Helix Launcher 2 working on Droid 2.1

shaidtan · Apr 20, 2010

So this was mentioned here, but it looks like a working Helix Launcher 2 is now in the market. I installed it when the 2.1 OTA hit with the hopes that it would get an update. This morning an update hit and there it was. The release notes didn't say anything about the Droid but after trying it everything looks good.

Swiping between screens seems smoother than Helix Launcher 1 and the 2.1 default home. The app drawer takes a while to load the first time but seems to go fast after that and scrolling through it seems decent enough.

huchris · Apr 20, 2010

Thanks for heads up. Definitely a lot better now... no more FC.

fox · Apr 20, 2010

in for more testimonials. I don't want to have to reconfigure all my icons/widgets if i dont have to

EAK128 · Apr 20, 2010

Having some widget issues when switching in and out of landscape mode, which causes it to force close.

dodger55fan · Apr 20, 2010

fox said:
in for more testimonials. I don't want to have to reconfigure all my icons/widgets if i dont have to

agreed ... how's the speed looking? I had the beta for a while but couldn't take the lag so I finally uninstalled and am back to stock.

superdorf · Apr 20, 2010

what if I'm on the beta... arg.

memphiskat · Apr 20, 2010

Just installed it. Looks really cool, but force closes constantly. I'm using native/standard 2.1 Laggy too. You can see it in the live wallpapers. They don't flow, but skip and studder. Looks like it'll be really nice when they get the bugs worked out. Right now it's unuseable due to force closes.

djsat03 · Apr 20, 2010

Seems to work just fine on my, no lag. Running Bugless Beast 0.8.

MicroNix · Apr 20, 2010

Had lag w/stock 2.1. Helix 1.x was better in speed.

Snowman · Apr 20, 2010

MicroNix said:
Had lag w/stock 2.1. Helix 1.x was better in speed.

I second that...

gidget · Apr 20, 2010

i've been using helix launcher for a while now, and i tried helix 2 today, but it was really laggy. it took forever to load the app drawer, and though someone above said after the first time it went faster, for me, it took a while each time i tried to open it. not sure if this is just the way the app drawer works, but the list also wouldn't move up unless i pushed it down first...maybe that's just how the 3d app drawer works. not really intuitive. one thing i really did like though was the ability to put app icons on the home pages without the names/text of the app/icon. i wish regular helix had that. anyhow, i uninstalled and went back to regular helix for now. it'll be great when a more stable 2 comes out, could be cool.

shaidtan · Apr 20, 2010

I have five widgets running. Weather, Power Control, Pandora, Audio Manager, and Corporate Calendar. I haven't had any issues with any of them or with switching to and from landscape mode. I only use three screens so maybe I don't have enough to cause lag (I have all 7 on still though).

Scrolling is smoother than stock. Stock halts for a brief time when you lift your finger before snapping to the next screen. Helix Launcher 2 doesn't do that and is more responsive to the speed at which you swipe.

Admittedly I haven't played with it too much but it seems stable to me. It also feels smoother and faster than Helix Launcher 1. Maybe it just doesn't like certain widgets or something.

SSinisterSS · Apr 21, 2010

im using it right now, full widgets on all 5 screens and its really snappy for me. i didnt set it as default the first time around, then i restarted the phone and set as default.

vbhokiefan · Apr 21, 2010

i have both 1 and 2 installed and I have an issue where hitting the home button takes me to the home screen but no icons or widgets show up (2 widgets - weatherbug and google search) I have to go into another app and come back out to get them back. I haven't set a default launcher so i have to choose helix 2 each time. This also occasionally happens when switching from portrait to landscape mode

Could this be an issue with 1/2 on the same phone or is it simply an issue with 2?

Any thoughts greatly appreciated.

sooper_droid12 · Apr 21, 2010

Downloaded Helix2 to check it out. Did not experience too many FC, but definitely more than Helix and Home++. It has got some stupid lag. The initial app drawer opening is slow to the point you think it has frozen. Eventually it gets there and subsequent openings are better. Landscape app drawer has formatting issues up the wazoo. Honestly, the app drawer as a whole is an OCD nightmare. Names of apps not formatted correctly, for example, instead of:

Documents
to Go

It was:

Document
s to Go

Just little things like this. App drawer was missing a row it seemed. It was narrower, which might explain the formatting. Switching to landscape mode caused the names of the apps to be offset to the right! Nothing but rebooting it restored the app drawer. Sometimes, widgets don't load properly and you need to wait for it figure it out. Overall, it's better, but it's still got a ways before it matches Helix in speed and stability. And honestly, I don't know why people love this 3D Appdrawer. It looks horrible. I hate the way it fades into the back like that Star Wars title screen effect. It's not sharp; it's blurry and just looks ridiculous. And I don't know about you, I don't like that "Apple" shelf that the fixed icons sit on. I want as little "Apple" influence as possible on my ANDROID phone. And it looks dumb. I like the way Helix has it.

kratos · Apr 21, 2010

I tried it last night and even with phone reboots and everything, it was still very laggy. I uninstalled and went back to Helix 1. I'll wait until Helix 2 is a little more stable and less laggy.

Kratos

Rodeojones · Apr 21, 2010

This is my first ever post on this forum, so before I get to the topic please allow me to offer my thanks to all the regulars on here. The info and advice you've provided has been priceless to an Android newbie like me. Without this forum I might not have been able to discover the full awesomeness that is Android.

In regards to Helix Launcher 2, I really like what it's got to offer. Compared to Helix 1 it is a bit slower, but I'm willing to live with that. I don't use live wallpapers (seem to slow things down too much regardless of home I'm using), so perhaps that's helping. But I'm running 7 screens full of icons and widgets and things seem good. I do get the occassional force close, usually after switching to and from landscape mode, but you can uncheck the auto-rotate option to eliminate this. And I do really enjoy the 3D app drawer. It's slow to load the first time, but each subsequent time is fine. I'd like to stick with this as long as things don't get more buggy to see what future

Just my 2 cents. Again, thanks for all the wonderful info you've provided for me. Cheers!

drunkdirishman · Apr 21, 2010

I also have noticed little, if any difference as far as lag. The app drawer takes a while to load the first time you open it, after that it seems to be as responsive as Helix 1. Widgets seem to have no effect on performance as I have about 5 of them and all 5 screens full of icons. I love the fact that you can eliminate the words under the icons, makes the background better IMO.

somekid13 · Apr 21, 2010

i put helix launcher on my wifes moto droid with 2.1 and it force closed so much we had to fact reset. i had it on mine for a bit and i deleted it after it did that to hers. i have not tried HL2 but am considering dxtop. let me know if any of you have tried that. thank you all.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

SSinisterSS · Apr 21, 2010

how much memory do you guys have left? i still have 214mb after i clear the cache in xscope, i know some apps wont run smooth if you have too little memory kinda like windows since the memory paired with the processor determines speed and smoothness.

iclickjohn · Apr 21, 2010

Just curious. After Helix and not. and Helix again. and not. I am still VERY laggy. Yes, ummm only since 2.1 upgrade. Has everyone here gone back to standard for a while. Give it a chance to load up with a day or two of use and noticed lag. I don't know what to uninstall. I wondered if it was widgets which need to update so I took off clock, stocks, weather, etc. still laggy. No ATK on either. Curious if you would test without Helix. Let's make sure that it is not 2.1 (and makes me wonder about why 2.2 would be released so soon)

Jedimaster1 · Apr 21, 2010

Yep, Helix2 is very buggy for me on the Droid. Went back to Helix1 and it is much smoother.

kraze0g · Apr 22, 2010

hrm, unless there was an update on helix2 since i last checked (i just been using helix1 and am very satisfied, no problems whatsoever, no lag, no FC) i was told that helix2 was made for the Nexus One in particular and that if you have a droid u should use helix1.... at least thats what they said in reply when i emailed them. all i wanted was more homescreens so im very happy

Esabasard · Apr 22, 2010

I installed Helix 2 and while I didn't have any FC issues or general lag I uninstalled it because I thought the app drawer scrolled much slower than Helix 1/stock. I like the 3D drawer and some of the other features, but I couldn't get over it not continually scrolling. It only moved a little at a time.

vbhokiefan · Apr 23, 2010

i have both 1 and 2 installed (for testing)and I have an issue where hitting the home button on 2 takes me to the home screen but no icons or widgets show up for a looooong time (like 15-20 seconds).

Could this be an issue with 1/2 on the same phone or is it simply an issue with 2?

Helix Launcher 2 working on Droid 2.1

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