Check: Android

Three Great 3D Launchers To Revamp Your Android Phone Homescreen

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/3dandroidthumb.jpg" alt="3d launcher android" />3D performance is a competition that all current smartphones have entered into with pride. While basic 3D has been easily accomplished on computers for over a decade, it’s still rather novel on smartphones. The hardware inside these devices is just starting to become sufficient for displaying truly impressive graphics.

Games are, of course, an easy way to show of the graphical chops of a smartphone. But what if you want a more practical way to display the power of your Android phone? A 3D class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/turn-android-phone-windows-7-phone-launcher-7/">launcher might be exactly what you’re looking for.

class="vt-p" href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.nemustech.regina&feature=search_result">Regina 3D

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/3dlauncher1.jpg" alt="3d launcher android" width="300" height="500" />

A relative youngster in the world of launchers, Regina 3D has managed to make a splash by offering a quality 3D interface without a price-tag. There are many great launchers already available on the class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/dir/android-market-marketplace-for-android-apps/">Android Marketplace, including ADW and Launcher Pro, but they do charge for certain versions. Regina 3D is completely free.

Regina’s default interface looks like HTC Sense after getting a job at a steel mill. There’s a Sense-style dock on the bottom of the interface and the large clock is also reminiscent of HTC’s launcher, but the background is a slick metallic texture and the widgets are dressed to the nines. The 3D effects are noticeable, but also subtle. Moving between homescreens displays a 3D transition effect and widgets have a cool flip animation that is used when switching between display modes. The app tray also uses your smartphone’s 3D capabilities to provide a subtle transparency effect.

There is great widget support in Regina, and the functionality is competitive with the veteran launchers. The main disadvantage at the moment is customization, but if you aren’t going to spend much time tricking out your interface, this won’t be a problem for you.

Regina 3D Launcher requires Android 2.1 and up.

class="vt-p" href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.neomtel.mxhome&feature=search_result">MX Home

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/3dlauncher2.jpg" alt="3d launcher" width="320" height="480" />

Android phones typically base themselves off the concept of having numerous home screens. That’s fine, but is it really necessary? After all, flipping through screens can become a bit tiresome.

MX Home tackles the launcher question from a slightly different angle by introducing a 3D “cover page” which contains a clock as well as access to the most important apps on any Android phone, such as Dialer, Internet and Contacts. A battery life indicator, class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/analyze-plot-local-wifi-networks-inssider/">Wi-Fi switch and other gadgets are also incorporated, and the click has a subtle but smooth 3D effect that is based on user input.

The main problem with MX Home is customization, and it’s more severe than the issue facing Regina 3D. Since the cover page is a static entity, manipulating the interface requires a modified 3D model and a re-skin. Currently there are just two themes available on the Android Marketplace. The launcher also needs to do a better job of integrating the 3D cover page with the rest of the interface. MXHome is free, as is the second theme.

MX Home requires Android 2.1 and up.

class="vt-p" href="https://market.android.com/details?id=com.spb.shell3d&feature=search_result">SPB Shell 3D

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/3dandroid3.jpg" alt="3d launcher android" width="360" height="500" />

This launcher has a very special place on the marketplace. Most of the launchers currently out are indie apps that are made by one developer or a small team. SPB Shell 3D, however, is made by SPB software, a company with a huge variety of apps available for Android, iOS, Windows Mobile, Blackberry and more. It’s also unique because of its price tag – a whopping $15.

You might be thinking “Wow – the other launchers are free. How can this possibly justify $15?” There are many answers. SPB Shell 3D puts its 3D effects to better use than any of the other launchers. It has a cool, quick and handy carousel view for navigating screens and it’s also possible to use a 3D view to organize what screens are displayed and where. In addition to this, many of the included SPB Shell class="vt-p" href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/useful-widgets-for-the-opera-browser/">widgets have 3D effects of their own. The global time widget, with its beautiful 3D globe, is one example.

There’s more to SPB Shell 3D than the shiny graphics, as well. It has the best folder implementation of any launcher currently available for Android, and it’s surprisingly quick considering all the special effects being used. Paying $15 for an Android app may seem crazy, but if you want a serious do-it-all launcher that also makes excellent use of your phone’s 3D hardware, you can’t go wrong with SPB Shell 3D.

SPB Shell 3D requires Android 2.1 – 2.3.3.

Conclusion

I’m honestly surprised that there isn’t a greater selection of 3D launchers available, but then, development almost certainly takes time. If you know of a 3D launcher we missed or one that it is development and looking good, let us know in the comments./>/>Need Assistance? Ask questions to MakeUseOf staff and thousands of other readers on href="http://www.makeuseof.dev/answers/" target="_blank" >MakeUseOf Answers!

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Lookout: Safe browsing comes to Android

Lookout, a mobile security company based in San Francisco, added a new feature to its security software on Thursday that protects web users from visiting malicious sites on Google Android smartphones. The Safe Browsing function is part of Lookout Premium, a $29-per-year service that also includes protection from malware and spyware, provides a data backup and a phone location feature.

To help promote the safer browsing feature, the company’s software has a new home in Sprint’s app store, and customers on any network can get a $5 discount on the yearly service. Is there a need for such online protection for mobile phones? I’d argue yes, or at least that the need is growing due to our reliance on doing more on our smartphones. The Lookout blog provides a nice summary of this view:

You do a million things on your smartphone. You check email, play games, visit Facebook and Twitter … the list is huge and growing. (What did we ever do without them?) What about online banking, though? Or online shopping? We know that when it comes to activities involving sensitive personal data, people are typically more cautious.

For as much growth as we’ve witnessed lately in mobile web, smartphone adoption and the app store economy, we’re really at the beginning of the mobile revolution. In a world with more than 6 billion people, only 10 percent are active Facebook users, while about 20 percent use a smartphone today. That means there’s far more growth to be seen in smartphone activities and services. As that happens, smartphone users will become bigger targets for malware, phishing scams and nefarious websites.

It’s worth noting that Lookout was one of the primary companies to point out a recent rash of malware apps in the Android Market back in March. Google removed more than 50 apps as a result, but Lookout offered an update to its software that removed the malware from infected Android handsets. With little control or curation by Google, apps will continue to be a threat, but it would be a poor idea to ignore the potential negative impacts of unsafe mobile websites as consumers hit the Internet on a handheld.

The company was started by John Hering, James Burgess and Kevin Mahaffey, all mobile security researchers, and now boasts 9 million users worldwide for both its free and premium service. Given the combination of a greater reliance on smartphones, the mobile web and security concerns, I’d expect Lookout’s user base to grow at a similar rate to that of smartphone adoption, if not faster.

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Could Google Sync updates push Android users to iOS?

Google added three new features to its Google Sync solution Wednesday, all of which are specific to Apple iOS devices. The trio of changes will make it easier for users of the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad to interact with Google’s Gmail and Calendar services. These improvements from Google, along with the upcoming new features in Apple’s own iOS 5 platform, could sway some Android users back to Apple’s mobile devices.

Here’s a rundown of what’s changed in Google Sync for iOS:

Server search. Instead of limiting email searches to the mail stored locally in the iOS Mail application, searches can be extended to Google’s Gmail servers. This is how Gmail in Android works, and it brings value because of Gmail’s archive feature. Unless mail is specifically put in the Trash, its available for searches forever.

Calendar invites. Google Sync users can now accept, decline or edit Google Calendar events directly in the iOS Calendar application.

Send as your alter ego. In Gmail for Android, users can choose which email address to send from, via a drop down menu. Now with Google Sync, iOS users can effectively do the same, directly within the Mail application.

The lesser Google experience on iOS isn’t the only reason that some consumers opt for Android devices, of course. Some don’t care for Apple’s control over both its ecosystem and its platform, for example, although such control guarantees a certain user experience for all. Others like to customize and tinker with their handset far more than Apple allows. And a lack of useful features such as Google Voice and Google Navigation in Maps have made Android more appealing for some.

While Google could keep holding iOS back from good integration with Google services, there’s little need for it to do so. While the two companies are clear competitors, they each have different approaches to mobile. Apple earns millions from the sale of hardware that supports its ecosystem, while also making money on the digital goods in that ecosystem. Google on the other hand, earns no money directly from the sale of mobile hardware, but instead hopes to get its services in the hands of as many people as possible. Doing so gives Google information, which it uses to create revenue-generating services. Catering to all mobile devices places money-making ads in front of more eyeballs.

The timing of the Google Sync improvements with the fall arrival of iOS 5, however, could result in some switchers from Android to iOS. When I examined some of the new iOS 5 improvements from an Android user’s perspective — Notification Center, iMessage, and wireless synchronization — I found much to like. Yes, a few of the iOS 5 features are mirror images of what Android always does, but as I said earlier this month, “[T]o be honest, it really doesn’t matter to me who created a feature or function vs. who might have copied or borrowed heavily. At the end of the day, if the smartphone is improved and meets my needs, that’s all that counts.”

Another thought on the timing comes from my iOS-totin’ colleague, Darrell Etherington: Could Google be adding these features now to try to lock in more iOS users into Google services before Apple’s iCloud breezes in? It’s a logical thought, because there’s no reason Google couldn’t have added the new Google Sync features for iOS uses prior to now. And now that MobileMe is closed to new users until the iCloud service goes live, it’s a good time for Google to pull more iOS owners into its world. For suggestions to do so effectively, check our recent post that provides tips and tricks to make an iPhone play nicely with Google.

Ultimately, though, I think there’s a little more potential for Android owners to consider a switch as opposed to Google gaining more users through the existing user base. How about it Android users: Between iOS 5 changes and the new Google Sync features, is there any chance of a switch to Apple in your future?

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Thursday, 16 June 2011