x3watch, the longstanding free Internet accountability application which we reviewed before, is now available for phones sporting the Android OS.

But wait, there’s more!

Whereas the PC, Mac, and iPhone versions of x3watch have a free “lite” version and a paid “pro” version, this new droid edition has a $4.99 entry fee to play, period. That being said, it does have a few distinct advantages over its iPhone sibling.

So if you’ve yet to pick sides in the iPhone vs. Droid showdown, or you are new to the droid and in the market for cool apps, you’ll want to check this out…

What is X3watch?

The team at XXXChurch, who developed x3watch, describe the app thusly (yes, thusly):

X3watch is an accountability software program helping with online integrity. Whenever you browse the Internet and access a site, which may contain questionable material, the program will record the site name, time, and date the site was visited.

A person of your choice (an accountability partner) will receive an email containing all possible questionable sites you may have visited within the month.

This information is meant to encourage open and honest conversation between friends and help us all be more accountable.

I’m no stranger to web content filters and online accountability apps. I’ve used my fair share over the years and X3watch is my most used, most recommended client-side accountability application specifically because it has always been free and light-weight.

Is it a one-size fits all solution? Absolutely not. It doesn’t pretend to be. In fact, the key component to making an app like this effective has nothing to do with technology at all. The app is useless without the bedrock of relationship and trust between the person using it and the friends he/she chooses to receive the activity reports.

Some quick checking revealed that x3watch appears to be a rebranding of an existing program called Double Agent. Whether this is a partnership, or acquisition, I don’t care. I really dig how resourceful the kids at XXXChurch can be, and I applaud them for not reinventing the wheel unnecessarily. Do I wish they had a free version? Of course. But I never shy away from paying for good, useful software.

And this appears to be excellent value for your lettuce.

iPhone vs. Android Versions

Due to iPhone OS limitations, the iPhone 3Gs version cannot behave like a typical accountability application because 3rd party apps are limited to run in the foreground only. This should not be a concern for future iPhone 4.0 OS users (on either iPhone 3Gs or upcoming iPhone releases), however, because Apple announced multitasking support for 3rd party apps in April. Yay!

But for 3Gs users today, this means if you surf the web on Safari, x3watch cannot be simultaneously running in the background monitoring your activity. To get around this, running x3watch on iPhone requires the user to disable Safari altogether, password protect it from being re-activated, and then use the x3watch app as a replacement web browser.

Yeah, it is a bit hacky, but also 100% necessary for the current iteration of iPhone and iPod Touch.

Like I said before, the iPhone version is free so that’s a plus over Android.

The Android OS is not bound by this same limitation. Therefore, x3watch can run as a background process. When installed, it invisibly monitors web surfing, search keywords, and Marketplace apps since clever pornography distributors discovered there was a demand for porn-related mobile applications.

In this area, the Droid version has a distinct advantage. One disadvantage I spotted right away, however, is that when you install x3watch you get a permanent notification that pretty much sits in your list indefinitely (annoying) and, also in your notification area at the top of your phone.

For some people battling porn addiction, this can be downright embarrassing and may prove to be a significant barrier to using the app to begin with.

Naturally, I Invited My Wife to Receive My Reports

That sound you hear is my gauntlet being thrown down at your feet. My wife has an open invitation to receive the reports from any accountability/filtering software I’ve used for the past 7+ years. I do not recommend this for everybody!

The issue of porn addiction is controversial, polarizing, and above all else emotionally charged. So what I would like you to do is ask yourself right now (be honest!) would your spouse (or future spouse?) be honored by where you click?

Do you have the gonads, and the track record to back them up, to put your wife (or maybe even your mom?) on your alert list?

If the answer is no then you may have just learned something about yourself. I encourage you to find a friend of the same gender and start a difficult conversation.

Secrets are like mold. They grow in the dark and wither in the light.