Manage cloud services from your Android tablet with SME Cloud File Manager

In the ever-growing world of cloud sync/storage/services, it’s becoming more important to be able to manage and access those cloud services from your mobile device. But when you have multiple clouds you connect to, it can quickly become a hassle to manage. That is, unless you take advantage of a cloud management tool like SME Cloud File Manager.

With SME Cloud File Manager, you can:

• Manage multiple clouds in a single view
• Copy/paste files from one cloud to another using the Cloud Clipboard
• Sync to and from a device
• Upload local files by turning the app into a HTTP or FTP server
• Upload file, photos, videos, etc
• Create Text Notes directly in the app and sync to any cloud
• Downloaded files are available on the device until deleted
• Open files directly from the cloud into other apps
• View documents directly in a web browser
• Share files via email, Twitter, or choose secure sharing with link expiry
• Share multiple links
• Create Sharing Groups (for collaboration)
• Search for files across multiple clouds
• Add/delete/manage your cloud providers in real time

SME Cloud File Manager supports the following cloud services:

• Amazon S3
• Microsoft SkyDrive
• Live Mesh 2011 (read only)
• iCloud
• Google Drive / Google Docs
• Google Storage
• Google Sites
• Box
• Gmail
• Email (IMAP)
• FTP Clouds (FTP or FTPS)
• WebDav Clouds
• Mezzo
• Azure Blob Storage
• Zimbra Briefcase
• DropBox
• CloudMe
• SafeSync (webdav needs to be enabled on a SafeSync account)
• SharePoint
• Office365
• BaseCamp
• RackSpace Cloud Files
• OpenStack Swift Storage
• SugarSync
• EMC Atmos
• Ubuntu One Cloud
• iKeepinCloud
• IBM Connection Files
• Scality
• HostingSolutions.it
• PogoPlug

That’s a healthy listing of services! Now, let’s get SME Cloud File Manager installed and start using it to sync those clouds.

Installation

To install SME on your Android tablet, follow these steps:

1. Open the Google Play Store
2. Search for “sme”
3. Tap on the entry for SME Cloud Manager
4. Tap Download
5. Tap Accept & install

Once it’s installed, you should find the launcher either on your home screen or in the app drawer (or both — depending upon your device).
Before you open the app, you’ll need to take care of one final step. Open a web browser (on either a desktop or the tablet), and go to the SME web site registration page and register for an account. Once you’ve signed up for (and confirmed) your account, you can then log in with the Android app.

Adding clouds

After you’ve logged in to SME, you’ll want to add cloud services. Here are the necessary steps to add a cloud provider:

1. Open SME
2. Tap Cloud Providers from the options
3. Tap the menu button (three horizontal lines near the bottom center)
4. Tap Add Provider
5. Select a provider from the drop-down list (Figure A)
6. Tap Next
7. Enter the credentials necessary for the service

Figure A

SME running on the Verizon-branded Samsung Galaxy Tab.

NOTE: Certain providers authentication process vary from the standard (for example, Google Docs requires you to tap the Allow Access button to continue and Dropbox opens a third-party window for authentication).
After the provider has been successfully added, go back and add the rest of the cloud providers you want to include.

Accessing files

In order to access your cloud files from SME, you must go back to the main screen (Figure B) and do the following:

1. Tap Files on Clouds
2. Tap the provider housing the files
3. Navigate through the directory structure to locate the files

Figure B

The SME Cloud Manager main window.

One really sweet feature of SME is the ability to copy files from one cloud provider to another. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Open SME
2. Navigate to the file you want to copy
3. Tap to select the file
4. Tap the menu button
5. Tap More
6. Tap Send to Cloud Clipboard
7. Navigate back to the service you want to copy the file to
8. Tap the Back button until you’re at the main SME window
9. Scroll down and tap Cloud Clipboard
10. Tap to select the file
11. Tap the menu button
12. Tap Copy To
13. Tap the cloud provider you want to copy the file to
14. Navigate to the folder that will hold the file
15. Tap the menu button
16. Tap Copy Here

It’s a bit of a lengthy process, but once you get used to it, it’s a fairly simple way to copy from one provider to another.
SME Cloud File Manager is a great way to maintain your various clouds on an Android tablet. The tool is free and certainly worth adding to your on-the-go toolkit.

Thanks to Jack Wallen!