Interface

The Launcher interface is very clean, smooth, and simple which is very similar to Launcher X. The program function buttons  is located on the bottom corner of the screen and it is very functional and accessible. The buttons on the bottom of the screen allows you to change views and to do several task like sending and beaming your data and programs. The date and the time is located in the top upper right corner of the screen along with the battery and memory meter. The home button on the bottom left corner of the screen allows you to view all the applications installed on your handheld both on the internal memory and the expansion card. If you want to find a specific application just type the name of the program and it will appear on the screen. The Star button is the power user button it allows you to find contents like programs, mp3's, photos, and  contacts. This features allows user to conveniently access the important data and information without launching the necessary programs like notes and address books just to access the information needed and it saves a lot of time. You can change the views to icon view or list view just like in the default Palm OS launcher.  If you want to send or beam something via bluetooth or infra-red just click the beam button. Also the launcher supports the transferring of location of the programs from SD Card to the internal memory and vice versa. If you want to group your most used apps you can group them together in the favorites buttons (Heart Shape) wherein you can toggle it on/off. If you want a more organized customized view you can use the tabs to group your application. It also has an auto lunch features wherein the application that you typed will be automatically lunched. The interface is very intuitive and easy to use that learning to navigate around just needs a few minutes of familiarization. The interface takes fully advantage of the full screen resolution of 320x480 devices like the T3, T5, and the Tx, not to be downed devices with 320x320 screen resolution can also takes fully advantage of the launcher as Propel is marketed heavily for the Treo. However support for Sony Clie devices and other legacy devices is not well documented. IAMBIC is recommending only  to use the latest and the most current models to avoid any incompatibilities.
 







Responsiveness and Stability

After a month of testing I found Propel to be the most stable launcher that I ever used. Since I am using an NVFS device, the launcher did not crash and the responsiveness is awesome. Let say it is snappier than Launcher X and definitely more responsive and stable than Zlauncher. If you want to launch an application just simply tap the icon on the screen and it will quickly launch the program. Want to view your contacts ? just switch to the power user view or the contacts view type the name of the contact then click the contact, it is just that simple you can easily view the details of your contacts in a snap. Switching among views also takes a snap there is no noticeable lag or delay, better than the response that  I got from the default launcher. For example switching to the expansion card view in the default launcher takes a noticeable delay with my T5 and my Tx but in Propel the lag is totally eliminated. When you install something you need to run update list in the file menu options before the new program or files appears on the list.



Productivity Value and Integration

One major areas that Propel set itself apart from other launchers was its ability to integrate the PIM functionality of your PALM OS device whether it is a PDA or a Smartphone. You can view your notes, your contacts, and application all in the same screen. The ability to type and quickly view the items that you want to see regarding the location saves a lot of time and maximizing the flexibility and the power of your device overall. Not it can provide you with the detailed organized view of the item you want to see also it allows you to directly send  sms, mms, and email to your contacts direct from the launcher itself no need to run your address book. The integrated features of this program makes the Palm OS experience more robust and enjoyable. You can also set the types of programs that you want to use in launching certain files, like assigning Pocket Tunes to play mp3's and other supported audio files and documents to go to view your documents and photos.



Conclusion
Being a Zlauncher and Launcher X user for a very long time, I think Propel is the best launcher out there. Although it has shortcomings too , yes you can install different type of skins to change the theme of the  launcher but not in the level of  eye candy that you can do in Zlauncher.  On the productivity side its ability to integrate the 3rd party program with the launcher is an uncompromisable advantage. The  size of the program is very important that's why  is a clear winner on my list. It takes only a small foot print on the device wherein in my experience using Zlauncher customizing it with a HIRES theme, accompanied by plug-ins and  different backgrounds it almost take 10 MB of my internal memory, while propel takes only  200kb including the plugins. Look on how many amount of space you can save with this launcher. While Launcher X also takes small amount of memory it can't match the integrated features of Propel. One thing that I noticed that Propel lacked is  the built-in file browser. A built-in feature of Zlauncher but you can remedy this by installing freeware programs like FileZ to have a full pledge file browser.  As a general conclusion  IAMBIC has really given us a great simple launcher that can aid in maximizing the use of the PDA especially the Treo smartphones.

PROS:

• Great Replacement for the Built-in Palm OS Application Launcher
  

• Small Foot Print (200kb)
• Stable
  
• Very Responsive
• Very Customizable
  
• Integrated Features
• Type to Search Function
• Support for HiRes devices

CONS:

• Limited Number of available skins
• Not as Aesthetically pleasing as compare to Zlauncher
• No Built-in file browser