By File Managers aren’t the coolest sounding apps worthy of social integration buttery and buzz word flinging, but it’s big, big business. Metago’s ASTRO File Manager is a prime example, having earned over 17 million downloads on Android Market, a recent round of investor funding, and a bright future. We took some time to sit down with them and discuss/demo some upcoming announcements slated for Wednesday.
It’s clear that the folks at Astro “Get It”… and on many levels. It’s easy to build feature after feature after feature, but to do so in a way that pleases your hardcore fans without alienating or confusing the newcomer is a difficult task. It walks a very fine line and with their new Honeycomb design it seems ASTRO has dones this very well, starting with the app splash screen.
The first time you open the screen you’re met with a menu of options that will direct the “Average Joe” to important areas, help and setup opportunities, and kind of map out what the app is all about and how you use it. Of course advanced users can dismiss the splash screen and alter the settings so they never see it again. Metago plans a lot of these “advanced features”, providing the baseline integration that the majority of customers would want while allowing power users to customize their experience further. Great approach.
Some key inclusions in ASTRO File Manager version 3.0 for honeycomb (slated for a Wednesday announcement) include:
- Splash screen (as discussed above)
- Split screen menu view
- In-app drag and drop capabilities
- One-touch pop-up menu options
- Advanced settings to customize user experience
- Completely revamped UI
Don’t get digging through Android Market quite yet: we got the skinny a bit early and all of this won’t be announced until Wednesday. When that press release drops there are some BIG additional features the folks at ASTRO will be including that we’re not able to share quite yet.
If you haven’t heard of ASTRO and you’re looking for a way to access the “stuff” on your phone similar to how you would on your computer, go ahead and download ASTRO File Manager. I think it’s the best File Manager on the market and it’s about to get better.
Stay tuned to Phandroid for more details as we’re given the blessing to share them with you!
sadly, astro still isn’t (last i checked) a root explorer, so i can’t use this as my primary file explorer >_> it has soem great tools tho. (the .APK backup function alone is worth getting astro)
It’s coming up in the next release! :D
Is this just for Honeycomb (tablets) or for phones as well? I have the paid version and I want the cool update too!
Heyyy, nice. I like Astro – but yeah, it obviously wasn’t tablet optimized. Waiting for Wednesday!
Some apps give you the tablet UI if you set the lcddensity to a low number. I get this with Plume. I wonder if this will do the same?
EDIT: “Your device is not compatible with this item”. What gives?!