Episode 233 - How to Get Organized on Android [Discussion]

[marilee]

This free widget lets you take control of your Android layout without adding additional screens or home replacements.

Watch or download this episode now!

[sembazuru]

While, yes, I do use a home replacement (LauncherPro) to squeeze 5 rows of icons on my home screens, I also use another app for organization.

It's called Apps Organizer http://www.androlib.com/android.appl...izer-qqmD.aspx

It acts sort of like more powerful drawers (but for apps only, no widgets that I can tell). Three of the biggest features that I like about is are:
a) Built in label/drawer called "Other apps" that contains all the applications that don't yet have any labels assigned to them. This is great when one already has tons of apps and you just downloaded 5 more. Finding those 5 in the big-list-o-apps can be tedious. With "Other apps", those 5 apps are right there waiting to be organized.
b) Multiple labels per app. Say you have a wonder app that conceptually fits into your collection of tools and also your collection of internet apps. You can assign both the tools and the internet label to the app and it will show in both your tools and internet drawers.
c) Long press on an app icon within Apps Organizer's drawers gives a short menu that includes a direct link to uninstall the app (not Apps Organizer, but the specific app that you long pressed on).

Another feature that is nice, but I probably wouldn't lump it with the above features for importance:
d) You don't have to have an icon for an Apps Organizer drawer/label. I use this to have a "Hidden" label for any app that I want to access so infrequently that I can deal with the big-list-o-apps. This includes pre-installed apps that I don't use but can't uninstall because they are baked into the ROM (e.g. the stock calculator), utility apps that actually provide an icon even though running them does nothing (e.g. ASTRO Bluetooth Module), etc.

A few down-sides:
a) Every time you open an Apps Organizer drawer, the Apps Organizer application is added to the recently run apps list (long press of home button). This isn't as much of a big deal now that I'm on 2.2 and have 8 entries there, but it may crowd out the 6 entries of pre-FroYo.
b) The menu mentioned in "pro-c", above, doesn't include a short cut to app management, so you still have to go through system setting to check an apps app2SD status, clear cache, etc.
c) Adds 1 click to getting to an app vs. having the app directly on the home screen. Not a big deal to me, but if you are one to count clicks it may be annoying.

[jonoff]

Nice review sembazuru, they should use that for an episode, I also use Apps organizer as labels are better than folders (ie gmail).

If you want to your phone optimized, as Anthony says, to get you where you want in the least amount of taps, you'll need more than just a single app probably including a new launcher. This article over at lifehacker gives a really nice selection of some apps: http://lifehacker.com/5610032/a-guid...id-home-screen