Android智能手机能够完成许多您在 Apple 的 iOS (iPhone) 设备上无法做到的事情。Android(Android-only)独有的一项更巧妙的功能是能够通过简单地安装第三方启动器来改变您的设备的外观、感觉和行为方式——这是一次彻底的改造。
比较流行的启动器之一是Microsoft Launcher（Microsoft Garage 项目(Microsoft Garage project) Arrow Launcher的升级版）。
Microsoft Launcher旨在帮助您的Android 集成(Android integrate)到Microsoft 生态系统(Microsoft ecosystem)中，不会使您的设备看起来(device look)和行为像Windows 10。
相反，除了提供高度可定制的用户界面(user interface)(UI) 之外，它还有助于让您的Android 智能手机(Android smartphone)更轻松地融入您的Microsoft(Microsoft workflow)应用程序和服务(apps and services)工作流程，以及您的Windows 笔记本电脑(Windows laptop)或台式电脑。
为什么要使用第三方启动器？(Why a Third-Party Launcher?)
根据(Dependent)您的手机、其制造商和您的服务提供商(service provider)，您的Android 手机(Android phone)带有一个默认启动器(default launcher)，其中包括您的主屏幕(home screen)、各种控制面板和安装在您设备上的应用程序。
有几种可用的启动器，其中一些，例如Apex、EverythingMe、Smart Launcher 3、Google Now Launcher和Pixel Launcher，非常受欢迎，其中包括Microsoft Launcher。
在我写这篇文章的时候，仅在Google Play 商店(Google Play Store)，这款应用就拥有超过 1000 万的安装量和 4.6 分（满分 5 分）。考虑到现在有很多强烈反对微软(Microsoft)的人，这些数字令人印象深刻。
无论如何，“为什么要使用第三方启动器(third-party launcher)？”这个问题的答案。与“为什么Android主导全球智能手机(worldwide smartphone) 操作系统市场(OS market)？”的答案基本相同。好吧，因为Android是高度可定制的；用户不会被锁定在相同的普通体验(plain vanilla experience)中。或者，更好的是，这个陈词滥调怎么样？用户可以自定义他们的手机以按照他们(they )的方式工作。
为什么选择微软启动器？(Why Microsoft Launcher?)
据最新统计，维基百科的“ Android 启动器列表(List of Android Launchers)”文章（2015 年更新）有 60 多个条目。我读到的另一份账目说有“数百个” Android启动器可用。
我在 Google 的Play 商店(Play Store)中搜索“Android 启动器”时，只找到了将近 300 个应用程序，其中包括一些旨在让您的Android 设备(Android device)模拟 iPhone 的应用程序。换句话说，有很多选项可用于自定义Android 智能手机(Android smartphone)的外观和行为(appearance and behavior)。
所有启动器都允许您通过更改壁纸、主题颜色、图标包以及根据启动器本身的更多内容来个性化Android 。Microsoft Launcher主要是为那些在Microsoft 生态系统(Microsoft ecosystem)中生活、工作和娱乐的人设计的。
换句话说，您使用 MS Office来创建和编辑您的业务文档，使用Outlook来处理您的电子邮件、待办事项列表和日历；您将这些文件和大多数其他文件保存在OneDrive上；并且，也许，您从Xbox玩游戏并获得娱乐，使用Cortana进行语音命令、视频通话和(video call and conference)与Skype的会议等。您明白了。
例如，当您将Microsoft Launcher与您的(Microsoft Launcher)Microsoft 工作或学校帐户集成时，您可以从(Microsoft work or school account)Android轻松访问您的MS Office 365文档和其他文件、个性化源和日历中的最近活动等等。
您甚至可以在您的Windows PC(Windows PC)上访问打开的项目，例如文档、照片和网页，而MS Launcher将依次在您的所有设备上打开它们。
主要生产力和便利功能(Primary Productivity and Convenience Features)
如前所述，Microsoft Launcher并不是像现在已经失效的(Microsoft Launcher)Windows Phone 操作系统(Windows Phone OS)那样，试图将 Windows 带到您的智能手机上。不仅没有动态磁贴(Live Tiles)，而且我已经使用它几个星期了，但我没有得到(t get)（再次，除了立即访问Office 应用程序(Office apps)，例如Word、Excel、PowerPoint、Outlook、OneNote、OneDrive等）完全有一种类似于 Windows 的感觉。
相反，该应用程序将我的Microsoft 生态系统(Microsoft ecosystem)与我的Android 设备(Android device)融合在一起，使它们能够平稳运行，即使不是有点优雅，也可以并行运行，并且在这样做的同时提供了几个非常有用的功能，如下所示：
- 让您的重要联系人变得重要：(Make your important contacts important:) 我们大多数人都有一些我们经常发短信、打电话和发电子邮件的人。使用MS Launcher，您可以将最喜欢的联系人固定到主屏幕(Home screen)、停靠栏、图标文件夹或几乎任何地方，无论您在手机中的哪个位置，都可以轻松访问。
- 在 PC 上继续：(Continue on PC: )放下手机，在 PC 上从上次中断的地方开始。午餐时间在Word 365中编辑文档；回到办公室后继续使用桌面。用手机(phone and edit)拍照并在 PC 上即时编辑。
这也适用于音乐和链接(music and links)。在智能手机上听歌？单击(Click) /More/Share menu上的Continue to PC将其推送到您的计算机。通过链接，即使您在智能手机上使用 Chrome并在 PC 上默认(smartphone and default)使用Edge ， Windows Launcher也会将URL(URLs)推送到巨大的鸿沟以打开适当的浏览器。
- 同时搜索 Web、您的 PC 和您的手机：(Search the web, your PC, and your phone simultaneously:) 使用Microsoft Launcher 的通用搜索(Look)栏(search bar)浏览您的文件、应用程序、文档、消息和Web 结果——一切(web results—everything—with)。
- 使您的个性化 Feed 个性化：(Make Your Personalized Feed Personal: )您(You)选择您的 Feed 内容，而不是Google 或 Microsoft 。(Google or Microsoft)将您的提要设置为您的默认主屏幕(Home screen)，并以您的方式填充您的日历事件、您的文档、您的联系人和您指定的新闻主题。
- Gesture Your Way： 你(You)告诉Android如何对你的手势做出反应；双击打开Messenger；向上滑动以显示联系人 - 你明白了。
对于我们这些喜欢与我们的智能手机交谈的人来说，Microsoft Launcher还将Cortana整合到了Android中。我用它代替了Google Assistant来启动命令、打开应用程序、设置约会和任务，这一切都顺利进行，就像在我的台式电脑上执行相同的任务一样顺畅。
表现(Performance )
我在三星的旗舰Android 系统(Android)Galaxy Note 9上测试了Microsoft Launcher，这是迄今为止速度最快、功能最丰富的三星智能手机(Samsung smartphone)。该应用程序运行完美，没有明显的滞后或崩溃。我遇到的唯一真正问题是尝试在应用程序与 Microsoft(app and Microsoft)或Google服务之间建立连接。
例如，我无法登录我的Office 365帐户，因为无论启动器为我的电子邮件地址发送给(email address wasn)Microsoft的任何内容都未被识别为有效的电子邮件地址模式 —(email address pattern—the)与我在我的Microsoft 帐户(Microsoft account)上用于身份验证的地址相同几秒钟前。
我在尝试让安装了Launcher的应用程序在我的Google 帐户(Google account)上进行身份验证时遇到了类似的问题。不过，总体而言，Microsoft Launcher是一款表现良好的应用程序。不过，就处理速度而言，如果它是(is)一个导致滞后问题的资源(resource hog)占用，那么超快的Note 9是他们最后出现的地方。
干的很好(Very Well Done)
我不是一个消磨时间调整设备的人，尽管我总是想方设法让我的生产机器协同工作。
是的，Microsoft Launcher确实(did)让我的界面更漂亮(interface prettier)了，但我真正喜欢这个应用程序的地方在于它让我在手机和台式电脑之间来回切换变得非常容易，几乎到了我正在认真考虑的程度，在我的下一次商务旅行中(business trip)，把我的 Windows 笔记本电脑留在家里，只带上我的Android 智能手机(Android smartphone)。
此外， Android(Android)的另一个便利是您可以安装任意数量的Launcher(Launchers)，并在它们之间来回移动，只需在Settings中启用它们即可。在任何情况下，Microsoft Launcher都可以从Microsoft 和 Google Play 商店(Microsoft and Google Play Store)免费获得，并且非常值得花时间安装（几秒钟）和检查。享受！
Microsoft Launcher Brings Windows Integration and a Lot More to Android
Android smartphones are capable of mаny things that you just can’t do on Apple’s iOS (iPhone) devices. One of thе slicker Android-only features is the ability to change how your device looks, feels, and behaves—a complеte makeover—by simply installing a third-party launcher.
One of the more popular launchers is Microsoft Launcher (an upgrade of the Microsoft Garage project Arrow Launcher).
Designed primarily to help your Android integrate into the Microsoft ecosystem, Microsoft Launcher will not make your device look and behave like Windows 10.
Instead, in addition to providing a highly customizable user interface (UI), it helps ease your Android smartphone’s assimilation in to your Microsoft workflow of apps and services, as well as your Windows laptop or desktop PC.
Why a Third-Party Launcher?
Dependent on your phone, its manufacturer, and your service provider, your Android phone comes with a default launcher, which comprises your home screen, various control panels, and the apps installed on your device.
There are several launchers available, and some, such as Apex, EverythingMe, Smart Launcher 3, Google Now Launcher, and Pixel Launcher, are quite popular, and that includes Microsoft Launcher.
As I wrote this, at Google Play Store alone, the app boasted over 10 million installs and a 4.6 out of 5 rating. Considering the number of highly vocal Microsoft naysayers nowadays, those are some impressive numbers.
In any case, the answer to the question, “Why a third-party launcher?” is primarily the same as the answer to “Why does Android dominate the worldwide smartphone OS market?” Well, because Android is highly customizable; users are not locked into the same plain vanilla experience. Or, better yet, how about this cliché? Users can customize their phones to work the way they do.
Why Microsoft Launcher?
At last count, Wikipedia’s “List of Android Launchers” article (updated in 2015) had over 60 entries. Another accounting I read said that there were “hundreds” of Android launchers available.
My search for “Android launchers” at Google’s Play Store turned up just shy of 300 apps, including a few designed to make your Android device emulate iPhones. In other words, there are a lot of options for customizing the appearance and behavior of your Android smartphone.
All launchers allow you to personalize Android by changing wallpapers, theme colors, icon packs, and, depending on the launcher itself, much more. Microsoft Launcher is designed primarily for those who live, work, and play in the Microsoft ecosystem.
In other words, you use MS Office for creating and editing your business documents, Outlook for your email, to do lists, and calendar; you save those and most other files on OneDrive; and, perhaps, you play and get your entertainment from Xbox, use Cortana for voice commands, video call and conference with Skype, etc. You get the idea.
When you integrate Microsoft Launcher, for example, with your Microsoft work or school account, you gain easy access to your MS Office 365 documents and other files, recent activities in your personalized feed and your calendar, and much more – from Android.
You can even access open items, such as documents, photos, and webpages, on your Windows PC, and MS Launcher will in turn open them across all your devices.
Primary Productivity and Convenience Features
As mentioned, Microsoft Launcher is not an attempt to, as the now defunct Windows Phone OS used to be, bring Windows to your smartphone. Not only are there no Live Tiles, but I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, and I don’t get (again, except for the immediate access to Office apps, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, OneDrive and so on) much of a Windows-like sense at all.
Instead, the app blends my Microsoft ecosystem with my Android device, allowing them to run smoothly, if not somewhat elegantly, side-by-side, and, while doing so, providing several highly useful features, as follows:
- Make your important contacts important: Most of us have a few people that we text, call, and email often. With MS Launcher you can pin your favorite contacts to your Home screen, your dock, icon folders, or just about anywhere for easy access no matter where you are in your phone.
- Continue on PC: Put your phone down, start where you left off on your PC. Edit a document in Word 365 during lunch; continue on your desktop when you get back to the office. Take a picture with your phone and edit it instantly on your PC.
This works with music and links, too. Listening to a song on your smartphone? Click Continue to PC on the /More/Share menu to push it to your computer. With links, even if you use Chrome on your smartphone and default to Edge on your PC, Windows Launcher pushes URLs across the great divide to open the appropriate browser.
- Search the web, your PC, and your phone simultaneously: Look through your files, apps, documents, messages, and web results—everything—with Microsoft Launcher’s universal search bar.
- Make Your Personalized Feed Personal: You choose, not Google or Microsoft, your feed contents. Set your feed as your default Home screen and populate it your way, with your calendar events, your documents, your contacts, and your designated news topics.
- Gesture Your Way: You tell Android how to react to your gestures; double-tap to open Messenger; swipe up to reveal contacts—you get the idea.
And for those of us who like to talk to our smartphones, Microsoft Launcher also incorporates Cortana into Android. I used it, in place of Google Assistant, to initiate commands, open apps, setup appointments and tasks, all without a hitch and just as smoothly as performing the same tasks on my desktop PC.
Performance
I tested Microsoft Launcher on Samsung’s flagship Android, the Galaxy Note 9, the fastest and most resourceful Samsung smartphone to date. The app ran flawlessly, without noticeable lags or crashes. The only real problems I had were when trying to connect between the app and Microsoft or Google services.
I couldn’t, for example, sign into my Office 365 account because whatever the launcher sent to Microsoft for my email address wasn’t recognized as a valid email address pattern—the same address I had used to authenticate on my Microsoft account a few seconds earlier.
I had a similar issue trying to get an app that installed with Launcher to authenticate on my Google account. Overall, though, Microsoft Launcher is a very well behaved app. As for processing speed, though, if it is a resource hog with resulting lag issues, the super-fast Note 9 is the last place they would show up.
Very Well Done
I’m not one who whiles away the hours tweaking my equipment, though I am always up for finding ways to get my production machines to work together.
Yes, Microsoft Launcher did make my interface prettier, but what I really like about this app was how easy it makes switching back and forth between my phone and my desktop PC, almost to the extent that I am seriously considering, during my next business trip, leaving my Windows laptop at home and taking only my Android smartphone.
Also, another convenience of Android is that you can install as many Launchers as you want and move back and forth between them by simply enabling them in Settings. In any case, Microsoft Launcher is free from Microsoft and Google Play Store, and well worth the time it takes to install (a few seconds) and to check out. Enjoy!
