Ever go into a store without really needing anything? Wander the aisles for a while and something catches your eye? Figure "what the heck...it's returnable"? Even better, the item is on sale? I have done this in "brick and mortar" stores more time than I can count. Returns end up being a pain because you need a receipt, have to drive to the store, waste gas, time, etc...Recently, I did this in the Android Market. Not only did something catch my eye, it was FREE, and ends up being an app that has me thinking: "How did I live WITHOUT this???"
The app that currently has me in awe is simply called "IG 88 Car Home". This app is a replacement for the current "Car Home" screen that pops up when your phone is put into the car dock. This app allows you to put 6 apps (of your choosing) onto the screen. LARGE, EASY TO TAP buttons!
While the native "Car Home" app looks nice,
I personally find the buttons that are pre-installed useless. The "Voice Search" button requires you read the screen and "tap" to confirm choices, if and when it understands your choice at all. This is not only illegal here, but dangerous as well. "Navigation" and "View Map" buttons are fine. "Contacts" and "Search" both require multiple taps to confirm, and in the 6 months I am using the Droid, both are completely unusable while driving. On the original "Car Home" screen, there is a "Home" icon, which takes you to you default home screen. This is what I have been using when docked, because the app I always want to see on my screen is "Choice Dialer", which makes the phone respond to voice prompts. The problem here, as the screen shot shows, is that these buttons are small!
Along comes "Car Home", by IG 88 Apps. Problem solved. This allows up to 5 screens, which can be navigated through by swiping sideways, or by tapping the "dots" on the bottom or side of the screen. I have only used one so far, as the 6 apps I have put there are the ones that I use most while driving. 6 easy to tap, easy to see, easy to load apps! Additionally, you can change the icons for these app to any .png or .jpg file you want. I haven't had a chance to do this yet. After a minute on the screen, the phone goes into "screen saver" mode, which you can load with any widget available. I use a digital clock for mine. You can see from the "Settings" screenshot that this feature can be disabled if you would like. A simple "tap" on the screen of the phone wakes it back up, bringing you back to the "Car Home" screen. Adding/deleting and moving apps and shortcuts is as simple as "long tap".
Once phone is inserted into the car dock, you get a choice to choose between the (now 2) docks available (the "native" one, or "Car Dock"). I selected to have Car Dock as the default, and now pressing on the phone's "Home" screen will always take me to the main Car Dock screen while docked. Kudos to the developer!
Car Dock Donation: Actual, USABLE Car Dock for Moto Droid
