Microsoft has partnered with Alibaba to combat software piracy in China. The new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two companies calls for Alibaba, the largest online retailer in China, to remove counterfeit versions of Windows from their stores. The agreement puts responsibility on Microsoft to actually find the pirated software. From Neowin: Under the agreement that...
This is one of those Windows Phone 8.1 changes that will only affect like 0.1% of you, though it’s still interesting if you’re into security and what may be best described as piracy. Last summer, we ran a controversial story about how to install OEM exclusive apps to your Windows Phone. Those apps are always ‘free’ though they are in theory subsidized by your purchase of that OEM’s...
Microsoft has announced a new strategy to combat criminal hackers by opening up a new Cybercrime Center. This building will house security engineers, digital forensic experts and trained lawyers. The company is attempting to play catch up with hackers who have innovated alongside technology to remain one step ahead of law enforcement. Microsoft will be utilising tactics that have...
Pirates Plunder is a nice Windows Phone game that is very similar to Flight Control but instead of controlling airplanes, you control pirate ships as they set sail to port to unload their bounty. Pirates Plunder 2 is the sequel and while you still have the original game, the developer has added a healthy portion of side games as well. Pirates Plunder 2 has over seventy missions and, as...
Pirate's Plunder is Flight Control styled game where you direct trade ships to the appropriate port, avoid high seas collisions, pirates, sea monsters and other dangers along the way. Along with the main objective of docking your ships, there are a handful of side games with Pirate's Plunder that crop up to keep things interesting. Animations are nice, game play challenging, but the...
Rum Run is a new game for our Windows Phone and we have been able to get our hands on an advanced copy. Rum Run is a game that tests your skills as a Captain on the high seas as well as your skills as a trader. The game premise is that you have to supply food to a village to help feed 100% of the population. You buy and trade food and rum to finance your operation and provide food to...
Software piracy is a serious battle, which can also affect our beloved platform developers. Microsoft has taken action by automatically applying encryption to all apps through the newly unveiled Dev Center. According to a detailed post on the Windows Phone Developer Blog, Todd Brix states that all apps (including those already submitted) are automatically encrypted without user input....
Pirate Tales is an entertaining, simple game for your Windows Phone. You play the role of the pirate captain and must defeat various naval forces as you work your way across the Caribbean. The multi-level game has you battling fleets from Spain, Great Britain, and other countries. You plunder gold from your victories to improve your ship with upgraded cannons, armor, additional pirates...
Draw Wars Save Yer Booty is a Windows Phone game that brings the rather unique conflict between pirates and vikings to your Windows Phone. The arcade games calls for you to defend your pirate ship from those pesky Nordic warriors who are trying to sink it. If one of the vikings gets past your ship, your booty is lost and the game over. Draw Wars Save Yer Booty is a wonderfully animated...
Our friends at Xbox360Achievements.org recently spent some face time with Microsoft’s Raymond Estrada, who showcased several current and upcoming Xbox live titles for them. The video is our first chance to see several of these games in motion, plus it confirms a few choice details like Pinball FX 2’s payment structure. Head past the break for a full description of each game and links to...
The majority of the Windows Phones tower defense games take place on dry land. River Pirates is the latest tower defense game for your Windows Phone that adds a little water into the mix. River Pirates has an invading horde of pirates sailing up river to attack your stronghold. You defend your keep by placing a variety of defenses along the river's banks to prevent the pirates from...
An interesting thing happened yesterday that we chose to not cover in detail. In short, someone published an app to the Windows Phone Marketplace that was pirated. Specifically it was a favorite GPS navigation app that cost a good amount of money. The person responsible presumably ripped the original XAP from the Marketplace and simply re-submitted it, pawning it off as their own. Did...
Looking for a simple game of blackjack? One with a pirate feel to it? Blackjack Caribbean from XIMAD is being offered over at the Windows Phone Marketplace that might fit the bill. Blackjack Caribbean is a simply, yet entertaining, version of blackjack. The game's graphics are nice and the game ran smoothly with no bumps, glitches or crashes experienced. Blackjack Caribbean is a...
Star Ninja has been available at the Windows Phone Marketplace for some time now and pits ninjas against pirates. Not exactly your classic conflict but entertaining nonetheless. The game includes four game modes and fifty levels of play. It does have a Shuriken Ninja feel to it but challenging enough to stand on its own. To find out more about Star Ninja, skip on past the break...
Pirates Assault is available over at the Windows Phone Marketplace and put's a swash buckling twist on the tower defense games. The goal with Pirates' Assault is to protect your treasure chest from raiding pirates. You do so by strategically placing canons along the coastline in hopes of blasting the pirates out of the water before they can sail off with the loot. Pirates' Assault is...
Puzzle games are a great fit for mobile gaming. They’re playable in short bursts and appeal to a wide audience. They’re also very easy to create, as every seemingly Indie developer and his brother has at least a couple of the Marketplace. Developer M80 games’ Pirate’s Mind manages to stand out from the crowd thanks to its unique game play and high-quality presentation. Pirates are a...
![Attempting a better secured app in the Windows Phone Marketplace - a follow up [Developers]](https://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/w250h188crop/public/resource_images/safeapp.png)
A day later after we posted the "proof of concept" (PoC) video demonstrating how easy it is to defeat Windows Phone app protection, the discussion is starting to head into another direction: from criticism to potential solution. FreeMarketplace may only be 65.5kb in size (seriously), but its ability to freely circumvent the weak DRM of all 4k+ paid apps in the Marketplace with a single...
![Windows Phone 7 and app piracy - closer than we think [Security Whitepaper]](https://www.windowscentral.com/sites/wpcentral.com/files/styles/w250h188crop/public/resource_images/code.jpg)
Walking the fine line between black and white hat security, XDA member V@l€n has gone and posted a detailed "security whitepaper" on the state of app piracy in the Windows Phone Marketplace. We almost hate to write on the topic since it will attract claims of supporting piracy, but the fact is developers and Microsoft need to know just how vulnerable the platform is so that it can be...
Although there have been reports of people porting over WP7 to the HTC HD2 and some chatter of people being able to make ROMs (though not load them), there may yet be one final hurdle that could be very difficult to overcome: PVK. PVK are the private keys Microsoft evidently uses to sign off on the OS that is also tied to the hardware. Specifically, some aspect of the OS looks for and...
Every now and then, a popular game will be scaled down and brought to the mobile venue. Sometimes it works like a charm and sometimes things don't translate well to the small screen. Concrete Software Inc. has released a mobile version of the popular PC game, Sid Meier's Pirates! ($4.99). The game's origins date back to the days of the Commodore 64 and Pirates! would see...