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Nova Launcher 8 beta hands-on: Branching out in new directions
One of the best launchers on Android is getting even better
Nova Launcher's recent acquisition has seen the app in the news the past few days, but we're not here to discuss the business side of things. Nope, we're here to report on the latest betas for Nova Launcher now that 8 is in testing. After all, development is still moving forward, and thanks to betas being available to anyone who joins the app's discord, we sideloaded the launcher to see what's new. And oh boy, are there some noteworthy changes with 8.0.2 in the mix. Let's dive in for a closer look.
I’ve never been a “smartphone skin” person — they just aren’t my style. Why would I want to cover my super-premium, beautifully engineered aluminum and glass objet d'art with a cheap sheet of vinyl, like grandma does for her aging sofa set? Honestly, I even found the idea a little gross. But as someone who loves premium materials, dbrand’s new leather skins have made me a convert. They are really, really nice.
dbrand's leather skins are now on sale and shipping in December
It sounds like they're made out of the good stuff, too
Back in August, dbrand announced it would release its popular smartphone and gadgets skins in a new line made of actual skin — cow skin, to be precise. At the time, all we knew was that they were coming soon, and they'd only be available for a limited time. But it sounds like it was worth the wait. dbrand's snazzy new leather skins are now up for purchase to ship in December, and it sounds like they're made out of some pretty good stuff.
You can get vinyl skins from dbrand that make your phone look like wood, metal, or just very bright vinyl. Now, you can also get skins that make them look transparent thanks to a partnership with YouTuber Zack Nelson. You probably know him best as the disembodied voice behind the JerryRigEverything durability test videos. The skins are only available for a limited time, and there apparently are "dozens" of easter eggs.
Google just shook up the smartphone game with the announcement of the Pixel 3a and 3a XL. Suddenly, owning a Pixel with Google's fast updates and excellent cameras is significantly more affordable (and tempting) for AP readers.
People tend to think that vinyl skins for their slippery smartphones will greatly increase grip, but that's just not true. Sure, a skin will protect your $700 piece of glass and metal from fingerprints and scratches, and it might make it a teensy bit grippier, but you'd still be much better off by adding a bit of bulk and going with a case if you want real control over your phone.
Afraid of damaging your shiny new Note7's rear glass panel? Is your Nexus 6P's back all scratched up because of how slippery it is? Hate how much bulk cases add? Well, if so, you should check out dbrand, because their skins will reduce slipperiness and hide blemishes on your precious tech.
It's not the first time Slickwraps teams up with Justin Maller to create some really unique skins for phones and other gadgets that cater specifically to the geek crowd. Previously, the two released a superhero series with Captain America, Thor, Batman, The Hulk, and more, and now they're back with Justin's Helmetica series.Justin Maller, of the Facets wallpapers (and app) fame, is an Australian illustrator known for his beautiful low poly designs. In his Helmetica series, he takes on some famous busts and helmets from pop and geek culture and revisits them with his own signature style. And now you can have those same designs on your Android phone (and iPhone and Macbook and iPad and Playstation 4 and Xbox One if that's what you prefer).Slickwraps is releasing 15 of Maller's designs as skins. These are the Joker, Batman, The Flash, Jon Snow, Terminator, Spiderman, Superman, Black Panther, Star Lord, Master Chief, Deadpool, Daft Punk, Big Hero 6, Voltron, and Wolverine. Justin has more artistic names for each of his creations ("We Form Like" for Voltron for example), but you won't have a lot of trouble matching the inspiration with the names.Each wrap costs $24.95 and comes in a full set to deck your entire phone. The smartphones supported are several flagships from the past year or so including Galaxy phones, Nexus devices, and some models by HTC, LG, Motorola, and OnePlus. You can check them at the link below and let me know which one is your favorite. I have a big soft spot for Big Hero 6.Source: Slickwraps Helmetica
Samsung's latest flagship brothers are a lot of things: high-end, beautifully crafted, powerful, and expensive. What they are not though is drop-proof, scratch-proof, or fingerprint-proof. You surely don't want your investment of several hundreds of dollars to slip between your fingers and risk splattering on the floor only because your hand was a little too sweaty or your grip wasn't perfectly tight. You probably don't want it to get scratched from lint and other small particles inside your pocket or purse either.
Google offers this year's Nexus phones in a variety of colors, but if you want sparkly pink, you're out of luck. The company figures there isn't enough of a market for that sort of style. Most other manufacturers would agree.
Last month the beta version of Minecraft for Android added a ton of new features, most notably a port of the player skin feature that's become such a popular part of the original Minecraft game. Just a couple of weeks later Mojang has instituted the changes in the public version of Minecraft: Pocket Edition. Go check it out on the Play Store now if you've already purchased the game, or buy it for $7.
Fancy a bit of customization for your Android version of Minecraft? You'll soon be accommodated by developer Mojang. According to this blog post, the Pocket Edition of the game will get a significant update later this week, with player skins being the biggest addition. If you've played the PC or console version of Minecraft, you know that custom skins for player avatars have become a big part of the game's community aspect.
When it comes to device skins, dbrand is my go-to company. After going hands-on with some of the company's Nexus 6 offerings back in February, I was extremely impressed with the quality - both materials and precision cutouts. I highly recommend checking them out if you're interested in giving your gadgets a new look. (And if you missed out on the Nexus "X" symbol promotion, well, I'm sorry.)
A couple of weeks ago when dbrand offered up all its skins for 25% off, I mentioned how boring most Android phones look these days (save for a few, like the Moto X since it's customizable). As a result, we decided that going hands-on with some dbrand stuff might be pretty fun, and what better phone than the oversized-and-aesthetically-boring Nexus 6 to be the guinea pig? I threw a variety of different combos on this beasty, which includes some super sleek options and also a couple of the worst combos I could possible think of (because why not?).
One of the lamest things about most modern Android devices is the lack of color options. One person can only choose between "Snow White," "Black Velvet," and "Rose Gold" so many times before wanting to scream, after all.
As we've noted before, Facer is pretty cool: it's a way to make or load custom watch faces and easily apply them to your Android Wear device. While the Facer app has its own built-in gallery of submitted watch faces, FaceRepo is an impressively varied alternative that allows you to browse watch faces on the web. User-submitted designs are split into round and square watch faces for the Moto 360 and G Watch/Gear Live, respectively. They should work with future models as well.
The dbrand shop offers skins for a ton of tech gadgets, including a sizable selection of Android smartphones and tablets, providing a way to pimp out your device and add a small layer of protection without having to put up with the bulk of a case. Today the company is offering 50% off its entire store. If you've ever wanted to rob dbrand, today's your chance to do so.
If you cannot make up your mind between running TouchWiz or a stock version of Jelly Bean, thanks to MoDaCo.SWITCH, that's a decision you won't have to make. This piece of software makes switching back and forth between the two versions as simple as toggling a switch. Paul O'Brien, better known as MoDaCo, has started porting it to the Galaxy S4, and the beta is now available for those who backed his Indiegogo campaign.
Though there's a definite streak among power users to prefer Google's "pure" Android on their phones, some of the manufacturer skins from HTC and Samsung have charming features as well. Modder and ROM developer Paul O'Brien, better known as MoDaCo, has been testing a solution to give you the best of both worlds. MoDaCo.SWITCH is a dual-boot solution for power users that lets two ROMs (manufacturer stock and AOSP, for example) which share user data, allowing a seamless switch between interfaces.
'PIE UI Revisited Silver Dark' Is A Custom UI That Reminds Us Why Android Is Awesome
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
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.