First thoughts:
- sending data to Nokia for 'service improvement' isn't surprising, though there's an option to opt-out which (apparently) makes the app no more privacy-invading than any other launcher
- it feels very limited, I can't seem to make a shortcut in the bottom row of the icons (even though there's a gap).
- 6 apps showing as recently used is not very much. I think I open my apps from 2-3 screens faster than I draw a letter, and I use way more than 6 apps regularly
- The UI is confusing. I have two clocks, a gap in the bottom row of the icons and an indicator that suggests I can swipe between screens. But I can only swipe the clocks area, which is small (I actually had to try it couple of times before I learned how to swipe them)
- It doesn't seem to recognize polish diacritic characters, like 'Ł'
Overall I don't think the launcher will be very useful, for me at least. It's innovative and certainly useful sometimes (when you want to call someone - just start writing his name), but less friendly than Nova or even Google stock launcher
(edit) I'm certainly going to give it a shot though
That privacy policy is brutal, and it's just for their analytics and enabled unless you opt out in the settings. The application runs just fine without all of this data being sent to them. You're giving them your bookmarks, call history, contacts, favorites, gestures, app launch times, location, SMS metadata, notifications and internet searches.
If opt-out happens after install, I would expect that your phonebook and such have already been transmitted before you are able to opt-out. But maybe the opt-out option occurs before/during install?
That's a stupid amount of data. I kind of wish I didn't care about all that, but taking a copy of my contacts and location it just rubs me the wrong way. It's not worth it.
It's important to note that just because an app requests access to something doesn't mean that something is being shared with the publisher. The app could request access to favorites and contacts to be able to import them as icons into the launch area, for example.
I'd like to see the actual uses of the requested permissions added as legally binding commitments by the app developer.
Android does this thing now (which is cool as far as it goes) where it warns you about everything an app could hypothetically do with the access it needs. It's the equivalent of getting a warning every time you install a desktop app saying, "This app could: Delete all your files; Steal your email; Record you on your webcam without your knowledge ..."
What Google could do is add a little "details" link after each requested permission, with a text field from the publisher. Like, "This permission is used to: show icons of your favorites and contacts in the launch area."
The Play Store agreements could clarify that these are legally binding commitments the publisher is making directly to the user (meaning the user could sue if the publisher lied), and require the user to re-approve if the text changed.
That wouldn't stop random developers from just lying, but it would make it pretty likely that an app from Nokia or Yahoo or Disney or whatever was only doing what it said.
It's important to note that while you might have granted the app permission to access your bookmarks for that purpose, it doesn't prevent them from changing that behavior in the future and you'd be none the wiser since you've already granted them the keys to the kingdom.
- It crashes when I enable/disable the 'service improvement'
- I agree it definitely lacks shortcuts. Maybe once it has learnt enough it gets better? Still insufficient to get started, event with a letter I can not get what I want.
- The shortcuts at the bottom are too small IMHO
- Seems like web history integration is limited to Chrome: I use Firefox Beta and not a single of my often-viewed pages was listed.
Thanks, I got it! Only the icon is draggable, and it's draggable always (not only after you scribble for it). Very non-intuitive, I always drag the entire entry, list row for example, not the icon alone.
These products can only be made if people don't opt out, otherwise there'd be no profit. And who would opt in? The only reason you can opt out is that most people won't.
I tried it a few months ago and I thought I'd be a big fan.. but turned out it was really annoying to have apps change location all the time time. It's like if the navigation of a website keeps changing every hours, that gets frustrating really fast.
Also, I know you can launch apps with a name, but I often don't really know the name of the app (Such as new games I'm trying or something I'm only recognizing with the location/icon). But even if I do remember the name, it forces me to think about it instead of just being a muscle memory. I.e. If I want to check mail, I just click bottom left of the screen, it's instant. But otherwise, I need to think about the name of my email client (inbox) and draw a I. It seems like nothing, but it gets annoying really fast. I would argue that this feature is a very well done replacement of the "Search".. but to launch something quickly, I'm not convinced.
This seems like the starter UX error everyone makes.
Many people are like "well if I change the UI so it just shows what people want, they gonna safe so much time!"
Problem with this is, static UIs are remembered easier and have a lower cognitive demand over time. Even if the menu doesn't show "only what you need at a given point in time" after a few tries you are faster in navigating the cluttered static menu than the optimized dynamic one.
I tried it out during the beta. I didn't like it. You have to draw the first letter of the app that you want. It's really awkward.
I'm using Aviate from Yahoo right now, which has categories for apps. You have "favorites" on the home screen, then a screen with categories, then another screen with every app organized under the first letter. There's also a location-aware popout, but I don't find that one very useful.
It's... Interesting. It forces you to think about the names of apps which I find offputting. I look for the colours and shapes of the icons - or remember the location on my homescreen.
For example, I couldn't really remember the name of my PodCast app. I scribbled P... then O... then D... Until finally my brain clicked and I remembered it was "AntennaPod".
This will, I'm sure, be incredibly useful for people who don't like to organise their phones and who also are great at remembering names.
I'm surprised it doesn't have fuzzy search. With Alfred (http://alfredapp.com) for example, I can type "run" or "cr" and "CodeRunner" will show up. Fuzzy searching is essential for any launcher.
Without having used it, they should add a feature to be able to assign a custom letter to it so that if you draw "P" it'll still show up. Long press -> add additional letter or something
I'm not a massive fan of OS interfaces where stuff moves around without my control. Muscle memory remembers where the icon for Chrome is and if it moves then I have to look for it.
Also the list looks like it should scroll, because it has so few items on it, but dragging upwards draws an 'l'.
I only use a few apps - email, phone, browser, settings and twitter client. Camera is reached through the lock screen. Other infrequently used apps are available through a separate icon, same as on this launcher. So for my uses this should be a winner.
I'll give it a few days to learn my habits and see if it works for me.
So a week later, gave it a try, the main screen has too small a list for it to be able to keep even my modest number of apps on. Always found myself searching for something which would have easily fit on the screen. Also having the redundant clock taking up a 1/3 of the screen was annoying. I've gone back to Trebuchet.
I lived with this for a month. It took very little getting used to and was pretty pleasant to use. Writing letters for launching works great.
However, what I missed most was discoverability. I don't use all my apps all the time, so less frequently used ones dropped out of sight. And if you can't remember the actualy name of it, you'll likely just lose it unless go hunting.
If you like to have a controlled subset of apps that are always near the surface, then great.
I've been working on it off & on for 2ish years. It doesn't use gestures for searching, but personally I prefer typing on a keyboard. It also learns what you want to do based on time and day. One benefit of my approach: it isn't trying to be a home screen replacement, so you can use it with any launcher you wish.
Photographic memory is easier and people are lean to it since you just want to do something with the app and do not want to do something else in between like drawing a letter.
I know that Youtube is on the third screen on my phone, and I can just think about what i am about to search in youtube while my fingers are automatically swiping through. I do not use search button on the phone because it requires my focus to type.
With this one, you need to focus on drawing some letter. which is little bit harder than just remembering where the app is.
Honestly, I could not expect this weak approach from Nokia. They always made me glad with their products. Well, surprise surprise!
I don't like it. It seems like they missed what makes Android so great.
For example my alarm clock is also my time widget. Click time widget -> open alarm clock. With ZLauncher my alarm clock is an icon named timely and stays on my screen for a good portion of the day.
There isn't any place for widgets nor any customization option which makes my smartphone feel like less than a series 40 feature phone.
Another UX problem is that I press the menu button on my phone and it does nothing. How can such behaviour pass through Nokia's design team?
This looks to be somewhere between Dolphin gestures and the old Palm Graffiti writing.
As an input method it could be great as I used to be able to scribble in Graffiti faster than I can type today on a touch keyboard.
As a search method for an app, I imagine it would be a little clumsy. Most of the performance from the input is gained after the first few letters have been drawn, once your hands are comfortably holding the device and accurately making the shapes in the input area.
Not possible to install in my country: wonder whether it was a legal issue or something else that prevented them from allowing an international audience.
Yeah, this team is from Nokia Corporation the part Microsoft did not buy (essentially business dev, R&D, some creative and remnants of the N9 (Meego) team that did not leave for Jolla among others). So totally separate from Microsoft.
Yeah that would be awesome. I had an N9 and loved it. Incredible device in terms of design and OS. It was an absolute shame and a disaster that it fell to the way side for Windows Phone.
Nokia had made a massive mistake by neglecting Symbian for half a decade, but I think going with Windows Phone was an even bigger mistake. Meego really could have been huge if they just stuck with it.
Yes, although I couldn't tell how are they called. The official Nokia site lists Networks, Here (maps) and Advanced Technologies (mostly patents) as 3 main divisions.
Looks like a really cool idea, especially since the recommendation engine can take into account more than simply time statistics (which their front page doesn't convey well). The best part of this is that it does all the recommendations on device (at least according to their privacy page).
If they add a travel/email card system, I'd switch over from the Google Now home/launcher.
I've been using it since pre-beta. Fantastic launcher and a joy to use, so intuitive. Delighted to see Nokia's R&D still going strong and innovating. Most of the greatest mobile telecommunication innovations came from those guys.
So, Nokia is doing an Android launcher? I thought Microsoft were going to scrap the Nokia brand, making Nokia a windows phone company, and now its still Nokia and doing Android? Am I missing something?
What you missed is that Microsoft didn't buy Nokia or the brand. Nokia only sold its ‘Devices and Services’ business to Microsoft. Nokia was left with Nokia Networks, Business Services, HERE, Nokia Research. MS licensed "Nokia" brand from Nokia for limited time. Nokia can't make mobile phones until 2015.
Microsoft did not buy Nokia, just its mobile division, and the exclusive right to use the Nokia brand to sell mobile phones for some time. This is the actual Nokia corporation licensing its brand for a Foxconn tablet.
This sounds kind of similar to what Cover was doing (they got acquired by Twitter). Hopefully Nokia has more resources to turn this into something that actually works.
No, I'm having some issues with cm11 and battery drain so thinking of going back to 4.4.2 at the moment. Might try a sneaky install of lollipop just to see. I'm a nogapps user so new android releases tend not to appeal to me :)
It doesn't look or behave anything like Aviate, except that it provides a way to launch apps, hence why it's called a Launcher.
With Aviate, you swipe to expose a list of grouped apps, then swipe again to expose a list of all the apps alphabetically. This looks like you draw a letter to filter to some apps that start with that letter. And that there's a way to have six apps pinned (somehow) to the main page.
What burning issue does this solve? I thought there was research showing most people use only a few core apps, so I don't see that many people will have a need for this. I certainly don't.
Look, if you're gonna down vote at least give reasons. I fail to see how "what is the problem this is solving" (the basic question every entrepreneur asks) is not a legitimate question about this, especially given the fanfare it has in the tech. press.
- it feels very limited, I can't seem to make a shortcut in the bottom row of the icons (even though there's a gap).
- 6 apps showing as recently used is not very much. I think I open my apps from 2-3 screens faster than I draw a letter, and I use way more than 6 apps regularly
- The UI is confusing. I have two clocks, a gap in the bottom row of the icons and an indicator that suggests I can swipe between screens. But I can only swipe the clocks area, which is small (I actually had to try it couple of times before I learned how to swipe them)
- It doesn't seem to recognize polish diacritic characters, like 'Ł'
Overall I don't think the launcher will be very useful, for me at least. It's innovative and certainly useful sometimes (when you want to call someone - just start writing his name), but less friendly than Nova or even Google stock launcher
(edit) I'm certainly going to give it a shot though