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Review by Ian MacGregor
Original Review Posting - Reprinted with permission of the author. Contact the author for permission to reuse or reprint.
Zeam is currently in development. Changes have occurred very quickly, check the links below for information on the latest version. This review covers version 1.5.1
Overview
Androlib Page
Developer's Page
Development discussion thread - latest news posted here
Price: FREE
Introduction
As I was browsing through my news feeds, I happened upon this little gem. Being a fan of home replacement apps for Android devices, I opened it and began reading. That article contained little information about Zeam Launcher so I installed it from the Android market. Here's what I found.
Zeam Launcher is a replacement for the home screen on Android-based devices.
Market Summary
"Zeam is a lightweight launcher alternative. Work in progress."
The app currently has between 10,000 and 50,000 downloads and 4.5 out of 5 stars from 1345 user ratings.
Installation
The Zeam download is listed in the Android market as being 274kb in size, so it's much lighter than some of the other home replacement apps. I installed and opened Zeam Launcher on my Motorola Cliq XT quickly and without issue.
Features
- Provides up to 9 screens
- Designate a default screen
- User-selected animation for the app drawer
- Remembers the last scrolled position of the app drawer
- Provides a scrollable dock bar at the bottom of the screen
- Supports default widgets
- Allows the user to hide desktop icon labels
- Can be set to run full-screen, hiding the notification bar
- Allows the rotation of the screen when the phone is rotated
- Screen previews, zooms out to show thumbnails of all screens
- Includes the ability to take screenshots
Usage
I found Zeam to be very similar to the default home screen app in that you simply swipe through the screens. However, unlike the default home screen app, Zeam provides up to 9 screens. Pressing the home button can zoom out to show all screens in a thumbnail layout - this feature is user-configurable. Tapping a thumbnail allows the user to visit that screen without the need to "swipe to arrive".
Final Thoughts
I'm quite impressed, Zeam seems to be well built and is an app that I would expect to pay for, so the price (free) was right. Many thanks to zeam.org for this wonderful app.
Screenshots
Screenshots taken on a Cliq XT.
The bottom bar is a scrollable application dock.