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Help Use Launcher?

C

Crosley123

Well-Known Member
I have never used a Launcher or other screen modification tool, but I am not happy with the stock Note 3 home screen.

Probably old hat to you folks, but what Launcher or other tool works best? Examples? I'd really like to make something nice to show off the phone and increase the functionality of it.

Thanks...
 
You need to root to try out other themes and maybe modify xmls to get other launchers to work on your device . Tw is kind of boring at times .
 
Crosley123 said:
So it's a Launcher and a theme?
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The launcher needs to be installed before the theme.

And if you decide to go the theme route (the launchers by themselves will change the look of your devices homepage, you may not need the theme) you need to make sure the theme you try is compatible with the launcher you've chosen
 
There was another launcher thread discussing the different ones available, but I'll bite and contribute here also.

Just for those that are new to android, you should be made aware that using a 3rd party launcher is the most simple way to customize your phone, without needing to "root" your phone. The stock/OEM UI is part of Samsung's proprietary software called TouchWiz. That said, you won't loose other integrated software components of Touchwiz that make using the Note 3 a blast. The only thing that is lost, from using a 3rd party launcher is the Samsung Widgets. Other than that, everything works just fine.

If you're still confused as to exactly what a launcher provides, there are a lot of youtube videos out there, showing the different types of customizations that can be done with your homescreens.

My personal favorite right now is NOVA launcher.
 
I just started using Nova launcher a couple of days ago. I liked it enough to pay for the unlock to Nova launcher prime. I really like the ability to resize app icons larger or smaller and the animation between homescreens is pretty cool as well. There is a whole bunch of functionality I haven't even looked at yet but check out the sticky called "Post your homescreen" for some examples of what can be done using Nova launcher.
 
Another vote for Nova Prime. I love this launcher. It works great, looks great, very easy to customize. There is a free version that has a great many features. I bought the paid version because I like to support the devs and also to get the gestures feature, which is great as well.
 
FYI - Nova Prime is made by the same developer as Widgetlocker, who is currently on paternity leave.

For those of you that want a completely customizable lockscreen, widgetlocker wins hands down. I'm using Magic Locker right now, as a place holder, but it doesn't even come close as far as customizations are concerned.

Unfortunately, Widgetlocker on Android 4.2 and up, seems to not be compatible. The notification bar cannot be pulled down and then the app freezes. I can't even download it for the Note 3 right now, as it's not showing as an "available" app.
 
HanSolo said:
I got a little bit bored with Nova Prime so now I'm rocking Next.

Loving it so far!
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I've always thought Next Launcher looked really cool but I still can't bring myself to shell out $15.99 for this app. Or any app, for that matter.

While I think it's definitely a premium app that takes Launchers to the next level, the price is just too high.

That said, I'm curious about how it performs on your GN3. I would also love to see some screen captures and hear more about your experience with this app. Maybe start a standalone thread on it with some photos of what you've done so far?
 
Methos1979 said:
I've always thought Next Launcher looked really cool but I still can't bring myself to shell out $15.99 for this app. Or any app, for that matter.

While I think it's definitely a premium app that takes Launchers to the next level, the price is just too high.

That said, I'm curious about how it performs on your GN3. I would also love to see some screen captures and hear more about your experience with this app. Maybe start a standalone thread on it with some photos of what you've done so far?
Click to expand...

Well, I'm very partial to minimalistic designs, so I'm not sure I'm the best one to follow if you want to know all the ins and outs.

Have you tried the free version? It has all the same features, I believe, except that it has a time limit or something.

The reason I like Next is because it's very smooth, fast, and I like the transitions; there are many to choose from. But in all honesty, I don't know if it's worth the $15. I only pulled the trigger because I bought a 2014 Note 10.1, which came with $25 of Play Store credits, among other things.

I do like all the themes that are available for it. I'm currently using "Ray Theme". It saves you the time you'd have to spend customizing everything yourself.


See screenshot:
Screenshots_2013-10-21-12-18-58_zps21de34d0.png
 
HanSolo said:
Well, I'm very partial to minimalistic designs, so I'm not sure I'm the best one to follow if you want to know all the ins and outs.

Have you tried the free version? It has all the same features, I believe, except that it has a time limit or something.

The reason I like Next is because it's very smooth, fast, and I like the transitions; there are many to choose from. But in all honesty, I don't know if it's worth the $15. I only pulled the trigger because I bought a 2014 Note 10.1, which came with $25 of Play Store credits, among other things.

I do like all the themes that are available for it. I'm currently using "Ray Theme". It saves you the time you'd have to spend customizing everything yourself.


See screenshot:
Screenshots_2013-10-21-12-18-58_zps21de34d0.png
Click to expand...

So, you don't use any of the cool 3D effects?
 
HanSolo said:
No. I tried it once, but it was too busy.
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The default 3D things can be pretty hideous. I started out infuriated -- it looked nothing like the Lite preview version -- but with a little tweaking, you can come up with something really elegant. So after starting out hating it, and hating myself for getting sucked into paying for it, I now love it, and think it's totally worth it. I have glassy transitions, widgets that swing when I change screens, and a cuboid app drawer, but otherwise, a very, very minimal design.

I'm using a subtle live wallpaper called Symphony of Colors, so the screencap doesn't quite do it justice. For example, some of the text that looks too light is often on a plain black screen. In context, it's kinda nice I think. I'd want to do more tweaking before I posted on a proper Show Your Homescreen thread. :p It may also not meet your definition of elegant, but I have pretty bad taste....and at least it's not very busy.

erf7.png




There are only a fraction as many Next themes as there are for other launchers, but I'm very fond of Vivid v2 from Stealthychief, seen above. (No matter which launcher, including stock, you need some Stealthychief icons, themes, etc: fun, creative, beautiful.) Very definitely toward the minimal, rather than busy end of the spectrum.

I haven't pushed too hard on the Pure theme, but it looks good after a couple of quick pokes -- and yes, another minimal one.

Which is to say, I'm not disagreeing with you, HanSolo, that out of the box, it's a little overwhelming. But with a little cleanup to the look, the underlying framework is a joy. Added bonus: it makes my iPals' jaws drop. :D

I'm also definitely agreeing with others on this thread, Crosley123, launchers and themes are one of the great benefits of Android.
 
I use SPB Shell 3D. Unfortunately it crashes on rare occasion (no big deal) and I get the popup about setting it as the default launcher here and there. But back when it worked 100% (on my galaxy S2) it became the one I was comfortable with. Various things stopped working about a year and a half ago, forcing me to upgrade, so there's no old perfect version to go back to I believe. It's $15.00 and you should probably avoid it.

Yandex.Shell is a similar one that is made by the people who bought SPB shell 3d, or so I read somewhere. It's similar but a lot more bland. It's free however.

edit-
Just found one called TSF shell, it's $16 but looks promising, might be a good change for me.
 
ocnbrze said:
yeah for me my combo is nova prime, beautiful widgets, and widget locker is what i use to customize my phone.

however i downloaded from the play store Free App Icons & Icon Packs and Desktop VisualizeR and will be soon creating my own theme so to speak.
Click to expand...

I just hope someone from TeslaCoil can fix Widgetlocker. The notification bar pulldown doesn't work on 4.2 and up and I can't even download for the Note 3. Using Magic Locker makes me realize how much customization Widgetlocker allows for, as compared to anything else on the market.
 
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