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Buzz Launcher review: the power to make your Android your own

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By Chris P.

Published: Jan 20, 2014, 5:37 AM

Android Apps

Buzz Launcher review: the power to make your Android your own

Developer: Homepack Buzz Team (Buzzpia)	Platforms: Android
Category: Launcher	Price: Free

Buzz Launcher is one of several awesome launcher apps out there, but it's distinguished by its versatile functionality and rich community of themers. If, at any point, you get tired of the same old look of your device, and just moving around a few folders, apps and widgets no longer satiates your thirst for something different, then you're at just the right place. Buzz Launcher touts a massive portfolio of available themes, many of which are deeply integrated, and masterfully made. Gone are the times when you needed a monk's patience and a fair bit of technical knowledge to actually change something about the way your Android looks. Buzz Launcher offers all of that, and it's easy to use and very effective.

In case you're unaware, an Android launcher is an app that seeks to change your entire UI and the way you interact with your device. It's especially handy, if you dislike the design of your existing manufacturer software, but aren't willing to invest time and energy into rooting and flashing custom firmware.

Anyways, let's talk themes. As we mentioned, Buzz Launcher has truckloads of those. Feeling Christmasy? No problem. Want a theme tailored after your favorite comics superhero? Easy-peasy. Looking for something more sensual? There are themes so pure-looking that even guys are okay'd for getting hooked. It's all about choice with Buzz Launcher. In fact, functionality runs so deep, that you can actually let the app try its best to fit your current homescreen into a new theme, though results are obviously best achieved by going from scratch. That's not as scary a prospect, as many of the themes are pretty much ready to go out of the box -- you just need to supply the additional apps and widgets yourself. This means going through your brand new UI and looking for anything that needs to be downloaded (there's a small download icon). If you don't fancy the app that the creator of the theme has picked, you can always supply your own, but, once again, the most thorough results are usually achieved by following through. It's generally safe to say that sooner rather than later, you'll have most stuff for your next theme already installed.

But back to your brand new theme. Once you download a missing element of the UI, the launcher is already aware that it can append the new app/widget, and seamlessly prompts you to okay it. Just rinse and repeat with everything else, and your new fancy UI should be fully programmed to go in less than 5 minutes. Perhaps best of all, these themes are not static -- you can tweak the size of icons and widgets, rename them and generally just do whatever you please. This means that you can change the default homescreen swipe animation, edit icon grids and margins, and tweak the status and dock bars. Buzz Launcher also has support for a preset number of gestures, or, if you fancy doing some extra work, you can create your own that will suit your needs best.

So, how does Buzz Launcher stack up? In our time with it, it offered a pleasant, no-frills experience. It's got all the essentials of a great launcher app covered: it's got a great and active community and developers, is versatile in the way it offers its content, and gets you out of your comfort zone. Equally as important -- it's a great way to discover new apps and widgets that you never came across, and would never go ahead and search for. On the down side, its vast selection of themes means it can be a bit overwhelming at times, and not each and every one is as fluid as we'd like. Lastly, getting the best out of the launcher will require a time investment, as there is a decent amount of options to play with. For at its core, Buzz Launcher is all about versatility and choice.

Pros

Massive cache of available themes
Highly versatile
Shows the raw, customizable power of Android

Cons

Requires a time investment to master
Select themes feel poorly optimized

PhoneArena rating:

8.5

Developer: Homepack Buzz Team (Buzzpia)	Platforms: Android
Category: Launcher	Price: Free

Buzz Launcher

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Chris Panayotov is a former mobile tech reviewer of phones, tablets and wearables at PhoneArena. However, his contribution to PhoneArena content includes not just reviews, but all kinds of regular and experimental features, such as news stories, buying guides, and an exclusive column on the most notable phones out of Asia.