ES File Explorer adds Google Drive

Android file managers are getting more and more cloudy. X-plore and ES File Explorer recently added SkyDrive, and X-plore has Google Drive too. It looks like these two apps are in a sort of "I have more cloud storage servers than you" contest. That's a good thing for anyone who uses those apps. ES and X-plore, keep fighting!

ES File Explorer took the lead again, so now it has Google Drive too. This in addition to Dropbox, box, SugarSync, and SkyDrive.

ES File Explorer also has an FTP server in addition to its FTP client. The FTP server is still burried deep down in the settings menu, but now you can send an FTP server shortcut to your homescreen to get in there a little faster. It's better than nothing, but a future update would improve things a lot if it adds an FTP server toggle to the FTP tab.

Not that I want to complain too much, because ES File Explorer is the best file manager for Android and X-plore has a long way to go before it can compete. ES File Manager makes and extracts zip archives, opens rar files, backs up apps like Titanium (which won't back up itself), talks with Samba servers, and sends shortcuts to files and folders to your homescreens. And in true Android spirit (does anyone pay for apps?) ES File Explorer doesn't cost a penny.

• ES File Explorer

The competition:

• X-plore

ES File Explorer adds SkyDrive and an FTP server

ES File Explorer is an excellent file manager to handle files and folders on your phone and in the cloud, and to pingpong them back and forth to your computer. It creates and extracts zip archives too, and it opens rar files. It comes with a couple of optional plugins. The app manager can back up apps like Titanium (which won't back up itself), and the bookmark manager is very good at sending shortcuts to files and folders to your homescreens.

ES File Explorer already connected to Dropbox, SugarSync, and box, and now it lets you into SkyDrive too. That's good news, because SkyDrive gives you more free storage space than its competitors.

Of course it still supports Samba servers, and it still works as an FTP client. The FTP client now does FTPS too, which helps keep your files safe from eavesdroppers.

Great new feature: ES File Explorer now comes with a built-in FTP server! This makes it a lot easier to transfer files from your phone to your computer and the other way 'round. Unfortunately the new FTP server is very well hidden. You have to open the settings, then go into the remote settings screen, and only then you'll find the on/off switch for the FTP server which is counterintuitively called "remote manage."

Urgently needed in the next update: an on/off switch for the FTP server right in the main menu. Even better: just give the FTP server its own tab next to the local file manager, the FTP client, and the cloud storage tab. That tab could have an on/off switch with plenty of room left for the IP address, port number, etc.

Keep in mind that if you enter system folders with root access enabled ES File Explorer will generate a bit of network traffic. The amount of data is barely enough to send out some usage statistics, but unfortunately the developer of ES File Explorer leaves us guessing what's inside those bytes. If all of you ask about it in your Google Play Store comments or email the developer (contact@estrongs.com) maybe we'll find out?

• ES File Explorer (Google Play Store)

File manager ES File Explorer adds more cloud: now talks with box.net too

ES File Explorer is an excellent app to manage the files on your SD card, and if your phone is rooted it lets you into your system files too.

It doesn't stop at your phone. ES File Explorer doubles as an FTP client (not as an FTP server, though), receives files over bluetooth, talks to Samba servers, and it connects to your Dropbox and SugarSync cloud storage as if they were standard FTP servers. The latest update got even more cloudy: now it does box.net too.

Something that didn't change: the plugins. The most useful are the app manager to back up your apk installers, and the bookmark manager to send shortcuts to your files to your home screens.

It still makes and breaks ZIP archives, and it unpacks RARs.

A great app indeed, but it has one bad habit: mystery network traffic when you enable root access. Does it collect usage statistics or what? If all of you ask about it in your Android Market comments or email to the developer (contact@estrongs.com) maybe we'll find out?

• ES File Explorer (Android Market)
• ES File Explorer (EStrongs)

ES File Explorer now has Dropbox and unpacks RAR files

ES File Explorer is a great file manager for Android. It has a built in ftp client, connects with Samba servers, does bluetooth ftp, lets you put shortcuts to files on your home screens, and much more.

And now it comes with Dropbox built in.

The official Dropbox app for Android sucks, and Awesome Drop is not much better. Both apps are good enough if you want to copy files to or from Dropbox, but they won't let you move entire folders.

ES File Explorer will let you do that. You can move files and folders to and from your Dropbox account, or delete them from the Dropbox server. It's like having ftp access to Dropbox!

Other new stuff in the latest update: extract rar archives, make and open zip files with passwords, and an app organiser. Now if it would only come with an ftp and http server and make its root explorer work with all ROMs...
Update: the root explorer works with all ROMs, but think twice before you enable it.


• ES File Explorer (Android Market)
• ES File Explorer (EStrongs)
• Dropbox