There’s a lot of options out there when it comes to third-party Android launchers, AKA homescreens. But when making the jump to Ice Cream Sandwich (whether through a new device or an updated ROM) all of them seem to leave something to be desired. I’ve tried out all my favorites on my Galaxy Nexus over the last two months, and the one I keep coming back to is Nova Launcher. It’s not that other launcher’s don’t work – it’s that Nova Launcher works better. This modified version of the open-source stock launcher comes from a familiar face: TeslaCoil Software, maker of the popular lock screen replacement Widget Locker.
Nova Launcher isn’t a fancy, flash home screen replacement, it simply adds in all the features that you wish the stock launcher already had. The most obvious of these include a landscape mode option and the ability to manually remove that annoying and persistent search bar at the top of the screen. Other small but extremely welcome adjustments include a scrolling dock bar, allowing up to three “pages” of up to 7 pinned apps or folder each. That’s a great way to keep your homescreens uncluttered.
Old custom launcher standbys include defining the number of active screens (between one and seven), setting all widgets to definable widths and heights, changing the number of rows and columns and (a personal favorite) enabling or disabling the text labels beneath shortcuts. Little touche abound, like dragging shortcuts to the top of the screen to uninstall their apps and a backup/restore function. Nova Launcher is designed for smartphones running Ice Cream Sandwich and won’t work on earlier versions of Android. It willwork on ICS tablets, but not all that well.
Nova Launcher is still in free beta, and isn’t yet available on the Android Market. There are two ways to install it: the basic non-Market method, and the rooted method. To get the full functionality you need to move the APK file to your system/app folder with ADB or a file manager. Don’t sweat it if you aren’t rooted, though: the only real difference is that you have to tap “widgets” in the app drawer instead of swiping. Check out the app’s current home, this XDA thread, to download the latest version. By the way, if there’s a feature you want to see, submit or vote for it on the User Voice page.
Yahoo, that search engine you used sometime back in the 90′s is apparently staying with the times and have just added an entirely new option to their search results. Updating and trying to stay relevant they’ve added an “Apps” tab right to their front page for search results. If you had a hard time finding apps before, this could be your solution.
All you really need to know is it will search and help you discover all things Android applications. Although they do support that other main competitor too — although WP7 seems to be missing. The new Apps portal went live this week giving users access to Android and iOS applications in an easy to use and navigate page. Complete with results, reviews, ratings, and even a gallery of large previews and more.
Users can browse Yahoo’s suggested apps or search and filter their results by operating system, price, and category to make things simple. The new portal only directs users to the actual Android Market so we don’t really have anything new here, just basically a page that will forward you to the already available market. However, they do add Yahoo reviews in with market reviews to give users a better selection to read from and help decide. Give it a try from the link below and let us know if it’s useful, or pointless.
[via Android Central]
If you're one of the more than 28 million users of Formspring, you'll notice that there has been a lack of an official application from the social network. That all changes now as the official Formspring for Android application is available right now in the Android Market.
It offers a pretty full experience, allowing you to ask and respond to questions from your contacts on the go. Sharing photos is also built in, and that pretty much covers everything Formspring is about. If there's room for one more social network on your Android device, hit the download links after the break. A word of warning though, it force closes at every time of asking on the Galaxy Nexus so you'll have to wait for an update to join in if you're using one.
It’s true that there’s an app for just about anything, and now apartment hunting is going to be a whole lot easier. Popular apartment searching website – Apartments.com – has launched its new application in the Android Market. For an application like this to really shine, it has to have some key features.
It needs to show apartments available near an exact location, and index listings with as many options as possible. Well, it seems they’ve done a great job in every area. Using GPS you can search for nearby apartments, and listings can be indexed by location, rice, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, amenities, and more. Not to mention, photos and videos of apartments are also viewable from within the app!
When you find an apartment that interests you, just favorite it within the app to easily compare it to others later. The iPhone app has already been available for some time, but Android makes up a huge chunk of the smartphone market, so its addition will really help many of us out. Let us know if it ends up helping you out!
[via MarketWatch]
Skype has been accredited as the best online mobile call network for so many years running. It has succeeded in bringing people from different destinations and networks together under one voice for so many minutes of talks and exchange of pleasantries and business ideas. One feature that makes Skype very sought after is the fact that these calls are done through the internet and these makes it very easy and cheap.
You don’t have to battle with call rates and network problems once you have Skype on your pc. Documents and files are also viewed with the use of Skype. This is not with any extra cost from your connection or service providers. It has added another feat by making these applications available and accessible through the goggles’ android OS by means of the Skype for Android v2.6 Introduced photo and video sharing options.
This is a perfect for on the go transfer of files. It has Interconnectivity and accessibility to all android devices ranging from android 2 upwards. It has longer lasting and strong battery life. It is of very improved sound and video quality. It also has Wi-Fi and 3G applications.
The Skype v2.6 is designed to allow its users send files which include data, photos and videos to your friends through Skype on or through any of your android enabled device. It is designed to be very easy and simple to operate. This application is enabled and operative over Wi-Fi or 3G, however this is on a mobile data plan. The battery life is so improved to last you a very long time.
This is because it is a mobile device and normally used on platforms or situations that might not allow for indiscriminate charging of batteries. The video quality is also highly improved especially when it is used in synchronization with other devices like the Samsung Galaxy tab10.1, the Motorola XOOM and the ACER Iconia Tablet. The big screen and the quality of picture produced when in use with these other devices are so amazing.
It has been posited by Skype that anybody who has been using an Android device which runs Android 2.2 or above can also access the free Skype video calls. This new application by Skype for android in the name of Android v2.6 is an off shoot and innovation on the pre-existent android levels. It can be used on all varieties of HTC Amaze and Motorola DROID RAZR.
This is really a beauty to behold and an improvement on the latest android technology. Grabbing one will do you a lot of good. To make it more exciting, it is very affordable. You don’t need to worry about your interconnectivity when you are on trips and vacations again. Your family and friends can now view your activities as soon as possible.
Download from Android Market.
Every week we like to slow things down a little to highlight an app that’s proven itself to be useful, fun, or just plain cool. App of the Week is our way to show off some of the lesser-known apps that deserve your attention. This week, it’s social and PIM widget collection extraordinaire, Android Pro Widgets.
Android Pro Widgets is exactly what it sounds like: a large collection of widgets for your homescreen. APW caught my eye specifically for its Twitter widget – it’s surprisingly hard to find a robust, scrolling Twitter feed widget for Android. APW filled that need for me nicely once I left the sadly stagnant LauncherPro (which hasn’t seen an update in over six months – what gives, Mr. Carnales?) with the added benefit of a combined Twitter/Facebook widget named “Timeline”. It’s the best option for social updates on your home screen that I’ve tried, and trust me, I’ve tried a lot.
But that’s hardly all you get with Android Pro Widgets. Calendar, contacts, bookmarks, SMS, individual Facebook and Twitter widgets, and a Google Reader notifier are all included, plus a quick Calendar event add function. It’s a marvelous variety of useful heads-up information that should suit almost everyone’s needs. It’s equally at home on Gingerbread, Honeycomb and Ice Cream Sandwich, scrolling through lists of information (often tricky on widgets) is smooth and simple, and it plays nice with every launcher I’ve tried it with. Add to that a full theme engine with plenty of free options on the Android Market, and APW is one of the most comprehensive and complete widget suites available.
There are a couple of downsides. The app uses an annoying timed demo, and you have to keep the separate unlock key app installed on your phone to use it past the expiration date. Also (and this is admittedly nit-picking a bit) the app icon is just plain ugly. What is that? A badly-drawn smiley face? An inexplicably green cartoon nose? In any case, the $2.49 entry fee is a small price to pay for an incredible amount of functionality. Try out the free preview app, then purchase the key to keep it – you won’t be disappointed.
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