pocketnow.com Reviews Resco Explorer 2003 v.5.0

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=reviews&id=375' target='_blank'>http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?...=reviews&id=375</a><br /><br /></div>"Let's face it - File Explorer that comes with the Pocket PC operating system stinks. One of the first things I install when I get a new Pocket PC is a good file explorer. In the past, I've used Citadel's Pocket Explorer. It's free and much better than File Explorer, but it has many deficiencies — it doesn't do file associations, there's no multiple selection, it doesn't do network browsing, and so on. I'd heard that Resco Explorer was an excellent file browser, but it costs $25. The big question is, is it worth it?"<br /><br />This has to be the longest Pocket PC software review I've ever read - it's more like a top to bottom reverse engineering of the program. The bug list and wish list alone are longer than most reviews. 8O But, if you're looking to really get under the hood of Resco's Explorer 2003, this is the review you've been waiting for, no doubt about it. I use Resco Explorer 2003 myself, although I have to admit that it's overkill for most of what I do - which is why I only fire it up if I need the enhanced functionality it offers. Day to day, I still use File Explorer. What about you? What file explorer do you use?

[SeanH]

Resco Explorer is one of those must have apps. This version looks better then ever. The only thing I did not notice in the review is does it support PPC 2K3 SE display modes. How does it look at 480x640 or 480x640? Does the 2003 ver support these modes now?

Sean

[Jason Dunn]

Resco Explorer is one of those must have apps. This version looks better then ever. The only thing I did not notice in the review is does it support PPC 2K3 SE display modes. How does it look at 480x640 or 480x640? Does the 2003 ver support these modes now?

There are no SE devices on the market yet, and the SE SDK just went out a little while ago, so you won't see SE support just yet. But I think you can expect most of the major developers to be preparing SE apps now.

[EricMCarson]

Resco Explorer is one of those must have apps.

I completely agree. This is one I can't live without, particularly since so many of my files are stored on network servers both at home and at the office. The ability to map the network like a folder allows nearly all of my programs to be able to see the larger a/v files & documents. On top of all this, I can actually use an explorer like the one I'm used to on my laptop. Kudos to Resco!

[KAMware]

Does the 2003 ver support these modes now?

Yes it does. I use it on my Toshiba e805 and it is the only one to use. It fills up the entire screen!

:D

[rugerx]

I agree must have app, the native file explorer in WM 2003 just stinks.
I was SO happy to find it came bundled on the HP set cd with my 4155 purchase!

[lhauser]

I use Total Commander/CE from Ghisler $ Co. (www.ghisler.com). It's free and does just about everything...multiple selections (with it's own Control key emulator!), zips and unzips files, moves, copies, deletes, edits text files, sends and receive files over IR, creates shortcuts, even has a pulldown list for your favorite folders. I discovered it before I'd even heard of Resco and I've never had a reason to look back.

[Jonathon Watkins]

Does the 2003 ver support these modes now?

Yes it does. I use it on my Toshiba e805 and it is the only one to use. It fills up the entire screen!

:D

Thanks for that kamware - it's good to know. So, I know how to manage my files when I (evenually) go VGA. :D

[griph]

I use Resco Explorer 2003 myself, although I have to admit that it's overkill for most of what I do - which is why I only fire it up if I need the enhanced functionality it offers. Day to day, I still use File Explorer. What about you? What file explorer do you use?

No Way! Resco Explorer rocks - the built in explorer just isn't worth bothering with! Why cant Microsoft/PocketPC manufacturers just dump it and adopt Resco! And whilst we are on about it - Pocket Informant too! These apps are just as essential as Sprite Backup (aka iPaq Backup)!!!!!

[Jason Dunn]

No Way! Resco Explorer rocks - the built in explorer just isn't worth bothering with!

90% of the time when I use File Explorer I'm moving a file by using copy/paste, deleting a file, or re-naming a file. For those tasks, File Explorer works perfectly, and it's got a simpler UI than Resco File Explorer, so it's faster for me. So for me, Resco File Explorer is a good tool to have installed for the 10% of the times when I need to do something complicated.

What types of things do you need to use Resco File Explorer for?

[pr0vider]

This may seem elementary to some, but can you move entire programs, not just files, from, for example, an SD to a CF card with either MS File Explorer or Resco's software? :?

[moaske]

90% of the time when I use File Explorer I'm moving a file by using copy/paste, deleting a file, or re-naming a file. For those tasks, File Explorer works perfectly, and it's got a simpler UI than Resco File Explorer, so it's faster for me....
What types of things do you need to use Resco File Explorer for?
Even for what you do Jason, i'd reckon that the drag'n drop split-window view of Resco is waaaaaay better ! I too think that the MS explorer stinks, and they should have better left it out; it's useless to me anyway.
A 'normal' file-explorer should also allow you to do the things Resco allows you: like changing file-attributes, do associations, open zip-files...
A very cool feature i also like is the ftp browser ! :D For me , Resco is the only decent file-explorer for PocketPC available ;)

[Rikostan]

I just use the built in explorer too. I just don't need something stronger on my PPC. I do have Total Commander installed for those few times I do need something stronger. It does most of the things that resco explorer does and the price is much more to my liking....
That was one helluva review though... more like a manual than a review.

[dh]

Wow, that is a great, comprehensive review. So that's what Steve was doing all winter :lol:

[griph]

Even for what you do Jason, i'd reckon that the drag'n drop split-window view of Resco is waaaaaay better ! I too think that the MS explorer stinks, and they should have better left it out; it's useless to me anyway.
A 'normal' file-explorer should also allow you to do the things Resco allows you: like changing file-attributes, do associations, open zip-files...
A very cool feature i also like is the ftp browser ! :D For me , Resco is the only decent file-explorer for PocketPC available ;)

Agreed ..... And Reg-editing all those left over bits from uninstalled apps.
Zip files and be able to view them as if they were folders rather than unzipping first.
Set up short cuts to regularly used nested folders.
And sending shortcuts to Start Menu (always doing that).
And encrypt/decrypt senstitive files.
I could go on!

[sponge]

45 pages when you take out the pictures (80 with)! That's a long review.

[huangzhinong]

I agree must have app, the native file explorer in WM 2003 just stinks.


For most people(which is what MS is addressing), the buildin file explorer is good enough, simple and robust. For people who need more, for example, zipping and registry editting, they can pay and use resco explorer. To be pair, zipping and registry editting doesn't belong to files exploring at all, even at desktop computer.

So does buildin outlook calendar and contacts. For most people, Pocket Outlook is good enough, for those people who need more, there are always better out there to purchase.

So unlike your guys, I am very satified with the buildin Pocket Outlook and file explorer and Pocket Word/Excel/Inbox. All of them are good and simple, stable and robust.

[fireflyrsmr]

I use this program all the time. It has never crashed so robust is not a question. (does anyone else seem to have trouble with sprite backup software?) sometimes I go back to the base MS file explorer and can't believe how little it tells me. Having the file extensions visible is reason enough to buy it. The support is great too. One of the best things about the pocket pc world is the personal attention from most of the software vendors - Resco included.

[wesley762]

I use resco all the time. I have even taken out the icon for the file explorer in my programs menu. I love the fact that I can see the full name of the files. with the built in file explorer cuts them out. and the second view window is a must.

[Steven Cedrone]

45 pages when you take out the pictures (80 with)! That's a long review.

I wouldn't expect anything less from Pony!

Great review!

Steve

[dlangton]

This may seem elementary to some, but can you move entire programs, not just files, from, for example, an SD to a CF card with either MS File Explorer or Resco's software?

I sometimes have reason to copy large groups of files - if I need to do a hard reset and restore from backup, I need to copy files to my T2T disk (copying is simpler and faster than using a backup of this disk.) File Explorer has difficulty doing this. Resco Explorer works perfectly for the task.

If you're talking about remapping file locations, file associations, then no.

[Ed Hansberry]

45 pages when you take out the pictures (80 with)! That's a long review.
Sounds more like a manual. ;-)

Resco File Explorer though rocks. FTP is killer! Great registry editor, fast file system search, Zip support... The whole thing just flat ROCKS! It is always on my PPC right on the Today Screen - www.ehansberry.com. :-D

[yawanag]

I use Total Commander/CE from Ghisler $ Co. (www.ghisler.com). It's free and does just about everything...multiple selections (with it's own Control key emulator!), zips and unzips files, moves, copies, deletes, edits text files, sends and receive files over IR, creates shortcuts, even has a pulldown list for your favorite folders. I discovered it before I'd even heard of Resco and I've never had a reason to look back.

I'm with you. I've been able to find and delete more files with Total Commander than with any other program.

I had an incident with trying to install the Bible Reader from Olive Tree. The directions were to rename the file with a *.pdb extension. I did that but couldn't view a thing. It took a couple of days of uninstalling and reinstalling with no success. Then I did a FIND FILES in Total Commander and "voila" I found out that it had a double extension of *.pdb.pdb.

I go there now whenever I have a problem with a file residing and I know I have deleted the registry key.

[jimski]

So does buildin outlook calendar and contacts. For most people, Pocket Outlook is good enough, for those people who need more, there are always better out there to purchase.

So unlike your guys, I am very satified with the buildin Pocket Outlook and file explorer and Pocket Word/Excel/Inbox. All of them are good and simple, stable and robust.

OK. I will give you good (in a Microsoft kind of way), simple and stable. But robust? I don't think so.

[dena222]

Resco Explorer is one of the very first apps I slap on... that wispy piece of pretense that comes with my Pocket PC is worse than useless in my book, and I resent even the very small space it sucks up in my ROM. But then, I've never used Windows Explorer in any of its other incarnations, so it's no real surprise...

[iant54]

I'm another Resco File Explorer aficionada, having had previous versions to v5, and upgrading through the 50% discount after having purchased more than a year previously.

However, there is one of the freeware file explorers that has something RFE hasn't - a Recycle Bin.

[Kacey Green]

However, there is one of the freeware file explorers that has something RFE hasn't - a Recycle Bin.
Why on earth would you want a recycle bin?
The files still take up space and unless it's in your face like on the windows desktop you might not remember to check it from time to time especially if you don't delete files very often. Even on my desktop I rarely use my recycle bin except the files that activesync puts in there.

[Steven Cedrone]

The whole thing just flat ROCKS! It is always on my PPC right on the Today Screen

I have my Resco shortcut in the systray/notification area at the bottom-right side of every screen (well most anyway) along with a reset shortcut thanks to PHM PowerToys! (http://www.phm.lu/Products/PocketPC/PowerToys/#TrayLnch)

http://home.comcast.net/~cedrones/today.jpg

And before you say anything: it is an older recycled shot from another thread and the number of days since last backup was the result of a system restore - I back up whenever I add software to my device... :wink:

Steve

[Kacey Green]

steve where can i get the bacground pic for the pocketpcthoughts theme, for that matter where can i get the theme?

[jali-p5]

I agree must have app, the native file explorer in WM 2003 just stinks.
I was SO happy to find it came bundled on the HP set cd with my 4155 purchase!

I wish my 4150 came w/ the Resco, but apparently, it's only packaged with the US version of the HP 41XX PPCs and does not come w/ the Canadian version........which totally sucks!!

[Steven Cedrone]

steve where can i get the bacground pic for the pocketpcthoughts theme, for that matter where can i get the theme?

From a rather old thread! (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=4054&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=10)

I use that theme and Wibar Advance... The WA theme in that pic was Attraction from Lightman. (http://www.lightman.pdahit.com/) I now use PocketBlue from Juni! (http://www.kolumbus.fi/anders.ruohio/wa/pocketblue.html)

Steve

[kennyg]

I still use ftpView to do file explorer types of things, but of course I wrote it :)

It's still freeware and it does ftp, two pane view and drag and drop.

Kenny.

[dma1965]

I still use ftpView to do file explorer types of things, but of course I wrote it :)

It's still freeware and it does ftp, two pane view and drag and drop.

Kenny.

ftpView used to be my all time favorite FTP app for the PocketPC, and I never saw a reason to give it up until Resco File Explorer came into the picture. The problem with ftpView, as well as many other FTP applications for the CE platform, is that it stores sensitive information, such as usernames and passwords in an UNENCRYPTED format in a CE database, which your marvelous dbView program will quite handily allow me, or anyone else for that matter, clearly see in plain text. This is a major No No! I would create my FTP sessions, do what I had to do, then delete the settings when I was done. I really love the very clean drag and drop interface of ftpView, but Resco does everything ftpView does now, and about a hundred other things, and does not show my password in plain text. However, as an FTP program, ftpView is fantastic in its own right, and if you could fix the password problem, I think it would, and should, outsell all the other FTP apps out there. Thank you for providing it as freeware for now!

[Pony99CA]

45 pages when you take out the pictures (80 with)! That's a long review.
I wouldn't expect anything less from Pony!

Great review!
I just came across this thread and saw the comments. Thanks to you and others for the compliments. :-D

Ed wasn't the only one who thought this could be a manual. I was worried about the same thing, but most manuals don't point out shortcomings in a product. :-) Because I can't possibly know what features will be important to others, I tried to cover them all -- and there were a lot.

Now I just need a WM 2K3 SE Pocket PC to review 5.1. 8O

Steve