Xscope Web File Task Browser for Android

xScope Web File Task Browser is far from being the most beautiful mobile browser for Android. However, what it lacks in looks it makes up for in functionality. Its bundle of features includes tabbed browsing, some interesting management controls, the ability to copy text, and support for skins (you'll download the skin set separately). xScope browser tends toward flexibility, offering three ways to zoom in, open and close tabs, and switch among open tabs--including a simple finger swipe. We like the quick bookmarking, and can appreciate the task killer, even though it's not a tool we'd seek out in a browser.

There are various builds for various versions of the Android operating system, including a premium version for Android 2.0 (Droid and Nexus One phones at the time of this review) that also handles Web downloads in addition to xScope's standard YouTube video downloading.

In terms of the app's overall lack of polish, xScope's start screen needs the most work. The dashboard lays out thumbnail icons and links to popular sites, which you can futz with in the settings. The browser needs a favorites manager powerful enough to reorder the icons according to your preferences. The fuzzy dashboard icons define xScope's rough workshop feel.