HomeScreen
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Windows 8 may not let you boot to the desktop, demands you accept not-Metro
If you were hoping that you could force Windows 8 to bypass the don't-call-it-Metro homescreen and boot straight to the familiar desktop you've come to know and love, we've got bad news. Word on the street is, Microsoft has removed this ability from the latest builds of the OS -- so you're gonna have to stare at a pile of tiles when you boot up, whether you like it or not. According to Rafael Rivera, one of the authors of Windows 8 Secrets, there is a work around that involves creating a shortcut to the desktop and scheduling it to run at boot. But, it appears that even enterprise customers will be blocked from making the standard desktop the default environment. While Redmond is no doubt implementing such a policy to enforce consistency, it could prove to be a source of frustration for big businesses, which are notoriously resistant to change. We'll just have to wait for the final release to find out for sure.
Homescreen.me out of beta, lets you share your most essential apps
Created by iXyr, Homescreen.me is a neat little web app that lets you share your iOS homescreens for the world to see. Once you grab an image of your homescreen (by simultaneously pressing the power and home button), you can upload the image manually to Homescreen.me using a web interface or send it to the service using a unique email address that automatically posts it to your account. The service also lets you add text to each homescreen post so you can explain your chosen layout and describe your apps. There's no commenting and you can't follow other profiles, so right now, it's a one-way conversation from you to the world. You can sign up for a profile at Homescreen.me and let us know what you think in the comments. I like what I see in this early version and look forward to seeing the service expand. [hat tip The Next Web] #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean home screen revealed, automatically accommodates your apps and widgets
It's a pain manually moving apps and widgets on Android screens, ain't it? Well, at Google I/O 2012, the folks in Mountain View have just given us some Jelly Bean salve to soothe that irritation. The latest Android OS automatically arranges onscreen icons around any new widgets or apps you choose to insert. Not only that, but you can also remove any unwanted apps and widgets with a simple swipe up and off the home screen to delete them. A welcome Android addition, to be sure, but it begs the question, when will us non-Nexus owners get to enjoy it? Check out our full coverage of Google I/O 2012's opening keynote at our event hub!
Chameleon adaptive Android home screen returns to view, Kickstarter
For three days, Chameleon lived up to its name, disappearing from the web as quickly as it arrived. The Android home screen's Kickstarter page spent most of this week offline, after the Amazon Payments account holder departed the company, leaving Chameleon without any way to collect on its pledges. Fortunately, the project has now returned, and is already more than a third of the way through to its $30,000 funding goal. And, as an apology of sorts for the inconvenience, new backers (or re-backers) of five dollars or more will receive five "bonus" Chameleon backgrounds. Regardless of whether this modest offer or the launcher's potential is responsible for the seemingly considerable interest, the project is back up and running -- this time though the July 4th deadline, we hope. Jump past the break and hit up our source link to make your pledge. [Thanks, Scott]
Chameleon Android homescreen cancels Kickstarter funding due to account mix-up, new project coming soon
If you fell in love with Teknision's contextual Android skin, we've got some news that might break your heart. The Chameleon homescreen's Kickstarter project has been unceremoniously canceled, as its Amazon payments account-holder has left the company. With no easy way to transfer over $50,000 of earmarked money, the makers were left with no choice but to reboot the project. A new project is set to go live later this week, so hold on to those investment dollars. Anyone who pledged funds to the first project won't be charged, but they will have to restate their interest on the new project page.
Insert Coin: Chameleon adaptive home screen replacement for Android tablets
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. If you're an Android tablet owner, you're likely very familiar with the drill: after you unlock the device, you're presented with a static home screen full of apps and widgets, which may or may not be relevant to your current need. The creators of Chameleon, a home screen replacement for Android 3.2 / 4.0 tablets, would like to change all that with a dynamic environment that'll adapt to your current GPS location, WiFi network or the time of day. Users may design and customize their ideal layouts, which may include news and social feeds in the morning, a calendar and tasks for the work environment and an assortment of entertainment options for the evening at home. Switching between these layouts isn't a problem, either, as you'll be able to flick between home screens just as you would with the standard Android interface. Like a good rug, the interface is attractive and really pulls everything together. Chameleon is currently a Kickstarter project, and its creators intend to unleash the creation into the Google Play Store this September. Those who donate $5 or more can expect early delivery of the app, which is currently slated for August. It never hurts to be early in line, and Chameleon might just rekindle your love for Android tablets. For a quick peek of what's in store, check the video after the break. [Thanks, Greg]
How to create a unique iOS home screen icon for your website
GIGAOM has put together a nifty article detailing the process for creating a unique iOS home screen icon for your website. When iOS users visit your website and create a home screen icon shortcut to easily access your site again, you want that icon to stand out and be easily identifiable amongst all the other icons, particularly if your site is a web app. Normally, when you create a home screen icon for a website, iOS will create a thumbnail image of that webpage, but by following a few simple steps (using a program like Preview), and entering a few lines of code, your websites can easily be identified by a well branded icon on any iOS home screen. Click here for all the details.
Mozilla's Webian Shell interface will cloak your OS in a browser (video)
With Google's fleet of Chromebooks making their way to market, Mozilla Labs has decided to release a similarly browser-based desktop interface, known as the Webian Shell. As of now, the prototype app consists of a screen-encompassing web browser, which essentially replaces your desktop interface. There's an address bar running across the top of the screen, a clock in the bottom right corner, and a tab button for all your web apps. Developed as part of the company's Mozilla Chromeless project, the tool was written entirely in HTML, CSS and JavaScript and, unlike Chrome OS, is designed to run on top of existing operating systems, rather than replace them. For now, the Shell is still in an early phase of development, looks pretty spartan and can't control a system's hardware. Mozilla, however, says it has plans to incorporate multiple home screens, split screen views and an on-screen keyboard, among other features. Windows, Linux and Mac OS X users can download the Shell now, from the source link. Otherwise, you can just head past the break to see a brief demo video.
Weather app uses notifications to display info on home screen
One area that Apple needs to address is the iOS home screen, which uses icons and badges to display information instead of the more informative widgets used by its competitor, Android. While many apps resign themselves to this limitation, a weather app by International Travel Weather Calculator pushes what is possible with a clever use of the iOS notification system. We are all familar with the red iOS badge that displays the number of missed calls or unread emails on your home screen. The Fahrenheit – Weather and Temperature on your Home Screen app takes advantage of this notification system to display the temperature on your home screen. It's a clever use of Apple's built-in system that does not run afoul of the App Store guidelines. The rest of the weather application is feature-rich and includes location-based weather forecasts, support for multiple cities, astronomical data, like sunrise and sunset times, and extra weather information, like rainfall amounts, humidity and wind direction. An in-app upgrade lets you add rain radar, satellite maps and wind charts to the application. The Fahrenheit – Weather and Temperature on your Home Screen app is available for US$0.99 from the App Store. Check it out and let us know what you think.
Google Voice for Android gets refreshed with widgets in tow
Google just pushed out a fresh build of its Google Voice app for Android, and it looks like the improvements are focused on a pair of new home screen widgets (previously, it had none). The inbox preview widget does exactly what you might think, letting you flip through recent voicemails -- complete with questionable transcriptions -- while tapping on a message will take you to it in the actual app. The aptly-named settings widget, meanwhile, lets you compose text messages, change dialing preferences, toggle Do Not Disturb mode, and see your available balance. Revolutionary? Not exactly, but a welcome addition for a service that's quickly becoming a standard for many Android users stateside.
Nokia N8 video overview: Symbian^3 homescreens, messaging, email, and Flash-capable browser on show
It seems like the only question really left about the Nokia N8, albeit the most important one, is just how it'll interface with the user and what the experience of living with it will be like. The Nokia Conversations team is now aiming to answer just that with the first of three video walkthroughs taking us on a tour of the new device and its Symbian^3 operating environment. We now know you can have up to three homescreens with six widgets apiece, and -- gasp -- wallpapers are available right off the bat. Threaded messaging is also implemented in the new OS, as well as a soft QWERTY keyboard and a set of emoticons... yes, emoticons. Notably, the entire demo is done with the phone held in landscape, suggesting that might be the preferred method of use, while transitions between menus look as quick and pleasurable as you might expect from a promo video. See the whole thing after the break.
Starting from zero on the iPhone home screen
This is what my iPhone looks like right now. No, it's not because iTunes went crazy and deleted all my apps. I'm trying to figure out which apps I actually use. I've downloaded over 150 apps from the App Store. Of those 150, I have roughly 100 of them still in iTunes. I've tried grouping them using springboard pages, but I find it frustrating because I don't usually have 12 related apps. (I'm really looking forward to Folders in iPhone OS 4.) Here's how I have been organizing my pages: Page 1 and 2: anything app I use a lot or that may pop up a "badge" that I want to see. Everything else: launch using search. Here's the thing: I've gotten used to putting some apps on page 1 or 2 because I think I'm going to use them. The Phone app? I finally moved it off my Dock, but I left it on Page 1, even though I bet it's one of the apps that I actually use far less frequently than others. Read on for more... Update: A hat tip to Patrick Rhone's MinimalMac, where a version of this experiment appeared in January.
Ask TUAW: Shopping for new Macs, iPhone home screens, home folder on external disk, and more
Welcome back to Ask TUAW, our weekly troubleshooting Q&A column. This week we have questions about whether to buy a 27" iMac or a MacBook Pro, increasing the number of iPhone home screens, moving your home folder to an external disk, and more. As always, your suggestions and questions are welcome. Leave your questions for next week in the comments section at the end of this post. When asking a question, please include which machine you're using and what version of Mac OS X is installed on it (we'll assume you're running Snow Leopard on an Intel Mac if you don't specify), or if it's an iPhone-related question, which iPhone version and OS version you have.
TAT Home: the gesture-powered 3D home screen your Android device has longed for
It's hard to believe this homegrown home screen actually runs as quickly as the video demo (posted up after the break) shows, but even if it's just 89.877 percent as fast, we have a good idea we'd be interested. TAT Home is a gesture-powered 3D home screen for Android, and it relies heavily on cascading windows and finger flicks in order to improve your navigational efficiency. Clueless as to what we're referring to? Jump past the break and mash play, and then surf on over to the source link to sign up for the preview program. [Thanks, Jesper]
The iPhone app showdown
This was an intriguing experiment undertaken over at Minimal Mac: Patrick decided to play a little Homescreen Survivor with his iPhone app icons -- he cleared everything off his homescreen, and then only let those apps back on which he used more than once throughout the course of a week. The result? You can see here which ones made it back on. Contacts, Calendar, Camera all showed up, not surprisingly. Photos did as well -- I don't use that one much, but I can see why. Everything else seems to be his own personal use: Tumblr's app, two different Twitter apps (Birdhouse and Tweetie), and then Simplenote and so on. But the real point here isn't what apps he used, it's just how different his homescreen looked when he only put what he used on there. I'll admit it: my iPhone is a mess -- I've got icons all over the place, and they don't seem to stay organized even when I try to organize them. But organizing according to actual usage is a great idea, and undertaking the same experiment on your iPhone might actually clear some things up for you. It's also worth pointing out all of that empty space on his homescreen: he has four more slots there that aren't used at all. Apple, are you listening? I'd guess Patrick's usage is more common than Apple may think -- there's plenty of room on the homescreen for other functions and information.
Apple gets one-upped on homescreen contact patent
Quite a few people have been asking me what app it was that I used in that post the other day about the rumored new iPhone. Unfortunately, it wasn't an app (although the jailbreak apps LockInfo and Intelliscreen offer similar features) -- it was one concept among many that have been suggested for a potential new homescreen on the iPhone's next OS revision. There have been a lot of great ideas bouncing around for the kinds of information Apple could put on a completely revamped iPhone homescreen: an easier-to-read clock, a list of received push notifications, easy access to contacts and/or email, and more. It seems as though Apple is experimenting with some of those things as well: the company recently filed a patent for including a contact, with picture, on the iPhone's home screen as an icon. Rather than navigate through the system to find your aunt that you call all the time, you could save auntie's picture on the home screen, and then hit one icon to call her up. Unfortunately for Apple, as Engadget points out, the Android OS actually lets you do this already, so the chances of their getting this patent approved are low. But it does tell us that Apple is at least thinking about how they could make the homescreen a little more useful. They may still be tied to the icon scheme, but at least they're looking at adding a little more functionality.
Dear Apple: What we want to see for iPhone 4.0, part 1
A week ago we asked you, the TUAW reader, to help us tell Apple what you want in the next iPhone: the OS, the apps, the hardware. Within two hours, I had over two hundred emails in my inbox. Within four days, the email total topped 1,100. As I was shifting and sorting through all your suggestions, one thing became clear: you love the iPhone, but you want to see it better, more intuitive, and more versatile – and you know how the iPhone can accomplish those goals. This is the first of a series of letters to Apple on your behalf, telling the gang in Cupertino what would make their wonder-phone even more wondrous. This letter strictly focuses on the iPhone OS in general – the home screen, navigation, and settings. Future letters will deal with hardware and applications. There were so many suggestions, I needed to whittle them down. To do that, I tabulated how many times a feature request was made. If more than 50% of you mentioned it, it made it into the letter. If you guys want to see the others (most were one-offs or had less that 15% of you requesting it), perhaps I'll add an extra letter onto the series at the end of its run.
Our iPhone home screens
We were recently inspired by the First&20 project, which presents the home screens of some notable iPhone users. So, we've taken screenshots of our own iPhone home screens for a little comparison.Once you've purchased an app, you audition it on your phone. Its usefulness determines its spot on the phone. For most of us, only the top apps - those we use most often or love the most - make it to the home screen. While browsing the results, we noticed some trends. Of the 11 bloggers who participated, seven had a Twitter app on their homescreen. Twitterrific was the most popular (Aron, Chris, Mike Schramm and me), followed by TweetDeck (Kevin and Brett) and finally Twitterfon (Erica). Only three of us had an IM app, including Beejive (Aron and Victor) and Yammer (Kevin). Six of us edited the default dock, most notably Kevin whose tricked-out iPhone is the envy of us all. All but one (Kevin) had the Maps app on the homepage Five of us have some sort of productivity app. The most popular is Daylite Touch (Steve and me). Mindmeister, Doris and Toodledo (Brett, Kevin and Victor, respectively) are tied with one each. Brett, Chris, Erica, Kevin and I all had less than five bars of connectivity. Mike Schramm has the most unread email messages. He's the popular one. Click the gallery below to check out who's got what. The final observation is that the homepage is in a constant state of flux. I occasionally shuffle a new app to the top of the heap. Additionally, games are grouped together, so it's quite unlikely I'd ever have one up front.What's on your home screen?%Gallery-74620%
A collection of iPhone home screens from your favorite Apple celebrities
With over 75,000 applications to choose from, it's no secret that every iPhone or iPod touch user has a different set of "favorites". A new website, First & 20, is shedding some light on the mystery of home screens starting with some popular website designers, developers, and writers you may have heard of. The website's concept is pretty simple - get a glimpse of the home screens of popular Apple or online notables such as Joe Hewitt, John Gruber, or Jason Snell. The creator hopes that the website will help you "see something you've never heard of" and discover some apps that are so good that they made it on the phones of top developers, writers, engineers, and bloggers in the Apple world. The reason behind just featuring the home screen is also simple. While many people may have the same applications, the question is "how many love it enough to have it on their home screen, one of their first twenty apps." In my experience, the website has opened me up to a few new applications and even some new ways to organize them. Leave a comment if you find someone's home screen to be of particular interest to you.
New video of HTC Hero's Android build offers Frenchy vision of widget utopia
The verdict is still out on whether what we've been seeing is indeed some precursor to Android 2.0 "Donut," or (more likely) some elaborate HTC skin designed bring HTC's Android home screen experience up to par with its extensive Windows Mobile reskinning. Either way, things are shaping up quite nicely for the HTC Hero, with another leaked build showing widget functionality galore, including weather widgets that actually show the weather. Interestingly, this isn't a complete replacement for the existing home screen, since in the add widget dialogue you can pick an HTC Gadget, a Google Gadget, or other regular things like Shortcuts, and most everything seems to cohabitate well in the example video. With the rate these leaks are coming, we're guessing we'll be hearing more about the HTC Hero before too long, and if not we've always got the nouveau cocktail jazz electro crossover stylings of Air to keep us calm. Video is after the break.[Via Android Guys]
