OH MY GOD! Android app of the day: SPB Shell 3D (VIDEO)
By James Kendrick | March 31, 2011, 7:46am PDT
zdnet.com
VIDEO 1: youtube.com
VIDEO 2: youtube.com
The beauty of the Android OS is how it is possible to customize the look and feel like no other smartphone platform. The folks at Spb Software have released Spb Shell 3D for Android phones that takes the user interface to an entirely new level, and all in 3D. I have been giving it a spin on my HTC EVO 4G phone, and find it to be as useful as it is gorgeous.
The app is not cheap at $14.95, but given all of the functionality inside many will find it worth it. Once installed on the Android phone, and it is simply an app like any other, it completely takes over the Android interface. The home screens are still there inside a 3D carrousel that shows a lot of information on the screen at a time. The carrousel can spin around at a fast speed with a simple swipe on the screen. Stop it on the screen you want by tapping it, which opens up the static version of that screen with all of the widgets and apps available.
Tapping on any home screen opens it up in standard 2D mode for interaction. You can add any widget, app shortcut or folder. You can swipe left and right to move around the home screens while in 2D mode too.
Spb includes quite a few widgets for placement on any desired screen. They are fully 3D-enabled and are very well implemented. All regular Android widgets are available for placement, too. It is a very rich environment with lots of potential.
Spb Shell 3D works on Android phones running version 2.1 and up. I have tested it on two devices running Froyo (2.2) and had no problems with either. Spb states that the app is only for smartphones, and that it will not work on tablets. I suspect they mean Honeycomb tablets as it is running just fine on my Galaxy Tab as demonstrated in the video. Bear in mind that Spb will probably not support the app on tablets if you have trouble.
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