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Chameleon launcher is the popular widget based home screen and launcher that was initially announced as a kickstarter campaign. The first release was only available on tablets as they naturally lend themselves to be better suited for a multitude of widgets across each home screen. The team behind Chameleon did however announce they would eventually bring the launcher to phones as well and it appears that time is quickly approaching.
In a recent blog post Teknision the company behind Chameleon revealed that beta testing has begun for the phone variant of the launcher. I recently switched to Chameleon launcher on my 10.1″ tablet and have found it to be a refreshing experiencing that is able to be visually appealing while also proving incredibly functional.
The basic idea is that widgets are one of Androids best features providing the ability to navigate through useful information from your apps without every leaving your home screen. So the best use of space would be to maximize widget use and this is done us a customizable layout that makes the entire screen a grid of widgets with a dock bar along the bottom that is unique to each screen.
Chameleon Preview
As explained in the video each screen is based on your own set of parameters and you can set them to be triggered using three different variables. The three currently available are time, GPS location, and Wi-Fi network and when one of the parameters is met the screen will automatically transition to the chosen page you have set. I currently have a Home, a Work, and a Free Time screen each with different widgets that I use most during those times.
The idea is well suited for tablets, however since the first day I installed Chameleon I have been thinking about how it would translate to the phone. Overall they are off to a good start with custom widgets made for the most popular apps and services while the standard widgets can be used for those not included. As the community of users grow so will the number of widgets as there is a built it widget builder for those who wish to do so and upload them for others.
Have you tried Chameleon launcher yet, and how do you think it will translate to the phone.