Hello peeps, how has the day been? This is an in-depth review of an uncommon Android Launcher.

Let's begin.

Rating: 4/5

Overview:
Blackberry Launcher is a nice Android Launcher from the stables of Blackberry Inc., It was a nice decision as they want to have their apps moved over to Android (they still want to be in business). This app (as with others like notes,BBM, Calendar,etc) aims to give phone users a feeling of a BlackBerry device, it also tries to give hardcore BlackBerry fans an assurance that they're still very much around.

Everything about the App is reminiscent of BlackBerry phones, which is not bad at all. It's a very mature homescreen launcher that marries functionality with productivity and still manages to keep up with the funkiness of Android. It plays down on unnecessary customizations (which most of the other Launchers offer) and emphasizes on simplicity.
The interface is clean and simple, it's not too tasking on the RAM. In all, BlackBerry Launcher replaces your stock Launcher perfectly.

Look and Feel:

BlackBerry Launcher's interface is very clean, although it makes the phone look like a BlackBerry device. It has an app drawer that doesn't say anything much, you have the option to pick apps and drop unto your homescreen, sorts apps according to size, frequency of use, and alphabet, A swipe to the left of the App drawer reveals Widgets and Shortcuts.

On your homescreen, you can group apps into a folder, and then, you can peek into an app's widget right from the app icon. A swipe up of an app icon reveals a relevant widget: meaning you can interact with the app without opening it, it also means you won't be needing to add widgets to your homescreen as it has already been baked into the app icon. For example, a swipe up of the Messages app would reveal a list of read and unread messages you have. The good thing about this feature is that it comes at no cost at all!

Then there's the ability to set a wallpaper and change App icons, no messing around with app sizes, rows and columns.


Notifications:
BlackBerry Launcher brought the BlackBerry way of notifications. You get that “star" at the top right corner of every app that sends you a notification (BlackBerry users are quite familiar with that) and it disappears upon opening or dismissing the notification

There are no notification counts, which is a shame. That alone could be a turnoff (to those who hates BlackBerry phones)


RAM usage:

Surprisingly, the Launcher doesn't task the RAM too much. Apps are launched pretty quick, there is no major lag in general usage. It refreshes pretty fast (you wouldn't even know it) and freezes rarely.

There is a but . . . . .

The Launcher is dependent on the Size of RAM. It freezes a lot on low RAM devices, at times, it wouldn't display your apps, making it useless. You might need to search very hard to find its data that is logged into the RAM, it doesn't even have an app icon!
On the flipside, It works well with most RAMs (1gb and up), in fact, its hard to call it a “third-party" homescreen launcher. It's a very nice replacement for stock homescreen launchers.

Battery Usage:

You can be rest assured on this one. It's a real power sipper, using less than 2% of battery charge the whole day (1.23% on the average, according to the DU battery app).
Its power sipping prowess is evident in normal phone usage, you won't notice any abnormal battery behavior, and if you do, be sure to check, you won't find BlackBerry Launcher the culprit.

Verdict:

A nice Android Launcher. Simple yet Functional, keeping BlackBerry's heritage. This Launcher is certainly not for most young people (who love tweaking and customizations to a fault) but rather for older and mature users who would love functionality and productivity at no extra cost at all!


Why not head over to your Google Play Store, download the app and try it out yourself?