A few weeks earlier there was a bit of a rush on launcher apps. We saw items such as Themer, Aviate and Cover. These all launched in beta and it looks like one of the three will soon be graduating. The app that will be exiting beta is Cover and according to details shared on the @coverscreen Twitter account, it will be in the Play Store before Christmas.
Basically, it seems the wait is now down to a few weeks at most. This should be good news for those who had been hoping to get a beta invite, but were left waiting. We haven’t seen numbers in terms of the beta group size, but the replies to the Twitter posting show there were more than a few that were waiting and hoping.
Otherwise, the folks at Cover mentioned that thanks to the beta group, they were able to make more than 100 improvements over the last six weeks. That should be the good news for those who are still waiting — in theory, you should be getting a launcher that is a bit more stable and feature rich.
We look forward to giving Cover a spin once available, however it seems some of the launcher hype has gone away over the past few weeks. Otherwise, Themer remains with a beta tag, though it is available in the Play Store and was last updated just a few days earlier. The last of this group of three, Aviate remains available in a private beta and therefor still requires an invitation for use.
That all being said, Cover is a launcher that promises to learn where you are and which apps you need at the time. Some of the breakdowns here include a setup for the Car as well as one for Home and Work. The video sitting below will give a bit of a look at how Cover works.
Definitely looking to try this.
I’ve seen cover and it’s okay. It’s not bad but it’s nothing to hoop and holler about.
One of my favorite things about Android is the ability to customize what you phone looks likes and how it relates to you, I now it’s a cliché point but it is never the less true. While one person may say that this launcher is nothing special, others may find this the app that they are looking for. While I hated Themer, my wife found it wonderful and is constantly changing her phone. Since I got my first Android device (a Moto Cliq), I have used MotoBlur, Nova Launcher, ADW, Chameleon, GO Launcher, Trebuchet and I am currently running the newly released Action Launcher Pro (which I find to be marvelous). Our tastes change, how we want our devices to look, act and function change as well. And any app that allows that should be celebrated. Even a measly effort to add this functionality to the platform is better than any cynical comment on why it isn’t important.