I am a big fan of Sony Xperia’s apps. I already have the keyboard for a while and now I’ve the launcher too, thanks to XDA member ra3al who has ported the Xperia Launcher for all devices running on Android 4.0.3 and above.
This launcher is based on Xperia™ Home 4.1.A.0.7 from the Xperia T.
Let’s take a look at the features:
User selectable number of home screens (up to 11) and default screen selection.
Customizable desktop and app drawer grid size (from 3 x 3 to 9 x 9).
Infinite scrolling on the desktop and the app drawer (significantly improved from previous (GB) version).
Resizable widgets.
Hide apps from the app drawer (now does not hide them from the desktop and the dock).
Show / hide icon labels on the desktop, the dock and the app drawer.
Enable / disable app sharing on social networks.
Enable / disable tactile feedback (vibration).
Icon packs support (load icons from: Launcher Pro, ADW Launcher and GO Launcher themes / icon packs).
Backup and restore launcher settings.
Support for any resolution and any display density (custom DPI).
Others.
You can create folders on the homescreen by dragging an icon over another. The dock isn’t scrollable, but it allows you to add and remove shortcuts and folders. The app drawer allows you to quickly uninstall apps by tapping on the four-squares icon and clicking on the icon of the app you wish to remove. You can also sort apps in your own order, this is very useful to access your favorite apps quickly.
Visit the XDA thread to download the launcher. The developer has mentioned he will add it to Google Play soon, and I think that would be really good as we could get updates much faster.
All you have to do is install it as a normal apk using any file manager. When to you try to add widgets, it will prompt you for root access. You need to allow it for placing the widgets on the homescreen. If you have Jellybean, you needn’t worry about access as its not required. The developer says that an ICS version without root access will be available soon.
Long-press on any blank part of the homescreen or press the menu key to access the launcher’s settings or to add shortcuts and widgets.
To access the various settings for the dock, app drawer,etc, swipe from right to left at the Launcher settings screen. And if you want the Clock and Weather widget from Xperia, just go to the second post in the thread. Some of Xperia’s widgets won’t work, so we’ll have to wait for the developer to put up modified versions of the original widgets.
Give this launcher a shot, I think it’s pretty smooth and has potential to be one of the best of its kind.
Update: Version 1.2.9 (Build: 1054) enables ICS users to add widgets without root access.