patseguin Global Moderator Posted December 6, 2012 Global Moderator Share Posted December 6, 2012 Can someone else explain to me what launchers are? Are they like themes for android? I did a search for 3d launchers and came across spb. It mentions phones so i assume that is what it is for. Is there a generally accepted best launcher for tablets ans one that is 3d? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted December 7, 2012 Member Share Posted December 7, 2012 I use the Go Launcher HD for my tablet. Most of the launchers in the Play Store seem to work better with phones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patseguin Global Moderator Posted December 7, 2012 Author Global Moderator Share Posted December 7, 2012 So a Launcher is basically the UI I see on my device? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detection Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Launchers are basically the main homescreen you see when you hit the home button, much like the desktop for windows ADW Launcher EX is a great launcher if you do not like the stock launcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted December 7, 2012 Member Share Posted December 7, 2012 So a Launcher is basically the UI I see on my device? Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 The launcher is responsible for your homescreen(s) - the widgetised layouts you see, and the app draw - the osx-like gride of icons. And that is generally as far as it goes. They don't affect the overall UI of Android - the feel of select boxes, the notification pull-down, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patseguin Global Moderator Posted December 7, 2012 Author Global Moderator Share Posted December 7, 2012 I downloaded this 3D launcher for my Nexus 4 that is pretty cool. Each "panel" seems to be preset though. What are some of the more popular launchers for phone and tablets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xahid Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Launcher is basically home screen & home customization/theme tool. it have nothing to do with system_ui or status bar. try Go Launcher HD with lot of themes & plugins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJerman Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 I like Holo Launcher HD if I'm not using stock/Trebuchet. It has just enough customizations to make me happy while keeping a clean simple look. They are simple enough to install and try though, so a bunch of them and see what you like most. I don't know which ones are good for tablet though because I still don't have an Android tablet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redmak Administrators Posted December 7, 2012 Administrators Share Posted December 7, 2012 nova launcher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detection Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Apex Launcher Go Launcher EX ADW Launcher EX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firey Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 ON gingerbread I used ZEAM launcher, it's small light weight and very simple. I just use the stock CM10 Trebuchet launcher now though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detection Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 ON gingerbread I used ZEAM launcher, it's small light weight and very simple. I just use the stock CM10 Trebuchet launcher now though. I can remember running Zeam a few years ago on an old tablet, I remember liking it too, completely forgot about it until now :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patseguin Global Moderator Posted December 7, 2012 Author Global Moderator Share Posted December 7, 2012 Seems like many of these launchers are meant for phones. How do I return to the default OS launcher once I've tried a bunch? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJerman Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Seems like many of these launchers are meant for phones. How do I return to the default OS launcher once I've tried a bunch? Settings -> Apps, find the one you have set as default currently and tap on it. If you scroll down a little on the info page for that app, you'll find a Clear Defaults button. Use that to remove the default launcher, then press home and select a new launcher to use. There are also apps, I believe one was called Home Switcher, that accomplish the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRazpopov Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Seems like many of these launchers are meant for phones. How do I return to the default OS launcher once I've tried a bunch? Since I haven't used Android as my primary OS since 2.2, this might have changed but: Go to settings>Applications>Manage apps>[Your current launcher] Clear the defaults for your current launcher and press the home key. It'll ask you what program to use for that action. Set the stock launcher (most probably it's just called "Launcher") to always be used as default for this task and there you go. Edit: AJerman beat me to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patseguin Global Moderator Posted December 7, 2012 Author Global Moderator Share Posted December 7, 2012 Yep that worked. I was trying go launcher hd and it kept changing to another launcher so i figured i would go back to the default jellybean one for stability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Meant for phones how? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detection Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Yep that worked. I was trying go launcher hd and it kept changing to another launcher so i figured i would go back to the default jellybean one for stability. You can use "Home Manager" to swap between / make default different launchers too https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.carp.HomeManager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Launcher7 showed a lot of promise but was really poorly implemented and seems to have been dropped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRazpopov Posted December 7, 2012 Share Posted December 7, 2012 Launcher7 showed a lot of promise but was really poorly implemented and seems to have been dropped. This. It's a real pain to get live tiles with that, plus I would like if it included some kind of icon pack for the app drawer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SierraSonic Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 Launcher7 showed a lot of promise but was really poorly implemented and seems to have been dropped. Nope, just moving onto Launcher8 from what I hear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted December 9, 2012 Member Share Posted December 9, 2012 ^ That's good news. How far along are they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noir Angel Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 I'm currently using this ROM for my Galaxy S, branched from the cyanogenmod code with their customised Trebuchet launcher. Seems good enough for me. I own a license for ADW launcher EX but updates seem to be very sporadic so I stopped using it. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2024269 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richteralan Posted December 9, 2012 Share Posted December 9, 2012 Using Nova Launcher free. Might buy the Nova Launcher Prime in the future if I'm into Gestures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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