If you're bored of your phone and you fancy a change then UR Launcher can help spice up your device with zombies, polar bears, haunted houses and racing cars.
What is an Android launcher?
This app is an Android Launcher, which allows you to customize your home screen (the look, as well as the way it works) and the app drawer (where you see a grid of all your apps).
To enable a launcher such as this one, you must switch from Google's default launcher in the Home option, which is in the settings menu. In the case of UR Launcher, you can either decide to enable this just once or always.
Let zombies loose on your phone
Once you've installed UR Launcher the first thing you'll want to do will be to change the wallpaper. This is where UR Launcher is outstanding. The app provides pre-installed 2D wallpapers or 3D wallpapers, which you have to download from Google Play.
Some of UR Launcher's 3D wallpapers are more like a short film or game. For example, in the zombie wallpaper, as you move from screen to screen the backdrop changes while the zombie moves around and seems to interact with you. One minute he's calm, the next minute he's trying to attack you and the screen is splattered with blood. The graphics are so well-designed and thought out, with incredible attention to detail.
The dock icons also change according to the wallpaper. There are tombstones in the haunted house theme, for example, but you can chose to stick with default dock items if you prefer. You can also personalize the wallpapers by adding your photo or your name in different places.
Of course the wallpaper isn't all that changes with UR Launcher. As a default, there is a sidebar at the start of the home screen where you change change all your preferences. It also provides you with a list of your most recently accessed apps. This sidebar isn't visible when you open apps; you can only see it on the home screen.
Then there is the UR app store and recommended apps section, the latter of which is installed on your home screen. It's not clear on what basis these apps are being recommended, but you can remove the section.
There is a bar at the top of the screen here you can search the web, but this can be disabled in the UR Launcher Preferences if you prefer to stick with Google.
Highly customizable look and features
The good thing about UR Launcher is it gives you plenty of choice about what you do and don't want to see. Don't like the search bar? Disable it? Not keen on customized docking items? Get rid of them. A word of warning though, I disabled the sidebar and have yet to find a way to get it back again. This means there is no way for me to change my preferences other than to uninstall and reinstall the app. Clicking on the app itself didn’t seem to do anything once it’s been installed.
It's really easy to select wallpapers and change your preferences (as long as you've got the sidebar still active.
To change the wallpapers, press on the home screen. The wallpaper installation wasn't always smooth and sometimes it took a few tries.
One negative I have to point out is that the recommended apps seem to keep returning even after you’ve removed them from the home screen. And the battery usage does seem to be higher when you've enabled a 3D wallpaper.
Style and substance
UR Launcher provides a very simple way to completely transform the way your device looks in just a few clicks. The 2D wallpapers are ok, but it's the 3D wallpapers that really make this app stand out. While the quality does vary, the zombie and haunted house wallpapers are particularly impressive.
As for the rest of the features, UR Launcher provides some extras that could prove really useful, such as recently used apps. While there are still some usability issues that need to be fixed (how can I get the sidebar back?!), this app is a great choice for a launcher.
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