[APP][WIP] Crome Launcher, a vertical launcher

cyansmoker · Sep 6, 2011

-> Download link (12/01/11) <-

What?

A vertical launcher. It will, hopefully, allow you to use shortcuts, widgets and info tiles. And skins.
I plan to build something that looks like IidaHome, but more flexible (more info on IidaHome here and here)

Skinnable!

Android%252520Gingerbread%252520%25255BRunning%25255D-1.jpg

Android%252520Gingerbread%252520%25255BRunning%25255D.jpg

(These themes are available on the download page)

Icon themes: use ADW's!

Android%252520Gingerbread%252520%25255BRunning%25255D-4.jpg

Known Issues

Long start-up time is long!
Lacks many sexy effects.

Create Your Own Theme!

The default template you can see in the above pictures is available in source code on GitHub
It is very easy to adapt to create your own. Ask me for help if you have to!

Why?

My phone used to rock IidaHome launcher.
Of course, being a rip from a Japanese phone, users are asking for new features, etc., but, really, we do not have access to the source code and adding any feature is an exercise in hacking smali files.

I like vertical launchers but the Windows 7 copies, although quite sexy, only offer a limited number of apps per row and are limited by their reference launcher's own UI choices (Metro UI)

So, I started work on my own launcher (the mere fact of writing this sentence makes me feel embarrassed for re-inventing the wheel)

ColorNapkin · Sep 6, 2011

That's interesting. Is that what will appear on the App Drawer or is that for the home screens?

xkonni · Sep 6, 2011

i'd be very interested in this as well... good luck

flixos · Sep 6, 2011

it looks pointed on the right way, keep on it. I just hope there will be a version for mobiles, not only for tablets (you're using a nook, aren't you?)

cyansmoker · Sep 6, 2011

It's a complete home screen. I had not considered the app drawer angle.

[Mobiles] Yes it's one of the things that bothered me with IidaHome: it doesn't make good use of real estate offered by different resolutions. This particular home is created with the intent to work with any resolution; it will be possible to specify how many cells you wish per row so that you can have more cells on a Nook and, say, a max of three or four on a WVGA device.

ryanpl · Sep 6, 2011

Two quick question for the OP. What version of Android will this be for? Will you include grayscale support for the Nook Touch?

cyansmoker · Sep 6, 2011

I should work on 2.1+ so your device should work.

Grayscale: I am not sure what needs to be done for that but I can certainly test on a grayscale device.

dayze0 · Sep 7, 2011

yum yum ......looking forward to this

cyansmoker · Sep 7, 2011

Day 2 Update

(I can only work on this in the evening)

No video at this point, but I have:

1. Icons properly lining up and scrolling
2. Multi-column icons support
3. Add more application shortcuts
4. Add shortcuts such as bookmarks, pictures, contacts...
5. Add widgets

Missing:
1. Persistence
2. Correct icon gap management for multi-row widgets
3. Re-ordering icons
4. Separators/Folders
5. Proper refresh
6. Any kind of objects management
7. Customization of any kind

sakisds · Sep 7, 2011

Interesting launcher. I think it would look better if the tiles had no background or a transparent one.

cyansmoker · Sep 7, 2011

Thanks.

Of course the pictures you are seeing right now are by no means a commitment to a given look. In fact, it will be skinable, meaning no tiles, transparent tiles or tiles-made-of-cheese tiles

cyansmoker · Sep 9, 2011

Day 4 Update

Added a new video at the bottom of the OP: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyK8kn5NsE4
This video shows widgets and on-screen dragging and re-ordering of shortcuts and widgets.

aydc · Sep 9, 2011

This is a fantastic idea. I'm tired of iPhone wannabe horizontal launchers. It makes much more sense to allocate the icons in a vertical space rather than horizontal. It's much easier to slide vertically rather than horizontally. I believe this launcher is going to be big when it's ready.

jazux · Sep 10, 2011

when this is ready will it work on asus transformer (tablet)??

cyansmoker · Sep 11, 2011

Day 5

Not much excitement today. I completely rewrote my layout engine so that every empty cell is automatically filled with something if possible.
I also added separators. They don't do everything I want yet.

Something that's starting to bother me: I really need to animate the widgets; at this points they can display an initial state and I can touch them to launch whatever, but they do not have a frame-by-frame animator class to give them life yet.

Jazux:
Yes, it is meant to work with any resolution so it should work on tablets.

pockobg · Sep 11, 2011

The animation of the tile and transitions are very important to me and other i believe! And don't forget to keep everything fluid, because i have tried several launchers and only 1 is good enough

Keep up the good work

Paradoxxx · Sep 11, 2011

Hum, nice.one, i had a look and a long try, to iida ui.
You should try to.make it as.beautifully, animated as it.is.
Nice work, keep it up.

Sent from HydrOG3N MOD DHD.
Technology Evolves.Android Evolves.
HydrOG3N is the Revolution.

cyansmoker · Sep 12, 2011

Day 6

Currently, there are no animations. Things show up, scroll up/down, disappear. That's because I want to get the basics right before I get into animating anything.

But, yes, this program will ultimately be animated; I want to use it myself so I would like something that makes me happy to look at and interact with.

Anyway, today:

I got the widget to display correctly and instantly. Then, that behavior broke (hate days like that!)
Separators work; they can hide apps
Complete refactoring or "Apps/widgets/special" code
Introduction of "Edit" mode (moving icons around will work in both modes)

Che123 · Sep 12, 2011

cyansmoker said:
Day 6

Currently, there are no animations. Things show up, scroll up/down, disappear. That's because I want to get the basics right before I get into animating anything.

But, yes, this program will ultimately be animated; I want to use it myself so I would like something that makes me happy to look at and interact with.

Anyway, today:

I got the widget to display correctly and instantly. Then, that behavior broke (hate days like that!)

Separators work; they can hide apps

Complete refactoring or "Apps/widgets/special" code

Introduction of "Edit" mode (moving icons around will work in both modes)

Yeah. First fix the important things

Will there be a beta version for testing purposes?

Dunc001 · Sep 12, 2011

If you get the vertical scrolling working perfectly how big a leap would it be to have say a regular left/right scrolling launcher with vertical scrolling only from your default home screen? I'd love to have a standard 5-screen horizontal launcher with one up/one down on the central default home screen (both with continuous scrolling...), or even as a launcher 'cube' with four horizontal and one up one down accessible from any of the horizontal scrolling screens (like turning a cube). Is any of this possible?

[APP][WIP] Crome Launcher, a vertical launcher

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