At the moment I’m toying with a few simple home screen ideas using graphics.
My question for you guys is this: What are your most common “one touch” apps?
There are pros and cons when using graphics as the basis for a theme, but the main con is that the graphic is set in stone. If you’re using graphic text as placeholders for launching applications you’re stuck with them. This is OK if fonts are involved as you can make the PSD file available for others to edit as they like, but when you’re dealing with cool custom text design (like this) you need to cater for the most common functions most people use.
There are a few standards I personally like to use (a utilities tray/folder, gmail, maps, Market, IM, SMS, Steel), but I have no idea if these are things you guys use regularly.
So if you had to choose 8 quick launch shortcuts for your main home screen what would they be?
IM, SMS, Browser, Gmail, Calendar, Market, useful switchers, discover file manager(or another file manager. is there a better one? i like astro, but the lack of a delete function is a deal breaker.)
Another suggestion I’d like to add: the right desktop on your dark rising theme uses springboards for contacts. While they are pretty looking, they do not really add any function over a normal tray, except when multiple springboards share the same tray.
The suggestion then would be to have all contacts always showing, rather than as a spring board. Then, you could have 3-4 groups of contacts, which would show in the favorites area. For example, you could switch between “friends” “family” “work” in the same spring board tray. This type of change would make a lot more functional use of the springboard.
Great suggestion on contacts man, thank you!
You know Astro has a delete option, right? In “Edit”.
on my original home screen are (in order on the screen)
Calendar, YouTube, SnapPhoto, Continuous Shoot
Google Mail, Browser, (gap), media folder (for pictures, picasa, music, etc)
IM, iMeem, Maps, Alarm Clock
Contact, Market, Power Manager, Settings
I use various homes depending on how i'm feeling at the time, currently about an even split between Sweeter Home & the original
I haven't finished setting Sweeter Home up how i want it to be yet, but :
along the bottom IM, Market, Power Manager, Settings
Above, down the left are springboards – All Apps, Common, Games, Contacts, Calendar, Call History
which bring up 3 wide, 4 high, vertically scrolling grids which look identical apart from contents