E.T. 집에 전화? 아니요, Windows Phone 홈입니다. 아하! 네, 우리는 시도할 수 없는 것을 시도하기 위해 여기에 있습니다. 앱이 스토어에 있기 때문은 아니지만 우리가 여기 있는 이유는 Android 휴대폰에서 Windows Phone 테마를 사용해 보고 싶기 때문입니다. 가장 멋진 Lumia 950을 포함하여 Microsoft 스마트폰 라인의 불가피한 종말과 함께 타일 사용자 인터페이스의 최고의 인체 공학은 기억에 남을 슬픈 날이 될 것입니다. 이로 인해 저와 같은 생각을 가진 사용자는 시장 리더인 Android 및 iOS에서 사용하는 색상 아이콘 접근 방식을 갖게 되었습니다.
저는 최근에 Android 휴대전화를 구입하여 말하자면 물을 테스트했으며 제가 선택한 Moto G6에 매우 만족합니다. 모든 측면에서 매우 합리적이며 타일 인터페이스가 있다면 '두 가지가 최고입니다. 공교롭게도 Play 스토어에는 이러한 성격의 앱이 있습니다. 그래서 저는 테스트 중이며 중요한 질문에 대한 답을 찾으려고 노력하고 있습니다. Android에서 WP와 같은 레이아웃을 사용할 수 있습니까? 음, 저는 이것을 4년 전에 시도했으므로 이제 우리는 이것을 다시 살펴봐야 합니다. 나를 따르라.
테스트 1:스퀘어 홈 3
이 작업의 가장 큰 문제는 사용 가능한 옵션이 풍부하고 훨씬 더 많은 의견이 있다는 것입니다. 그런 다음 Google과 친구들은 Android 환경을 최대한 간소화하기 위해 많은 자본을 투자합니다. David vs. Goliath 스타일이라는 합리적인 대안을 제시하려는 임의적이지만 열정적인 개발자에게 신호를 보냅니다. 할 수 있는? 예. 유망한 후보자? 아마.
모든 곳에서 긍정적인 평가를 받은 첫 번째 옵션으로 Square Home을 시도했습니다. 이 작은 런처에는 백만 명이 넘는 사용자가 있으며 4.6/5.0의 점수와 약 55,000개의 평가 및 댓글이 있습니다. 아주 깔끔하게 들립니다. 앱을 설치한 다음 타일을 관리하는 방법에 대한 기본 사항을 설명하는 빠른 적응 둘러보기를 진행했습니다.
Windows Phone에 비해 모양이 그렇게 미니멀하지 않습니다. 타일에는 색상과 레이블로 가득 찬 비추상적 아이콘이 있으며 별도의 타일에서 애플리케이션 메뉴를 호출합니다. 투명성이 다소 산만하다는 것을 알았습니다. 물론 모든 것을 조정할 수 있으며 Square Home에는 어리둥절한 옵션이 제공되지만 매우 괴상한 느낌이 들며 모든 것을 정리하려면 상당한 노력이 필요합니다. 일부 설정은 14일 동안 변경할 수 있지만 그 이후에는 프로 버전이 필요합니다.
테스트 2:런처 10
이것은 나의 다음 시도였습니다. 이 응용 프로그램은 거의 동일한 설치 수, 상당한 4.2/5.0 마크, 약 8,000개 이상의 리뷰, 인앱 구매 및 광고와 함께 제공됩니다. 일단 설치하고 시동을 걸었습니다. 투명한 타일이 있는 매우 Windows Phone 레이아웃을 얻을 수 있습니다. 동작은 Lumias 등에서 알고 있는 것과 매우 유사합니다. 타일을 선택, 이동, 크기 변경 또는 고정 해제하려면 길게 누르세요.
짧은 사용자 정의 세션 후 상황이 훨씬 좋아 보였습니다. 내가 만든 가장 중요한 변화는 검은색 배경을 사용하는 것이었고 이것은 즉시 전화기에 매우 신뢰할 수 있는 WP 모양을 제공했습니다. 스와이프하면 앱 섹션이 호출되며 내 Lumia와 같은 느낌입니다.
There are fewer settings, they are easier to navigate than Square Home, but some of the features require a pro (purchase) version, plus you get ads at the bottom of the screen, which really doesn't feel like my Lumia after all. Launcher 10 also comes with a detailed privacy policy that states the different vectors of data they collect, and I felt this isn't what I'm looking for. If I'm not mistaken, the Launcher 10 collects calendar events, and they've recently removed call log and SMS permissions to comply with the new Google Play policy. I do understand a home screen launcher needs access to different apps and notifications, but still.
Test 3:Microsoft Launcher
This sounds very interesting. After all, Windows Phone, tiles, Microsoft, duh! I also cannot escape the feeling that Microsoft is gently - or not so gently - positioning itself more and more into the Android app space. It failed to make a significant impact in the mobile operating system domain, but then, perhaps it's not necessary if people use your software.
Microsoft Launcher looks handy - 10M+ install, some 850K reviews at 4.6/5.0 rating, no ads. Well, I installed the program and learned a few interesting things. First, you go through a little wizard, which lets you customize a few options. Among other things you can optionally sign into a Microsoft account.
There's an intro tour, too. And then you have the option to make additional changes. There are quite a few of those, including the use of various accounts, including something called Wunderlist. You can set up Cortana, and download a whole bunch of Microsoft apps. Some of these are quite handy, but they are not in any way specific to Microsoft Launcher.
Oh, it doesn't look that different from Android - basically, it's a home screen with pretty much the same icons, and just an extra search box (with Bing as your default provider). Sure, you can make changes, but you won't get the nice, simple, minimalistic tiled interface, which is what I've been looking for in the first place. So I guess I need to exclude it from consideration. Ergo, we have Square Home and Launcher 10. All right.
So what did I decide?
Well ... it's a tough one. While I love and admire any attempt to create superior ergonomics, tiny details can really spoil everything. I linked to my Android like WP 2015 article in the beginning of this piece, and there's the similar Ubuntu Phone effort, and in both cases, you get 95% of the original. But not the full 100%. Somehow, it matters a lot.
It's not that these other projects and apps aren't good - far from it - but there's a big difference between an application with a specific theming and experience versus an entire operating system built from the ground up for a very particular mode of usage. Things come apart three or four levels deep. Tiny things. But my OCD demons can't get past that.
Then, I have become more averse to the whole mobile drama in the past few years. It's not that I'm more paranoid, but I'm sure less tolerant to the almost liberal misuse of system settings and permissions for the sake of some 1950s salesmanish foot-in-the-door model, where user data and ads have become the holy grail of everything. And so, having additional software at such a critical junction of usage as the home screen does create a sort of dilemma. The idea is to minimize one's digital footprint, not increase it, therefore new apps, even those that offer the amazing WP looks, create a tricky conflict of experience-driven ideology.
The real solution is, of course, native solutions from OEM, Google, or maybe Microsoft if they ever go back to making smartphones. Nokia could do it too, but I'm not sure who owns the brand Lumia and its associated art, and how it can resurface (see what I did there) as an ergonomically superior option for phone users.
Specifically, both Launcher 10 and Square Home 3 are very neat. But there are some technical problems that prevent me from using them. One, payment - I have nothing against paid software, and nothing against paying Google or other software companies if and when needed, I just don't want to do that on a phone, because I don't want to have my payment methods associated with any particular device, and that prevents me from enjoying the pro editions of these apps. Two, they work well, but we go back to the 95% thingie, and that's something that I can't really get past. Three, the required permissions to make these launchers work are rather permissive [sic], and turning everything off would render them useless. That approach works for standalone apps like a music player or a browser, but not for a launcher that's meant to be the gateway to your entire phone's ecosystem.
결론
I really wish there was a single-click - or a single-tap - option to turn your default Android looks into a tiled interface in a way that does not introduce any complications or expand on the existing set of permissions. Alas, that's not possible, for a variety of reasons, and the best one can have, if they want WP ergonomics on an Android, is a set of third-party apps. Square Home and Launcher 10 are nice, but full versions cost money, there's the implicit and explicit trust in their usage (like any software really but more so given their role), and you will never get a 100% WP experience, because Android works ever so slightly differently.
So the question is, can you live with 95%? Or can you live with Android looks? For me, a less-than-perfect alternative is no alternative, and I'd rather suffer the sub-optimal defaults than sub-optional optional choice of my own choosing. This is the reason why I almost never tweak anything in my production setup, be it Windows, Linux or phone. So perhaps I will be a tragic hero, straight out of Greek mythology, and continue using a phone with superb ergonomics but dead or dying ecosystem (Windows Phone) or use Android, which is rich and vibrant but not my cup of artistic tea. Maybe one day we will have both, but for now, this shall remain my unicorn.
건배.