legal challenges Archives

AppWizard

April 7, 2025

Google built a dashcam app for cars with Android Automotive – not for Android Auto

Dashcams are important for vehicle owners as they document incidents during accidents. Google has developed a dashcam application for the Android Automotive Operating System (AAOS), which provides video recording capabilities to enhance safety and security. A recently discovered "Integrate Dashcam" page on Google's website outlines the technical requirements and integration steps for automakers, but the app is not yet available for download. The absence of the app from the market may be due to technical and legal challenges. It is important to note that this dashcam application is not related to Android Auto, and claims suggesting otherwise are misleading. The distinction between Android Auto and Android Automotive has been clarified, with the latter being recognized as AAOS or Google built-in.

AppWizard

March 20, 2025

Telegram reached 1 billion users — and became the world’s second largest messenger after WhatsApp, or «a miserable copy» according to Durov

Telegram has reached 1 billion active users each month, making it the second most popular messaging app globally, after WhatsApp. Telegram generated revenues of 7 million in 2024, with each user opening the app 21 times daily and spending approximately 41 minutes per day on it. Pavel Durov returned to Dubai after facing legal challenges in France, where he was detained for nearly six months due to serious allegations. In Ukraine, around 73% of users rely on Telegram for news updates, reflecting a 1% increase over the past year.

Winsage

March 16, 2025

7 forgotten Windows apps that somehow still exist

WinAmp, foobar2000, and RealPlayer were once essential media players but have seen a decline in popularity due to improvements in Windows Media Player and the rise of streaming services. Foobar2000 and RealPlayer still appeal to a niche audience. Napster, originally a peer-to-peer file sharing service, has transformed into a legitimate music streaming service after facing legal challenges. TeamSpeak, once favored in the gaming community for voice chat, has been overshadowed by Discord but remains operational with ongoing updates. Netscape Navigator was a leading web browser that declined with the rise of Internet Explorer and was discontinued in 2008, but has been reintroduced as a Chromium-based browser by AOL. WordPerfect was a dominant word processing software in the late 80s and early 90s but lost market share to Microsoft Word; it continues to exist as an office suite. WinZip, once the preferred file compression tool, has seen its relevance decline due to native ZIP support in Windows and free alternatives like 7-Zip; it is now owned by Corel. WindowBlinds, a customization tool for Windows, has been updated for Windows 11 but lacks the popularity it once had, reflecting a trend towards less customizable operating systems.

AppWizard

March 3, 2025

This New Unofficial PC Port Of Sonic Unleashed Could Be The Best Version Of The Game Yet

Fans have created an unofficial PC port of Sonic Unleashed called Unleashed Recompiled, enhancing the original game and adding features for modding and performance. The project was developed by a team led by Skyth and Sajid, utilizing tools named XenonRecomp and XenosRecomp to convert Xbox 360 executables into a PC-compatible format. The port includes support for ultrawide monitors, high-resolution graphics, increased framerates, and expanded modding opportunities. To avoid legal issues with Sega, the developers did not include original game assets, advising users to source them from their legally acquired copies. Sonic Unleashed originally released in 2008 on Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3, featuring both high-speed daytime levels and combat-focused nighttime segments. The PC port is available for download on the project's GitHub page, which also offers instructions for extracting game files from the Xbox 360 version.

AppWizard

February 14, 2025

Minecraft creator Notch and his next move

Markus "Notch" Persson, the creator of Minecraft and founder of Mojang Studios, has been largely absent from game development since selling Mojang to Microsoft for .5 billion in 2014. Recently, he launched a social media poll to gauge interest in his next project, considering either a new game or a sequel to Minecraft. He expressed interest in developing a roguelike game but acknowledged the legal challenges of creating a Minecraft sequel without Microsoft's approval. Following the poll, he decided to develop a roguelike dungeon crawler titled "Levers and Chests," despite some fans' disappointment over the lack of a Minecraft sequel. Microsoft has distanced itself from Persson since the acquisition, removing references to him from Minecraft and excluding him from the game's tenth-anniversary celebration. Persson's new project will retain a voxel/pixelated art style reminiscent of Minecraft, and he aims to create a game that honors Minecraft's legacy while respecting Mojang's intellectual property.

AppWizard

February 8, 2025

TikTok allows US Android users to download app via website

TikTok has enabled US Android users to download its app directly from its website to bypass restrictions from a law that threatens to ban the platform unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divests ownership. Since the law's enactment on January 19, Apple and Google have not reinstated TikTok in their app stores due to national security concerns. The legislation requires ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban, halting new downloads from official app stores while current users can still access the app. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order delaying enforcement of this law by 75 days and is in discussions regarding a potential acquisition of TikTok. He has also proposed creating a sovereign wealth fund to facilitate the acquisition, though details are unclear. TikTok has 170 million users in the US and denies allegations of being a security threat, stating that user data is stored on Oracle-operated cloud servers and content moderation is done domestically. The ban has faced criticism from free speech advocates, and concerns persist about ByteDance's potential obligations to the Chinese government regarding user data. TikTok maintains it operates independently and has measures to protect user information. ByteDance has not disclosed plans for the sale of TikTok or legal challenges to the law.

TrendTechie

February 4, 2025

Overclockers.ru: Telegram заблокировал канал торрент-трекера RuTracker

Telegram has suspended the official channel of the torrent tracker RuTracker (@rutracker_news) for copyright violations. The channel, created in 2017, had around 29,000 subscribers and posted only 21 times since its inception, with the last updates in January 2025 regarding outages. RuTracker, launched in 2004, has faced legal challenges, including a court-ordered block in Russia since 2016, and continues to operate despite being largely inaccessible to most users in Russia. In early 2021, RuTracker raised over 1.8 million rubles through crowdfunding for hard drives to store rare torrents. Telegram's suspension of the channel is part of its stricter policies against internet piracy, which have led to the removal of other channels associated with pirated content, such as Z-Library and Anna’s Archive.

AppWizard

February 4, 2025

Perplexity launches an assistant for Android

AI-powered search engine Perplexity has launched a new feature called Perplexity Assistant, available for Android devices, which integrates reasoning, search capabilities, and app functionalities. The assistant can perform multi-app actions, such as hailing rides and searching for songs, and can set reminders by creating calendar entries. It utilizes the phone's camera for contextual inquiries and maintains context across various tasks, like researching restaurants and making reservations. The assistant is initially free for users in 15 languages. CEO Aravind Srinivas acknowledged that some features may not perform as expected and improvements are planned. Perplexity has also introduced Sonar, an API service for enterprises, and acquired Read.cv. Founded in 2022, Perplexity has raised over 0 million in funding and processes over 100 million queries weekly. The company faces legal challenges from publishers, including lawsuits from News Corp and a cease and desist order from The New York Times, but emphasizes its commitment to respecting publisher content through a revenue-sharing program.

AppWizard

December 14, 2024

Russia blocks Viber messenger

Russia's media regulatory authority, Roskomnadzor, has blocked the Viber messaging application due to violations of national law. The decision is based on Viber's alleged non-compliance with legal mandates regarding information dissemination, with concerns about its potential misuse for terrorism, extremism, and drug trafficking. As of October, approximately 26% of the Russian population aged 12 and older used Viber, with 14% using it daily. Viber has faced previous legal challenges, including a fine of one million rubles imposed on June 20, 2023, for not removing false information related to the military operation, and an additional fine of 800,000 rubles on March 13, 2024, for publishing prohibited content.

AppWizard

November 30, 2024

Crysis 3 source code has reportedly been leaked a decade after launch — Crysis 3 mods incoming?

The source code of Crysis 3 has been leaked to a prominent code leaker and researcher known as @SvenTek_667, as reported by @vxunderground. This leak occurred nearly nine years and nine months after the game's initial launch in February 2013, and three years after the release of its Remastered version. The original Crysis trilogy faced performance issues on older hardware, while the Remastered versions improved the experience. The non-Remastered Crysis Trilogy has been removed from Steam. The leak may benefit mod developers by providing access to the game's internal mechanics, though legal challenges remain. The likelihood of a new game resulting from this leak is low, as previous leaks have already revealed insights into CryEngine 3, and the latest version, CryEngine 5.7.1, was released in 2022.