 "Buzz Launcher Review")
If you frequently keep changing the homescreen of your Android and looking for new themes, then Buzz Launcher is an app that you will love. You can browse through thousands of homescreens that have been designed by other user, download the one you like and then you also have the option to customise it. You can even design, create and upload your homescreen. In short, Buzz Launcher is a thriving marketplace for homescreens.
User interface
When you download the app, it will install a default homescreen. To access the Buzz Launcher marketplace, click on options from the homescreen or click on the “b” icon that you will see on the screen. You will be directed to Homepack Buzz, where you will find the homescreen themes that have been shared by other users. The UI is fluid and quite easy to navigate. At the top, you will find alerts, notifications and the login icon. For ease of access and discovery, you have the option to browse according to Category, Staff Pick, Hot and New. Category is further divided into sub-categories – Functional & Style. Under Functional, you will find options like Killing Time, Health, Education, Hobby, Kids, Photography, Sports etc. On the other hand, Style will give you options like Cartoon, Classic, Romantic etc. If you don’t wish to browse through all these categories, then you will find the best ones under Staff Pick and Hot categories. The homescreens are arranged in a Pinterest like layout, which is quite appealing. You will be able to view the name, also its popularity and the number of times it has been downloaded. Click on the homescreen you like and you will find the download option.
Neat categories makes it easy to browse
Features and performance
In the Homepack Buzz gallery, when you open a certain homescreen, you will notice certain apps that have been listed. These are apps that the developer has made space for on the homescreen. When downloading a homescreen, you have the option to either replace it with your current homescreen or append it to the existing homescreen. Next, you can select whether you want to have the notification bar and the page indicator bar on your homescreen. The desktop indicator bar has the shortcut to the Homepack buzz and icon to access the settings.
As mentioned, the homescreen will have space for the apps that the developer has used; if you don’t have these apps, then you can either download them or replace the slot with the app of your choice. Another advantage of the Buzz Launcher is that you can customise every aspect of the homescreen. When you long press anywhere on the homescreen, it will bring two options – Add Items and Decor/ Wallpaper. From Add Items, you can add apps, widgets, shortcut, folder and action. For instance, you can add a WhatsApp shortcut of someone you frequently chat with or create a new folder and add frequently used apps to it. In case you wish to remove or edit any of these, then a long press on the icon will bring you the required options. With Decor/Wallpaper, you can change the wallpaper, decide upon the grid and also set the margins. You can also change the appearance of the homescreen by selecting the elements you want on the screen, such as status bar, page indicator, labels, lock screen etc. Arranging the elements on the screen can be easily done with a simple drag option. However, there is no option to tweak the look of the app drawer, and it supports only horizontal scrolling.
Easy to manage
Buzz Launcher also features gesture control, which can be accessed from Buzz Settings. It provides gesture support for notifications, search, toggle dock bar, app drawer, quick screen jump etc. You can keep the gesture support off. It also provides the option to take backup of your homescreen, app drawer, icons and wallpapers. So in case if you lose the data, you can restore it from here. Though you don’t need to sign up in order to download the homescreens, if you do, then you can upload the homescreen that you may create and share it with others. If you create an account, then you will also be able to download wallpapers that are a part of the homepack that you have downloaded.
In terms of performance, you will face no issues whatsoever. Whether it is browsing or downloading homepacks, customising the apps or changing the appearance, the entire process is smooth and easy. The only niggle is that if you change homescreens quite often and choose to replace the existing homescreen, then you will have to download the old one again in case you want it back. If you have created an account or a backup, then you can download/restore it from there. Also, while it provides you with the option to create homescreens and upload them, it isn’t an easy task.
Offers limited gesture support
Verdict
Overall, it’s a great app for those who like unique homescreens. It features some interesting categories and the homescreens don’t feel amateurish, but are quite elegant. And there is plenty to choose from. The fact that it is easily customisable is an added bonus. If you think you can create some creative homescreens, then you can also take part in the competitions that they conduct regularly. However, one of the biggest drawbacks is the fact that the app is heavy on resources and drains battery.
You can download the app from here .