Windows Store is among the noteworthy features of Microsoft's new operating system released just a month ago. Users can install free and paid applications right from the store interface that is integrated into Windows 8's new Start screen interface. This improves security for users as store apps do get verified by Microsoft before they are made available in Windows Store.
Many paid applications in Windows Store are available as trial versions that you can try for a seven-day period before you need to make a buying decision. Developers do not have to offer their products as trial versions in the store, but they are encouraged to do so to make their apps available to a wider audience.
A recently released hacking tool takes advantage of the feature to turn trial versions of commercial Windows Store apps into full versions. Wsservice_crk was released on October 30, 2012 on the My Digital Life forum and updated several times since then by its author. The package includes programs to crack Windows Store applications, sideload unsigned apps so that they can be run on Windows 8, as well as source code and documentation.
Installing the hacking tool is not without risk, as it requires patching system files before it can be used. The patching of core system files can lead to various stability and security related issues that are not foreseeable.
Afterwards it is only a matter of downloading trial apps from Windows Store and pushing a single button to turn the trial app into the full version.
The cracker program is not compatible with Windows RT devices, being provided for x86 based systems. There are limitations, too. For example, hacked apps cannot be updated via Windows Store. A solution has been posted to overcome the issue, but it involves a lengthy process in which the application needs to be uninstalled from the system, then downloaded from the store, before it needs to be patched again.
Another issue that some users may experience: the crack only works if users have access to a trial version. If you have downloaded the trial of an app before, you can't really download it again unless you delete the machine ID on the system to reset all associated with the copy of Windows.
The program offers additional functionality for an advanced audience: the means to create app packages that can be redistributed and to sideload applications that are not signed by Microsoft.
This is the first application for Windows 8 that enables users to bypass the protection that Microsoft built into the store. It is too early to say if the release of the application will have an effect on the willingness of Windows Store developers to offer a trial version of their paid applications in store.
It is however almost certain that this won't remain a one-of-a-kind application, considering that its developer has added source code, documentation and samples to the download package.
Microsoft is looking into reports of the cracking software, a spokesperson told BetaNews.
My son Fallon, who is six and still hasn’t lost any teeth, has a beef with Apple, iTunes, and the iOS App Store. "Apple is greedy", Fallon says. But he has come up with a way for the company to improve its manners through a revised business model.
With an increasing number of car manufacturers jumping on the efficiency bandwagon it's rather interesting that none touts a driving cost meter. Luckily Fuel Calculator keeps track of fuel bills and efficiency right on your Android device.
Emiel Wieldraaijer has released 
Modding fans, you're in luck. Shortly after Google released Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and 
Editor: This report may not be true. BetaNews awaits direct confirmation from Google. 
When you think your PC has been infected by malware or spyware, then checking your Windows startup programs may seem like a good place to start looking for the source. But there’s a problem. Many of these will be cryptically-named executables which you won’t recognize at all, so how are you supposed to decide which ones are safe, and which require further research?
Keeping your digital photo collection in order usually requires a great deal of self-discipline and effort. Or, failing that, a heavy-duty image organiser.
When you think your PC has been infected by malware, but your antivirus package hasn’t raised an alert, then it’s often possible to locate and remove the threat manually. But generally you’ll need a whole library of tools to get the job done: one to view your startup programs, another to check running processes, a file unlocker maybe, and the list goes on.