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QR Code Reader is a basic application that allows the user to read QR codes and take action depending on the information stored in them. There are many good applications available that are capable of this function, but this one doesn't seem to be one of them.

Once QR Code Reader has been downloaded it opens quite sluggishly. On the Samsung Galaxy Nexus it took 15 seconds to open the application. For such a small application this delay seems unexplainable. The user interface features no controls. It simply displays a viewfinder window that must be lined up with the … Read more

Helium App Sync & Backup saves copies of your vital data for you if you don't want to do it, yourself. It includes an app backup in addition to backing up your sensitive files, but it's a major pain to set up. It takes most of the appeal of automatic backup away.

Helium App Sync & Backup is made mostly for rooters, but it will work with some unrooted phones, too. To be sure it works with yours, check developer options in your settings menu and see if you can turn on USB debugging. If you can't, … Read more

B-Folders Secure Organizer can remember dozens of passwords, banking details, and more. B-Folders Secure Organizer goes above and beyond the call of duty by adding some neat bonus features and powerful encryption, too.

It's hard to decide whether the app's plain menu is a curse or a blessing. On the one hand, it makes the app quick and light. On the other, it's an eyesore and small buttons could lead to a few accidental taps. Luckily, there are no ads or other traps to click on. The app boasts some neat features, including the ability to take … Read more

Rdio takes many of the changes we've seen in music sharing over recent years and compiles them into a single, easy-to-use interface that offers a bit of everything for different types of music lovers.

Rdio's function is straightforward. Subscribe and gain instant access to 20 million songs. Create playlists, download other playlists, or search for bands or albums you want to listen to. Where it stands out is the deep social integration and the ability to create and download playlists to your device for offline listening--something other services like Pandora don't allow. The interface is very intuitive, … Read more

Hewlett-Packard rolled out another Android device this week. This could become a pattern as PC makers hedge against a world that's less about Microsoft and more about Google.

On Tuesday, the largest PC maker in the world -- a dubious distinction these days -- added a laptop-tablet hybrid to its growing stable of products based on Google operating systems.

The $479 HP SlateBook x2 is an Android first for HP. It's "powered by Android, the world's most popular mobile operating system...100 percent tablet, 100 percent notebook, 100 percent Android," according to the company's … Read more

It's really tough to compete with the built-in calendar and task planner on Androids, but if you're looking for a solid, non-Google planner, you've found it in mOffice. It has a smooth layout and most of the features you love about Google in a neat package.

This app is designed to sync with your Outlook desktop program. It will also sync with a client called Mobisynapse, but that costs an extra $10. This app falls under the "Getting Things Done" method of thinking, which seems to mean it's optimized to make work convenient. As … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- Google long has been a firm believer that JavaScript, the programming language used to build Web apps such as Google Maps and Gmail, could shoulder a much heavier computing load.

But even as the company continues to push JavaScript's abilities with Chrome's V8 engine, some at the company believe JavaScript is pushing up against its limits. For that reason, Google developed its Dart programming language, and at the Google I/O developer show here, the company made the case for Dart.

"The ultimate goal is to get Dart into Chrome. I hope you all … Read more

Maybe the PC isn't dead, but it's definitely showing signs of old age.

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices were off more than 12 percent Thursday on a downgrade from Goldman Sachs. And the PC market in Europe saw a sharp decline in the first quarter, according to Gartner.

Goldman downgraded AMD's stock from "neutral" to "sell," saying that AMD's upside in gaming devices, like Sony's upcoming PlaySation 4, "only partially offsets the continued...challenges in the company's core PC business." AMD is the second-largest maker of processors for … Read more

Consumers awaiting the Lenovo Yoga 11S convertible can now order one through Lenovo or Best Buy, though they'll have to wait at least a month before it ships.

Available through Lenovo's Web site as of Thursday, the Yoga 11S is an 11.6-inch ultrabook that can close to transform itself into a touch-screen tablet or bend over backward into "tent mode" or "stand mode" to act strictly as a display. The new Yoga is outfitted with Windows 8, upping the original Yoga 11, which offers Windows RT. Buyers also have a choice of two … Read more