Home
News
You are here

5 cool new Android launchers and interface tools (November #2)

By Daniel P.

Published: Nov 20, 2015, 5:59 AM

3comments

5 cool new Android launchers and interface tools (November #2)

If you put enough time and effort, they say, you can tailor every Android phone to serve your unique interests and interface layout, and third-party launchers like Nova, Apex and the like, have proved it time and again.

Every once in a while, a new launcher appears that promises a paradigm shift in interacting with our mobile devices, utilizing innovative gesture-based or side-sliding launch tech, and some of them are even donning amazing graphics and extra functionality.

We took a glimpse at what's new and cool or updated fine at the Play Store in the interface draping department for the fortnight, and noticed a few launchers and interface tools that you might find useful, or at least funky to try out. Check them out below.

HomeUX (Beta)

HomeUX offers Google's Material Design guidelines as a graphics concept, but that's not the only neat feature about it. It also promises a fresh take on the bread-and-butter functions of modern launchers, such as folder categorization and integration, or custom search. When it comes to folders, you can group and categorize everything, even widgets and shortcuts, into separate folders.

Speaking of widgets, the main homescreen panel can be customized, down to the type of font used in the date/time banner. Besides the clean and minimal interface take, which lets you navigate to folders with set pictures or colors, HomeUX also sports an abundance of swipe gestures, quick-access keys, and hidden apps option. Check it out from the source link below, if HomeUX has drawn your attention already. Needless to say, it can only be applied to Android 5.0-laden handsets, and above.

iGest - Gesture Launcher

The iGest Launcher does what you guessed it does, based on the title - it utilizes a dizzying variety of swipe and other gestures for everyday actions you do with your phone, like running apps, calling, visiting bookmarks, and so on. You can also protect your pivacy by unlocking your chat sessions, messages, photos or inbox with gesture patterns.

ACOS Launcher

ACOS is a small and tidy launcher that offers app and folder categorization, plus search within the contacts, app or gallery lists. It comes with a rich set of everyday widgets, too. 1.9MB large, making it quick to download and easy to install.

Parental Control

An easy way to grant kids access only to certain apps and functions on your phone, the Parental Control launcher lets you set allowed apps, and introduces a timer before the device locks up, and can only be accessed with a PIN, so that the little ones don't spend an exorbitant amount of time playing on the handset.

CM Launcher

CM Launcher aims for speed, small footprint and security, as it is offered by the mobile security pros from Cheetah; CM includes a built-in antivirus and anti-malware engine. The launcher organizes apps in folders automatically, based on your user habits, and sports useful gestures, such as swiping up with two fingers to display your hidden apps.