As long as I’ve been on Android, I’ve been using a third-party launcher. From Nova to Apex to Aviate to Google’s own Now Launcher. My little eccentric heart loves the process of trying out new launchers, customizing them, changing fonts, icons, layouts, widgets, etc. Screenshots of some of our oldest settings I still exist on Dropbox (automatic photo backup FTW!).
But as I get older, I want the launch pad to be where I, you know, launch things. Apps, actions, whatever. It’s not something I want to stare at to admire or figure out where I want to go next. This is why I love SpringBoard on iOS (yes, I own an iPhone too, we have dual user existence).
Another thing I love in iOS is the Spotlight search. Just scrolling down and allowing me to search through 100+ phone apps, email, songs, etc. This means I don’t have to organize everything like that. Searching in Spotlight will do the trick. And since it’s fast, it’s not annoying.
How does all of this relate to why you should use Z Launcher? Be patient, grasshopper. Actually, on second thought, no. Let’s do this fast, like Z Launcher.
it’s fast
If you haven’t heard of Nokia’s Z Launcher, here’s the introduction. It’s a context-aware launcher that has only one screen and doesn’t support widgets (It’s blasphemous, I hear you scream, but hold on).
Z Launcher’s deal is that it lets you scribble letters across the screen and from there, search your phone for related content. This could be an app, a contact, or a place you’ve visited.
The Android snob in me (we really couldn’t be bigger than that guy) wanted to point out that this has been possible since at least 2010 with Google’s own Gesture Search app. I was using this app at the time and to be honest, it sucks. It just converts your gesture to text and passes it through to Google Search, and that’s it. Z Launcher is much better.
Because it’s fast and accurate. Let’s say I want to call my friend Joe, a totally real person I talk to all the time. I scribbled a “J” on the screen and it popped up his phone number that I could tap to call. Unfortunately there is no text option yet. But you have a Contacts entry.
it works
More often than not, Z Launcher works. I don’t need to scribble more than 2-3 letters to get where I need to go. Swipe right is Space and swipe left is Backspace.
And the default Z Launcher’s screen combines some of your most used and most recent searches. So if you open Facebook or WhatsApp a lot, chances are it will be on that list. Same goes for the directory. You will find your inner circle somewhere.
It’s limited, but that’s good
Z Launcher is really very limited. There’s only one screen, no widgets, the only gesture is the one that lets you scribble letters, and the lists provided by Z Launcher are not scrollable. So at any given time you are limited to 5 results. This no-scroll feature demonstrates Nokia’s confidence in delivering accurate results and its commitment to simplicity.
Android snob in my opinion that this is also the biggest drawback of Z Launcher. Why can’t it do more? Why can’t I have the option to WhatsApp a contact, maybe use a special operator or a special gesture prefix?
Be patient, grasshopper.
But then I remembered that’s not the purpose of this app.
Use Z Launcher to get things done
You’re using your Android phone to get work done. The “thing” could be trolling your friends on WhatsApp groups, posting selfies on Instagram, scheduling your day’s work, or clearing your overflowing inbox.
A note about gestures: You need to make them bigger. While Z Launcher is pretty good at distinguishing 2 from K and me from 1, it comes in handy when you’re drawing large gestures (this is especially true when you’re talking about lowercase letters). The rule is that if you can clearly see the letters on the screen, so can Z Launcher. Now let’s hope your scribbles aren’t as bad as your handwriting.
Use Z Launcher to quickly launch apps instead of wandering aimlessly in the app drawer. To quickly call people instead of scrolling through Recently tab in the dialer application.
If you are the organized type of Uber, Z Launcher might not be for you
If you’re one of those people who’ve set up Nova Launcher in an 8 x 8 grid, showing all your most useful apps, with widgets for your most frequent contacts, the real Z Launcher might suit you better.
Z Launcher is for the rest of us. People who don’t really use widgets. Those without apps are organized by folders.
Z Launcher will help lazy and disorganized people to use their Android phones better.
Is it for you?
Have you tried Z Launcher? How do you like it? Is it useful or feels slow compared to your current setup? Let us know in the comments below.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
