Itch.io’s $10 bundle with almost 1,000 games will benefit charities helping Ukraine

A charity bundle on Itch.io organized by Necrosoft Games offers a collection of 991 indie games, soundtracks, books, comics, tabletop RPGs and gaming tools for a minimum of donation of $10 — and all proceeds will go to organizations helping relief efforts in Ukraine. The bundle includes games like Baba is You, 2064 Read Only Memories, Celeste, Skatebird and Towerfall Ascension. It also includes text message adventure game Bury Me My Love, which tells the story of a Syrian refugee couple, and military RPG Long Gone Days that focuses on the human cost of war.

Necrosoft only added paid products to the bunch, and 600 of them have never been in a major bundle before. In all, the items in the bundle cost around $6,500 when you add up their regular retail prices. Everything the developer gets after card processing fees will go to two charity organizations in particular, one of which is the International Medical Corps. It’s a humanitarian nonprofit that’s currently working in Ukraine to increase access to medical services, including mental health support, and to help contain the spread of COVID-19. The other beneficiary is the Ukrainian organization Voices of Children, which sets up shelters and helps children cope with the horrors of war. 

While Necrosoft is only asking for a minimum of $10 for all 991 items, it’s urging donors to pay more if they can. The company is hoping to raise $1 million for the causes it supports until March 17th. 

Canon plans to more than double its RF mirrorless lens lineup by 2025

Canon plans to more than double its RF mirrorless lens lineup by 2025, producing around 32 more models over the next four years, according to its latest earnings report spotted by Canon Rumors. One chart showed that it planned to keep up the “same pace” of lens releases, which amounted to eight new models in 2020-21. If it can stick to that, it would have nearly 60 full-frame RF lenses in about four years time. 

Chairman and CEO Fujio Mitarai said that the overall market continues to shrink due to the decline of entry-level models (thanks, smartphones), but demand for higher-end models is still high. As such, Canon has been working on developing more of those types of cameras and lenses to go with them. The company now feels it’s capable of gunning for Sony in the mirrorless market share race.

“Overall, the market seems to be bottoming out,” he said. “Over the past several years, we have worked to raise the appeal of the EOS R system by enhancing our lineup with highly competitive full-frame mirrorless cameras and RF lenses. As a result, we have established a solid position in mirrorless cameras, and are now in a situation where we can target the top market share position.”

Canon also plans to improve its profitability with increased factory automation, while further pursuing “concept” camera designs like the weird table-mounted PowerShot PX. It’s also planning to mass produce SPAD sensors that can take high-quality color photos with almost no light, used in applications like “advanced monitoring.”

Amazon suppliers reportedly have ties to forced labor camps in China

A number of Amazon’s Chinese suppliers are linked to forced Uyghur labor camps from China’s Xinjiang region, according to a new report from the Tech Transparency Project. The organization found that five of Amazon’s suppliers have been directly accused by watchdog groups and journalists of relying on workers from China’s many “reeducation centers”, which it uses to detain Uyghur Muslims, Kazakhs and other ethnic minorities. The suppliers produce Amazon devices and Amazon-branded products, such as the Amazon Basics line of home goods and tech accessories.

“The findings raise questions about Amazon’s exposure to China’s repression of minority Uyghurs in Xinjiang—and the extent to which the e-commerce giant is adequately vetting its supplier relationships,” wrote the authors of the report. “Amazon says that its suppliers ‘must not use forced labor’ and that it ‘does not tolerate suppliers that traffic workers or in any other way exploit workers by means of threat, force, coercion, abduction, or fraud.’ But its supplier list tells a different story.” 

Two of the suppliers named in the report—Luxshare Precision Industry and AcBel Polytech—were also used by Apple, according to an investigation last year from The Information. Both Amazon and Apple have denied working with forced labor suppliers, despite evidence that suggests otherwise.

“Amazon complies with the laws and regulations in all jurisdictions in which it operates, and expects suppliers to adhere to our Supply Chain Standards. We take allegations of human rights abuses seriously, including those related to the use or export of forced labor. Whenever we find or receive proof of forced labor, we take action,” Amazon spokesperson Erika Reynoso said in a statement to NBC.

The Australian Institute of Strategic Policies found that many major global brands deployed forced labor from China, including Adidas, Gap, H&M, Microsoft, Nike, Sony, Victoria’s Secret and Zara. Amnesty International estimates that China is currently holding roughly 1 million prisoners in internment camps, where they are reportedly forced to renounce their religion and subject to hard labor in factories. The camps are mostly in the Western China region of Xinjiang, and have been in place since 2017.

Both the US and the EU imposed sanctions on China in 2021, barring any imports from Xinjiang until businesses can prove that they no longer use forced labor. But the report found that many Amazon-branded products are still produced in the Xinjiang region. For example, the report found that a couple of towel brands still listed on Amazon advertise using “China-long staple cotton” from the Xinjiang region.

“Amazon’s continued use of companies with well-documented ties to forced labor in Xinjiang cast doubt on the tech giant’s stated intolerance of human rights abuses in its supply chain,” wrote the report’s authors.

Russia bans Zello’s walkie-talkie app

Russia’s ongoing campaign to block social apps during the invasion of Ukraine now includes voice clients. ZDNetreports Russia’s telecom regulator Roskomnadzor has banned the walkie-talkie app Zello over claims users were spreading “false information” about the invasion (which Russia falsely labels a “special operation”). Officials said they asked Zello to block transmissions of the offending messages on March 4th, but that it “did not comply” with the request.

Russia blocked Zello in 2017 after it didn’t obey a 2016 law requiring storage of user and chat data inside the country. Zello defied the move, developing a workaround that kept the software usable. The app has been popular among protesters despite its work-oriented focus. Before the invasion of Ukraine, vaccine mandate opponents in Canada and elsewhere used Zello to coordinate their protests.

The crackdown was virtually expected. Russia has rushed to cut access to numerous major social platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, while also making it illegal for media outlets to share anything beyond the Putin administration’s official narrative on Ukraine. Zello has also surged in popularity since the invasion started. The ban theoretically helps Russia silence political dissent, especially when it involves coordination between Ukrainians and sympathetic Russians.

Instagram pulls Boomerang and Hyperlapse from app stores

Instagram isn’t just waving goodbye to its IGTV app. As TechCrunchreports, social media consultant Matt Navarra and various Twitter users (including KenSchillinger and WFBrother) have all noticed that Instagram’s dedicated Boomerang and Hyperlapse apps have disappeared from the Apple and Google app stores. Boomerang was still available for Android on Google Play through a direct link as of this writing, but searches no longer produce results.

In a statement to Engadget, parent brand Meta said Instagram pulled the software to “better focus [its] efforts on the main app.” Apptopia data suggests Instagram pulled Boomerang and Hyperlapse from app stores after March 1st. Boomerang (the only one of the two available on both Android and iOS) was still relatively popular, according to Apptopia, with an average of 26,000 downloads per day before it left. Layout is still available if you want to create collages.

The removal isn’t exactly surprising. The launches of Hyperlapse in 2014 and Boomerang in 2015 offered stabilized timelapse and looping videos at a time when Instagram tried to keep its app relatively lean, particularly given the lesser performance of some phones at the time. In 2022, however, Instagram is content to include a flurry of features as it fends off rivals, ranging from Snapchat-like Stories through to TikTok-style Reels. Boomerang and Hyperlapse are now just camera options. Toss in faster smartphones and there’s little need for standalone apps revolving around single features.

The departures also make sense in the context of IGTV’s exit. At the time, Instagram said it wanted to improve the video experience for both creators and viewers. This latest move is just an extension of the earlier strategy — it wants to save you from juggling apps just to produce a clip.

Riot Games will donate proceeds from in-game passes to Ukraine relief

Over the weekend, Riot Games announced it would respond to calls from its community to provide aid during the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Until March 12th, the studio will donate all proceeds from the sale of Valorant, Legends of Runterra, Teamfight Tactics and Wild Rift battle passes, as well as its new Bee skins in League of Legends, to support humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine. Additionally, Riot said it would donate $1 million out of pocket to Doctors Without Borders, the Polish Red Cross and the International Medical Corps.      

“All proceeds from both Riot’s donation and the player fundraiser will directly support humanitarian relief in Ukraine and other affected areas,” the company said. The studio joins a growing list of gaming companies that are donating toward humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. On the same day Activision Blizzard said it was halting sales of its games in Russia, the publisher announced it would also match employee donations to relief organizations helping out in the region at a rate of two to one. 

Blizzard will reveal the next ‘World of Warcraft’ expansion on April 19th

Blizzard is gearing up to reveal what’s next for the Warcraft franchise across multiple games. The studio is working on the next World of Warcraft expansion following 2020’s Shadowlands and fans will get their first look on April 19th.

Although Activision Blizzard didn’t say when the expansion will arrive, the timing of the reveal suggests it’s sticking with the cadence of releasing one every couple of years. That’s despite the difficulties of developing games during the pandemic and the company finding it difficult to hire and retain staff in the wake of lawsuits and misconduct allegations.

Before the WoW reveal, Hearthstone players will get a look at the first of three expansions coming their way in 2022. Those details will emerge on March 15th. Soon after that, the Hearthstone team will reveal more about what’s ahead this year, including core set changes.

Meanwhile, Activision Blizzard recently announced a Warcraft mobile game is coming this year. Expect to learn more about that in May.

UAE’s Hope probe tracked a massive dust storm across Mars

When the United Arab Emirates launched the Arab world’s first-ever mission to Mars in the summer of 2020, its desire was that its Hope probe would help provide scientists with a better understanding of the Red Planet’s weather systems. And it’s now done exactly that. According to The National, the probe recently spent two weeks tracking a massive dust storm across the surface of Mars.

Hope began following the weather event on December 29th. The probe entered the orbit of Mars equipped with a high-resolution camera and an infrared spectrometer. It used those tools to track the geographic distribution of dust, water vapor and carbon dioxide ice clouds displaced by the raging storm. Its orbital position allowed Hope to observe any variance in those elements in timescales measured in minutes and days, a feat previous missions to Mars didn’t have the ability to do. 

What it saw was how quickly a storm can spread across the red planet. In the span of a single week, the storm it was tracking grew to stretch across more than 1,550 miles of Martian surface. In the process, it completely obscured geographic landmarks like the Hellas impact crater and sent dust haze as far as 2,485 miles away from the origin point of the storm. In addition to providing a play-by-play of a Martian storm, scientists hope the data Hope collected will allow them to gain a better understanding of how those storms can help water escape the planet’s atmosphere.

Android 12L is coming to tablets and foldables ‘later this year’

When it announced the Android 12L beta in October, Google promised the software for larger screens would be ready early this year. Today, the company is officially introducing Android 12L, which it’s describing as “an update to Android 12 with features that will make tablets and foldables simpler and easier to use.” In a blog post sharing the news, Android’s vice president of engineering said 12L is coming later this year, “with planned updates from Samsung, Lenovo and Microsoft.” But the company did not get more specific about timing than that.

That could mean devices like the Galaxy Z Fold, Z Flip and Surface Duo would be getting the new interface, which is supposed to bring features like home and lock screens optimized for larger displays. There will also be a two-column notification shade, a new taskbar for easier multitasking and other tweaks that make better use of the greater space on tablets and foldables. 

As senior writer Sam Rutherford pointed out when he tested the Android 12L beta, though some of these additions are compelling, some, like the taskbar, have limitations. It can only contain five apps at once, for example, despite having plenty of room on either side for more icons. Based on a screenshot Google shared with today’s news, though, there are six icons on the taskbar, so that might be something the company has changed before 12L’s public release. 

A screenshot of the Settings in Android 12L in landscape mode, showing the
Google

Android has long faced criticism for being an unintuitive system for tablets, leading to a dearth in real competition for Apple’s iPads. Though we can’t say for certain yet whether 12L will make Android tablets substantively better, at least Google is trying to make it better so non-Apple users might have options to consider in future.