SuperBox Pro a ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of Useful Android Apps!
by Paul Wilks
Jul 22, 2011 7:30 AM –
Install
SuperBox Pro is a 10-in-1, ‘Swiss army knife’ of useful tools, recently featured as an Amazon Free App of the Day. It includes: Memory and CPU Manager, Battery Monitor, Installer, Uninstaller, Apps to SD card transfer (Apps2SD), Cache Cleaner, Task Killer, Settings, File Manager and finally a Safeguard function which determines the risk levels of certain apps. Each of these functions can be performed by a number of individual apps, but SuperBox Pro puts these all in one simple application.
Price: Free (Free ad-supported version in Android Market), $3.99 (Pro version on Amazon)
Tested on: HTC Desire HD
Content Rating: Everyone
Pros & Cons:
Pros
- 10 different functions in 1 simple application.
- Easy to use and navigate.
- Apps to SD pop up feature is really useful.
- Responsive and quick to use.
- Features both a battery and a task killer widget.
Cons
- Expensive considering there is an ad version in the Android Market.
- Some of the interface are perhaps a little dated-looking. While this doesn’t detract from the functionality and, after all, this app is all about functions, other apps do look smoother.
Features:
SuperBox Pro burst into our consciousnesses recently when it was the Amazon Free app of the Day. While perhaps not viewed as a premium release on Amazon compared with their more prestigious titles such as recent games Peggle and Fieldrunners HD, it has an incredible number of features for a utilities application and worthy of a closer look.
Most people will be familiar of apps which perform the majority of the functions mentioned above. Task killers continue to be popular (recommended for pre-Android 2.2 phones), Apps to SD is more or less an essential feature for post-Android 2.2 phones and nearly everyone will use a file manager of some kind. So SuperBox Pro doesn’t break ground in functionality but makes its name on the basis it does all these things in one very simple application and, in my opinion, does them very well. What SuperBox Pro does is split these functions into four separate headings:
Information
Under ‘Information’, the memory and CPU manager gives you clear live statistics on how much memory and CPU power are being used, in addition to informing you of available storage space on your phone. You can click a button here to free up memory too.
The battery feature gives you an average breakdown of possible talk time, video playback, audio playback, Internet time, etc., based on your battery strength at the time. Although I have to say, I have 81% battery at the moment and I think my estimated 8 hours 20 minutes is a little optimistic. The battery function also displays health and temperature of the battery.
Apps
Featuring an installer, and uninstaller, Apps to SD and cache cleaner; the Apps section performs a great deal. Install and Uninstall lets you select apps easily and quickly, while Apps to SD quickly scans and sorts the apps which you could transfer if you wanted to. Note: you can only move Android apps to SD card for Android 2.2 and higher.The Apps to SD feature on SuperBox Pro is, I find, massively intuitive. Whenever you install or update an application, a notification alerts you immediately if that app could be shifted to your SD card. Quite a nice touch and saves a lot of space and time sorting through your apps.
Battery Saver
This presents you with the Settings: variety of toggles including WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, Ringer, etc. in case you need to batton down the hatches to preserve battery. Also you have a simple task killer which allows you to automatically shut down apps you are perhaps not using, but are running in the background.
Others
Two additional features which do not really fit into the other section includes the File Manager and SafeGuard. File Manager is as you would expect, and quite a simple and proficient manager too. Safeguard is a little different ,however, this lists your applications in order of risk. So, if an app requires a lot of permissions it will appear in the High Risk section, lesser ones in the Middle Risk list and the remainder in the Low Risk. While this might not do much for you, I have found it useful to note which apps require a lot of permissions because, if I don’t use an app very often yet it is perhaps still collecting data, I’d rather delete it and clear it’s cache rather than have it remain on my phone. Worth checking out.
So SuperBox Pro delivers a lot of features and while it will not blow you away, it performs these functions efficiently. My only puzzle with this is why people might buy this app, when there is the ad supported version in the Android Market and especially when… *whisper* I didn’t actually have any ads come up in it! The free version aesthetically doesn’t quite look as good but SuperBox isn’t an application you will spend much time using, it’s just a now and again smartphone housecleaning app.
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Superbox Pro – Main page
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Superbox Pro – Main screen menu
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Superbox Pro – Main screen settings
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Superbox Pro – TaskKiller
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Superbox Pro – FileManager
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Superbox Pro – Memory CPU
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Superbox Pro – Apps 2 SD
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Superbox Pro – Battery Screen
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Superbox Pro – Battery screen settings.
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Superbox Pro – SafeGuard
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Superbox Pro – Cache
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Superbox Pro – Installer
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Superbox Pro – Uninstaller
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Superbox Pro – Share
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Superbox Pro – Settings
Usefulness:
If I said ‘how useful is a swiss army knife?’ I might be accused of sarcasm. SuperBox Pro delivers 10 different functions each very useful. It’s perhaps as handy as an application can be.
Ease of Use:
It’s very simple despite having so many features. The main menu screen gives you everything you need and each function is just 1 click away. I also found that scanning was very quick too. I’ve used similar tools before and the apps have slowed significantly when scanning files. SuperBox Pro is very nippy and efficient in comparison.
Frequently Used:
I don’t think it’s something you might use every day, unless you need to manage your apps or your battery intensively on a daily basis. I would use this app actively 2 or 3 times a week. Saying that, SuperBox Pro technically runs in the background and will monitor apps as you install and update them, informing you if they can be moved to SD to save space.
Interface:
The interface is responsive and simple to understand. Some of the lists generated looked a little dated compared to smarter tools – check out the Speedtest.net app for a really plush interface experience, but this detracts little really.
Tags:
Android App,
Android Apps,
AndroidTapp.com App Review,
Apps to SD card transfer,
Apps2SD,
Battery Monitor,
Battery Power Saving App,
Cache Cleaner,
CPU Manager,
File Manager,
Installer,
Internal Memory,
Save Battery Power,
Settings,
SuperBox,
Superbox Free,
SuperBox Pro,
task killer,
Task Killer Debate,
Task Manager,
Uninstaller
Categorised in: Tools, Utilities
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