If I had to list which Android feature goes most underutilized in my everyday use, it’d have to be the lock screen, and lock screen widgets. I love what Google has done with widgets on the lock screen, giving users fast access to completely customized information, but until recently, I never gave it much thought. DashClock has totally changed that.
Googler and Android design aficionado Romain Nurik announced earlier this week that his side project, DashClock, is available now on the Google Play store. The premise behind DashClock is simple. DashClock is a widget that beautifully mimics the default digital clock widget in Android 4.2, but includes access to other quick information at a glance.
The other information that can be added is available in the form of extensions in the settings menu. The default extensions cover the weather, missed calls, text messages, unread Gmail messages, calendar appointments and alarms. One of the coolest things about DashClock is that it’s open source, so other developers can write extensions for DashClock. The developers behind Falcon Pro, have already written an extension that works perfectly.
There’s plenty to customize in DashClock â€" which Gmail accounts to display the unread count for, how the clock looks, how the date’s displayed â€" and the widget itself changes the way information’s displayed based on the device you’re using. On the Nexus 4, you can swipe down on DashClock to expand it. On the Nexus 7, it’s auto-expanded.
If you have a device running Android 4.2 or higher, I can’t recommend DashClock enough. That, combined with the new Google Now widget, has saved me from having to even unlock my phone to get the information I need countless times already. I can’t wait to see who writes extensions for DashClock in the future. It’s only going to get better. To download DashClock from the Google Play store, for free, use the download widget below.
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