Software

Facebook's default app has never won a lot of fans because of its slightly buggy performance. Facebook Web gives you another way to view your feeds, but it doesn't do much to best Facebook's default app. The only improvements it gives you aren't noticeable and aren't worth the ads.

Since this is a Facebook viewer, you'll have to log in with your Facebook account to use it. It presents a Facebook layout that closely mirrors the one you're used to with a few changes. The most noticeable change is the ads on the … Read more

Don't let this app trick you; it has very little to do with Apple's video-chat app. Instead, FaceTime Zone lets you read user information and documentation about FaceTime. It pays you for your trouble with pop-up ads and a junky, hilariously bad layout.

If you want to enter or exit this app, you have to click away from a pop-up ad first. Once you're inside, FaceTime Zone has three buttons that give you information about what FaceTime can do, complete with some stock video-chat photos and a goofy layout. Since you can't use FaceTime on Androids, … Read more

Of the photo filtering apps on the Google Play store Filter Mania isn't bad by any means; it is just too filled with ads and doesn't do anything any differently from other similar apps.

This app slides ads all over your phone, including your status bar and browser. You can opt out of the ad agreement if you want, but you still have to watch out. The app requires that you log in through your Facebook account, which means you can add filters to any photo on your Facebook profile. If you want to take a picture inside … Read more

Did you switch to Android and end up missing the iPhone's contacts app? Hi Contacts aims to give you the best of both worlds. It's nowhere near as smooth as the default app on Androids or iPhones, though. That lack of convenience will ruin it for most users.

The app is designed to look exactly like the contacts viewer on iPhones. It is a good double and even mimics the iPhone's contact cards seamlessly. It does add banner ads that get in the way big time, though. You can get rid of them for a fairly steep $… Read more

Hi SMS offers a nice skin for your texts, but it doesn't have many of the features you probably need from iPhone's app. It's a decent way to transition from it, though.

As you might have guessed, this app is designed to look exactly like iPhone's text-messaging inbox. There is one thing keeping it from doing that exactly--the ads. They're nowhere near as bad as some apps, but they wouldn't appear in an iPhone app. They tend to get in the way if you have a smaller phone, too. Since Hi SMS is only … Read more

If you need a robust security tool, shareware such as Kruptos 2 Professional can handle the job. In addition to strong 256-bit encryption, Kruptos creates encrypted ZIP files and self-extracting files, and it automatically re-encrypts files when you close them so you never have to worry about forgetting to re-secure your protected files. Kruptos 2 Professional does it for under $25; affordable to individuals and a bargain for businesses. You can try the fully-functional Kruptos 2 Professional for free for 30 uses. When the trial expires, you can still decrypt your files with Kruptos. Recent updates include Windows 8 compatibility … Read more

Moo0 VideoMinimizer reduces the picture size or file size of video recordings with minimal quality reduction. Unlike the big downloads, this free tool is easy to learn and works fast. Moo0 VideoMinimizer 1.13 is compatible with Windows XP to 8.

Like many of Moo0's no-nonsense utilities we've tried, VideoMinimizer has a compact dialog-style user interface that includes the most frequently needed controls and options right up front, such as the Keep on Top and Notify when Finished check boxes. And, like other Moo0 tools, VideoMinimizer has many interface language options, though some are partial files. But frequent … Read more

We suggest taking a look at Carolina Road's Jarte, a free, tabbed-based, Word-compatible word processor built upon WordPad. It's fast and reliable, like WordPad, but it adds some features, such as single-click bookmarking, mouse scroll wheel cut-and-paste capability, and dictionary and thesaurus reference tools. Jarte is available in installed and portable versions; there's also a paid upgrade (still less than Word, though). The latest version of Jarte is compatible with Windows 8; we tried it in Windows 7.

Jarte's installer let us choose whether to install some components, such as dictionary and spell checker tools for … Read more

This app gives you the chance to be the star of a magazine--a really poor magazine, but a magazine nonetheless! InstaMag - Magazine Collage automatically organizes a few of your pictures into a spread, but it looks terrible. You won't want to share anything this collage app makes.

This app is designed to present your photos as if they were in a magazine spread. InstaMag - Magazine Collage only supports collages with four photos-- you can't have more or less. You can't move where the photos sit on the digital page, either. In fact, the only thing … Read more