14 DAY TRIAL // Google’s Android operating system can be customized in a great deal of ways, especially through installing a new launcher on it, which will provide you with a completely different experience when compared to what the stock launcher has to offer.
One new such application is now available for the owners of devices running under Google’s mobile operating system, coming from Terrainhome, and supported by Samsung themselves.
The new launcher has been pushed to the Google Play Store in a beta form and is currently available for download for free for all devices running under Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or up.
“Terrain is a smart homescreen for Android that makes your phone simpler and more streamlined by putting everything you care about in one place. Find contacts faster, launch apps faster, and view content faster,” the application’s description reads.
What the new application has to provide users with includes a sidebar, along with an app launcher, search capabilities, and home-screens.
The Sidebar can be accessed by simply swiping to the left. It boasts a series of utility cards for easy access to quick settings panel, frequently contacted people, weather information, and more.
“A Bird's Eye View with Smart Sidebar – curate all your favorite content (apps, tools, contacts, news, social) to view at a glance or dive in for a deeper look. The sidebar is easy to personalize; just pick the content you want from our free cards library and arrange your cards however you like,” Terrainhome notes.
Courtesy of the aforementioned Local Phone Search, the new launcher provides users with the possibility to find things on their handsets much faster than before, regardless of whether that includes contacts or apps, all accessible with a simple swipe.
Additionally, the Apps Drawer comes with a clean look, which will enable people to get to the software they want to launch much easier than before.
Other features of the new launcher include: Navigate Quickly with Swipe Gestures — swipe right for Sidebar, up for Search, and left for Apps; No Battery Impact — unlike other smart launchers, Terrain is optimized for efficiency and will not kill your battery; Change Homescreen Icon Size — adjust how many icons can fit on your homescreen
Keep in mind that the application is available only in a beta flavor at the moment, and that it might still include a series of issues. Thus, those who will download and install it are encouraged to deliver feedback on their experience, so that improvements could be made to it.
Terrain Home: Sidebar & Search for Android is available through the Google Play store as version 0.345 at the moment.