Remember Nokia’s Z Launcher from about a year ago? Well, now it looks like Microsoft also wants a piece of the Android launcher market, as the Redmond-based giant is working on an application, dubbed Arrow Launcher, which is basically a launcher for Android. You can download the APK and take it for a spin here (needs invite to receive updates post-install), but remember that this is a Beta version, so expect to see some bugs and inconsistencies all the way throughout.

What you get with Arrow Launcher is a home page, with another page to its left and right, for a total number of three, a number that is apparently fixed for now. These pages are, in order, from left to right: People (which is basically self explanatory), Apps (which is your app drawer), and Notes & Reminders (you’ve guessed it).

The approach is similar to what we’ve seen on other launchers in the past, as well as on other platforms, dead or alive, like MeeGo on the good old Nokia N9.

There are pros and cons, as well as limitations due most probably to the Beta stage of the software (or maybe just the philosophy behind it). Here’s a video walkthrough of the launcher in action, thanks to Mike Barrett on YouTube.

Source: Microsoft News
Via: AndroidCommunity