How many people use a Home Replacement?

[Matth3w]

Not counting a ROM of some sort, I mean like Sweeter Home, Panda, etc.

My phone is o/c and I have yet to find one that doesn't lag somewhat. I've tried I think every one of them...Sweeter Home is probably by far the best if you have the skill and patience (I do NOT :icon_ devil, but the best one after that for me was...I thought...GDE.

- I like the cube, which itself transitioned quite nice, especially O/C
- I like the conversation widget
- I LOVE the app launcher with the browser and phone (saves me two icon spots, and I only use one screen so my primary screen is real important to me)

But once I got past the few noobish things that I didn't know how to operate like how to add the custom icon/shortcuts (still can't edit them using Better Cut when they are on the desktop though)...I still got some force closes trying to add some shortcuts to the GDE desktop...I don't do that often so that certainly wasn't a deal breaker for me, but the little animation each icon does before it opens up what it is supposed to open up is a deal breaker for me. I checked every settings page and didn't see a way to turn it off, so I did a Nandroid backup (just in case I change my mind and want to go back) and restored my plain old set up.

Basically I was just digging the app launcher with the phone and browser but it's not worth it for the hassle. So the pros for me are above, but sadly the cons outweighed the pros:

- Force closes occasionally (not a huge issue)
- Slightly slower not in transition but just doing general tasks (not a big enough deal to be noticeable)
- Icon animation...sadly, a deal breaker

What are you guys using and why?

EDIT: Crap, I forgot to add a poll

 

[Mechadude]

I use the 2.1 (Nexus) Launcher. I downloaded it off of Droid Life and could barely be happier! Although I do miss full landscape homes screen ability, I love the little app button launching the 3D list. It's a simple and nice change. Besides this, I would say Home++.

 

[Grey Hawk]

Sweeter Homes 2 is the best if you can dedicate a few hours to making it look good. Everytime I try I mess stuff up and have to re start. But hands down it's the best.

 

[qoncept]

If a home replacement 1) added value, 2) wasn't noticably slower and 3) didn't FC more than, say, once a week, I might do it. But if it's going to make using my phone an annoyance, there's no way I'll do it. My phone is a tool and if I have to fight through crashes when solving it is as simple as going back to the stock home screen, I'm not going to deal with it.

The only things the home replacements offered that I cared about were the phone and browser buttons at the bottom of the screen (that IS cool -- I have a phone icon on every screen now) and additional home screens. With 5 screens in all of the ROMs, I don't need that.

In short, give me added value with a homescreen that's damn near as fast as stock and damn near as stable.

 

[Matth3w]

I use the 2.1 (Nexus) Launcher. I downloaded it off of Droid Life and could barely be happier! Although I do miss full landscape homes screen ability, I love the little app button launching the 3D list. It's a simple and nice change. Besides this, I would say Home++.

Any force closes?

Sweeter Homes 2 is the best if you can dedicate a few hours to making it look good. Everytime I try I mess stuff up and have to re start. But hands down it's the best.

I can't, I don't have the patience. And honestly the themes I do see people posting on the Sweeter Homes forums look...well...fugly to me...even after they put hours or even days of work into them.

For example, this looks really cheap and generic to me, and I'm sure the guy (who can do a better job than me obviously, so I don't want to knock his work per se) who worked on it spent a ton of time...

 

[Matth3w]

If a home replacement 1) added value, 2) wasn't noticably slower and 3) didn't FC more than, say, once a week, I might do it. But if it's going to make using my phone an annoyance, there's no way I'll do it. My phone is a tool and if I have to fight through crashes when solving it is as simple as going back to the stock home screen, I'm not going to deal with it.

The only things the home replacements offered that I cared about were the phone and browser buttons at the bottom of the screen (that IS cool -- I have a phone icon on every screen now) and additional home screens. With 5 screens in all of the ROMs, I don't need that.

In short, give me added value with a homescreen that's damn near as fast as stock and damn near as stable.

Yeah I'm pretty much just in it for the phone and browser button as well.

 

[NoKz]

I was using the 2.1 Launcher, however it's too buggy to keep working without a lot of random FC's. So I've been using the 2.0.1 launcher with 5 screens. Works great.

 

[qoncept]

Some one ought to make a home replacement that just adds those buttons and lets you choose how many screens you want. Maybe give you the option to theme. A box you could draw gestures from to launch certain apps, maybe? All the home replacements are basically rehashes of the exact same thing, with the only exception I know of being Slidescreen, was never that great and gets worse with each release.

 

[Matth3w]

The home++ app launch bar is ****ING AMAZING...and GREAT looking...however, why one of the icons isn't GMail and SMS, two of the primary functions of the phone besides calling, I have no clue and is pretty fecking retarded.

 

[qoncept]

What are the Home++ icons?

 

[Matth3w]

 

[natediddy1120]

Yeah I like those icons too in Home++, and I tried using SweeterHome (Nuh-uh)....there's also another one called 91Home that replicates the iPhone screens, and that believe it or not, was the only home replacement I actually stuck with longer than an hour lol....I just always liked the simplicity in ALL of the apps being right there in front of you, with your Phone, Browser, and SMS at the bottom of the screen at all times...

 

[baniels]

Nothing for me. I've tried a few of them over the last few months. None of them made me happy.

 

[christim]

The home++ app launch bar is ****ING AMAZING...and GREAT looking...however, why one of the icons isn't GMail and SMS, two of the primary functions of the phone besides calling, I have no clue and is pretty fecking retarded.

For a while I had none set as my default and had launcher, home, home++, sweeter home to choose from. The newer launcher wouldn't open the app drawer 3d replacement tool. None of them opened too quickly, so I dumped all but the default home and home++. Sweeter Home looks powerful but I also don't have the time (willingness?) to mess with it. The new Launcher should let you decide which 3 components you want in the bottom bar so I agree with you there. For now I bounce between default home and home++. I'll have to try GDE as I haven't even d/l it yet.

 

[SGTiger]

Any force closes?

I have seen many of your previous comments concerning the lagging and FCs of QDE. I never have those problems with QDE, and I am using seven screens with a multitude of widgets and every screen full to the hilt. The cube animation is always quick and smooth, and no delay in launching any of the icons. Just my $.02