I hate "Favorites" bubble icon on bottom of screen!

[phillvigil]

Lenovo developers please get rid of the "Favorites" bubble icons!!! You have the large four app option in the middle of the home screen, the five pages of apps and widgets, the recent apps option and the convenient app shortcut at the top right of the screen. Why add another useless shortcut to access apps? If you have five favorite apps you just add them to your home page and you can get to your home page by using two different shortcuts...the home button icon and the home button on the pad. I don't understand how this is a feature and my wife HATES the way the icons look!!! She wants me to take the tablet back if I can't find a solution to getting the old Honeycomb icons back. Here's a suggestion...get rid of the "Favorites" icon idea all together or make it look "Honeycombish" and revert back to the original icons on the bottome of screen. I'll give you guys a week and then I'm taking this thing back.

[sinanju]

Just use a different app launcher.  That's the beauty of Android.  If you don't like something, you can change it... almost always for free.

I've used ADW Launcher (https://market.android.com/details?id=org.adw.launcher) and LaucherPro (https://market.android.com/details?id=com.fede.launcher) and like them both.

[phillvigil]

Sorry, I'm not sure what you're talking about will work in this situation. Could you give more details? Have you done this on the K1 or are you talking about a phone? I tried to install but the app doesn't appear in my app list. Lenovo has changed specific aspects of the Honeycomb platform to allow their featured "Favorites" button. I doubt that an app will be able to undo or work around this. Let me know if and when you have done this on the K1 and describe how. Thanks!!

[sinanju]

I've done this for my phone and several tablets, including the A1.  Launchers are not apps that will show up in your app list.  After installation, when you hit the Home button, you are likely to see a pop-up asking which app you want to handle that... the new launcher and Lenovo's launcher should be in the list.   You should pick your newly installed laucher and tick the button to remember the choice.

If you don't get that pop-up, find the Launcher in the list of all applications in the tablet settings and hit the Clear Defaults button.

[phillvigil]

Tried suggested fix. Did NOT work. Please only respond if you have a K1 and have suggestions on how to change icons on bottom of the screen back to Honeycomb. Lenovo has changed the launcher to include their featured "Favorites" button that brings up a scroll wheel of favorite apps. Could a developer please respond!?

[phillvigil]

Just found this in the review of the K1 on cnet.com. Quoted below is something Lenove should listen to and fix:

Unfortunately, there is one Lenovo customization you can't change. On the bottom  of the screen, positioned at the center of the navigation bar is an odd speech  bubble icon that launches an overlay of your favorite apps. Lenovo calls this  feature the "App Wheel" and as the name implies, you navigate through these apps  by spinning through the overlay like a Lazy Susan. An additional icon at the center of the wheel allows you to add or  delete apps from this quick list. We like the concept, but it ultimately ends up  creating more clutter and confusion. With the standard app drawer accessible  from the upper-right corner, and recently used apps accessible from the  bottom-left corner, Honeycomb has no need for a third app menu in a third  corner.

[azgal]

You can move it or get rid of it. I just received my tablet and figured it out. Forgive me if I don't use all the exactly correct terms, just learning. To completely delete do this:
Press and hold the Bubble Icon guy and you will see a trash bin light up in the upper right corner of the screen. To delete just drag him over there.

To move to another pane:
Touch and hold the Bubble Guy and drag him across to another of the panes - left or right and drop him there when you find where you want him.

These tricks worked for me.

[phillvigil]

it seems like i might not be explaining this correctly...im not talking about the large four square thing in the center of the screen. The thing im refering to is the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. The original out of the box was like any other honeycomb taskbar. After you update the device the taskbar changes and the ugly cartoon icons appear. Please only reply if you know what i am talking about and you have the same feelings or have found a way to change. Thanks, not trying to be a jerk but it is frustrating to have people make suggestions that i try to follow and find out that they dont know what they are talking about. Would be awesome if a developer would respond seeing that the general review of their mod to honeycomb is negative.

[ricochet_k1]

Phil,
While I am generally in agreement with you about this proprietary enhancement being unneccessary, I doubt you're going to see it removed from Lenovo's implementation of 3.x.

Possisible if ICS is offered, but I wouldn't bank on it.

[sinanju]

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phillvigil wrote:
 it is frustrating to have people make suggestions that i try to follow and find out that they dont know what they are talking about.

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Why am I reminded of that story of a woman watching a parade when the person next to her leans in and says, "Look at my son. He's the only one in the band marching in step."

...'cause, you know, it couldn't possibly be your fault that the suggestions being made aren't working out...