Database Users

[Idea] - LensLauncher

Maybe superfluous, but this is an idea I had for a launcher. This is inspired by the lens-eye feature from the excellent Comic Reader Mobile found on this forum.
- First picture shows standard launcher screen with lots and lots of really small icons. Small enough that hopefully all your programs fit on this screen.
- Second picture shows screen-area that is pressed.
- Third picture shows a lens that enlarges the icons close to where has been pressed.
This way any program in this launcher is 2 quick presses away. No more scrolling, no more having to leave icons out of a category because of space constraints.
Is this worthwhile?

If you want my opinion I think your idea is fast to launch items but slow to find them. I know that after some time playing with it, if you already know where it is you will launch it fast but....
I have another proposal for you . For my app I've done a couple of widgets that I call Bubbles (see attachment). The "flower" is initially closed and if you hold your finger in the middle it opens showing the icons surrounding, then draging your finger and releasing it over the desired icon you launch the app. thsi way if you are capable of grouping the apps into categories (grames, programs, comm, profiles, etc) you can access all those options with only one tap & hold .

I liked it, maybe a round lens with an animation will be more attractive

..sure, with dx 10 effects for your htc phones.
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nice idea, sunra, but menus seems generally better, than today launchers...like quickmenu i.e...

Th3Hunter said:
I liked it, maybe a round lens with an animation will be more attractive
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Click to collapse
Haha, it is certainly not meant to look like this! I had the look and feeling of the lens system of Comic Reader in mind.
APBilbo, your system is really nice. Our systems look alike. I want to ask you if you have any programs where you're not sure in what category you like to place them?
Nothin, could you explain why menu's seem better to you?

it is hard to explain - quick menu revised my today plugins, so i do not need to waste today space, menu is fast method with small mem usage.
i know, htc is promoting its ****ty stuff and many users got it, but there are other options, luckily....
i like claunch, tho(tap on empty space shuffles to next hm, tab"..).

claunch is nice but...
a programm launcher like the scrollbar in manila would be nice... as homeplugin...
it would be nice ... because you can insert lot of programs

8x8 icons with claunch(as line with 18 px height) is not enough?
i said, that i am using many tabs in that 1 line - tap on EMPTY space moves to another one, do i need to see ALL icons at once?
nope.
my rom contains ~60-70 applications i've added to rom, besides system ones, you know
end of OT.
keep loving your manila's, guys...
ehhh.

It's called a ZUI my friend, a Zooming User Interface
To be honest, I like it, but I think only one level of zoom should be required. Too many clicks otherwise.
Chuck in some decent kinetic scrolling for if there were too many items to fit on the screen, and you're on to a winner!
Might have a look-see to see how hard she'll be to whip up a prototype...

Rl Today
here iz my rl today setup hope u like it

Rl today
heres more

Suggestions for scene widgets please

Hi Folks
Just wondered if anyone has any suggestions for full size widgets for the hero?
Basically my home screen has clock,weather widget and a couple of other freqently used widgets.Swipe to the left and I have a full page of 16 other widgets.Swipe to the left again and i have a full size music player.Last swipe to the left and i have the full size bookmarks widget. If I swipe right from my homescreen then I have my camera album and thats it! The next two pages are empty
Now i for some reason dont like it I dont like to see the unused space but i'm struggling to find anything to put in them. I dont use twitter and not bothered about the footprints widget.
I have had a search on the net for something but as of yet been unsuccsesfull.
Anybody have any suggestions? Dont matter if its a novelty kind of widget or whatever....I'll give it a look!
Thanks in advance
Gaz

I too currently have an empty page
Mainly due to the fact bookmarks widget is not working on latest build of VillainRom.
Can't think of anything to place on that page at all.

The more widgets then generally the slower the UI and faster the battery drains. If you don't desperately need something there I would leave it blank.

cyberkid2002 said:
The more widgets then generally the slower the UI and faster the battery drains. If you don't desperately need something there I would leave it blank.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is this just because there is more on the screen graphically or do the widgets themselves slow it down? I was under the impression that the widgets are only shortcuts to the programs and so obviously use no memory untill launched!?
Gaz

Gazaman said:
Is this just because there is more on the screen graphically or do the widgets themselves slow it down? I was under the impression that the widgets are only shortcuts to the programs and so obviously use no memory untill launched!?
Gaz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
since widgets are "active" shortcuts they are executed the moment you go to the screen they are on. how would it display weather or news when it is a "dead" shortcut?

kendong2 said:
since widgets are "active" shortcuts they are executed the moment you go to the screen they are on. how would it display weather or news when it is a "dead" shortcut?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The weather widget that i use is the one on the clock so not an independant widget. I just assumed that this one was opened when i first chose this clock and just stays open.
Please go easy on me here as im still getting to grips with the whole 'mechanics' of the phone.
So all widgets that i have on my phone scene are active? Most (if not all) are just executable programs like google maps,google sky maps,shazam,flixter,meebo etc and as far as i'm aware dont require to be constantly updated via internet connection(unless opened).
Why would these be active?
If they are constantly active then why would people use task killers? It seems pointless if they are always active anyway!
Like i said,I'm sorry if this is all a bit basic but would be nice to now how it all works as i have actually noticed my phone seems quite slow lately and for some reason notifications on the top notification bar aren't disspearing when i have read my messages etc.
Maybe i have too many active widgets?!?
Thanks
Gaz

you have to make a difference between a widget and a shortcut to an app. the clock is a clock widget with integrated weather support. it is triggered if you go to the screen it is on and by time change (to display the correct time for example). as it has the weather feature it can also activate the background weather service.
a shortcut is the same thing as those on your windows desktop. it is nothing else than a link to the app, and doesn't do anything until you click on it.
check the way you add a shortcut and a widget, after pressing the + sign you have to choose which one you want to add.

It is a gray area as to what a widget is and not all widgets are active. The weather one is active. So is the one I use to give me London Tube status - as others have said they update as soon as you switch to the window (in fact I thought they did it in the background all the time, but i may well be wrong on that).
On the other hand the widget that switches BT or wifi or GPS on or off are not active unless you touch them then they do what is required (switch it on or off) and then become inactive. In reality they are a little mini-programme in their own right, but they are still called widgets.
Shortcuts are not the same as widgets - all they do is open a programme when touched - so Google maps etc are not widgets they are shortcuts.
I have filled all of my screens - any space left after the widgets is now filled with shortcuts to programmes I use most often. Doesn't appear to slow down the phone at all.

S-View Mod Ideas?

After using the S-View case, I see that there are a lot of little features that could be added, here are a few.
-YouTube Playback, you could use the Viewing window as a screen for your YouTube videos, this shouldn't be too difficult using the Xposed Framework.
-All notifications, this once again could be a bit more difficult to implement, but could be added as one of the 'Swipe' screens.
-Quick short cuts, if you long click the Pedometer or the Weather icon, the first thing you'd see once unlocked would be the SHealth, the Weather etc.
These are just a few among many, I am new to posting in this forum, so mods please move this thread if you see fit.
If a dev is willing to take up these ideas, I would happily test and debug Thanks

Bump!

+1

[ZOOPER] Now Cards for Zooper

Please have a look at my new app Now Cards for Zooper. I've used tsasker integration to make some of the widgets more unique - there's auto updating news widgets (more feeds will be made on request) and one which shows you your latest text message.
They're alongside calendar, weather, clock, etc. widgets. Take a look and make sure you read the description before you download. If you've got any problems, just post and let me know.
EDIT: The free version now contains a facebook widget too! (post 10 for pictures). This will stay as 4x1, but this, alongside a 4x2 and 4x3 will be coming to the paid version in the next few days
Paid version - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.est1994.zwskin.nowcards
Free version - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.est1994.zwskin.nowcards

Very cool idea, few questions.
Is this a "Google Now" replacement?
Its almost identical to "Goolge now" , whats the advantages of using Zooper and Tasker?
Could you add other buttons and functionality to the cards aswell?
- like say the incoming text card, can you add a reply button? that would pop up a reply text box etc?
- Or a card that has the ability to show current sound volumes? or the ability to change them from card?
- If you could add other app info like facebook (probably insane to get configured) it would be an awesome "Launcher" type of app etc.
Are you allowed to post links to paid apps on xda? Cant remember the rules (Current)
other than those, looking great! good luck.

Thanks for the support! Its kind of intended as a Now replacement, I love having Google now built into the Google launcher, but can't deal without any customizations, son its really intended for people with similar ideas.
Using Tasker gives a lot more options in terms of what can be displayed! Many things from the internet and almost any stat from your device can be displayed oince you combine the two - tasked is a lot more powerful than Zooper.
Unfortunately some if what what you're asking is still a little out of range. Things which involve interaction such as volume sliders or a functional reply box are not do-able from my app, however, you could create your own tasked scene and launch it as an OnTap action on the widget. I'd love to bundle this with the app my pself but I've found that Tasked scenes do not translate well across changes in screen size. I could definitely add one for current volumes though if you wanted? And anything else you might like? I will look into Facebook tomorrow, but its late here so I need some sleep!
And I'm not sure about posting paid links, I meant to double check the rules before posting but totally forgot! I didn't hear anything last time I did it though so fingers crossed
EDIT: I couldn't resist having a quick look - Facebook notifications can (and will) be made as a widget, but actual feeds cannot

These look great! But I am unclear as to when these show onscreen...are they always on widgets or just popup when info arrives? Thanks

They are all always on. Everything always has information to display! Are you asking more specifically about the Tasker widgets? If so, tasker collects information every 2 hours by default, with each collection gaining 5-7 stories (depending on provider). Only one story is 'given' to Zooper at a time, with the displayed story changing every 30 minutes.
I hope that answers your question?

I know this may not be exactly what you had in mind, but here's a Facebook widget I knocked up. There's also a 4x2, but that's just a shorter version of the large one. What do you think?

butler0607 said:
I know this may not be exactly what you had in mind, but here's a Facebook widget I knocked up. There's also a 4x2, but that's just a shorter version of the large one. What do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks great. Upon pressing it. Takes you right to Facebook?
To me flip book is annoying. But . I'm looking for a "sense" type of home page. You ever seen HTC sense home pages? If you could make the boxes a transparent black etc. Lol I love the Google now aspect, but their new material colors are... Not what I like. Lol but that's a great start. Smaller font perhaps.

Thanks for the feedback I thought about smaller fonts, but I wanted it wall to be readable at a glance and to follow Google as much as possible, but yes, clicking on the FB widget could take you straight to Facebook, but I've left all the shortcuts blank so you can pick where you want it to take you, possibly the notifications page directly?
If you send some HTC sense pics, maybe I'll think about making some wpof their widgets at some point too?

I decided to do a free version of this too - its got all the 4x1 widgets, but with none of the tasker integration or 4x2 widgets, so you can still get a good effect. Follow the link to grab it! Lasker
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.est1994.zwskin.nowcardsfree

Here's the new facebook widget, submitted to the free version already and coming to the paid version soon!

6.0.1 customization advice

Have: Nexus 6P stock 6.0.1. Need: some customization. Items in green have a solution.
I've enabled Developer Mode and System UI Tweaker. I'd like to do this without root, or anything that would affect individual Google Play-installable apps. (The reason is, I need this device for final user release testing, so it should be what users have just from factory reset + install apps and normal OS upgrades):
Different wallpaper on Lock Screen than behind icons and widgets. (Tried: http://forums.androidcentral.com/an...-lock-screen-wallpaper-help-how-can-i-do.html - No triple dot menu visible in Wallpaper)
Full brightness on Lock screen instead of 90%, independent of brightness settings. ("OK" option: same brightness as manual brightness in Settings) (http://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-s3/help/home-lockscreen-brightness-t1704705 - no Lock Screen Options in Settings)
Disable peeking globally. ("OK" option: put them in the statusbar like 4.4.4) (I don't want to disable peeking for every new app I install: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Here...ifications-in-Android-6.0-Marshmallow_id75408) Temporary solution: I will manually disable peeking for every new app that shows them.
Global saturation setting for icons. (They're all saying "click ME!", that's an icon designer's job. With an excellent high-contrast screen like this, it's a crowd shouting.) ("OK" option: some other way of getting icons to look more Zen.) Icon packs for launchers are that "OK option", browsing tons on Google Play left Hexacon and Dual Shadow. So Hexacon.
Remove the Google Now bar from my Home Screen (without disabling any services). (As in, I taught the device my voice, so I don't need it there for me to tap. Tried: https://www.androidpit.com/how-to-remove-the-google-search-bar-from-your-android-homescreen - it's not long-tappable nor draggable, nor does it appear under Google Apps in Widgets.) Best solution so far: Nova Launcher.
I'd like to be able to do this:
Some quick way (preferably swipe) to access a more compact Quick Settings widget, like on my Xperia Z. I've reduced it to 9, can't remove "Invert Colors" and Location toggles.
Global Night Mode for everything in the System UI - to make it look similar to the Quick Settings. (This is a "like to" only because it's been promised in N. I really need it like, now. ) Best solution so far: Nova Launcher.
Basically I have the greatest phone, so I want it to look good at all times, and with the aim Clean, Fresh, Zen.
I posted here bc the forum was most specific. Feel free to refer or advise me how to best get answers as I joined tonight.
Any & all advice on single questions is appreciated Not possible is a valid answer, and I'm also prepared to wait for N if that's the answer.

I used to think of "ok google" as a novelty but its become more polished and if it remains reliable Ill continue to use it more& more. As it applies to keeping things clean it sort of does eliminate need for extra widgets.
If you have ok google everywhere u can just say " ok google...launch settings". Same goes for music apps, podcasts, youtube videos etc.
Started using a new app other day you might like called sesame edge. I set it on the right edge, virtually invisible and it brings up quick access to apps.

KLit75 said:
I used to think of "ok google" as a novelty but its become more polished and if it remains reliable Ill continue to use it more& more. As it applies to keeping things clean it sort of does eliminate need for extra widgets.
If you have ok google everywhere u can just say " ok google...launch settings". Same goes for music apps, podcasts, youtube videos etc.
Started using a new app other day you might like called sesame edge. I set it on the right edge, virtually invisible and it brings up quick access to apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, trying it out. Also tried Sesame in the hope that it would let me set a different lock screen wallpaper, but it only had "their automatic lock screen wallpaper or off" as setting. I sent feedback to them, so let's see.

HenrikErlandsson said:
Thanks, trying it out. Also tried Sesame in the hope that it would let me set a different lock screen wallpaper, but it only had "their automatic lock screen wallpaper or off" as setting. I sent feedback to them, so let's see.
Click to expand...
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I dont use a lockscreen but on Pure Nexus which Im using now there is an option to set lockscreen wallpaper.
I use action launcher 3 which doesnt allow me to remove google bar (i dont think) but nova will let u do that. I like the bar cuz on action launcher i can put several shortcuts for whatever i want.
ASAP launcher is very minimal. Again you cant REMOVE the bar but swipe down and it turns into a simple clock widget.

KLit75 said:
I dont use a lockscreen but on Pure Nexus which Im using now there is an option to set lockscreen wallpaper.
I use action launcher 3 which doesnt allow me to remove google bar (i dont think) but nova will let u do that. I like the bar cuz on action launcher i can put several shortcuts for whatever i want.
ASAP launcher is very minimal. Again you cant REMOVE the bar but swipe down and it turns into a simple clock widget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx, tried Nova and it gives me Night Mode. Thanks for that Still, no way to have a different wallpaper on the lock screen than on the home screen, and I can find no Prime option for it either. Pure Nexus requires CM.
Can I mix and match this type of apps? Will they interfere with each other? Sesame seems to work with Nova at least.
What about Hi Locker? http://android.wonderhowto.com/how-to/get-back-lock-screen-customization-android-lollipop-0160204/
Can custom lock screens lock me out of my phone, make me butt dial, hog battery? I just want to change the gdmn background!
As I wrote, if some feature comes in N I'd rather wait than mess up my new phone.

HenrikErlandsson said:
Thx, tried Nova and it gives me Night Mode. Thanks for that Still, no way to have a different wallpaper on the lock screen than on the home screen, and I can find no Prime option for it either. Pure Nexus requires CM.
Can I mix and match this type of apps? Will they interfere with each other? Sesame seems to work with Nova at least.
What about Hi Locker? http://android.wonderhowto.com/how-to/get-back-lock-screen-customization-android-lollipop-0160204/
Can custom lock screens lock me out of my phone, make me butt dial, hog battery? I just want to change the gdmn background!
As I wrote, if some feature comes in N I'd rather wait than mess up my new phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems Im constantly tweaking things and having problems recalling exactly what I used. I know making lockscreen different from desktop is something Ive done many times. Do u have xposed? Pretty sure gravitybox has that option.
As far as butt dials, I use sweep to wake & it was a problem. Always remember to put it in your pocket screen facing out. I also need to do that when using bt headphones or else i get distortion. Anyways if i find something relevant Ill let u know.

Thx for suggestions!
I want weather, clock, and a background that matches my high-end case on the lock screen AND NOTHING ELSE, and then wherever there are icons I want a neutral background or just a color so I can see them properly. I think that's being a normal user with sensible demands.
Right now a huge dark gray or white slate COVERS the background anyway. I don't mind it, it lets me see the icons of all manner of variety and quality against something neutral, still... just allowing a background to set behind your icons seems to be an easy addition... since Froyo... Anyway, end rant about Simple Things. Android at least lets you customize them.
I'm battling notifications now. Light Manager is recommended for the 6P - testing it out now for notifications that are actually important, will report.