What launcher are you using

[aussie_nx70v]

Hello all,

The new 'desktop' on our beloved NX is a much needed improvement over the old desktop we were used to (in OS 4), however i have found that it is still not good enough for my needs.

I've heard around the traps that you can get whats called launchers which improve the look and feel of the NX..

I've heard of MegaLauncher and Silver Screen. I've done some initial research on them, i.e. loaded them on and testing both at the same time.

Am i stupid or do they seem to do exactly the same thing? Whats everyone else think?

Whats their opinion on a launcher? Is there something else i should look at?

I do have to admit that they are both very snazzy looking and do a good job at completely transforming the look of the 'old' OS 5 desktop into something really cool...

Oh, i nearly forgot. Memory is an issue. Im already crowding things up abit. We all know the limitations on the NX but i have got a 64mb card which could be of use.

Any ideas or suggesions would be greatly appreciated.

[blue_wind]

I use launcherX.

http://www.launcherx.com

So....i think this page very interest.

http://www.launchplug.com/Launcher_chart.html

[rhart00]

nothing compares to zLauncher. it is great

[nike33]

Never tried zlauncher, heard it's very good.

I use LauncherX, use it on both an NR and a NX, great app.

But you do need to tweek to your taste, tab location, font size, color coded folder background, and of course name or icon for tabs.

Have fun

[contempt]

Zlauncher all the way! Although, I used to be a MegaLauncher user until I got an NX. Guess they were too slow in development and forced me to use Zlauncher. But once you've used it, you can't go back.

[timw_de]

I vote for Zlauncher, I tried the others (X, Mega, Yi) but they didn't measure up.
All we need now is more skins.
:cool:

[NX70BOY]

I'm all for LauncherX.

[pixelated]

Zlauncher -----the best and the best looking of all and I have tried all of them

[jbarr]

I've tried them all (YiShow, MegaLauncher, ZLauncher, etc.) and I like LauncherX the best. I'm originally from the "Launch'em" and "Launcher iii" camp, so this was a natural progression. If you are familiar with and like those launchers, you will be right at home.

LauncherX handles VFS very elegantly, and has a smaller foorprint than most. It looks great, does have a limited number of additional "active skins" that let you tailor the view a bit. More importantly, for me, it has been stable and reliable. It's build-in file manager is excellent.

It doesn't offer backgrounds, but I personally find them distracting. It does lack some of the features of some of the other launchers, and it is a couple features that were originally promised, but you can't go wrong with it.

I would say, most importantly, download 'em all and try 'em all out. They are free to demo. The only real way to get a feel for them and make an informed decision is to use it on your PDA with your programs under your operating conditions.

[Disgruntled]

Z

[frasej]

I tried ZLauncher and liked it.  The only reason I went back to LauncherX was shortcuts.  Without that capability, applications with conduits can't be placed on the MS and have their data synced.  That is my biggest complaint about the other launchers.

[Xaositek]

LauncherX is the best followed by SilverScreen... zLauncher i didnt like at all.

[Dxomas]

ZLauncher Rocks....
I love to look with no tabs....

What?

[rldunn]

I used LX for a long time, then switched to ZL because LX would launch the Clie apps with the VG area showing. However, I just discovered CodeDiver, which takes care of that problem, so now I'm back to LX. I like the look and feel better, and love the tab-specific options.

[foghead]

At the moment, MegaLauncher 4.1. It is fast and just works.

LX is great, and I was a beta tester, but support is really spotty.

YiShow caused nothing but trouble for me. I know lots swear by it, but it was very unstable for me.

ZLauncher has an incredible feature set and great support, but it just feels like it was designed by a committee and feels very cumbersome (to me).

[Unregistered]

Hi I,like megalauncher but I desesperatly try to keep it as default but the clie launcher keeps coming back each time I reopen the pda. What is the trick??? Thanks in advance.ClieSource is great!

[Tek Phreak]

so yeah, as you can see, everyone has a different opinion on this subject. Pretty much my advice is download the trials, try them yourself and decide for yourself.

Enjoy,
-Tek

[palmsolo]

I agree 100% with Tek Phreak. I used to use SilverScreen back with my Palm IIIc a couple years ago and after buying the NX70 I tried every launcher out there. I am back to SilverScreen because I didn't see anything compelling enough to spend another $20 and I enjoy the user interface of SilverScreen. It really is a personal preference and you should give them all a try.

[LSAlford]

I've tried them all and I am back to the built in launcher. I spend most of my time using the applications, especially Agendus, so I don't really care about the launcher that much. Maybe if there was a good freeware which didn't take up much space (like crs-launcher which I loved on my NR70V)...

[kdn102]

The problem with free demo's is, you don't really find the most useful features until you have been using and tweaking the settings for a long time. At that point it's almost a hassle to switch yet again to another demo. If you make the demo decision on major features, they all look about the same.

My pick is Zlauncher...not because it was the first I tried, but because of the usefulness and the incredibly small price tag. However, it does take up a bit of internal memory.

[mashoutposse]

ZLauncher.

[jimroad]

I'm using Silver for my 665 and happy with it's MS interface. I bought it years ago and decided to stay with it.

[stevejohnson460]

I like Launcher X. Using apps stored on the Memory Stick is a snap!

[volcanopele]

I use LX right now. Great interface and it looks just how I want it. However, I have been testing ML and I like what I see so far.

Jason

[Unregistered]

Do any of the above mentioned launchers allow you to group memory stick apps into their own group?

For example, I have several games on my memory stick that I would like to access via a "MS Games" tab and not have to filter through my list of 15 or so items via the Memory Stick tab in the Clie launcher to see just the games.

[Baloo]

Without any doubt - LauncherX

[hellraiser666]

Launcher X! Got a fantastic cross-grade deal as I already registered Launcher III.

[davidrgeorge]

Zlauncher.
Used to use ML, but ZLs background can be any file that you want, not what ML wants. ZL's prefs are a lot more straight forward than MLs. Both have the tap and hold, which is a must! Yishow has this also, but Yishow just runs too slow for me, and isn't as good looking as ZL. No other launchers have the tap and hold feature that I know of, and boast the same feature set. I'm always installing a new prog (game), and usually delete with in a couple days.
ZL is also the cheapest 3rd party launcher.

[MaryJoS]

A vote for ZLauncher too. I tried LauncherX for awhile, but at twice the price of ZLauncher, it's not worth it...just doesn't do nearly as much. Has a couple nice features like tabs on the side and the ability to customize each tab, but they aren't that important to me...and I expect we'll see both eventually in ZLauncher anyway! Much, much better support from the ZLauncher developers and much more frequent new releases.

[jmg_NX21]

I am currently trying out zlauncher... price beats 'em all... and fits my needs (for accesing MS files)

BUT it seems to ultra-customize it takes some TECHNICAL knowledge or effort...

BUT then I tried colorize also to customize the colors of all other apps.

What DO YOU want the launcher to do?

I found THIS site VERY useful: http://www.launchplug.com/

AMong others...

[ddsmith]

Z Launcher

former MegaLauncher 3.2.2 fan. Feel burned by MegaSoft. You cannot even change your own background right now

[bbinelli]

I'm definitely a fan of YiShow...tried all the rest...this one is the best for my needs.

[canuks]

Launcher X...


Very useful with shortcuts... can sync my journals to go, avantgo, etc. right to my card...

[markgm]

Launcher X forever and ever, Amen.

[n2ifp]

Originally posted by ddsmith
Z Launcher

former MegaLauncher 3.2.2 fan. Feel burned by MegaSoft. You cannot even change your own background right now

Ditto!

ZLauncher Rocks!

With the Copper Deck II theme!

[Unregistered]

I like CRS Launcher

[Nate1749]

is there a place i can just download different themes for zlauncher?

BTW I'm also (duh) with zlauncher... I noticed that some of the reasons people stated they chose another launcher, the option actually was in zlauncher, you just have to play around and set it up right....

My friend told me (as soon as i got my palm) that the other ones take 10 seconds to figure out, and zlauncher about 15 minutes, but once u figure it all out it's much better and definitly worth it.... But hey, just an opinion =)

[tanker_bob]

ZLauncher for me. I used ML 3.2.2 for over a year, but like others, I felt burned by their lack of attention. ML 4.1 is really just a minor update to 3.2.2--hardly worth the wait. ZL is so much more flexible, and making my own backgrounds is trivial. The substitution of OS 5 icons for the Palm/Sony built-in apps provides a very nice touch. I've tried virtually all the current crop of launchers, and ZLauncher does it best for my purposes. I have a review of ZL and ML4 on my website, and will soon add one on Facer.

[kmrdeva]

Zlauncher 2.21 is my favourite, and current launcher. I actually bought and used LauncherX for a few weeks, but after seeing Z, I never turned back. It's fast, allows any 320x480 pic to be the screen wallpaper, and supports a tabbed interface. With Powerrun managing my apps on the MS, things couldn't be any better... :)

[pixelpainter]

I'm beginning to wonder if all of these launchers are really worth it. I mean most of them(with skins and backgrounds) are over 1MB in size. What happened to the simple, functional launcher?

[mashoutposse]

ZLauncher is definitely worth it. Get PowerRun and throw all of your apps ont he MS -- I have about 75 apps, and 8MB of RAM free :)

[aussie_nx70v]

Thanks for the info people !!!

So far i havent really been surprised by the responses. I actually loaded all of the launchers you guys have talked about.

Whilst most of them are very similar in their capabilities i have chosen (at this stage anyway) to use Zlauncher. Although it seems more involved i think it is worth the extra time to get it right on the NX. Once thats done you wont look back.

I've shown the launcher to some of my other palm users and they are completely blown away by how its transforms a dull palm os into a fantastic one.

Even some of my pocket pc friends are impressed with my 'new' palm. They are already bleeding that i have the greatest handheld device in the world!! Zlauncher makes it even better.

The top three launchers in my opinion would be:

1. Zlauncher - So involved but worth the wait to master it.

2. MegaLauncher - Easier to use and less time spent to master it.

3. SilverScreen - Similar to MegaLauncher but i didnt like the feel of it.

Now if only i could replace the standard launcher in Palm OS and replace it with Zlauncher to conserve memory. I've read somewhere that this cannot be done as it would crash the palm.

[sralmas]

I LOVE YISHOW

[mbriody]

Originally posted by frasej
I tried ZLauncher and liked it.  The only reason I went back to LauncherX was shortcuts. 

ZLauncher + PowerRun, that's what I use.

[chi1kxj]

i vote for the built in nx launcher. i thought it was terrible at first because i had to scroll through everything, but i saw a tip on one of the forums, and now use the back button to jump between the folders and the list. its simple and of course takes up no additional space.

the one negative is that all of your ms apps have to be in the same folder.

[sebring]

Originally posted by markgm
Launcher X forever and ever, Amen.

LOL:D , It certainly will be forever and ever before you get an update or bug fix, not to mention the promised features.:)

[sebring]

Originally posted by Unregistered
Do any of the above mentioned launchers allow you to group memory stick apps into their own group?

For example, I have several games on my memory stick that I would like to access via a "MS Games" tab and not have to filter through my list of 15 or so items via the Memory Stick tab in the Clie launcher to see just the games.

All of them do, that is one of the main advantages of a third party launcher.

[sebring]

Originally posted by rldunn
I used LX for a long time, then switched to ZL because LX would launch the Clie apps with the VG area showing. However, I just discovered CodeDiver, which takes care of that problem, so now I'm back to LX. I like the look and feel better, and love the tab-specific options.

rldunn,

What is CodeDiver? I use ZLauncher, but I still have one or two apps that support full screen, but open with the VG area showing. The one that comes to mind, that bugs me the most, is Mapopolis map view. Could CodeDiver change that?

[kmrdeva]

Zlauncher and Powerrun work together beautifully.. I still have 4MB free RAM even with so many apps loaded.

[rldunn]

Originally posted by sebring


rldunn,

What is CodeDiver? I use ZLauncher, but I still have one or two apps that support full screen, but open with the VG area showing. The one that comes to mind, that bugs me the most, is Mapopolis map view. Could CodeDiver change that? sebring, check out this thread here, which has the link and some tips.

http://www.cliesource.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3389

[mashoutposse]

Some of the skins and backgrounds for ZLauncher look great as well -- here's the one I'm running.

[mashoutposse]

With TT Fonts:

[Clietivity]

I hate to say this, but I rather not associate a palm handheld with a Microsoft Windows logo... just don't look right... But I have to admit it is a very nice looking "Mac"ish Windows logo!!

[mashoutposse]

Yeah, aesthetics won over principle in this case ;)

[blueflame]

I use the standard Clie Launcher, is there something that it doesnt do? I think it is very innovative
why do you need a new launcher unless you have OS 4

[Nate1749]

it's just preference... You don't need it, but once you try another launcher, you'll probably want to stick with one of those rather than the factory stuff. I thought Clie's datebook was great, that is until I saw KeyContacts, then it made clie's default datebook absolutly patheic.... same thing with a launcher =)

I can't believe out of all the "must have apps" threads I've read that I havn't seen (or maybe i just missed it) powerrun... So it works better than the default "move to card" feature (I use that currently in zlauncher)?

-nate

[(oyo)]

I use the CLIE Launcher with McPhling 5.10

[Mr. Thompson]

The aftermarket launchers use too much memory. The standard Palm launcher in "List" view works best for me. With PowerRUN, all the apps appear on the "All" screen.

[rldunn]

Originally posted by blueflame
I use the standard Clie Launcher, is there something that it doesnt do? I think it is very innovative
why do you need a new launcher unless you have OS 4 It doesn't let you categorize apps on the MS. It doesn't allow you to EASILY categorize anything. It doesn't display memory use status. It doesn't remember the categories of apps when you install a newer version. It doesn't display very many apps on the screen at once. And basically, it just requires too many taps to do anything. I like it simple and fast. But if it meets your needs, that's all that matters.

[Mr. Thompson]

Originally posted by rldunn
It doesn't let you categorize apps on the MS. It doesn't allow you to EASILY categorize anything. It doesn't display memory use status. It doesn't remember the categories of apps when you install a newer version. It doesn't display very many apps on the screen at once. And basically, it just requires too many taps to do anything. I like it simple and fast. But if it meets your needs, that's all that matters.

First, I don't need all that extra junk. I know how much memory is being used. BTW, I'm talking about the standard Palm launcher, not the Clie Launcher. There is no need to categorize the apps, they are in alphabetical order. Too many taps? With two screens of apps, one tap on the OKey arrow and I have access to all of them. Thats as fast as any of the aftermarket launchers without the bulk. ;)

[jmg_NX21]

True BUT with the power of the NX, I did not want to use WHAT I always saw on my Handspring Visor (I luved that PDA)...

[stronggeek]

LX, for the mentioned reasons.

Stronggeek

[hupokadsfa]

I love Launcher X, but the developer seems to have taken an extended sabbatical when it comes to updates.
I just read that may give us an update in the spring sometime.
I have to admit that my eye has been wandering, and I'm considering moving to a different launcher.

[tanker_bob]

Originally posted by hupokadsfa
I have to admit that my eye has been wandering, and I'm considering moving to a different launcher.
ZLauncher has been showing a lot of leg and beckoning in that husky voice: "Gotta light, big boy?"

[hupokadsfa]

Z Launcher is the one I have been looking at, of course its all about the skin!

[herpalm]

zlauncher