AppReview – Go Launcher EX

If you know me at all, you know what I like most about Android it the ability to customize your phone and make it exactly the kind of phone you want it to be. A few days ago we gave you a rundown of LauncherPro — a great custom launcher for the Android OS. Well, there’s a fairly new entry into the custom launcher game, and Go Launcher EX is currently one of AppBrain’s hottest downloads. Is it better than LauncherPro? Is it the custom launcher you’re looking for? Read on.

At first glance, Go Launcher reminds me a lot of LauncherPro. They have very similar docks across the bottom of the screen, and you can scroll it left or right just like in LauncherPro. Both allow you to customize the dock, both in what shortcuts you can place there and how they’ll respond to a swiping gesture. Also like LauncherPro, you can customize the number of homescreens. It has plenty of customizable options as well. So with all the similarities, what makes Go Launcher different from LauncherPro, and how do you know which one to pick?

Go Launcher EX is 100%, as is the “lite” version of LauncherPro, but there is a full, paid version of LauncherPro that offers more features. LauncherPro has its own custom widgets in the paid version, as well as the ability to resize any wigdet on your homescreen, and you won’t find that in Go Launcher. Go Launcher makes up for that lack by offering you a nearly unlimited amount of homescreens, compared to LauncherPro’s hard limit of 7, but does not have LauncherPro’s screen transition effects that I’ve grown quite attached to. Go Launcher also arranged all you apps in the drawer in pages, but can be sorted by “All apps,” “Currently running,” and “Recent.” Also, Go Launcher features the ability to download and install various themes that will be applied across the entire UI, which is something that appeals to many users.At the end of the day, the differences aren’t enormous between Go Launcher and LauncherPro.

Where Go Launcher really succeeds is its ability to group recent apps together in your drawer, theme the entire OS, and have as many home screens as you want. It lacks some of LauncherPro’s flair, but has its other strengths.