23
Jan
snap20110123_132654

ADW Launcher EX Update Released - Includes Custom Docks, Bug Fixes

Posted by in Applications, News

An update to the popular custom launcher ADW EX was released today, and it adds a feature many ADW users have been clamoring for: custom dock backgrounds. While it may sound trivial, some have used the lack of a custom dock option in ADW to declare Launcher Pro the superior app. ADW EX comes with 8 of its own custom docks, though you can use any image from your gallery as a dock background. The update also includes a few additional customization options (you can find the full changelog here).

snap20110123_125637 snap20110123_125640

To get the custom docks, hit the Menu button while on a homescreen, select More, ADWSettings, UI Settings, Main Dock, Dock Background, Custom.

16
Jan
snap20110116_103530

Now THIS Is How Android Theming Is Done: Tron Legacy Pro Theme For ADW Launcher

Posted by in Applications, Development, News

Android is known for its customizability and freedom, therefore it's not a surprise that it supports a variety of theming methods. Unfortunately, the vast majority of themes are either low quality or incomplete, which is a natural side effect of what happens when everyone is given a chance to contribute. When a truly great theme comes along, one worthy of changing the default launcher, it needs to be given credit. And the Tron Legacy Pro theme by Mariux is definitely one of those themes.

The theme doesn't just change the wallpaper or a few icons - it is what the author describes as "ultra-detailed." What this means is Tron's infamous neon effect was actually studied by Mariux to match the movie, a ton of icons have been changed, including popular applications outside of what ships stock (Angry Birds, Aldiko, Foursquare, Facebook, Goggles, etc), and even widget styles match the overall theme.

24
Dec
image

ADW Launcher Ex Finally Released, Transitions To A Whole New Dimension

Posted by in Applications, Apps/Games, Development, News

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.

10
Dec
mototablet12102010

New Picture, Specs Leak Out Of Motorola's Honeycomb-Running Tablet

Posted by in Honeycomb 3.0/3.1/3.2, Motorola

You could say December 7th ended with a bang - after a day crammed full of Gingerbread goodness, Andy Rubin came on stage at D: Dive Into Mobile to tease a next-gen Honeycomb tablet. Unfortunately, Google's VP of Engineering didn't give us a very in-depth look, so most of us were left hungry for more.

mototablet12102010

And more we have - in addition to the picture you're seeing above, Taiwanese forum member goldenstone provided us with the following specs:

  • 1280x800 display
  • 32 GB EMMC storage as well as a microSD card slot
  • NVIDIA Tegra 2 T20 dual-core CPU with 3D performance re-optimization
  • Gyroscope
  • 5 MP rear camera
  • 2 MP front-facing cam

Oh, and Motorola's got something hidden up its sleeve for those of you still bickering over which size is best - there will be both seven and ten-inch editions of the device.

07
Dec
gbread_launcher

MoDaCo's Paul O'Brien Releases Gingerbread Launcher For Android 2.2, Now Available In Market

Posted by in Applications, Development, Gingerbread 2.3, News

Our (OK, mainly Brian's) man Paul O'Brien of MoDaCo has been hard at work porting the Gingerbread launcher to Froyo (Android 2.2). What's different? Well, frankly... not a lot.

paulobrien_gbreadlauncher

The major differences are that there's a bit more green and that the app drawer fades in/out. In my minute or two with it, that's about all I noticed, and really, that's all you can ask for at this point. That said, if you're using vanilla Froyo now, there's really no downside to using the Gingerbread launcher.

gbread_launcher

Nothing revolutionary, but given the amount of fervor over Gingerbread, the launcher and the keyboard may be just enough to whet your appetite and hold you over until some official releases start rolling out.

30
Oct
snap20101010_120010

How To: Create A Customized Android Phone 7 Theme - Part 1

Posted by in Development, Tips & Tutorials
Last Updated: November 7th, 2010

About a month ago, XDA-Devs member newone757 created a really great theme based on the one used in Windows Phone 7 - hence the name, Android Phone 7. He was kind enough to post the image files, a template image, and a short how-to, as well. I've taken the personalization a step further and created icons to fit my needs, and now it's your turn.

This theme was made for, and written using, a high resolution device (EVO 4G - 800x480). It hasn't been tested at lower resolutions, although it should work. For lower resolutions, you may want to consider using fewer icons on each screen or manually resizing them in Photoshop once Part 2 is available.

30
Oct

QuickDesk Pro Now Available In The Market: Landscape Support Included

Posted by in Applications, Apps/Games, News

We're big fans of Faruq Rasid's QuickDesk utility around here. Well, hot off the presses we have news of a "Pro" version hitting the market. Along with drag-up-to-kill for applications running in the QuickPanel drawer, QuickDesk 0.4 Pro also brings support for landscape orientation. Rather than rearranging your portrait layout, the landscape implementation offers a whole new screen where you can fit 6 x 3 icons in the widescreen aspect.

image

I'm the only person invited to that particular party :(

This is of course a great boon to owners of landscape phones such as the Droid, Epic 4G, or T-mobile G2, but it is also useful for portrait phone owners as it offers you a secondary space to place widgets that you might only want to check every once in a while, like news headlines or schedules.

27
Oct
image

Fancy Widget For Android Finally Returns After Cease & Desist From HTC And Months Of Disappearance

Posted by in Applications, HTC, News

If there is one unique thing the HTC Sense UI brings to the table, it's definitely the clock/date/calendar widget. You know the one I'm talking about:

image

HTC most certainly brought the sexy, and those of us running alternate launchers (Launcher Pro, ADW, etc) or using phones without Sense, were getting kind of jealous. The solution came in the form of an app called Fancy Widget which mimicked the Sense widget almost to a tee, while adding a host of handy options:

image

Unsuprisingly, Fancy Widget got very popular, and HTC ended up sending Android Does, the widget's developer, a cease and desist order.

22
Oct
snap20101022_140349

QuickDesk 0.4 Now In The Market, Brings QuickPanel Task Switcher, UI Redesign; PRO Version Coming

Posted by in Applications, News

There are a couple of Android programs that are so brilliant and well done that you can't imagine your life without them. For me, these programs are Launcher Pro, Titanium Backup, and QuickDesk. QuickDesk is ingenious and always makes those who see it for the first time beg me to tell them what it is. Minutes ago, Faruq, the QuickDesk developer, published a completely redesigned and long awaited version 0.4 to the Market, and it is good. Damn good.

To give you a brief background on the app, with QuickDesk, you double tap on the Home button and a quick overlay pops up on top of the current app without taking over and destroying whatever is going on on the screen.

02
Oct
Federico Carnales

LauncherPro Updated To 0.8.0.0, Adds Swipe-up Dock Notifications For LP Plus Users

Posted by in Applications, News

If you're not using the launcher that came with your phone's version of Android, chances are you're either using ADW Launcher or Launcher Pro. Launcher Pro may not be open-source like ADW is, but it includes some enviable features. This is not the total re-write that dev Federico Carnales blogged about a few days ago, but it is still an upgrade worthy of a new decimal increase.

Besides bugfixes, this latest update brings another cool trick to the table, specifically swipe-up pop-ups in your launcher's dock which show details of relevant notifications. Currently there is support for missed calls and unread SMS, but more will appear in later versions.

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