Russell Beattie

After using it for a month or so, I decided that I really didn't like the drop down box on my second version of my "quick launch" widget I wrote about in September. I just didn't like the extra couple clicks it took to choose a different type of search rather than the default. So I started messing with it tonight looking to improve the interface a bit. I took a screenshot above.

Originally, I was thinking I would use a bunch of buttons in a grid like on the home screen - one for each search type - but once I got into it I realized it just looked really bland with just text, no matter how I jazzed up the buttons with CSS. Then I started down the path of making custom logo icons for each service and then stopped myself, backed up and started browsing some good looking iPhone apps for inspiration. I ended up with something I like which is still simple to update with new services. (It actually looks a bit like the iSearch widget that was a clone of my original widget, though that wasn't my intention. And iSearch still has some more features as well.)

One thing I took out was the option to add the widget to the main S60 screen using a "mini-view". It works just as well as an icon or menu choice and doesn't take up an entire row for just a button (and simplifies the CSS quite a bit.)

You can download the newest version of Q Launcher here.

Anyways, this is definitely one of those "scratch an itch" projects, as I use the app daily. It's very, very useful for getting to the net quickly. I'm making a mental list of really cool things to add someday. For example, an option menu for adding/removing/moving services, history of searches, predictive text for both search terms and internal bookmarks, and the ability to launch on-phone apps like a mobile-Quicksilver. All of that would be possible and relatively easy using the Widget APIs, so it's just a matter of getting around to coding it up. Until then, enjoy!

-Russ