Nokia Z Launcher hits Google Play with more contextual fun

posted by Michael H. / Nov 19, 2014, 10:44 PM

Nokia Z Launcher hits Google Play with more contextual fun

The new hotness this year is all about contextual alternative launchers for Android. The list of options already includes Aviate, EverythingMe, Terrain, Firefox Launcher, and Cover; but, Nokia also wants to jump in on the fun with its Z Launcher, which is now available in the Google Play Store.

Like any good contextual launcher, Nokia Z will keep track of what apps you use, and when you use them; then, it will automatically adjust the shortcuts it offers at different times a day, in order to offer you the most relevant apps at all times. Although, Nokia Z seems to only focus on the time of day, and doesn't go as far as others, like Cover and Aviate, which also use your location to serve up shortcuts when you're at work or driving. One interesting feature that Nokia Z brings is "scribble", which is basically like Google Gesture Search, and allows you to draw a letter on the screen, and it will show your apps and contacts that start with that letter.

The Nokia Z Launcher is definitely a nice option, though it may not do enough to really separate itself from the crowd. Still, it's free, so it won't hurt anything to give it a try, if you're curious. The Nokia Z Launcher is available right now for any device running Android 4.1 or higher.

Download: Nokia Z Launcher

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12 Comments

1. Cyberchum

Posts: 1095; Member since: Oct 24, 2012

Will give this a shot and see how it turns out.

posted on Nov 19, 2014, 11:05 PM 1

2. kanagadeepan

Posts: 1270; Member since: Jan 24, 2012

Good... But why are they NOT allowing Indian users to try???

posted on Nov 20, 2014, 12:04 AM 0

4. techspace

Posts: 1037; Member since: Sep 03, 2012

Sometimes, the united states play store gets the apps first(especially the ones that are in beta), then they come to the rest of the world, if you can't wait,download it from other sources or use a vpn. If you don't know how to access the us play store, it's easy. Download a vpn app from the play store Then force close the play store, clear the cache and data(long press the play store icon, go to app info, select force stop and clear data options). Then enable the vpn(select usa), open the play store, it would open the us version. And it will turn back to indian version if you disable the vpn but you will still have all the apps that you downloaded.

posted on Nov 20, 2014, 12:17 AM 0

7. aditya.k

Posts: 496; Member since: Mar 10, 2013

Download it from their site. I'm using it in India.

posted on Nov 20, 2014, 2:05 AM 0

3. Settings

Posts: 2943; Member since: Jul 02, 2014

Not available on Nexus 7.

posted on Nov 20, 2014, 12:14 AM 0

11. phonefan68

Posts: 12; Member since: Dec 02, 2013

Z launcher beta was made for phones and is unavailable for tablets. I tried to use it my Galaxy Tab 3 because it is a nice simple option that I am trying out on my G3, but then saw that it was unavailable for tablets.