X-plore

Are you the type who likes to fiddle around with the inner workings of a gadget? Then X-plore File Manager is an app you'll appreciate. X-plore displays all the files and folders in an Android tablet or phone, and that's only the beginning. Use it to perform file operations like copy, rename, or create new folders. With X-plore, users can access Picasa albums, browse SQlite database files, zip and unzip files, and explore shared folders on Windows servers and PCs. X-plore is a comprehensive tool for digging deep inside Android phones and tablets. Although it exhibits some quirky behavior at times, this fascinating app not only reveals a lot of information about my phone's OS; I can mess around in X-plore for quite some time? it's that captivating.

Installation
X-plore is a free app from the Google Play store (formerly Android market). It requires Android 2.1 (and up) and is currently available in version 2.53.? The total amount of storage it takes up on my Droid 2 is 2.68MB so it's certainly not a space hog. Permissions X-Plore can access once installed include modifying/deleting SD card contents, full Internet access, preventing the phone from sleeping, and using the authentication credentials of an account. There were absolutely no issues with the install process.

X-plore-ing
X-plore opens up into a dual-pane view which allows you to view two folders at once. The advantage of this is that you can move and copy folders from one folder to another. There are three icons displayed on the left-side pane by default: "Root," "LAN," and "Show."

Under "Root" all the system files and folders are displayed in a hierarchal tree view. Expand or collapse the folders and child directories with just a touch. You can also launch a program to open a file. When I tapped an .ogg ringtone file, I had the option of opening the file with one of my Music apps or with X-plore's built-in audio preview. Tap anywhere on the screen, and the preview closes. You can also open other multimedia files and system files.

It's possible, as mentioned earlier, to perform the same file and folder operations with X-plore as you would in Windows Explorer. However, while I was perusing the files directories listed under root, the buttons for "Rename," "Copy," "Delete," and so on remained dimmed and I could not execute any of those operations except for when selected a tmp sub-folder under /data.

The problem seemed to be permissions. After rooting my phone, (disclaimer: I am not advocating the rooting of Android devices) I was able to go do whatever I wanted with those folders and files as Superuser?a power that is to be wielded with much care because one wrong deletion and the OS can get hosed.

I did notice that the app took time to refresh its interface. An example: I connected my phone via USB to a laptop and created a folder on the phone and dropped some files into it. It took about an hour before I could see the newly created folder and files from X-plore. This is even after I exited and went back into the app after adding that folder to my phone. It's a nice app, but could use some sort of "Refresh" button.

The LAN button scans a network for servers and PC. The scan, oddly enough, picked up a server that was no longer physically connected to my network, as well as the live ones. I found it easy to manually add a server or PC and browsing data on those machines from my Droid.

Several options exist for controlling how an app looks or behaves. The "Show" icon lets you choose to show to hide hidden files, the LAN or FTP icons, and Picasa web albums.? More extensive customization is available through "Configuration". It's used to change app permissions, control file zipping and sorting. You can also apply a password to Xplore and change its look via the "Configuration" screen.

Other Features
Although I ran into some quirks with file management and networking scanning, other features such as archiving files and using Picasa worked well. One capability of particular value is the ability to control default application handling--if your Android insists on opening a particular file type with one specific application all the time, you can change the app it uses.

The one feature the developers state the app can do that I could find no way to perform is sharing files. X-plore is touted as capable of letting user share files via Bluetooth, email, or whateve other method the phone is capable of but I did not see this option while using it. It's either absent or it's hard to find, in which case the app has an interface problem.

However, the app still leaves me impressed. X-Plore is a great way to look at an Android's file system and its many added features are solid bonuses. Some of the quirks indicate that the app may need further tweaking, so while X-Plore is not an Editor's Choice pick, it easily deserves four out of five stars.?

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