Android is the number 1 operating system today and there's no doubt that it is the preferred choice of many. You often tend to get bored with the user interface post the passage of a certain period of time. This is where the Android launchers come in. The launcher is your home screen and app drawer and barring the usual way Google meant it to be, you can customise the way you use your home screen and app drawer too. Here are the top 5 Android launchers for your smartphone and tablet:
Nova launcher
Nova launcher is easily one of the most popular Android launchers out there. The availability of various themes alongside a slew of customisation options such as the ability to change the colour scheme, icon themes, customisable application drawer, Subgrid positioning which allows you to snap icons or widgets half way through the desktop grid cells. It is quite an animated unit and still manages to keep things pretty fast too. It tops our list as a choice of Android launcher (personal choice too). The paid version adds features such as gesture controls and the likes but the free version gets the job done just as well too. You can download it here.
Buzz launcher
Buzz launcher is a highly personalised android launcher courtesy of the customisation options on offer. It provides the user with over 4,50,000 themes to customise your device which is the maximum on offer by any of the launchers out there. You can even create your own homescreens with the help of it. It gets everything right courtesy of its wide array of themes and widget features made available to the user. You can also share your homescreen with others and it works pretty fast too. Homescreens can be downloaded and implemented in merely 5 seconds. The transitions are pretty fast and there are gesture controls on offer too. You can download it here.
Google Now Launcher
How could Google Now be left behind when talking about Android launchers. It gives you all the information you seek based on your interests but the only drawback is that it's compatible with Nexus or Google Play edition devices with Android 4.4 only. It brings voice functionality too and you need to say "Ok Google" when you're on your home screen to activate it. Faster search - tap the search box and you can enter your query immediately. It provides easy access to Google's own products and services like Gmail, YouTube, and Maps. It keeps you updated with information about areas of your interest and offers the Android launcher experience the way Google wanted it to be. You can download it here.
Aviate Launcher
Aviate launcher is easily the most intuitive Android launcher out there and it is so good that Yahoo recently acquired it. It keeps on changing through out the day to adapt to your usage. It transforms your phone into four, easy-to-navigate screens to make every interaction faster and more efficient. It's everyday functionalities make it quite a nice one to have. When you wake up, it shows you how much you've slept and how is the weather outside. When you are travelling to work it shows the traffic conditions and shows you music apps and extra information about the artist/band you’re listening to, like recent tweets, upcoming concerts and bios when you plug in the headphones. It changes according to your interactions and even I am thinking of changing to this one. It can be downloaded here.
Bazooka Launcher
This is not one of the most popular ones out there compared to the other giants but it is surely among the ones which offer something fresh and new. It is light weight and provides you with blazingly fast performance. It provides you with smooth transitions and animations while and has a wide catalogue of downloadable themes on offer. It also supports multiple gestures (swipe up’s and down’s) to reach the most used apps such as messaging, camera etc., right from the lock screen. It offers a wide array of lock screen customisations and home screens too. You can take a look at it here.
All the above listed launchers offer a high level of functionality and customisation. If you want to try something new, Aviate should be the choice as it is innovative and different from the rest. Nova and Google Now are one of the most functional ones. Bazooka and Buzz offer a good launcher too. There are many others out there as Apex, Go and the likes too.
