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Olauncher gives your home screen an open-source, minimalist makeover
Is a simple list of apps beneath the time and date all you really need?
Android's open, customizable nature is one of the things that attract a lot of enthusiasts to the platform. From manufacturer-specific tweaks to third-party default app replacements, there's usually a way to make your phone look and act how you choose. Olauncher is a new home screen replacement app that endeavors to bring an open-source, lightweight, and minimal setup to your phone.
Mi Control Center app brings iOS design to your quick settings panel
Customize your notification and quick settings panels with colors, images, and more
Android may be more functional than iOS for most users when it comes to notifications, but you have to admit there's a level of polished elegance to Apple's panel and control center. Some users might even prefer the translucent design and separated notifications and quick toggle pages. If you're one of those people, or just interested in trying out iOS on your Android device, a new app from Treydev might be worth a look.
This new app brings classic lockscreen widgets to modern Android devices
Update your lockscreen to Android 4.2
Ever wanted to make your 2020 lockscreen look like it stepped out of 2012? The good ol' days when you could view your upcoming calendar appointments, stock prices, and the weather without unlocking your phone? You're in luck, because a new app from developer Zachary Wander promises to put all the widgets you want on your lock screen where they belong.
If you own an Android phone running a largely stock experience or use a launcher that mimics it, the chances are you have the Google Discover feed to the left of your home screen. The artist formally known as Google Now/Feed is now just a selection of articles (and, more recently, ads) from around the web according to what Google thinks you're into. Aside from the controls on each post, there's also a place in the Google app's settings to customize your content. It's been given a makeover and also a new name — Interests.
We often talk about Ultimate Ears, aka UE, and its speakers here on Android Police, both in deal alerts and reviews, but the Logitech-owned company announced yesterday that it's introducing a new way to enjoy your Bluetooth speaker. It's called myBOOM Studio and it's basically UE's version of Moto Maker for the Boom 3.
Google has released a set of tools that help developers more easily create apps in line with both their own brand identity and the evolving Material Design guidelines. The Material Theme Editor, available as a plugin for the macOS design app Sketch, automatically applies consistent thematic changes to things like buttons, fonts, and color palettes throughout an app.
Smartwatch wearers have to put up with a number of drawbacks. There's the typically crappy battery life, the bulkiness (or ugliness, depending on whose eyes are looking), and the remarks people get when they've been looking at their watch for longer than a passing glance. "Are you in a hurry?" "Is there somewhere else you'd rather be?" "Am I that boring?" Even if the answer to all three questions is yes, that still doesn't explain the situation at hand, or should I say, wrist (pause for groans).
Today, Motorola just floored users with an unprecedented offer: if you bought a phone from Motorola that launched in 2011, most of you will receive an upgrade to Jelly Bean. If, however, you're using a phone that Motorola decides will have a degraded experience, you will receive $100 in credit towards an upgrade. This may mark the first time that a manufacturer has broadly promised compensation for a lack of updates for all of its devices.
Last week, we dropped our first CyanogenMod 7 Theme Roundup, and since then, we've gotten several great theme suggestions, as well as a bundle of requests to do another roundup - so here we are! This edition of the roundup brings some really nice offerings from the theming community. Everything from mellow colors with tones of blue and grey, to multiple colors that really stand out, there should be something for everyone. Without further ado, let's get started!
As Android users, we have a certain amount of freedom with our devices - especially if you're running a rooted device with a custom ROM like CyanogenMod. One of those freedoms is the ability change the look of Android with themes. In the past, changing themes required booting into recovery, flashing a zip file, and rebooting. On occasion, the theme wouldn't work correctly, so if you didn't perform a backup before you flashed, you were basically out of luck. That all changed with the T-Mobile theming engine, though - and it wasn't long before it made its way into CyanogenMod. Thanks to this theming engine, themes can now be universal among devices and changed on-the-fly, so regardless of what device you're running, any of the themes built for Theme Chooser should work without a hitch.
Welcome back to another lovely edition of our Boot Animation Roundup! We've been scouring the net for the past couple of weeks looking for the coolest boot animations that we could find, and here's what we came up with: a hungry Android, the guts of a Gingerbread man, a new take on a classic, some TRON-esque lovin', and a little somethin' somethin' for all the gamers out there.
I know, I know... it's only been a week since the last roundup, but when you just happen to stumble upon a gaggle of awesome animations all at one time, what else can you do? If you were thinking "post 'em up for everyone to enjoy," then you win! What do you win, you ask? Why, some sick new boot animations, of course! How sweet is that?
Welcome to the third iteration of our super-awesome bootscreen animation roundup. It's been about six weeks since our last one, so it's definitely about time for another go. I'm sure at this point no introduction is needed, so let's get right into the screens.
Are you one of the many that likes the look of Windows Phone 7, but doesn’t want to give up your existing launcher in lieu of a WP7 lookalike? If so, we have an app for you. It’s called Launcher Wall and feels similar to Windows Phone 7, without duplicating the interface.
Let's face it: as Android users, we like options. One of the greatest things about this platform is the insane level of customization possible, especially if you don't mind getting your hands a little dirty. With some readily available tools (all of which are extremely free) and the proper knowledge, you can make your android phone do almost anything you could possibly want and make it look however you want. What we'll be talking about today is the bootscreen.
Google's newest Android creation is not a 4-dimensional map or a death ray - it's much more light-hearted and is aimed at the versatile and passionate Android community. Absolutely quietly and without any fanfare, Google in collaboration with Larva Labs today launched a new Android application called Androidify.