Google Experience Launcher heads to Google Play… but still only for Nexus/GPE devices
We were saddened to learn that the cool Google Experience Launcher that debuted on Android 4.4 KitKat wasn’t going to be a standard feature of stock Android, and was instead going to be a timed exclusive launcher for the Nexus 5. It looks like Google is changing that, though only for an exclusive club of people.
The app has launched in the Google Play Store, though only those with Nexus and Google Play Edition devices running KitKat will get to download and use it. The app comes with support for translucency, a Google Now panel when swiping to the far left of the home-screen, and more. You can say “OK Google” while on the home-screen to launch a Google Search, as well, which is a cool little parlor trick that can come in handy when you need your hands free.
Of course, many have figured out ways to get the Google Experience Launcher working on devices that don’t support it, but you’ll have to get your elbows a tad wet to get that going. If you’re lucky enough to have one of the devices that supports it, you can find the Google Experience Launcher as a free download in the Google Play Store.
[via AndroidForums.com]