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"Russian Internet services giant Yandex is today launching a free, multi-language end-user version of Yandex.Shell, its rich 3D-ish user interface for Android smartphones and tablets, after releasing it to device manufacturers, mobile operators and other B2B partners at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last February.\r\n\r\nI say 3D-ish because it's really only the homescreen that lets you switch between different screens using a 3D carrousel effect.\r\n\r\nYou should be able to download the app from Google Play here in order to give it a whirl. It comes with support for 28 languages, including English, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese and Korean.\r\n\r\nIf it's not available for you yet, hold tight, as the app is rolling out across the world in the next few hours. If you can't wait, you can always check out a ton of screenshots at the bottom of this post.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nYandex.Shell is essentially a wrapper / app launcher \u00E0 la Facebook Home, enabling users to customize the look and feel of their Android device's UI.\r\n\r\nYandex.Shell was initially launched for Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus and Turkey in March 2012, and has been downloaded more than 1.1 million times since then, according to the company.\r\n\r\nYandex.Shell was built by ex-SPB Software folks after Yandex acquired the company, which created the popular Shell 3D launcher for Android, in November 2011.\r\n\r\n3D.Shell will continue to exist on Google Play, but will remain a paid app and will no longer be developed, Yandex says.\r\n\r\nThe company recommends people to download Yandex.Shell, however, because it says the new software comes with additional features onboard and consumes fewer smartphone or tablet resources.\r\n\r\nYandex says it will continue to monetize the B2B version of Yandex.Shell, delivering special builds of the launcher for OEMs, phone makers, carriers and whatnot. The end-user version will remain a free app, but the company says it &amp;quot;is thinking about monetizing&amp;quot; it down the line.\r\n\r\nYandex.Shell is part of Yandex\u2019s alternative mobile ecosystem for Android, which also includes an app store, Yandex.Store.\r\n\r\nAlso read:\r\n\r\nOpera and Yandex start One Platform Foundation to \u201Chelp the Android ecosystem evolve\u201D\r\n\r\nYandex signs Google agreement for submitting contributions to the Chromium project alongside Nvidia, Opera\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTop image credit: Spencer Platt / Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/06/04/yandex-shell/>