samsung galaxy s2

I love android because it's easy to use. And when the UI bored me, I can change it without root. I just need to install a new launcher for my phone. OK, we can also find so many different launchers from Google Play. But most of them can only be compatible with Android 2. So how can we do with Android 4.0? Don't worry, today I just pick up 5 best launchers for Android 4.0+ Only. It‘s a bit hard to find them all. Just let's check them!

5. QQLauncher (Rated: 4.4)
QQ Launcher is a superior Android-based desktop application, and the newest version support Android 4.0 and 720P resolution.

Features:

1. Built-in widgets such as shortcut switches and task manager;
2. Impressive screen-switching effects (menu > settings > screen);
3. A complete set of program management functions, free sequencing, multidimensional arrangements, and smart searches;
4. Quick access to the Store for users to download applications anytime;
5. Custom folders that classify applications;
6. One-key desktop relocation without losing anything. (Tapping OK after the first installation will guide you through importing default desktop icons.)
7. Provide several sets of personalized skin;
8. Cool Lock Screen.

Apex Launcher helps you create a customized homescreen experience on your Android (4.0+) device.

Features:

1. Customizable homescreen grid size and up to 9 homescreens
2. Scrollable dock with up to 7 icons per page and up to 5 pages
3. Infinite & elastic scrolling (homescreen, drawer and dock)
4. Fancy transition effects (tablet, cube, etc.)
5. Hide elements as you want (persistent search bar, status bar, or even the dock)
6. Customizable icons and labels for shortcuts and folders
7. Choose different folder preview styles and background
8. Multiple drawer styles (transparent/opaque, horizontal/vertical, paginated/continuous)
9. Drawer apps sorting (title, install date, mostly used)
10. Hide apps from the drawer
11. Lock your desktop to prevent accidental changes
12. Enjoy homescreen gestures (pinch, swipe up/down, double tap)
13. Advanced theme engine (icon packs, skins, etc.)
14. Backup/restore settings and data
15. Optimized for both phones and tablets
16. Lots of other customization options!

3. ADW.Launcher (Rated: 4.4)
ADW.Launcher, beyond tweaking your android desktop with gighly customizable home replacement application.

Features:

1. It's compatible with android versions from 1.6 to 4.1!
2. It's highly customizable, almost in every aspect you can think of.
3. Thousands of skins and themes with support for most popular launcher themes!
4. Mix and match your skins, icons, docks, folders, etc
5. Configure your applications in unlimited groups and hide unwanted apps.
6. Fast setup screen with fast access to add items or configure everything.
7. Gestures for fast operation (swipe up/down, 2-fingers swipe up/down, pinch in/out, etc)
8. Configurable Actionbar, similar to android 3.x+ tablet interface.
9. Screens editor to add,remove, swap and resize your desktop screens.
10. Configurable visual desktop indicators.
11. Easy folder tweaking and management, content previews, arrangement, colors, etc.
12. New AppWidget picker for devices running Android 4.1 and newer.
13. Icons editor to create your own customized shortcuts or edit existing ones
14. AppWidget resizing
15. AppWidget backup/restore (only for android 4.1 and newer)
16. Customizable applications dock with support for unlimited shortcuts with paginated scroll.
17. Lots of settings to play with: texts, colours, animations, sizes... you should dig in!

2. Zeam Launcher (Rated: 4.6)

Zeam Launcher isn't the most complete launcher regarding either themes nor configurable options. However, it's probably the fastest and the lightest. However, it has the basic animations and transitions, as well as all the basic features that a launcher should have. The purpose of its basic character is to speed up your phone. And it does achieve it.

Features:

1. 1 to 7 screens configurable
2. Default screen configurable
3. Screen looping (on / off)
4. Elastic (overshoot) screen scrolling
5. Screen indicator (slider or dots)
6. Screen content grid configurable (rows / columns)
7. Screen wallpaper scrolling (on / off)
8. Screen pinch previews
9. Screen icon labels can be hidden
10. Screen widget size spanning configurable
11. Custom shortcut selector colours
12. Endless drag 'n drop arrangable scrollable dock
13. Dock default backgrounds
14. Dock item alignment (start, center, end)
15. Dock item spacing (small, medium, large)
16. Dock item reset (start, center, end)
17. And more...

1. Nova Launcher (Rated: 4.7)
Highly customizable, performance driven, home screen replacement for Android 4.0+.

Features:

1. Scrollable Dock:Keep all your favorite apps on the dock, with up to 7 icons per page and up to 3 pages.
2. Customizable App Drawer: Transparency; Scrolling style, choose between horizontal paginated or vertical continuous
3. Scroll Effects: Enjoy eye candy when scrolling your desktop and drawer. Effects include Cube and Cardstack and more for Prime users.
4. Infinite Scroll: Never be far from your favorite page, loop through your desktop continuously.
5. Folder Icons: You can chose a background, preview style or even replace the whole icon.
6. Backup/Restore: Export your settings and layout before a wipe to quickly get back up and running.
7. Widgets in dock: Add any 1x1 widget to the dock
8. Bulk Add: Add multiple apps to the desktop or a folder at once
9. Activities shortcut: Select hidden activities from your favorite apps

Over at the quietly brilliant manufacturer HTC’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich list expansions are happening everywhere with new phones added to the list and phones already on the list getting updated schedules. This list is what HTC considers its nearly-definitive list of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich updates and can therefor be trusted about as far as you can trust any list on earth. Notably absent from the list are all of the HTC tablets released to date – you’ll have to go rogue if you want that kind of hardcore underground tasty treat action.

HTC has added quite a few of their 2011 smartphones to the list, with such beasts as the HTC Sensation already grabbing the update before this list expires their expectation for update dates. For example the HTC Sensations expected update range is between March and June of 2012, while our T-Mobile (4G) version has it already. This means you can expect your update for these devices on the list well before HTC promises you’ll have them.

DROID Incredible 2 by HTC : To be determined (by the end of August)
HTC Amaze 4G : May-June
HTC Desire S : June-July
HTC Desire HD : July-August
HTC EVO 3D : June-July
HTC EVO 4G+ : May-June
HTC EVO Design 4G : June-July
HTC Incredible S : June-July
HTC Sensation : March-June
HTC Sensation 4G : March-June
HTC Sensation XE : March-June
HTC Sensation XL : April-Jun
HTC Rezound : June-July
HTC Rhyme : June-July
HTC Thunderbolt : July-August
HTC Velocity 4G : March-June
HTC Vivid : March-June

The folks at HTC have noted specifically that devices with 512MB of ROM or less will not be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This includes smartphones such as HTC ChaCha, HTC Salsa, HTC Wildfire S, HTC Explorer, and several more older, less awesome phones. HTC has also let the world know that the tablets HTC Flyer, HTC EVO View 4G, and HTC Jetstream will remain on their current version of Android, that being Android 3.0 Honeycomb. HTC is also clear to make the differentiation between support and upgrades:

“Upgrades are not the same thing as ongoing support. Devices not being upgraded to Android 4.0 will still get software improvements, security fixes, and technical support as needed.” – HTC

So don’t fret, those of you with the Facebook phones and the tablets galore, HTC will still help you move forward, just not to a new dessert! Along with this also comes the fact that many phones getting Android 4.0 will not get Sense 4.0, instead working with Sense 3.6, another less needy version of the software. The HTC Sensation is one example of a device that HTC Sense 4.0 cannot exist on due to its requirements for some certain bits of dedicated hardware.

From: Slashgear

Evernote has just released the new version for Android version with innovative interface changes. The 4.0 update of this note-taking app has a new home screen that lets you swipe out a hidden menu to get to your notes without having to always jump backwards. with Evernote 4.0, you’ll have the ability to make your notes, drawings, and all manner of idea keeping right at your fingertips in a way thats much nicer to look at and interact with than ever before.

If you have many textual notes, you will like the new reading mode as well. As you scroll down to read the rest of the note, all of the UI slides out of view, leaving you with nothing but your text. If you want to do anything with the note, just give the screen a quick tap and the interface instantly shows up again.

Whatever, let's enjoy the video about new evernote. And you can also download this app free in Google Play, just click here -- Evernot 4.0

BTW: Evernote running on HTC One X looks so great, I mean this smart phone!

According to the report from Engadget, Samsung has started to roll out Android 4.0 to Galaxy Notes in Europe finally.

In addition to the usual behind-the-scenes OS stuff, the 319MB heavy update also includes revamped S Note and S Memo apps and widgets. And then there's also a new version of Fudo's beloved TouchWiz.

Most of Galaxy Note owners are waiting for the Ice Cream Sandwich before first quarter in 2012, but Samsung back in March announced that the "premium suite upgrade" that would accompany the Android 4.0 update wouldn't launch until the second quarter. Samsung said that the update would be rolled out worldwide. Now the Europe users get this update first, I think people in the US and around world can get Android 4.0 sooner. Actually, if you have rooted your Note, you can use Android 4.0 now if you didn't want to wait anymore.

Before getting the ICS update, let's enjoy the video from official.

Now, more and more android phones launched with larger and larger screen like as Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC One X. It can't be another choice to videos watching or documents reading on those phones. What's more, with the great office documents viewer apps, we can deal with our work on the way. Here I will introduce you 5 best free office suites for android phones and tablets.

5. Olive Office Premium (Rated:3.9)


OliveOfficePremium is a software suite for Android devices that enables you to view and edit Microsoft Word(doc/docx), Excel(xls/xlsx) and PowerPoint(ppt/pptx) files. In addition,it inherits the function of viewing portable document file(pdf) and compiled help manual(chm) from OliveOfficeBasic.

Support formats: doc/docx/xls/xlsx/ppt/pptx/pdf/chm/mth



4. Documents To Go 3.0 Main App (Rated:4.1)
Docs To Go, now in its 11th year, is developed by DataViz, Inc., a producer of quality software for Windows & Mac for over 26 years. In addition to the Android platform, Documents To Go is also currently available for iPhone, Blackberry, Palm, Maemo & Symbian S60. You can view native Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files & attachments with Documents To Go Main App.


Supports formats: doc/docx/xls/xlsx/ppt/pptx

3. ThinkFree Office Mobile Viewer (Rated:4.1)
ThinkFree Office lets you viewing MS Office docs (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) as well as other formats. Apart from the "physical" files, you will be able to view the document attachments in the e-mail that you receive as well as send them. If you already have a ThinkFree Office account, you will be able to login from there and view online your documents on the cloud. If you aren't a ThinkFree user, you can subscribe the service from the app. But the feature that we really appreciate is the integration with Google Docs. Thanks to it you can access your Google account and view your documents there. What's more, if you choose it as "default docs viewer", ThinkFree Office will open automatically your docs offline and online.

Support formats: doc/docx/xls/xlsx/ppt/pptx/pdf

2. OfficeSuite Viewer 6 (Rated:4.1)
OfficeSuite is a universal document viewer for Android that enables you to open native DOC, DOCX, TXT, XLS, XLSX, CSV, PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX, and PDF files and attachments. All of the MobiSystems Office Suites feature landscape/portrait view, different zoom options and full screen, and accelerometer support. OfficeSuite opens ZIP file, and contains a file explorer that makes managing your documents and folders easy. Android 2.2 or higher users can install the app to the SD card. OfficeSuite supports localization in French, German, Spanish, Italian, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.

Support formats: doc/docx/xls/xlsx/ppt/pptx/txt/csv/pps/ppsx/pdf

1. Kingsoft Office (Rated:4.5)
Kingsoft Office for Android is an efficient mobile office solution made exclusively for mobile phones and tablet devices running the Android OS. Kingsoft Office for Android allows you to CREATE, VIEW and EDIT all documents used by Microsoft. It is integrated with an Email application that allows you to send documents as attachments and to download and edit attachments. Furthermore, you can access Box.net by default and any other cloud storage which supports the WebDAV protocol.

Support formats: DOC/DOCX/TXT/XLS/XLSX/PPT/PPTX

Beside those local files reader, we can also use some online storage apps to view the docs and other files, like as Google Docs, Dropbox etc. If you want to edit your files with those office suite, some of them need to be updated to Pro version or full version.

I got a new house plant yesterday. I've been meaning I get one, ever since my last one died. I was inspired by my friend Tuttle, who told me he keeps so many house plants that he has to hire a gardener when he goes out of town.



I stopped at a small nursery, and asked for advice. I tried to explain that I have a "black thumb", but that doesn't translate well. I finally settled on the plant shown, and wrote down the Korean name for later research. It was also a good selling point that this plant only needs water once every 5-7 days.

Translating a Korean plant name to English is fun. As often is the case, you have to go through Latin first. The plant was called 시암 오로라. Using Naver, that turns out to be something called "Aglaonema Siam Orlala". A little more digging reveals this is commonly known as the "Chinese Evergreen", mine apparently of the Siam Orlala variety.

Best news of all was this quote from Wikipedia:

They are popular houseplants and ornamental plants for offices and shopping malls because they are among the easiest houseplants to grow. .... They tolerate a wide range of light, as well as neglect, and are relatively resistant to pests. Aglaonema flourish for years.

I'm encouraged. It might actually live for one whole month!