.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE Rearrange your desktop any way you want with TealDesktop
.AUTHOR David Silver
.SUMMARY TealDesktop offers many features that differentiate it from the multitude of generic launcher replacements. Is it the one launcher to rule them all? You’ll have to read David Silver’s review to find out.
.OTHER
One of the first major ROM-replacement applications many new users buy is an upgraded application launcher. While the standard one works fine for launching applications, many users want additional features and a more colorful interface.
The replacement choices are seemingly endless, ranging from a Windows-style start bar, such as Hi-Launcher (at http://www.hilauncher.com) or a severely powered up version of the built-in one, like Zlauncher (at http://www.zztechs.com). TealPoint (at http://www.tealpoint.com), having already dipped into the industry with their pop-up launcher TealLaunch, has decided to dive all the way in with TealDesktop. TealDesktop offers many features that differentiate it from the multitude of generic replacements, one of which is the lack of "launcher" in its name, a feature that seems quite rare in today’s market.
.CALLOUT TealDesktop is, without a doubt, better than the built-in launcher, but overkill for many.
.H1 Themes and customization
TealPoint’s advertising focuses heavily on the customizability of TealDesktop for good reason: it’s as customizable as humanly possible. This customizability is from the use of "themes" instead of "skins."
.BREAK_EMAIL Is this the one launcher to rule them all? Tap here to read the full review.
What’s the difference?
According to TealPoint, skins are merely graphical changes; they might make your launcher look nice and pretty, but tapping a certain spot is going to do the exact same thing. Themes, on the other hand, allow for a complete redesign of the interface. If you want to put your category list in the middle of the screen with the application icons in a flowery arrangement around it, you can do that. This gives TealPoint the ability to please virtually everyone, as it can morph to fit any interface preferences a user might have. TealPoint tries to make modifying these themes simple through a theme editor built into the program, shown in Figure A.
.FIGPAIR A TealDesktop’s theme editor is built directly into the program.
Instead of having to run to your computer every time you want to modify a theme, you merely have to pull open the editor and you’re set to go. In addition, this saves you the frustration of having to petition a skin/theme designer in order to get a tweak to your favorite design. You can simply change it yourself. To get you started, TealPoint has a large number of themes available on their website and they’re always willing to listen user’s requests for more.
Once you enter the theme editor, you can either edit an existing theme or create a new one. When creating a new one, you decide on a name and can choose from a number of templates:
.BEGIN_LIST
.BULLET A blank page with absolutely nothing on it
.BULLET A copy of the current one
.BULLET Standard (large icons)
.BULLET Standard List (small icons, allowing for more applications per page)
.BULLET Standard Tools (large icons with a number of tools on the bottom)
.BULLET Standard List Tools (small icons with tools, and
.BULLET Standard Big (really large icons for each application)
.END_LIST
You have complete control over the appearance and functionality of your theme. Each element can be resized, rearranged, or deleted. You can even decide what each of the buttons on the 5-way pad (if your model has one) does when pressed while the theme is enabled.
In concept, the editor is great. However, it suffers a few rather significant drawbacks. The small size of the Palm’s screen combined with the small box outlining each element in the editor makes it very hard to see and select a certain element. It also makes it very easy to place an icon overlapping another, resulting in a rather tiresome trial and error session to get all the elements to fit.
To makes matters more complicated, there is no ability to select multiple elements at the same time. If you want to change the theme from large icon mode to small icon list mode, you need to change each icon, resize the box, and rearrange it into list formation individually. If you’re the type of person that can never settle for an arrangement for an extended period of time, this can get very frustrating.
.H1 The launcher
While TealDesktop’s themes stand-out from other launchers, its other features do not. TealDesktop allows for categories to be displayed as tabs across the top of the screen, in a drop-down menu, or both. Categories can be either selected though a menu option essentially identical to the one in the standard launcher, by dragging the icon to the ideal tab, or by holding the stylus down over an icon for a few seconds, causing a list of actions to pop-up.
In addition to category selection, this list can be used to delete, beam, send, or copy the program or to get information about it (its size, version, number of records, etc.). The pop-up list is shown in Figure B.
.FIGPAIR B The pop-up list allows quick access to a number of handy functions.
TealDesktop has a large collection of gadgets that can be displayed on the screen. They can be added from the theme editor and provide functions such as launch an application or desk accessory, cycle categories, show/hide private records, turn off and lock the handheld, pop-up a list of apps, toggle beam receive, and a number of others. While none of these features are unique to TealDesktop, having the most commonly used ones on screen can be very convenient.
Like all good launchers, TealDesktop has support for applications on an external memory card. Applications on the card can be categorized just like RAM applications, but, unfortunately, must be in separate categories. Thus, if you have a selection of games in both RAM and on a card, you must have two separate "Games" categories. Furthermore, the programs must be grouped by category in folders on the actual card, wrecking any organizational system you might have. Each category must be manually created as a folder on the card and setup on the Card Category Setup screen, shown in Figure C.
.FIGPAIR C The Card Category Setup screen is used to setup card categories.
TealDesktop is able to move and copy files from RAM to the card and back, but requires an external program, such as Filez (at http://www.nosleep.net/) to create, move, or edit folders on the card.
.H1 Usability
As you might expect from a brand new program, TealDesktop has some usability problems that need to be worked out. For example, after each HotSync, the device will scan to check if they’re any new programs and add them to the list. However, these scans can take a long time, and, if you’re in a hurry, can get rather aggravating. Hopefully TealPoint will find a way to speed them up in the future, but, until then, they are a minor but annoying problem.
A second, more minor problem is its use of categories. The program requires you to have 15 categories at all times. These categories can be renamed, and all categories with 0 applications are automatically hidden from display in the launcher. However, the program lists all 15 categories on the category selection lists, generating quite a bit of clutter that isn’t needed.
.H1 Conclusion
TealDesktop is, without a doubt, better than the built-in launcher, but overkill for many. Users that are fine with the mainstream layout and aren’t particularly interested in making their own themes will likely find other launchers with additional non-theme related features to be more useful.
However, users that want to create their own themes in a simple interface and that want a layout slightly different layout from the one used in many other third party launchers will find TealDesktop perfect for them, and should definitely take a look.
.RATING 3
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on TealDesktop, visit http://www.tealpoint.com/softdesk.htm.
For more information on Hi-Launcher, visit http://www.hilauncher.com.
For more information on Zlauncher, visit http://www.zztechs.com.
For more information on FileZ, visit http://www.nosleep.net.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
