Hardcore
Android users have long prized their ability to deeply customize their
experience so that it is either more efficient or simply more
personalized. What if you decided to throw all of that away in exchange
for an interface that filled in the blanks for you? Aviate is a launcher
replacement on the surface, but ultimately it serves as a replacement
for dozens of tedious tasks on Android.Ever since the launch of the
first Android phone, the G1, there have been developers out there trying
to improve upon the Android launcher.Antique faucets Some
of them exist to add new features, some of them exist to provide
alternatives for users who get stuck with outdated launchers made by the
smartphone manufacturers, while still others are simply designed to
make a homescreen look like a Padd from Star Trek. Whatever, the reason,quantum resonance magnetic analyzer alternative
launchers have existed almost from the beginning.Most of their changes
are cosmetic, in fact it’s only really been in the last year that apps
like Action Launcher have come out and really started adding features
you couldn’t find anywhere else. Aviate takes things in a wildly
different direction, asking the user to sacrifice control of their
launcher in exchange for a whole new workflow.From the start, you’ll
notice that Aviate isn’t like the other kids in the Play Store. The
screen setup is wildly different, mostly because there are no screens.
Your primary “home” setup is a combination of key apps and widgets that
you use every day… and that’s it. There’s no other screen to swipe to
for more widgets, or another page of your painstakingly organized
folders of apps. These things are gone, and instead what you get is the
experience Aviate knows you want, based on how you use actually your
phone throughout the day.
Aviate’s
home page is constantly changing to offer you content that is relevant
to your usage patterns. When your alarm goes off in the morning and you
reach for your phone, Aviate has Geek.com (your favorite news site) and
whatever apps you go to first thing in the morning right there for you
in a special morning only window. Then when you are on your way to work,
Aviate has the maps and music apps ready to go, as well as a suggestion
of apps you may also be interested in when you are in transit.tyre changer When
you get to work, the screen changes again to offer you apps that you
are most likely to use in this environment.If Aviate guesses
incorrectly, you do have a little bit of manual control. You can set
whatever app you want in the environment you are currently in, and it
will stay there. You have control over what widgets are shown on the
homescreen, and you have the ability to dismiss any app suggestions that
are made. Access your whole list of apps is now two swipes away, and
has been alphabetized to make it easier to find an app quickly. This
does technically put your complete library of apps one step further away
than with most other launchers, but from my testing the suggestion
engine has been so good I rarely have had to hunt for an app.Being
location aware for certain environments is both a gift and a curse when
using this service. It’s one area that isn’t quite polished yet for
Aviate, and can cause problems as you use it. If the app thinks you’re
at a nearby restaurant or landmark it will change your screen to attempt
to optimize. This could be a good thing if it was more accurate,Antique tubsUsed construction machinery as
it offers Foursquare check-in and reviews that can be quickly accessed.
Switching back to the correct environment with the Spaces tab is easy
enough, but the app seems to not learn from this correction quite fast
enough yet. On several occasions, I’ve had to move back from being put
in the same incorrect environment.
In
the Spaces slide-in menu you will also find the system settings. It’s a
little odd a first to see the launcher treat Settings in the same way
that it treats location changes, but it’s hard to argue with how fast
you can access almost every common setting from this menu. If you’re
using a modern version of Android, it’s the same number of steps as the
quick-launch page. What makes it make more sense to use on a regular
basis is the access to theme control and a quick glance at non-system
settings. If you use apps like Lux or Battery Widget Reborn! you can
place control for these here and access them alongside the rest of your
settings.Ultimately, Aviate is nearly perfect if you don’t enjoy
spending countless hours controlling every pixel on your home screen.
After a few days of use the app does a fantastic job putting everything
within reach of the main screen, and it does so in a way that makes you
feel like it was your idea. It’s got a little ways to go before when it
comes to being location accurate, perhaps even a way to only allow the
app to change when in pre-defined zones, but it’s an impressive
accomplishment for a newcomer to the launcher replacement space.
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