The greatest plus point with Android OS has been its customizability which has led it to win many battles over its competitors and which has led a revolution in how we perceive our mobile phones. It has given a power to the user to add a personal touch to virtually everything. One such customization app is “WidgetLocker”.
Pros & Cons:
Tons of ways to customize your lockscreen, including customizable sliders, widgets and more.
Lots of options to tweak it to exactly your preferences.
Cons
There’s just so much you can do, I had to go through the tutorial a few times, just to find all the various types of options.
A little overpriced at Rs.166.44, but you can have it for free if searched over the net.
Features:
WidgetLocker is a lockscreen replacement app, which replaces the standard lockscreen of your android device. It is designed to let you customize not only how your lockscreen behaves, but what information it will give you. You can do everything from create or download custom sliders and you can have any number of sliders to suit your needs, specify which apps or actions your device performs on waking up automatically, to providing a way to add any widgets, apps or shortcuts you have installed to your screen for quick reference. You can even have your owner information displayed, with any information you want to have, in case your device gets misplaced.
There is a huge amount of information you can access via WidgetLocker. I was amazed by how much was built in. And you can add even more functionality by downloading additional modules which will allow you to put notifications right on your lockscreen. As far as custom sliders are concerned, you can use the several default options it comes with, download more from the market or XDA Developers, or even create your own for a really custom look and feel.
I also liked that the slide lock, by default, also has options for adjusting the screen brightness or going straight to the camera – and you can customize what these do, so again, you can really fine-tune your lockscreen to do what you want. I was able to add a few widgets with some basic information – my calendar with the next few appointments and the weather forecast, so I don’t have to go all the way into my device to check these. They’re on my home screen, but there are times I just want to glance at that information without unlocking the whole thing.
Usefulness:
The lockscreen is, by default, just a security measure to keep your device from performing actions in your pocket, or protecting it from unauthorized use. However, this app allows you to turn your lockscreen into a quick reference guide of all your information, based on what you want to see. Add in the ability to customize the look and feel of any element, and it’s a powerful tool.
Ease of Use:
I found it pretty easy to use the Tool mode, where you can add and edit elements. I did have to go through the tutorial a few times, but it was more because there is just so much to do here, you can’t get it all in one pass.
Interface:
Once you set up your lockscreen, you probably won’t go into Tool mode all that often. However, you’ll use the lockscreen every time you open your device, making it, potentially, one of the most used apps you own. While there is a settings menu where you can fine-tune a lot of behaviors, adding and editing is done all by long-press and visual selection, making it a lot easier. Overall, I found it very easy to navigate.
You can download WidgetLocker from the Google Play Store
