I finally found the home screen replacement (aka, launcher) I was looking for...

This is the “InfoBar” home screen only available for KDDI Japan phones, but someone ported the software, so it has actually been available since fall.

It’s available on XDA Developers forum at:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1313247

Replaced by http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1286067 for my phone. See below.

The easiest way to load it is if you have x-recovery or CWM recovery. I am experiencing some force close of a program, but it doesn’t seem to affect the behavior of the phone, but it is annoying getting the messages. In addition, it requires specialized widgets, many of which appear not to be ported yet. Also, unfortunately, looks like development of this ported version has slowed down or stopped. I hope someone picks it up.

I had previously installed an alpha version which was causing major problems on my phone. This version is much more stable. However, I didn’t have the calendar widget, but followed these instructions to get it back:

In case anyone couldn’t see calendar, worldclock, and alarm widget, delete data/data/com.android.launcher and data/data/com.kddi.android.iida.iidahome and then reboot.
Make sure don’t close root explorer.

Updates:

1. The problem with the force close seemed to have been the KDDI phone app. Deleting it made the problem go away although I no longer have a Call icon anymore!
2. I also had problems putting pictures on the home screen, but deleting Gallery3D.odex seems to have solved the problem. Prior to that, I also reinstalled Gallery3D.

Things to try:

1. Replace clock and calendar app from alpha version.
2. Try modifying resolution to see if it solves icon off-centered problem.

Updates:

• None of the above worked. Seems like the clock and calendar apps from the alpha version are not compatible.
• Someone pointed me to another version… This one works better with my phone! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1286067

Anyone interested in seeing a video of the UI can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S6NMH4ry-4

However, it is in Japanese!

See more progress on: keep a gadget journal