INTRODUCTION
I know that this is not the first article that you will be reading on how to set up a brand new Android device. We will look at some of the must-have apps and tools available in the Google Play Store to help newbies (but not only) get the best of their smartphone.
With the number of apps nearing a million and Google Play downloads in the range of tens of billions, with at least three different software versions in circulation, getting the best for you isn't the easiest job in the world. You'll need to sift through a vast collection and cherry-pick the relevant bits.
The good news is, if you care about personalizing your smartphone experience, Android is the right OS. Sure, you can upgrade any smartphone with add-ons from the respective app store, but Google is by far the most hands-off platform owner in terms of what users are allowed to do to customize their devices.
Android smartphones are increasingly better equipped right out of the box but there're always more than enough ways to make your device more efficient. In the pages to come, we'll look at some of our favorite ways to customize the user experience and then move on to apps that really put all the available processing power to good use and make you more productive on the go.
We'll also talk about the category of apps I'd refer to as video player apps. What we'll not cover is games. Sorry, but the vast majority of available titles out there and the subjective nature of the gamin topic in general means we can't really do all of them justice. We're sure our picks in the other categories are not necessarily everyone's favorites, but those will hopefully serve to teach you something new you can do with your phone and then you can chose the actual tool to help you on your own.
Anyway, this article in the Setting Up Your Android series will again look at ways to make an enjoyable and versatile Android smartphone even more enjoyable and versatile. And these would be but a fraction of the options to choose from.
So, sit back, have your droid close at hand and prepare for a ride down Google Play avenue.
User interface makeover
So, let's kick things off with how to change the look and feel of the user interface so it best suits your taste. Android offers a level of customization that no other mobile platform can match, allowing you to go well beyond wallpapers and font sets.
Custom Launchers
Custom launchers change the behavior and looks of the Android homescreen. But some custom launchers will also customize the app drawer and even come with their own settings menus.
Launchers are the easiest way to give Android a totally different look and feel. They don't require rooting or any lengthy preparations, they are simple .apk files to download and install just like regular apps.
There are literally thousands of custom launchers to choose from. Our previous article gave an overview of ADW, Nova, Go Launcher EX and Windows Phone 7 Launchers. However, the Android ecosystem is constantly evolving and here are some of our favorite alternatives.
Smart Launcher
Our first entry in the recommended Android launcher category is of a minimalist nature. Don't be fooled by its looks though, the Smart Launcher is one of the highest-rated homescreen stand-ins to have come out for Android recently.
And it doesn't take long to see why it appeals to so many people. Smart Launcher offers unbeatable simplicity with just a single homescreen, which houses a ring of bubbles. Each acts as a shortcut to whichever app you assign them to. A long press adds or removes bubbles from the ring.
Smart Launcher
The app drawer gives you a structured way of viewing your apps. They are automatically sorted in categories: Phone, Settings, Multimedia, Games, etc. A very neat feature is the option to configure the app drawer to start from a slide off the edge of the screen. Overall, Smart Launcher transforms the seemingly complex Android UI into a more mature - and user-friendly experience.
As with anything, there are a couple of drawbacks. The big one is that with the single homescreen you don't get the benefit of adding any widgets. You have is the default clock widget, and that's really it.
Like most launchers, Smart Launcher comes with support for third-party themes. Both paid and free options are available in the Play Store. Currently, the pro version of Smart Launcher retails for $3.99, but the free version is sure to suffice too.
Get Smart Launcher (Free) | Get Smart Launcher Pro ($3.99)
TSF Shell
From one of the simplest looking custom launchers for Android, we move on to probably the most elaborate and feature-rich of them all. Meet TSF Shell, a custom launcher which means business - you'll know by just looking at the price.
TSF Shell
At near $17.00, it's clearly a premium offering and rightly so, as it adds a ton of customization options and user interface features that elevate the Android experience to new heights.
The TSF Shell has everything redone from the homescreen panes, the app drawer, folder and icon design to custom animations and widgets. It introduces a lot of new ideas that really stir the place up.
The changes run so deep and the new features are so many that words alone will hardly give you the best idea of what it actually feels like. So here come the TSF Shell screenshots and video demo below, which should help get you up to speed.
With all the animations, customizations and craziness that TSF Shell brings to Android, you would expect the custom launcher to be lacking in the performance department. Luckily, that's not the case, and you aren't likely to regret spending big.
Here's a little hint though: head over to the developers' All Apps page on Google Play and you can download all the cool 3D widgets and enjoy at least part of the TSF Shell experience free of charge before you fork out the cash.
Get TSF Shell ($16.81)
Yandex.Shell
Created by Russian developer team Yandex, this custom homescreen is heavily influenced by another popular launcher dubbed SPB.Shell. It has most of the functionality, including the famous 3D Carousel design for switching between screens. Speaking of them, you are not limited to the usual 7 or 9 homescreen panes - in Yandex.Shell you can have up to 20 of them.
Additionally, you get search in the App drawer, cool widgets, as well as custom Dialer and Contacts apps to match the design of the Yandex.Shell.
Yandex.Shell
All of this comes to you absolutely free, and although that's not a bad thing at all, it's probably the main reason behind the lack of any fancy animations and homescreen modes. Yandex.Shell keeps the core Android design mostly unchanged.
Still, it's a light alternative that doesn't cost a dime, and offers enough customizations to get you started. The Dialer and Contacts apps are a nice addition, too.
Get Yandex.Shell (Free)
Everything.Me
Probably the only Android launcher that adapts to the user's current interests, Everything.Me isn't the typical homescreen replacement. Unlike other offerings which change the look of Android and allow you to endlessly customize it, Everything.Me concentrates on context and gives you app and website suggestions based on topics you care about.
Everything.Me
If you fancy a pizza at this exact moment, just type in "pizza" in the "What's on your mind" field. Everything.Me will take over and offer you a mini-version of an app drawer, with a matching background, and suggest relevant websites and apps.
The launcher will bring to the fore apps you have installed on your phone that are relevant to what you're interested in, then pull up app suggestions and websites. The app is still in early beta, and is available only in US, Canada, Spain and Germany. It currently works best with simple queries like types of food, movie titles, music and celebrities.
Otherwise, Everything.Me isn't much different from the stock Jelly Bean launcher on which it is based. You can't remove or add new homescreens, set different homescreen transitions here.
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