11
May
unnamed

Nova Launcher Updated To Version 2.1: New Apps Menu, Better Icon And Wallpaper Selection, And More Theme Options

Posted by in Applications, News

TeslaCoil Software's Nova Launcher has become one of the most popular custom launchers for Android power users since shortly after the arrival of Ice Cream Sandwich, and part of the reason is the constant addition of new features. The latest revision (2.1) adds a whole lot of goodies, especially if you like to play around with the look and feel of your icons and themes. The release adds features both for free users and those who've bought the $4 Nova Launcher Prime. The app is still compatible with devices running Android 4.0 or higher.

2013-05-11 22.16.43 2013-05-11 22.22.26 2013-05-11 22.16.55

The first thing you'll notice is the new entry in the Settings menu, New Apps.

08
May
nexusae0_image_thumb79

[For Developers] Smali / Baksmali Updated v2.0 Beta Is Out, Now Multithreaded For Your Pleasure

Posted by in Development, News

If you're in the modding and theming community, your work is about to get a bit faster, because Smali v2.0 is now in beta and firing on all cylinders. The new version brings multithreaded processing and a few tweaks to the language that should result in cleaner-looking code.

Smali and baksmali are tools for assembling and disassembling the dex format used in Android apks. It's true that tools like this can be used for less than honorable endeavors, but they are also incredibly important to activities like deodexing apps for custom themes, tweaking functionality (like forcing portrait or landscape mode), and even digging around to learn more about various apps.

06
May
lcds

Create A Killer Retro LCD Android Theme With A Few Quick Downloads

Posted by in News

Readers of a certain age will remember the way LCD screens looked back in the early 90s. We'd never heard of color LCDs – that would have been witchcraft plain and simple. LCDs were dingy little grayscale things that you saw on clocks and mediocre handheld games. Still, there's nothing like some nostalgia in this age of pocket-sized supercomputers, right? MyColorScreen user z3u5 posted a classic LCD theme for custom Android launchers recently, and it's a seriously cool effect.

l_lcd

This theme can be applied in various launchers like Nova, ssLauncher, and Go Launcher. You'll need to download the resource packs from MyColorScreen and apply the theme and backgrounds in your launcher.

03
Aug
locked

'PIE UI Revisited Silver Dark' Is A Custom UI That Reminds Us Why Android Is Awesome

Posted by in News

MyColorScreen is a site where Android enthusiasts can show off the sometimes stunning UIs they design with various apps and mods. Most of what you come across on the site is fairly predictable; a different widget here and a custom wallpaper there. Although, on occasion someone creates something truly wonderful, and the new PIE UI from AdamF is definitely one of those.

PIE-UI-Silver-Revisited-Dark-AdamF-screen-capture_original

The PIE UI theme is a unique UI that takes advantage of a number of apps like WidgetLocker, Nova Launcher, and Power Widget. The creator of the theme has hosted a .zip file you can download that has all the necessary files (but not the apps themselves) to recreate the interface as shown.

18
Dec
phonehome

TeamWin Releases TWRP 2.0, A Highly Customizable Touchscreen Recovery

Posted by in Development, News

TeamWin, the developers who originally developed CyanogenMod's WiMax compatibility, have been working on TWRP (Team Win Recovery Project) for a while now, and have just released the second iteration of the custom recovery.

TWRP 2.0's most notable new feature is without a doubt its touchscreen-centric GUI -- while this isn't a first, it certainly is extremely convenient: gone are the days of "scrolling" through lists with super-stiff volume buttons and selecting items with a click of the power button; with TWRP 2.0 you can simply tap and be there!

Other than that, most of the other new TWRP 2.0 developments concern bugs and glitches in the original version of the recovery, so we shan't spend any more time on them; instead, let's take a look at some of TWRP's core features, as listed on TeamWin's website (these were present in the original iteration as well):

  • Ability to save custom recovery settings
  • Touchscreen driven with real buttons and drag-to-scroll
  • XML-based GUI that allows full customization of the layout – true theming!

07
Oct
swiftkey-x

[Keyboard App Shootout Part 2] Swiftkey X Wants To Read Your Mind... And Everything Else You've Ever Written

Posted by in Features, Keyboard Shootout, Reviews

The Keyboard App Shootout is back! In today's crosshairs: Swiftkey X.

Swiftkey's driving theory is that, with enough information about you, it can predict what you want to type. Seriously. They even use the phrase "mind-reading" on their website. How do they expect to get to "mind-reading" levels? Well, they basically want to scan everything you've ever written. Swiftkey can mine your text messages, Facebook, Gmail, Twitter, and even your blog's RRS feed for sweet, sweet data about your typing habits. They feed all this data though a "ground-breaking artificial intelligence engine that uses word context and personalized language models to think about words like you do".

23
Jun
image_thumb458

[CyanogenMod 7 Theme Roundup Part 2] Five More Ways To Make It Yours

Posted by in News, Other Reviews, Reviews
Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

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!

MattedBlues by Team MattedBlues

After last week's roundup went live, we immediately began receiving requests to feature this theme. After taking a look at it, I can see why - this theme is amazing.

15
Jun
image_thumb458

[CyanogenMod 7 Theme Roundup] Sexy Up Your Cyanogen With These Five Top-Notch Themes

Posted by in News, Other Reviews, Reviews
Last Updated: July 24th, 2011

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.

19
Apr
5398620280_b44662e178

[Concept] Honeycomb Lockscreen For Gingerbread

Posted by in Applications, Development, News

There's just something about UI enhancements that everyone loves. When Gingerbread first dropped, themers were scrambling to port it to multiple ROMs, and of course, it was no different when Honeycomb came out. Of all the wonderful things about the Android 3.0 UI, though, there's one that stands out in the crowd because it's drastically different from previous versions of Android: the lockscreen.

I can't say that I've talked to one person who dislikes the Honeycomb lockscreen; it's actually quite the opposite. Since this seems to be such a sought-after port, XDA member Drakknar has created an amazing mockup of how it could work on Android 2.3.