Jumat, 23 April 2010

Android 2.2 Froyo Screens Show Auto Updates

Is automatic updating coming to the next OS release?

Phandroid managed to score a couple of screenshots showing Android 2.2 "Froyo" running on a MyTouch 3G. The screens came from an "android trusted tester" via 4Chan, and shows both the version number and another highly-anticipated feature. There's indication that the images could possibly be a fake, however with Froyo out and about in Rumorland, chances are the images are legit.

The big scoop in this latest brief is the possible arrival of automatic updating. Froyo may allow users to choose whether to let the installed application update itself, or let the end-user decide when or if to update. On one hand, this would be a welcome feature for heavily-used apps like Google Maps, Slacker Radio, XXX Videos Viewer, and more. However this could be problematic if the update has an unintentional glitch, rendering the app useless.

As reported earlier, Android 2.2 will supposedly offer performance enhancements to the OS including additional RAM for the end-user, support for Adobe Flash 10.1, new APIs that will unleash OpenGL 2.0's entire library to developers, and a possible refinement to the touchscreen resolution, making for more accurate selections. Of course, none of this has been officially confirmed, so chalk these features up as mere rumor.

If Google does plan to implement an automatic update feature, then the company also needs to consider a rollback feature for faulty patches. There's certainly nothing more annoying than broken software thanks to a bad update, leaving end-users nowhere to turn but to sit and wait on a fix for a fix. A rollback feature would definitely be ideal for the next update.

Ubisoft's DRM for Assassin's Creed II is Cracked

The hackers have found a way around Ubisoft's DRM.

In the ongoing effort to protect the hard work of the developers, Ubisoft created a DRM scheme that required a constant internet connection for all gameplay, be it single player or multiplayer. Without a constant connection to Ubisoft's master servers, the game cannot be played.

This form of protection caused great inconveniences for buyers of the game, be it on the internet connection end or a takedown of the Ubisoft servers. While the DRM was causing grief for real buyers of the game, it did keep the pirates at bay for far longer than the usual PC game. But the game hackers have finally cracked it.

Cracking group known as Skid Row claims to have created a crack that removes the required internet connectivity from Assassin's Creed II. Some other cracks emulated Ubisoft's servers, fooling the game into thinking it was authenticated. Skid Row, however, said in its nfo notes that its crack cannot be compared to other emulation cracks, as "does not construct any program deviation or any kind of host file paradox solutions."

Skid Row also left a note for Ubisoft, which read, "Thank you Ubisoft, this was quiete [sic] a challenge for us, but nothing stops the leading force from doing what we do. Next time focus on the game and not on the DRM. It was probably horrible for all legit users. We just make their lifes [sic] easier."

While we do not condone piracy in any fashion, solutions such as this one created by hacking groups ensure that Assassin's Creed II will still be playable years from now, or in the event of a connection outage.