Wave Launcher - Review

MobileMerit the creators of Wave Launcher sent me a copy of their product to see if I would like to review it.

GrantBarker.com is a hobby site which is just getting started, so I was quite surprised and impressed with their confidence in their product to send it to a non-commercial and relatively unknown enthusiast site.

So what is Wave Launcher? Did I like it? And on a more personal note, would I use it?

Having been a huge fan and enthusiast of Windows Mobile and Android - I'm no stranger to launchers, home screen replacers or user interfaces (as they are often called).

Wave Launcher is different though because it IS a launcher, yet it works with any or all of the above launchers installed and stays out of the way until you need it.



As the name suggests and as you can see above, the launcher is in the style of a wave which follows your finger until you release to open the highlighted app, folder or widget you desire. It's all very smooth and easy to use.

How powerful is it? Well here is a quote from the official documentation:

`Wave Launcher is the ultimate add-on launcher available for Android! With a single swipe you can launch up to 120(!) of your favorite apps, shortcuts and recently-used apps regardless of which app is currently running. Wave Launcher is accessible anytime, anywhere!..'

You can choose where you would like Wave Launcher to start from. Maybe you prefer to swipe up from the bottom or swipe from the left or right side. You can also adjust that gesture area's size and location.



I'm quite fussy, I suppose, because I like my home screen icons exactly where I can quickly access them, but I don't like clutter. This is one of the nice things about Wave Launcher, as it stays out of sight until I need it, and it works on top of all other apps.

After calibrating your wave gesture, it's time to choose which apps, shorcuts, folders or widgets you would like to link to..



In the example above I've chosen to link to a few apps I like to have handy if I quickly need to enter time saving information in a hurry (photos, audio record, written notes, screenshots,) plus my contacts and phone dialer which I can access regardless of which other app I have open at the time. This way I can have my home screen setup for fun but the wave gives me emergency access for more productive ventures.

Now I'd like to change the color of the wave to suit my home screen. This is really easy.

This is the default color..

Here is a lighter and more transparent wave setting.



It works perfectly well and looks good with Live wallpapers too..



Maybe you prefer more color and maybe you'd like to remove the Wave Launcher icon too..

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