Database Users

Looks like Apps on SD are (more) secure.

while they are accessible the .asec format that apps are stored as on the SD card (in .android_secure directory) are not just renamed apk files...
could this be the end of piracy?

End of piracy?
I doubt that. B-)

How do the pirates scrape the market so easily?
Just this morning, on a reputable site, I found a link (since taken down but the file is on usenet so it's not going away) to a 1.6GB file of paid market apps... that's gotta be just about every paid app on the market. And almost all of them seem to be very, very recent - example - Beautiful Widgets is the version released yesterday, and almost everything I've looked at has been updated for Froyo meaning the scrape has only happened in the last day or so.
Call me stupid but I can't imagine this is done manually by humans paying, downloading, installing, copying, uninstalling, refunding... :-/
No, I'm not going to share the file and yes, I pay for my apps.

djmcnz said:
No, I'm not going to share the file and yes, I pay for my apps.
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I created an account few days ago and I logged in to reply just to say "thumbs up to you man!"

I am going to admit...I use to pirate apps... :-(
but now I find myself paying for apps because I truly support Android and I know the devs'll come where the money is...
and sadly I just found out that you can easily move the apps to the Phone and take them from there, but hopefully paid apps are all in this unreadable (As of yet) format...I'd welcome a 100% full stop to app piracy on Android...As long as it is coupled with a better payment system via the Market.

There is an old saying that you youngsters have likely not heard. It goes.... Locks dont keep people out. All locks do is keep honest men honest. So it is with anything. The encryption scheme is already beat, there was never any chance of that not happening.

Ads everywhere!

Hello!
since a week I am getting ads in every apps and games:
-Angry birds season
-Christmas wallpapers
-Apn Droid
Is it normal or my N1 got a trojan?

It's normal more and more apps are becoming heavily in tangled with adds. Developers have the choice but once they give the all clear Google takes over and pumps them out. Small price to pay compared to paying for the apps. If you're still worried hook your phone up to your PC and do a full scan the main anti virus will let you scan.

There has been some confirmation that Angry Birds makes $1,000,000/month from those ads, hence why they didn't sell the game. So, going forward you can expect every college kid "dev" with Eclipse and some c/p open source code to slap ads in their app

crachel said:
There has been some confirmation that Angry Birds makes $1,000,000/month from those ads, hence why they didn't sell the game. So, going forward you can expect every college kid "dev" with Eclipse and some c/p open source code to slap ads in their app
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I assume thats ads in all of their platforms, not just Android?

khaytsus said:
I assume thats ads in all of their platforms, not just Android?
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Nope, AndroidCommunity is reporting that its just the Android ads (here). Their iPhone app is paid, and I don't think they support WP7 yet, and the other couple platforms aren't really significant

If you're rooted a custom hosts file will rid you of most of them. I get no ads at all in angry birds. For some reason weatherbug is the app that seems to sneak the most in on me. Get them there about half the time I open it up. Gonna have to find time to search for a more up to date hosts file to fix that.

What's really annoying is that if I don't have internet connection when I want to play Angry Birds season it will not open new levels

vegetaleb said:
What's really annoying is that if I don't have internet connection when I want to play Angry Birds season it will not open new levels
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I think the level is downloaded when you unlock it....

Some people can not work for free.
For example with angry birds.
Its the best game i played in a long long long time.
Not just headshootin and headshootin again.
Its simple, has nice looks, attracts the ladies ("hey that looks funny, what is it...can i touch it?"...does this sound wrong?) and so on.
It gave me hours of pleasure...maybe more than the ladies
Yeah whatever, what i want to say:
I don't care about the ads. I don't even recognize them anymore.
And for the angry birds case, they just "earn" it!

In Angry Birds, the ads get in the way of gameplay sometimes. I wish Rovio would offer us a paid version like the iPhone users have.

AdFree.....

root and adfree. lulz, no ads for me any where

davados said:
It's normal more and more apps are becoming heavily in tangled with adds. Developers have the choice but once they give the all clear Google takes over and pumps them out. Small price to pay compared to paying for the apps. If you're still worried hook your phone up to your PC and do a full scan the main anti virus will let you scan.
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Click to collapse
This is Google's strategy (hint: how they make almost all their rev.), don't expect Apple like strategy unless apps devs prefer it... fortunately you can disable ads, if you prefer, thanks to configurability of Linux...
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App

GldRush98 said:
root and adfree. lulz, no ads for me any where
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+1 Been rooted and using adfree pretty much since I got my phone in july . I couldn't image playing angry birds with ads .

we really need a modded/adfree version of angry birds seasons. levels wont load if it fails to retrieve an ad....

britoso said:
we really need a modded/adfree version of angry birds seasons. levels wont load if it fails to retrieve an ad....
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Not for me. I've been keeping up with the christmas birds all december, rooted using adfree, no ads to spoil my christmas .

I feel bad about blocking ads. I rarely, if ever click on them. But i feel its part of the deal, i get a free OS and free or low cost software, in exchange for having to see an ad or two around the place. I feel as if i am not holding up my end of the deal.

If I use the software, I buy the paid version. If there's no paid version, then I click the adds. Gotta show the devs some love...
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

liam.lah said:
I feel bad about blocking ads. I rarely, if ever click on them.
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AFAIK devs get paid for clicks, not ad-views. Preventing an app from working without a data connection is pushing it IMO.

I don't mind the ads and I feel its for the betterment of the platform and whole system to attract developers to android.

XDA ads

Ok, is it just me? even with pop ups blocked, in browser, starting tonight I get an annoying best buy ad at the bottom of every screen. Close it out, and it appears every time I go to a new page... who can I pay to get this Crap off.

Tapatalk. Pay them.

sultan.of.swing said:
Tapatalk. Pay them.
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I'm talking about desktop... thought tapatalk was the app for the phone?

it's not just you it's REALLY PISSING ME OFF TOO!

Also really annoying here. I am on a laptop so screen space is precious, I used to click on ads on occasion but with these new annoying ones I will no longer click any ads until they are gone.

Yeah I never block ads but this site made me install adfree for Chrome tonight. So annoying!

I've been avoiding the site all day because of it. I may never go to best buy again.

sph33r said:
Yeah I never block ads but this site made me install adfree for Chrome tonight. So annoying!
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Would you mind sharing a link to the extension? I use chrome also but I cant find the extension in the extension library.
Edit: I managed to find Adblock Plus and it seems to be working.

strange, I stepped out... come back and now there gone... hopefully for good!

They disabled it, see the bottom the page below.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=963428

Whew glad that's fixed!

Ads don't usually bother me but yes, that stupid best buy ad was driving me nuts. Glad they removed it.

elegantai said:
Ads don't usually bother me but yes, that stupid best buy ad was driving me nuts. Glad they removed it.
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+1
10char

what ads? I see no ads

I thought I was the only one I hate best buy so much I could never get rid of it lol.
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

What the benefit for rooting a tablet?

Just need Pros and cons about rooting a tablet.
My htc hero is rooted so i can do wifi tether,so why i should i root my tablet?

Eventually, new kernels and ROMs will be released that you can install if rooted. Some of the features of these are over/underclocking, ability to remove preinstalled apps, performance and battery life tweaks, ability to run certain apps such as backup apps, screenshot apps, etc, etc, etc.
All in all, it's def worth it.

So far one con would be not being able to use Google's movie rental service.

I agree its worth it but you have to also note that when we get services like Google's movie rental service or Netflix, they don't currently work on rooted devices.

adfree

Framedtrash said:
adfree
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Definitely a plus.

That's not entirely true, Netflix has been running on my rooted CM7 Evo 4G for quite awhile. Google Movies definitely doesn't work on rooted tablets/phones though.

for me, the answer is obvious - peace of mind.
everyone's different though
Edit: also, only a-holes use adfree. developers put a lot of work into their applications and all they ask is that you use a bit of screen space for an ad. is that really too much to ask? if you really can't stand it, most apps have a paid version that remove the ads. just pay the 2 dollars(or whatever) and move on with your life. you were able to spend 5-6 hundred bucks on a device that has no real purpose(maybe there's a few who really need an android tablet, but most people could do almost everything on their phone and they could do everything+more on the computer) so I'm sure you can spend a few bucks on apps. I, for one, like to actually support the developers for my platform. If we don't, people will either not make apps or they'll make them all cost money. I'd much rather just have an ad seeing as how it makes basically no difference to my life.
I'd actually like to see a lot more open-source apps with donation options but that's probably not going to happen..

RCCola85 said:
That's not entirely true, Netflix has been running on my rooted CM7 Evo 4G for quite awhile. Google Movies definitely doesn't work on rooted tablets/phones though.
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Oh OK, for some reason I thought Netflix checked for root access.

adfree, major reason to root it

Instead of using adfree, try buying your apps more often. How is it fair to hard working app devs when you download their free, ad included versions of apps and then run adfree to remove them and have the paid app at no cost? How does that make you any different than a warez using pirate?

iamsupreme said:
Instead of using adfree, try buying your apps more often. How is it fair to hard working app devs when you download their free, ad included versions of apps and then run adfree to remove them and have the paid app at no cost? How does that make you any different than a warez using pirate?
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my thoughts exactly.

iamsupreme said:
Instead of using adfree, try buying your apps more often. How is it fair to hard working app devs when you download their free, ad included versions of apps and then run adfree to remove them and have the paid app at no cost? How does that make you any different than a warez using pirate?
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why don't you blame the dev who made adfree rather then those that use it. besides i pay for my apps, however i don't like ads when browsing...so who are you to tell us how to use our devices. we paid for them and we can use it anyway we like.

tq745 said:
why don't you blame the dev who made adfree rather then those that use it. besides i pay for my apps, however i don't like ads when browsing...so who are you to tell us how to use our devices. we paid for them and we can use it anyway we like.
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I agree. Adfree isn't just for apps.

smaskell said:
for me, the answer is obvious - peace of mind.
everyone's different though
Edit: also, only a-holes use adfree. developers put a lot of work into their applications and all they ask is that you use a bit of screen space for an ad. is that really too much to ask? if you really can't stand it, most apps have a paid version that remove the ads. just pay the 2 dollars(or whatever) and move on with your life. you were able to spend 5-6 hundred bucks on a device that has no real purpose(maybe there's a few who really need an android tablet, but most people could do almost everything on their phone and they could do everything+more on the computer) so I'm sure you can spend a few bucks on apps. I, for one, like to actually support the developers for my platform. If we don't, people will either not make apps or they'll make them all cost money. I'd much rather just have an ad seeing as how it makes basically no difference to my life.
I'd actually like to see a lot more open-source apps with donation options but that's probably not going to happen..
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Click to collapse
Thank you. I'm a developer and yell at my friends that use adFree on their devices. They even use my apps and still have adFree on. I know some apps neither need nor deserve to have Ads but a lot of them out there do. Its the only way we make any money developing FREE apps. We spend 100's of hours making these apps. The least the users can do is deal with a small ad on the screen or purchasing a $.99 app. Pay the freaking dollar. You obviously use the apps.

LordFuzzy024 said:
Thank you. I'm a developer and yell at my friends that use adFree on their devices. They even use my apps and still have adFree on. I know some apps neither need nor deserve to have Ads but a lot of them out there do. Its the only way we make any money developing FREE apps. We spend 100's of hours making these apps. The least the users can do is deal with a small ad on the screen or purchasing a $.99 app. Pay the freaking dollar. You obviously use the apps.
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I don't ever use this app, but I have in the past. I seem to recall it just making the add a blank white box. Does this affect your profits directly, somehow? Or do you mean, that stops people from clicking the ad and buying whatever was showing?

Ahh, the whole ad-blocking debate again.
Personally, as long as unsavory types are still using ads as a way to deliver malware (it started on PCs and now it's moving to Android), I will block them, period. I pay for apps though, so I don't really see what's with the whole 'ad blocker = anti-capitalist free loading scum' attitude, but okay.

Adfree is a gimmick. Not only does it break certain apps, but it still has the placeholder of where the add would come up. However, instead of the image/banner/etc, you get a "?". No thanks! I don't mind helping the devs out!

[Sprint] Do you need a laugh..

So there I was, working on setting up my GF's SGS3...
Got it all rooted, my fav root apps installed and configured, and she tried to use her FB app.
Yah, I know.. thats the problem right there.. FB...but I digress..
So.. she jumps on WiFi, but FB wont connect.. no worries, probably the FB app.. so I check, and neither will the browser.. ???
I reboot.. I recheck the WiFi setting, everything looks good.... WTF??
So, thinking it may be WiFi, I turn it off to test via the 3G connection, STILL wont connect to FB, or even the Data..
I was like ok.. WTF did I do...
Started retracing my steps, and the light bulb went on!!! :good:
note to self: next time you setup droidwall, make sure you select "black list" and not the default "white list" when you block apps.
I had blocked data & WiFI for all but the 6 game apps, changed white list to black list and everything worked
damm.. I felt like an iPhone user... ROFL!

HA! Dummy......no, joking, but that is funny

whats droidwall? like a firewall? are you that paranoid?

^ This guy obviously needs a laugh...but apparently you weren't able to give it to him. LOL.
Great story, OP. It just goes to show, when you're having problems, it's almost always something small and simple that you missed. We're all guilty of it! :good:

Cool story. Serious question: why do you use droid wall?

Lol I was thinking she enabled airplane mode.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

Droid wall is nice for some live wallpaper's and a few games and other apps that only require data to push ads to your phone. Block data to them and the app works perfectly, and the push ads are gone.
Sent from my VZW SGS3

I did the same thing setting up my enterprise email ... even spent 20 minutes on the phone with our IT guys trying to figure it out.
Not one of my finer moments ...

please give me back the 20 seconds of my life i took in reading that.

Is the funny part when you said you had a gf?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

Sniper_5 said:
Droid wall is nice for some live wallpaper's and a few games and other apps that only require data to push ads to your phone. Block data to them and the app works perfectly, and the push ads are gone.
Sent from my VZW SGS3
Click to expand...
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Is there a list of useful root apps?

DarkManX4lf said:
Cool story. Serious question: why do you use droid wall?
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I use it because it is an easy way for me to do a 100% block on an app by app basis for both data and WiFi. If I find a game I really like, but I dont care for the permissions, or how the app has the ads setup,etc.. I can just totally block it in Droidwall, and not have to mess with LBE or some such to revoke permissions etc...
pimpahlishis said:
Is the funny part when you said you had a gf?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
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Didn't you hear, geek is the new sexy! :victory:
Randomacts said:
Is there a list of useful root apps?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Probably hundreds of them... (here is one of them)
My list includes:
Titaniumn Backup
Root Explorer
AppBak
Droidwall
LBE Privacy Guard
Roam Control
AdFree

Shoulda had a V8.

DCRocks said:
I use it because it is an easy way for me to do a 100% block on an app by app basis for both data and WiFi. If I find a game I really like, but I dont care for the permissions, or how the app has the ads setup,etc.. I can just totally block it in Droidwall, and not have to mess with LBE or some such to revoke permissions etc...
Didn't you hear, geek is the new sexy! :victory:
Probably hundreds of them... (here is one of them)
My list includes:
Titaniumn Backup
Root Explorer
AppBak
Droidwall
LBE Privacy Guard
Roam Control
AdFree
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, I'd scratch Root Explorer off that list. A couple years ago, when root-enabled file explorers were rare, I would agree with you. Now, there are plenty of free file explorers that both have a better interface and are free with root-enabled features.

EndlessDissent said:
Personally, I'd scratch Root Explorer off that list. A couple years ago, when root-enabled file explorers were rare, I would agree with you. Now, there are plenty of free file explorers that both have a better interface and are free with root-enabled features.
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Click to collapse
Agreed, I just list it as I bought it years ago, EZ File explorer is a good free replacement app

Nice.... epic face palm!