Experimental 3D launcher?

JD_from_da_80s said:

Probably because Sense is for a majority of their phones while this is the only 3D phone. Unless of course there's a way to roll up a phone specfic upgrade of Sense to include 3D.


Edit: Now that I think about it, they could have built a 3D version for this phone. Very lazy of HTC.

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I think that they could have at least thrown a few more 3D-specific hubs or apps into the mix. The AT&T LG Thrill 4G has the 3D hubs for YouTube, the gallery. and such, and they are quite nice.

In the end, it is all just eye candy, as I said above. It just looks a little more polished when you underscore the 3D content in that way.

dzar said:

Also, 3D is a product name... when this was first released, it had no stereoscopic support and was as much 3D and sense "3D" is 3D. That is, it has a 3D look to it but not 3D as we "true 3D" phone users like to think of it. It's marketing and there are lots of "3D" applications out there that have no stereoscopic support of any kind. Don't get fooled by those, either.

BTW, I'm a longtime SPB shell user under Windows Mobile. I've looked, briefly, at the shell on Android and while it's nice, and SPB has always done a top-notch job, I don't see significant advantages, for me, over Sense.

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A few advantages for SPB Shell, and you may or may not care about these:

1: It's more customizable than sense. Even the shortcuts on the bottom (where Sense has the phone, personalize, etc) can be changed to whatever you want.

2: You can have as many panels as you want. So I can have a panel full of shopping apps like ebay, amazon, best buy, etc. And another panel full of music apps like Pandora, tune in radio, etc. And as many or as few panels as I want. It's not like sense where you're stuck with a certain number of panels.

3: Better widgets than Sense. For example, it has a battery widget that has a little battery picture showing you how much is left, and it has the percentage under it. If you tap it, it shows you your battery usage. There are a bunch of pretty sweet widgets, but that is one example (plus you can still use the Sense widgets too if you're on a Sense ROM).

4: Landscape support. Shell 3D now has landscape support. You can set it to portrait, landscape, or auto.

5: Eye candy. Shell 3D looks much nicer than Sense. It has semi transparent icons that look awesome when you select a cool background (which is easy to do using the flickr widget or even the HTC backgrounds). Not only that, but it has a bunch of widgets that are just incredible to look at.

So you may or may not care about any of those things. But I have a hunch if you try it out for a couple days you will not go back to Sense. I used Mobile Shell on Windows Mobile too and while this is similar in a lot of ways, it's way better. Or maybe it just seems way better because the phone is way better, hard to say. Either way, Shell 3D was awesome on my Evo 4G, and much better on my Evo 3D, especially this latest version.

EarlyMon said:

I was scared off by the price before, but is it my bad memory or isn't it true that at $15, they've knocked the price in half?

I wanted to go with SPB before but was put off by price - that, I do remember clearly.

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Yeah SPB Mobile Shell on WinMo was $30. They cut the price in half when they released it on Android.

EarlyMon said:

Big picture: HTC was on track to release (and support) four phones based on the 8660 and qHD and new Sense - Sensation, Evo 3D, Sensation 4G, Evo 3D/GSM.

To get all of that ready and stop and get two versions of Sense 3 ready (one for Sensation, 3D one for 3vo) - would have only pushed back our time to buy and enjoy.

Maybe it will come, and if it does, timing and delivery is the reason it didn't come right off the bat.

And also customer preference - most people seeing my phone are confused by the lack of 3D interface. Maybe they'd sell more with it. But not to me. I bought the phone for overall performance first, 3D second.

But, that's just me.

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I understand where you're coming from. But for me, someone that enjoys every aspect of the 3D experience this device has to offer, I would like to see more than just entertainment driven gimmicks to keep me busy. I'm sure HTC offering a 3Dless Sense for the 3DVO may have more to do with cutting costs and making it a consistent platform with their other devices accross the board, as well as a time constraints issue, but it would have been nice to have that option of an identical, sterioscopic version upon the 3DVO's release.

Maybe I'm just thinking too far ahead of myself, or my expectations are just way too high for this device right now, but being an avid comsumer of 3D merchandise, I would like to experience it as much as possible when I buy a product (or services) of that nature featuring 3D.

From the reviews of a couple of people in this thread that have the SBP Shell, it sounds like something I'd definitely get. But before I commit to it and reconfigure my device, I'd rather have the sterioscopic (red/cyan) issue resolved first... If that's possible. Or, better yet, have it in true sterioscopic form. For that, I'd be willing to pay $25 bucks for... If it works, and it works right.

i think 3D sense would have required a lot of new code, and they simply didn't have time for that. And knowing HTC and how many phones they release, they can't invest that kind of one-off effort for a single phone. That's why the phone operates like a regular 2D phone most of the time.

And remember, the parts of sense that the user interacts with must remain in 2D (shown at the level of the screen), so all you're left with is backgrounds. I make this a requirement because I don't want to try tapping buttons that appear to float in mid air or deep behind the screen. For menus, lists and Sense apps, the background is a solid color, so there's no way to give it depth. Most of sense takes up the whole screen (except the launcher). So the only conceivable place to make the UI 3D is the homescreens. But most people use the phone in portrait mode, which does not favor side-by-side parallax barrier viewing. Any one of these technical reasons could explain why 3D didn't end up on the rest of the phone, but I still think my first paragraph is the real reason.

@BlackDynamite, How does SPB Shell affect battery life on the phone? I remember having it on my old Touch Pro and I loved it. But it did have somewhat a drain on the battery.

mak916 said:

@BlackDynamite, How does SPB Shell affect battery life on the phone? I remember having it on my old Touch Pro and I loved it. But it did have somewhat a drain on the battery.

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I haven't noticed any difference. I doubt it's any worse than Sense.

novox77 said:

i think 3D sense would have required a lot of new code, and they simply didn't have time for that. And knowing HTC and how many phones they release, they can't invest that kind of one-off effort for a single phone. That's why the phone operates like a regular 2D phone most of the time.

And remember, the parts of sense that the user interacts with must remain in 2D (shown at the level of the screen), so all you're left with is backgrounds. I make this a requirement because I don't want to try tapping buttons that appear to float in mid air or deep behind the screen. For menus, lists and Sense apps, the background is a solid color, so there's no way to give it depth. Most of sense takes up the whole screen (except the launcher). So the only conceivable place to make the UI 3D is the homescreens. But most people use the phone in portrait mode, which does not favor side-by-side parallax barrier viewing. Any one of these technical reasons could explain why 3D didn't end up on the rest of the phone, but I still think my first paragraph is the real reason.

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I suppose just having a 3D background wouldn't be all that bad, and have floating icons in the foreground. At least it would have enough depth to make the price worth while. And although it still wouldn't change the sweet spot viewing problem, I could live with that.

As for the icons in deep space, couldn't that be solved with the pinch-and-expand technique to bring the app icon forward? If it works for zooming in on pictures, why not apply it to simplify the 3D depth problem for floating icons? Or better yet, instead of a horizontal carousel to rotate to the various widget screens, take advantage of the carousel feature and have the icons float around left or right until you get to the one you want to use on that specific widget screen. And to rotate to different widget screens, have the carousel rotate vertically, so that each widget screen can be customized with different 3D images. And what would really make this the ultimate must have program, is to have the icons revolve behind images within the 3D background image.

This all being wishful thinking on my part, but that's how I would have designed it. I'm sure it's a lot more difficult for programmers to pull off, but that's the simplest way I can think of to use the 3D technology on this phone without it being overly complicated.

EarlyMon said:

I bought the phone for overall performance first, 3D second.

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I agree. I could not care less about 3d when I bought it. I cared about double the ram, dual core, larger battery (I had the original Evo).

However, not that I have it, and does have 3D. I wanna see some 3D!!! Outside of the occasional video, I have not seen anything that I would actually use often in 3D.

I would love to see some nice 3D backgrounds, an HTC weather clock style app in 3D. Something! I used the 3D at the store before buying the phone. Since then, I have used it once when I was looking through the 3d pics.

Does anyone know if there has been any word if there will be any further development of any stereoscopic apps, software or gaming in the works from HTC or SHELL BP for the 3DVO?

I've also noticed that Sprint/HTC hasn't been running as many EVO 3D commercials as much lately.

ProfeZZor X said:

Does anyone know if there has been any word if there will be any further development of any stereoscopic apps, software or gaming in the works from HTC or SHELL BP for the 3DVO?

I've also noticed that Sprint/HTC hasn't been running as many EVO 3D commercials as much lately.

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I would imagine there will be more apps. HTC released the SDK a while ago, and now that the phone is starting to launch overseas, I expect there will be some developer interest.

As for the Shell 3D, the settings for the 3D part of it (to turn the 3D on and choose the 3D mode) are listed in the "Experimental" section of the Shell 3D settings. When you go to that section of the settings, the top reads:
"The experimental features below are not ready to be shipped in the core of SPB Shell 3D. They may contain severe defects and cause system instability. Use them at your own risk."

So that leads me to believe they are still working on it.

BlackDynamite said:

I would imagine there will be more apps. HTC released the SDK a while ago, and now that the phone is starting to launch overseas, I expect there will be some developer interest.

As for the Shell 3D, the settings for the 3D part of it (to turn the 3D on and choose the 3D mode) are listed in the "Experimental" section of the Shell 3D settings. When you go to that section of the settings, the top reads:
"The experimental features below are not ready to be shipped in the core of SPB Shell 3D. They may contain severe defects and cause system instability. Use them at your own risk."

So that leads me to believe they are still working on it.

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I certainly hope so. Not that I'm bored with my device by any means, it's just that I'd like to add to my experience on an app or interactive level than just watching movies or playing games... In due time I guess.

So for those with SBP Shell... would you care to share any of your more recent experiences using it, now that it's been out for a few weeks.

ProfeZZor X said:

So for those with SBP Shell... would you care to share any of your more recent experiences using it, now that it's been out for a few weeks.

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It's awesome. Way better than Sense. If you don't have it, I suggest you try it.

BlackDynamite said:

It's awesome. Way better than Sense. If you don't have it, I suggest you try it.

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Believe me when I say that I really do want to buy it. And there have been at least two different occasions where I've almost hit the "buy" button. But if the stereoscopic effects are still in the "experimental" stage, I would rather wait until they've been upgraded and perfected to work correctly for the 3DVO. Otherwise, I feel that I'd be shorting myself the true 3D stereoscopic experience by buying it too prematurely.

Besides watching movies, taking & viewing pictures, and playing games, I would like some other stereoscopic interaction with my device. And this launcher would have been perfect. But from the feedback I've heard on the stereoscopic viewing has been somewhat of a disappointment, I feel that it's not ready just yet, that has weighed heavily on my decision to hold off for now. But rest assured, the moment the stereoscopic issue has been resolved and it's working flawlessly, I won't hessitate to buy it.

Chances are, I will probably refer back to you for your input when that happens.

Oh, and thanks.

ProfeZZor X said:

Believe me when I say that I really do want to buy it. And there have been at least two different occasions where I've almost hit the "buy" button. But if the stereoscopic effects are still in the "experimental" stage, I would rather wait until they've been upgraded and perfected to work correctly for the 3DVO. Otherwise, I feel that I'd be shorting myself the true 3D stereoscopic experience by buying it too prematurely.

Besides watching movies, taking & viewing pictures, and playing games, I would like some other stereoscopic interaction with my device. And this launcher would have been perfect. But from the feedback I've heard on the stereoscopic viewing has been somewhat of a disappointment, I feel that it's not ready just yet, that has weighed heavily on my decision to hold off for now. But rest assured, the moment the stereoscopic issue has been resolved and it's working flawlessly, I won't hessitate to buy it.

Chances are, I will probably refer back to you for your input when that happens.

Oh, and thanks.

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Yeah the stereoscopic 3D doesn't work. So if that is the only reason you want it then you should probably hold off.

It's great without the stereoscopic 3D though. Way better than Sense. Plus, if my next phone isn't an HTC, I can take my interface with me. No need to be stuck to HTC just because I like the interface.

BlackDynamite said:

Yeah the stereoscopic 3D doesn't work. So if that is the only reason you want it then you should probably hold off.

It's great without the stereoscopic 3D though. Way better than Sense. Plus, if my next phone isn't an HTC, I can take my interface with me. No need to be stuck to HTC just because I like the interface.

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That's always good to know. However, I am completely and utterly sold on the 3DVO. The only way I would switch out this phone is if it kept the 3D functions and it included a quad core. I'm caught up in the whole 3D movement now with my home entertainment and various PC software, and I don't see myself with any other smartdevice in the near or distant future... With the exception of the quad core that I mentioned (if it ever happened).

By the way, how are the weather animations on the SBP Shell? Do they rival the Sense 3.0 versions, or are they better?

ProfeZZor X said:

That's always good to know. However, I am completely and utterly sold on the 3DVO. The only way I would switch out this phone is if it kept the 3D functions and it included a quad core. I'm caught up in the whole 3D movement now with my home entertainment and various PC software, and I don't see myself with any other smartdevice in the near or distant future... With the exception of the quad core that I mentioned (if it ever happened).

By the way, how are the weather animations on the SBP Shell? Do they rival the Sense 3.0 versions, or are they better?

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I'm with you on the Evo 3D. I can't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon. I love it. But I said the same thing with the Evo 4G last August, so who knows what i'll be saying next August. Maybe they'll have a 3D phone with a full 720p screen and USB hosting, with awesome Beat by Dre speakers, a kickstand, recessed camera glass so it doesn't scratch, 1080p and 8 megapixel 3D videos and pictures, awesome optics and camera software for great looking pictures and videos, 32 gig of onboard storage plus a MicroSD slot, NFC, and of course Wimax and LTE.

The weather animations in Shell 3D are okay. They aren't full screen like the ones in Sense, they are about half screen (with the bottom half having the forcast and other info). There is another Shell 3D weather widget though that is like a 3D cube you can play with. When you rotate it one way it has a bar graph of the temperatures for night, morning, day and evening. Rotating it the other way gives you a 4 day forecast. But the bars are in 3D so you can see the temperature for the different times of day at the same time. (not real stereoscopic 3D)

It's kind of cool to play with. So the weather widgets are different than the ones in Sense, but not necessarily worse. You don't get the full screen animation, but you do get a nice looking half screen animation with more information displayed below it. And a tap on it will switch it to a different city on the display (you can set as many as you want and display whichever one you want and tap the top of the weather widget to show the next city you have saved).

Hey guys, time to bump this old thread...

Thought I would let you know the latest update to SPB Shell 3D does have a 3D mode designed specifically for the Evo 3D. It's not that great and only supports landscape, but it's a start.

So this awesome launcher now has a real glasses free 3D mode for our phones.

Even I can't stand leave it in that mode though. But at least we have it and we can hope they polish it in future updates.

BlackDynamite said:

Hey guys, time to bump this old thread...

Thought I would let you know the latest update to SPB Shell 3D does have a 3D mode designed specifically for the Evo 3D. It's not that great and only supports landscape, but it's a start.

So this awesome launcher now has a real glasses free 3D mode for our phones.

Even I can't stand leave it in that mode though. But at least we have it and we can hope they polish it in future updates.

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This is the news I've been waiting for, for some time now. For month's I've held out from getting SB Shell, but now I have a reason to upgrade. Thanks for sharing.

ProfeZZor X said:

This is the news I've been waiting for, for some time now. For month's I've held out from geting SB Shell, but now I have a reason to upgrade. Thanks for sharing.

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If ya don't mind, let us know what you think of it. I've been an avid Launcher Pro user beginning with my 4G, I would mind trying something new, but $15 is still a bit risky before I know more about how it works as a daily driver.

Imho : I like the way the carousel looks. But everything else leaves something to be desired. Maybe in time, Idk, it's experimental. It only works in landscape on evo 3d, but I understand why. That said, I have my doubts as to how far the developer's will delve into customization for use on 1 phone. I wish somebody would take this idea, and attack it from the angle of a 1 phone solution. That would be worth 15 bucks. It would have to handle orientation changes well, and be able to pick and choose what items/screens made best use of the barrier. It's still going to be fun to flash this in front of iphone fans