06
Dec
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ADWLauncher EX, one of the most popular launcher replacements on the Market, has received a major update just in time for the app's birthday, and Google's 10 Billion app download celebration, which is set to bring 10 apps a day to the Market for just $0.10 each over the next 10 days. ADWLauncher EX is set to be one of the promoted apps, so new buyers should hold off until it appears in the promotion.

ADWLauncher EX's update brings a lot to the table, including an enhanced dock bar, ICS-style folder creation, hardware acceleration (on specific features when possible), and much more.

24
Dec
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Those of you acquainted with the inimitable Ander Webbs have been waiting for this one for a while. Once dubbed ADW Freak, the souped-up version of everyone's favourite open-source launcher has arrived, and it's now named ADW Ex.

On the surface, Ex brings ... well, it brings crazy transitions and UI effects, mainly. But underneath all that is some pretty impressive performance improvements. In a launcher, the real place where performance counts is in the drawer scrolling, and if you've been feeling that ADW is a bit laggy lately, Ex will quell your frustration with its silky smoothness. Combine that with some cheekily named "4D" effects, a handful of desktop scrolling transitions, and the ability to tinker with your desktop icons and you have a pretty compelling revamp of this third-party desktop stalwart.

18
Oct
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One of the most popular alternate launchers, ADW Launcher, perhaps known best for being bundled with CyanogenMod, has just received a welcome update. Version 1.20 now grants you the ability to fluidly resize your widgets, much like the launcher provided by MOTOBLUR. This allows you to treat your desktop much more like a customizable canvas than a rigid set of squares.

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Along with this update, developer Ander Webbs also released an auxiliary service called ADW Notifier. Put simply, ADW Notifier puts a counter tag on application icons showing how many notifications it currently has. The tag works equally well on the desktop or in your dock.