Norton Mobile Utilities Beta (for Android)
Since its introduction for DOS nearly thirty years ago, Norton Utilities has carved out a space for itself as definitive utility software for the PC. With Norton Mobile Utilities Beta (Free), Android device owners now have the power to analyze, organize, and optimize the software on their smartphones. Whether you're uninstalling apps, stopping them in their tracks, tracking mobile data usage, or unpacking detailed information about your mobile phone and OS, Mobile Utilities is your Swiss Army Knife.
Granted, it is an economy model. Its four applications—Device, Usage, Installer, and Apps—are a far cry from the 14 featured in the original Utilities Suite written for DOS and Windows 3.1, and its capabilities are largely available already. However, Norton Mobile Utilities is a free app (the software for DOS cost $80). Unifying a host of otherwise disparate tools in one app backed by the Norton name, Mobile Utilities deserves a spot on your smartphone.
Device
For Android propeller heads, the Device module is your toolbox. Want to know about your phone's CPU? (My Galaxy S has an "ARMv7 Processor rev 2 v71"). Or perhaps the temperature at which it runs? (80.6 degrees Fahrenheit for me). How about the signal strength of your service provider? (My T-Mobile service: "-73 dbm 20 asu," for what it's worth). And that's just the System Information screen.
Norton also includes some terrific real-time charts that'll help you visualize your battery and CPU usage, memory, network up and down speeds, and internal storage capacity. Most of it's overkill, but for the technically-inclined, Norton serves up more detailed information than you'll find in your Android Settings, though it still cannot rival the specificity of SeePU.
Usage
If Norton Mobile Utilities Beta's Device module is for the geeks, Usage is for everyone else. Mobile data plans aren't cheap, so any tool that lets you track your talk, SMS, and data usage deserves a mental bookmark. Norton lets you specify a plan, add a billing start date, and enter voice and data caps. Because you can browse previous usage (I went back to the start of May), Usage makes for a penny-wise roamer. There's also automation in Usage that Norton doesn't deliver elsewhere. For example, under Settings I set up a Usage Alert that would automatically notify me if I exceeded three-quarters of my usage (as defined by my plan).
Installer
Installer will be incredibly useful for 10 percent of Android device users and incredibly confusing for the other 90 percent. The reason is, you don't need it if you get apps from the Android Market. However, for those who dare to dip outside the Market and either transfer rogue apps from their desktop or download them directly to their phone as .APK files, Norton Mobile Utilities' Installer will spare you headaches. If you have a .APK file on your SD card, Installer finds it and lets you install it by tapping the name (it will even delete the .APK if you ask it to). I tested it using the PCMag 2011 Fastest Mobile Networks field test software, the Sensorly's Field Test. It made the process easy, though most Android users will probably never know or care.
Apps
Of Norton Mobile Utilities Beta's four modules, the Apps component has the broadest appeal. It's not that Norton Mobile Utilities does that much more than is already included with "Manage applications" (Settings/Applications/Manage Applications), but rather that it makes that functionality deeper and easier to find.
When I opened the Apps module on my Galaxy S Android phone, I could easily see that four of my eight applications that were running. Clicking "Show System" adds system processes (34 for me) to the mix. Norton lets you quit apps individually by clicking an "X," or end them all by tapping "Stop Running Apps." I can see how the ability to batch-quit could be useful if you're a bit of an app hoarder and all those Angry Birds are egging your phone's performance. Also useful is the ability to open, uninstall, or reveal detailed information (including the version number, location, permissions, memory usage, and even battery usage) about an app simply by clicking it.
While I think the batch-quit functionality deserves praise, I would have loved to see the Apps module do more. As it stands, there isn't a distinction between apps or services, so I'd warn against tampering with system "apps." Along the same lines, I would have loved to see Norton bring un-delete to Android (remember the original version of Norton Utilities for DOS had UnErase). As it stands, the Apps module feels more like Norton's take on Advanced Task Killer—useful if unremarkable.
Utilities Made Easy
Don't think of Norton Mobile Utilities Beta (for Android) as heir to the company's comprehensive desktop utility software. It doesn't need to be. Despite the capability of today's smartphones, thankfully there isn't the need for such maintenance. Instead Mobile Utilities makes sense as an "app." It's free, simple, and gathers tools otherwise scattered across system settings and third-party apps. Already a solid beta, Norton Mobile Utilities should also get even better: The company intends to add storage optimization, greater widget customization, and monthly Wi-Fi usage monitoring in the coming weeks. However, if you want a useful maintenance tool for your Android device, don't bother waiting—download Norton Mobile Utilities Beta (for Android) today.
More Mobile Utilities:
• Norton Mobile Utilities Beta (for Android)
• The Missing Sync for Android 1.4
• doubleTwist 2.6
• Google Android 1.5
• Apple iPhone OS 3.0
Since its introduction for DOS nearly thirty years ago, Norton Utilities has carved out a space for itself as definitive utility software for the PC. With Norton Mobile Utilities Beta (Free), Android device owners now have the power to analyze, organize, and optimize the software on their smartphones. Whether you're uninstalling apps, stopping them in their tracks, tracking mobile data usage, or unpacking detailed information about your mobile phone and OS, Mobile Utilities is your Swiss Army Knife.Granted, it is an economy model. Its four applications—Device, Usage, Installer, and Apps—are a far cry from the 14 featured in the original Utilities Suite written for DOS and Windows 3.1, and its capabilities are largely available already. However, Norton Mobile Utilities is a free app (the software for DOS cost $80). Unifying a host of otherwise disparate tools in one app backed by the Norton name, Mobile Utilities deserves a spot on your smartphone.
Device
For Android propeller heads, the Device module is your toolbox. Want to know about your phone's CPU? (My Galaxy S has an "ARMv7 Processor rev 2 v71"). Or perhaps the temperature at which it runs? (80.6 degrees Fahrenheit for me). How about the signal strength of your service provider? (My T-Mobile service: "-73 dbm 20 asu," for what it's worth). And that's just the System Information screen.
Norton also includes some terrific real-time charts that'll help you visualize your battery and CPU usage, memory, network up and down speeds, and internal storage capacity. Most of it's overkill, but for the technically-inclined, Norton serves up more detailed information than you'll find in your Android Settings, though it still cannot rival the specificity of SeePU.
Usage
If Norton Mobile Utilities Beta's Device module is for the geeks, Usage is for everyone else. Mobile data plans aren't cheap, so any tool that lets you track your talk, SMS, and data usage deserves a mental bookmark. Norton lets you specify a plan, add a billing start date, and enter voice and data caps. Because you can browse previous usage (I went back to the start of May), Usage makes for a penny-wise roamer. There's also automation in Usage that Norton doesn't deliver elsewhere. For example, under Settings I set up a Usage Alert that would automatically notify me if I exceeded three-quarters of my usage (as defined by my plan).
Installer
Installer will be incredibly useful for 10 percent of Android device users and incredibly confusing for the other 90 percent. The reason is, you don't need it if you get apps from the Android Market. However, for those who dare to dip outside the Market and either transfer rogue apps from their desktop or download them directly to their phone as .APK files, Norton Mobile Utilities' Installer will spare you headaches. If you have a .APK file on your SD card, Installer finds it and lets you install it by tapping the name (it will even delete the .APK if you ask it to). I tested it using the PCMag 2011 Fastest Mobile Networks field test software, the Sensorly's Field Test. It made the process easy, though most Android users will probably never know or care.
Apps
Of Norton Mobile Utilities Beta's four modules, the Apps component has the broadest appeal. It's not that Norton Mobile Utilities does that much more than is already included with "Manage applications" (Settings/Applications/Manage Applications), but rather that it makes that functionality deeper and easier to find.
When I opened the Apps module on my Galaxy S Android phone, I could easily see that four of my eight applications that were running. Clicking "Show System" adds system processes (34 for me) to the mix. Norton lets you quit apps individually by clicking an "X," or end them all by tapping "Stop Running Apps." I can see how the ability to batch-quit could be useful if you're a bit of an app hoarder and all those Angry Birds are egging your phone's performance. Also useful is the ability to open, uninstall, or reveal detailed information (including the version number, location, permissions, memory usage, and even battery usage) about an app simply by clicking it.
While I think the batch-quit functionality deserves praise, I would have loved to see the Apps module do more. As it stands, there isn't a distinction between apps or services, so I'd warn against tampering with system "apps." Along the same lines, I would have loved to see Norton bring un-delete to Android (remember the original version of Norton Utilities for DOS had UnErase). As it stands, the Apps module feels more like Norton's take on Advanced Task Killer—useful if unremarkable.
Utilities Made Easy
Don't think of Norton Mobile Utilities Beta (for Android) as heir to the company's comprehensive desktop utility software. It doesn't need to be. Despite the capability of today's smartphones, thankfully there isn't the need for such maintenance. Instead Mobile Utilities makes sense as an "app." It's free, simple, and gathers tools otherwise scattered across system settings and third-party apps. Already a solid beta, Norton Mobile Utilities should also get even better: The company intends to add storage optimization, greater widget customization, and monthly Wi-Fi usage monitoring in the coming weeks. However, if you want a useful maintenance tool for your Android device, don't bother waiting—download Norton Mobile Utilities Beta (for Android) today.
More Mobile Utilities:
• Norton Mobile Utilities Beta (for Android)
• The Missing Sync for Android 1.4
• doubleTwist 2.6
• Google Android 1.5
• Apple iPhone OS 3.0
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