Key Launcher: When the "Blackberry" spirit is revived on edge-to-edge screens

Hello everyone on unikorn.vn,

I am a UX Designer with over a decade of experience in the field. But before being a professional, I was a husband often scolded by my wife for forgetting the incense lighting schedule on the 1st and the full moon days. I am a Hanoi resident "obsessed" with the AQI every morning when I see fog, and I am a father who always has to worry about the "humid, dry" weather to choose clothes for my children.

And most importantly, I am someone who goes crazy over the "lack of logic" of application icons on smartphones today.

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Why did I create Key Launcher?

We are living in an era of phones with 95% of the screen area. We have superb hardware, but the daily experience is just a series of random swipes and taps.

• Have you ever gone crazy trying to find the app BIDV but had to remember that its name is SmartBanking?

• Have you felt exhausted having to swipe the screen dozens of times just to find a contact to urgently add on Zalo for a partner?

• Do you remember the feeling of the old Blackberries – where you could tap without looking, where speed was at your fingertips rather than straining your eyes looking for an icon?

Key Launcher was born not to become the most beautiful Launcher, but to become the Launcher that understands you the most.

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Key Launcher's rare "touch points":

Instead of trying to cram everything in, I focused on solving the most practical issues for a Vietnamese user:

1. T9 Spirit & Smart Search: You just need to type "2-4-3-8" to find "BIDV". No need to remember the app name, no need to strain your eyes looking. T9 supports Vietnamese with accents, helping you find apps, contacts, or shortcuts faster than anything you have ever experienced.

2. Quick Glance Interface – "Family Assistant": Right on the home screen, in the same area as the clock, so you can glance and see all the "vital" information:

   • Vietnamese Lunar Calendar: Reminds you of the full moon, the first day, or festive occasions so you never have to hear "the wife complaining".

   • AQI & Weather: A specialty of the northern people. You immediately know how polluted Hanoi is today, whether it's humid or dry to prepare masks or choose clothes for the kids.

   • Sing Along with Synced Lyrics: As a music lover but a "goldfish brain" unable to memorize lyrics, I have brought the synced lyrics feature in the Music Player by simply swiping the clock to the left. You can hum along with the singer right on the Home screen.

3. Deep integration of Vietnamese applications: You can quickly enter the phone number that your partner reads to you, then “make a quick call,” save it to contacts, or find their Zalo right from the home screen, without having to perform dozens of operations like before.

4. Widget Center: I dedicated a space for you to freely add widgets from other applications according to your personal preferences and needs.

5. Reviving Speed Dial, a top feature from the days of hard keyboards:
   Those from the 8x 9x generation are no strangers to using Nokia devices running Symbian OS or Blackberries running RIM OS with customizable keys. The Speed Dial function allows you to press and hold a key to call someone or open an app without looking at the keyboard. In Key Launcher, Speed Dial has returned under the name Super Shortcut, stronger with a series of utilities that you can configure. Since the introduction of Super Shortcut, I've been able to scan QR codes for payment or simply open a favorite website faster than ever.

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Philosophy of "Minimalism"