better control over icon-based notifications, which the Pro version of Apex actually already supported.

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Via: Android Police

Source: Apex Launcher (Google Play)

First Else’s Splay officially comes to Android as a thumb-friendly launcher (video)

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First Else's Splay interface officially ported to Android, get your thumb ready video

Emblaze's long-canceled First Else may never come back in its original form, but to our surprise, its futuristic Splay interface has finally been ported to Android! Released as a free beta by the same company, this fan-shaped launcher offers a similar single-hand experience that the ALP device once promised to deliver.

The UI's main menu has four categories: Phone (call log, contacts and profiles), Diary (email, calendar and messaging), Media (music, video, photos, camera and file manager) and Apps (with seven customizable shortcuts). Upon laying your right thumb onto any of these, a sub-menu expands and you can go one level deeper by dragging your thumb to the left of your desired sub-category, and then let go to toggle the item. Similarly, dragging to the right takes you back to the previous menu, or you can drag to a blank area and let go to jump back to the main menu. All of this is accompanied by slick graphics like before, thanks to the good work by Israeli design house Sugapusher back in the day.

The only downside of this release is that some of the features need serious refining. For instance, the Music Player sub-menu fails to filter out ringtones, and the Video Player sub-menu only managed to load the latest few clips taken with the phone's camera. We'd also like to see integration with other apps, obviously, but this simple beta will do for now. Check out our hands-on video after the break, and head over to Google Play to grab the free Splay launcher.

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Via: AddictiveTips

Source: Google Play

Action Launcher Pro version 1.5 puts Android widgets just a swipe away (video)

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Action Launcher Pro version 1.5 puts Android widgets just a swipe away (video)

Android launchers cross our desks every so often but only a handful catch our eye. Action Launcher Pro is the latest to strike our fancy thanks to its quick and compact widget solution dubbed Shutters. With the freshly added feature, users can open up widgets by simply giving app icons a vertical swipe. Version 1.5 also packs a number of improvements, including support for 10-inch tablets and increased stability. Devices running Android 4.0.3 or newer will be able to take the launcher for a spin, but Shutters is a Jelly Bean-only affair thanks to API limitations. Head past the break to catch the software in action, or click the second source link to pick it up for $3.99.

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Source: Action Launcher Pro (1, Google+), (2, Google Play), Action Launcher Release Notes, Chris Lacy (YouTube)

Alfred v2 brings Workflows, automates what Automator might not

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Alfred v2 brings Workflows, automates what Automator might not

Anyone who's heavily invested in the Mac ecosystem knows Automator, a built-in tool that can string together multiple computing actions without having to know a lick of code. Some of us may want a little more power, or just a different variety of power -- which is where the recently launched Alfred 2.0 comes in. Those who buy the £15 ($23) Powerpack can take advantage of Workflows, which relies on an Automator-like concept of linking simple actions to run complicated tasks. They can be more ornate than you'd expect, however: for a start, you can run multiple app-specific tasks in parallel, such as telling Chrome to search YouTube, IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes the moment you type in a movie keyword. It's equally possible to feed results back to Alfred, launch scripts and trigger notifications (whether Mountain Lion's or Growl's), among other feats. Should you demand control that sits just outside of Apple's boundaries, Alfred is waiting at the source link; anyone who just wants its core launcher functionality can grab the app for free.

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Via: The Verge

Source: Alfred

Linpus Gesture2Launch brings neat, customizable touch control to Windows 8 (hands-on)

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Linpus GestureLaunch brings neat, customizable touch control to Windows 8 handson video

You might remember Linpus from its various Linux projects, but these days the outfit is getting into apps in a big way. We've just been hands-on with its latest offering, Gesture2Launch, a straightforward concept that could prove seriously useful to those with Windows 8 touch-enabled devices. The current app has default gestures that can be assigned to an array of functions -- both to launch applications and to trigger system actions. Most of the gestures are based on letters, so to launch the calculator you'd just bring up the charms bar (which primes the system for your input) and then draw the letter 'C'. An upside-down 'U' would bring up the lock screen.

The version we played with, however, takes things a step further. It lets you create your own gestures, which ought to make them a tad easier to remember. This feature should be added soon, but for now you can see how we fared with the app in the video after the break (demoed on a rather nice Acer Aspire S7) and then it try out free-of-charge via the link below. It leaves us wondering why Microsoft didn't implement something like this out of the box.

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Source: Linpus

Chrome gets app launcher on Windows dev preview, OS X and Linux to nab it soon

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Chrome gets app launcher on Windows dev preview, OS X and Linux to nab it soon

Chromebooks have had the luxury of an app launcher for quite a while, but now Windows users can get in on the action too, provided they download the latest version of Chrome from the browser's dev channel. In order for the launcher to appear in the taskbar, however, those running the fresh release will need to install a Chrome packaged app -- an application written in HTML, CSS and JavaScript that opens outside the browser and works offline by default. Packaged programs aren't searchable on the Chrome Web Store just yet, but folks can code their own or head to the Chromium Blog for a pair of software suggestions. Linux and Mac OS X are penciled in to receive the launcher soon via the dev channel, but there's no word on when it might find its way into a mainstream release of Chrome. Ready to take the feature for a spin? Hit the source link to let Mountain View point you in the right direction.

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Source: Chromium Blog

Chameleon Android launcher hits version 1.1, adds support for native widgets

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Chameleon Android launcher hits version 11, adds support for native widgets

It's not every day that we cover launchers of any kind, but when we heard the Kickstarter-funded Chameleon had been updated to version 1.1, we thought those of you who have supported the project since its early days would be happy to hear the news. And while the refresh itself doesn't bring many changes, it does include the long-awaited support for stock Android widgets -- not to mention a few welcomed improvements to the current Twitter, Google Calendar and YouTube homescreen-living apparatuses. Naturally, these will go hand to hand with those tweaks announced less than a month ago in version 1.0 of the tablet launcher. There's a video courtesy of Chameleon situated down below -- in case you're interested in seeing what all the fuss is about before you download the Android commodities.

Continue reading Chameleon Android launcher hits version 1.1, adds support for native widgets

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Chameleon Android launcher hits version 1.1, adds support for native widgets originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 16:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Police  |  sourceGoogle Play  | Email this | Comments

Chameleon Launcher for Tablets v1.0 available on Google Play for $10 (video)

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Chameleon Launcher v10 available on Google Play for $10 video

After a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign (twice) and a month or so beta period, the highly anticipated Chameleon launcher is finally available for Android tablets. In case you were at your summer home and out of reach, check out our Insert Coin post concerning this home screen replacement that promises a dynamic environment, capable of responding to its user's location, connection or time of day. Its claim to fame are some slick HTML5-powered widgets, and the developer API site has also been updated to help third party sources become a part of the action. Even at 1.0 there are still some rough edges and the team's blog post mentions problems with the Gmail, Google+ and calendar widgets as known issues. Pre-orderers and Kickstarter backers can keep the beta app they've been using as it will continue to be updated and tied to their Google Play profiles, while those who were or are still on the fence should check out a video preview embedded after the break. If you opt to buy, it's in the store ready to roll on tablets running 3.2 and above for $10.26.

Continue reading Chameleon Launcher for Tablets v1.0 available on Google Play for $10 (video)

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Chameleon Launcher for Tablets v1.0 available on Google Play for $10 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Sep 2012 18:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceChameleon Launcher blog, Chameleon Dev, Google Play  | Email this | Comments

The Popinator voice-activated popcorn launcher: because greasy hands are just so 2011 (update: yep, may become a product)

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The Popinator voiceactivated popcorn launcher because greasy hands are just so 2011 video

Before you ask: it looks like the real deal. Popcorn, Indiana has decided that it's just too much trouble to reach into that bag or bowl and has devised the Popinator, quite possibly the world's only smart popcorn launcher. A binaural microphone array on the machine's front listens for a clear "pop" command -- say the magic word and the Popinator will aim one of its many corn projectiles at your mouth, no hands required. We're still working to glean all the details, such as whether or not the snack delivery vehicle will be a commercial project and how much money it would take to install one at home (and, we'll admit it, the Engadget offices). In the meantime, you can hop past the break to catch one of the most appetizing and laid-back promo videos you've likely ever seen.

[Thanks, Peter]

Update: Popcorn, Indiana has answered back and says the Popinator is currently an in-house project, but it may well become something you can buy if everything lines up. We'll let the full statement speak for itself:

"All we have to say is: it is a work in progress right now. We certainly hope that one day it will become a commercial project, but as of now there is no shipping date and no price tag. It is purely a fun internal project we are toying with here at Popcorn Indiana. Based on the very positive responses we are getting online, we think this is well worth looking into as a commercial product."

Continue reading The Popinator voice-activated popcorn launcher: because greasy hands are just so 2011 (update: yep, may become a product)

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The Popinator voice-activated popcorn launcher: because greasy hands are just so 2011 (update: yep, may become a product) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Reddit  |  sourcePopcorn, Indiana  | Email this | Comments