Sprint just launched Sprint ID at their CTIA SF 2010 press conference as a new way to help you customize your Android homescreen to fit your current activity or lifestyle. The idea behind Sprint ID is essentially to allow you to change your homescreen wallpaper, widgets, apps, and shortcuts at the touch of a button. We go into more detail about what Sprint ID actually is and how you can use it in your daily life here. For this post, we’ll concentrate on the actual user experience and how app packs (IDs) can basically help you create different profiles for your Android smartphone.
First off, Sprint ID is a great idea. There will be detractors out there that feel this homescreen customization service was not worth a press conference, and that the idea of allowing your phone to switch between multiple “profiles” is not new, but we argue that the service is quite compelling and that users have been looking for an easy and a somewhat standardized way to switch between profiles on our Android phones.
Getting started with ID is simple. On the homescreen you’ll find an “ID” button. Hit that button and you’ll be taken to a Sprint ID app that shows you a grid of “ID” options to choose from. From that grid, you can choose a previously downloaded ID, add a new preset ID from the Sprint ID store, or create your own personal ID from a blank-slate. You can also customize preset IDs to suit your needs – think of it as a base from which you can add your own widgets and apps.
The thing to keep in mind about the service is that you can always access any of your apps from your Android applications drawer. The only thing that a particular app pack changes are cosmetic homescreen tweaks. If you’ve setup your “Business Pro” app pack and want to check sports scores on one of your sports apps, you can simply open the app drawer and check scores.
Overall, the service is useful for those that want to optimize their homescreen for work, play and all the other aspects of daily life. It should help increase productivity, help you stay more connected to your social network, and could even make it easier to take a load off during a vacation. The only problem is that it can take some time for an app pack to load onto your device.
Check out the video and photo gallery below to get a better idea for what Sprint ID really is!
