8 Awesome Launchers for Android devices
Are you looking to change the look and feel of your Android device? Launchers are the easiest way to do so. Read the article to know about some free and cheap launchers available in market.
Androids are infinitely customizable. You can always bake your device better and one of the ways to do so is to use a launcher. Launchers are best for speeding up slow machines. Doing a full factory reset also fails to speed up the device at times but a launcher is very effective. You will find plenty of launchers at Google Play store. Launchers for Android devices
Launchers help speed up a slow machine and make fonts or icons bigger. All the unnecessary animations get automatically removed. There are many free launchers for tablets that offer intelligent app management. Read more about such launchers and find out what all you can do.
Espier Launcher
For those who prefer the look of iOS over Android, Espier Launcher can be very handy. It combines the look of Apple with features of Android and the default screen just reflects that. The launcher recommends the apps to install if you prefer even more similarity to iOS. The apps, themes and plugins should be individually downloaded. It runs no ads and most features are free. For added features, for example, to choose your favorite search engine, you will have to pay 600 espier coins. For removing the App Hub folder, you will have to pay 1000 espier coins and to save images from online gallery you'll have to pay 500 coins. 1000 espier coins are equal to 5 dollars.
RUI Launcher
This launcher for tablets automatically classifies all installed apps into customizable categories. It provides support for themes and gestures. Moreover, it has an in-built backup restore feature. The launcher is light weight and works well on even low budget tablets. Try free Launcher HD for added customization. As RUI Launcher is free, it is not very high on features. If you are willing to spend, Apex Launcher Pro (Rs. 250), Chameleon Launcher (Rs. 250) and Nova Launcher Prime (Rs. 250) are some good options as they work well even on low budget Android tablets. Nova has an unlimited free version also which is simple but very fast. It gives good number of optimization options, does not display ads or pop-ups and works great on tablets & phones. The best part about it is that it works on a revolving 3D cube user interface, i.e. whenever you will scroll right or left through the home screen, it will revolve.
Buzz Launcher
This launcher allows users to create a theme using the app. It is a full home screen replacement. The theme can be made available to the whole user community. Thus, users get a huge variety to choose from. Users can also comment on or recommend good packs. The 'Staff pick' and 'Hot packs' sections save time by landing straight to the best of the packs available. Each theme should be downloaded separately. You can choose minimalistic design icons or themes with widgets and fancy icons. The launcher manages the installed apps also. It provides full optimization by two ways. One way is to create and customize widgets, icons and backgrounds. Another way is to choose from the pre made options which the user community has created. Another similar launcher is Themer but this requires users to sign up with a Facebook or Google account in order to download themes. Themer is in beta mode.
Smart Launcher
It is a free launcher by Gin-Lemon. It sorts all your apps under six main categories: games, media, utility, communication, internet and settings. Thus, finding apps becomes very easy. At first launch, the software will check with you what apps you prefer for camera, browser, gallery and music. It will then place icons on your home screen for fast access. You get a huge variety of themes to choose from. Users can also place widgets on home screen by purchasing the Pro version of the launcher. This version adds transition effects, a second home screen and costs Rs. 155 only.
Launcher Pro
It is a free launcher designed specifically for old devices, like ones having a single core processor or limited RAM. The launcher is very light weight but offers less customization options and features. The paid version called LauncherPro Plus costs Rs. 218 but offers not many features.
Big Launcher
The average Android device size is getting bigger but the amount of information displayed is also increasing and thus senior citizens with visual impediments or short sightedness face difficulty in reading the content. Big Launcher can be a very handy launcher in this situation. It not only gives easy to read large icons but also increases the ease of Android usage. High contrast color schemes are also available. The launcher is compatible with Android 2.1 or later. It costs Rs. 600. You can try a free demo version and try out the features before purchasing the launcher.
Aviate
This new launcher is still in invite-only beta mode. It allows you to apply shared home screens on your own phone. You can not only download or share but also create and customize your own home screens. The USP of Aviate is that it gives custom Android home screen by providing contextually relevant information no matter what the user is doing. All the apps get automatically arranged in groups like Work, Games, News, Music and Going somewhere. You can also edit them and create your own collections. It automatically keeps displaying any local information. Clear user interface and relevant content makes this launcher different from other launchers in market.
Dodol Launcher
This is one of the simplest launchers in market. It quickly allows you to change the look of your home screen by applying new themes. There is a vast variety available and you can download even more themes from Dodol Theme Store. Most of them are free. The launcher is not fully integrated and you will have to download each theme via Google Play Store. You can add shortcuts for your apps. The launcher places some useful tools like memory cleaner and options to change system fonts and ringtone by default.
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Apex launcher is also a good launcher. I tried it. It is nice and has a good speed.