Android CMDLauncher - An Introduction

Introduction

Welcome to Android CMDLauncher, a command-line launcher for Android devices that is currently in the alpha (working prototype) stage of development.

So what's the point of a command-line launcher, you ask? The idea was borne out of my dislike for how dumbed-down (for lack of a better phrase) and user-friendly the Android experience is in general, with everything just a tap (or two) away. So, I resolved to create a launcher that that would give my device a bit of an old-school look and which would be fully self-contained, allowing the user to do almost everything on their Android device using only a text-based interface.

What can it do?

Right now, not much. It has the ability to search for and run installed applications, dial a number, view and send SMSs and perform calculations using a rudimentary calculator. You can see these in action in the screenshots posted on the project summary page.

However, that is only the pre-alpha release. I plan to have the launcher perform most functions Android devices usually offer, short of specialised apps such as Instagram. Planned features include an email client, turn-by-turn GPS directions, calendar and reminder capabilities, social network integration and a browser. And that's just for the beta release.

I place a lot of reliance on reminder and todo services such as Wunderlist and TickTick for work purposes, and plan for the productivity side of the launcher to be fairly significant. However, should you choose to use these apps instead (or any other productivity app), their notifications will be pulled through to the text interface.

Can I try it?

I'm not planning to release anything until the 0.3 private beta release, which which will not be released for several months. You can sign up here: https://sourceforge.net/p/android-cmdlauncher/discussion/beta-03/thread/2bd80664/

Can I contribute?

Not yet, however once I get the launcher to a stable, public-ready, release I plan to host the code online to allow contributions from the public.

I just have an idea for a feature

Great! Please post it under feature requests here: https://sourceforge.net/p/android-cmdlauncher/feature-requests/.
I will then take these requests into consideration, and will give you credit for the idea.

What if I REALLY want to try it?

If you are really, REALLY, want to try it and don't want to wait for the private beta please send me a PM, or alternatively post in the thread linked above. Should there be enough interest before the release I may consider pushing forward the private release from 0.3 beta to 0.2 alpha (which is currently in development).

Final words

I'll be working on this part-time, so please don't expect quick releases of new versions. I will, however, be giving regular updates on my progress and am happy to engage on any discussions posted in the forum, so be sure to follow the project if you're interested in the launcher.