Astronomers aren't the only ones taking issue with SpaceX's Starlink satellites. As CNETreports, China has filed a complaint with the United Nations over two reported near-collisions between the in-progress Tiangong space station and Starlink vehicles. According to Chinese officials, the station had to perform evasive maneuvers on July 1st and October 21st this year to minimize the chance of a collision.

The accusations line up with astronomer Jonathan McDowell's conjunction observations for both days. China further argued that SpaceX's satellites weren't always predictable. During the October incident, the Starlink craft was "continuously" manuvering in a way that made it difficult to predict the orbital path.

We've asked SpaceX for comment. China has already demanded action, however. In its complaint, the country asked the UN Secretary-General to remind countries (read: the US) that parties in the Outer Space Treaty are responsible for incidents beyond Earth, even if they involve private companies.

China has created its own share of incidents in the past. A 2007 anti-satellite missile test created debris that poses threats to the International Space Station and other spacecraft to this day. All the same, the complaint suggests the privatization of space is making these near-accidents more commonplace — particularly when SpaceX, Amazon and others are launching internet services that depend on huge satellite constellations.

More big names are cancelling in-person CES 2022 plans. CNETnotes AMD and OnePlus have both withdrawn their physical presences at the technology event. While they didn't provide detailed explanations, the move was clearly in response to the rise of COVID-19's Omicron variant and the corresponding surge in new cases. AMD is switching its in-person transactions to virtual ones in the "best interest" of everyone's health, the company said in a statement.

AMD was already poised to launch its 2022 products through a livestream on January 4th. OnePlus said it would introduce the OnePlus 10 Pro in January and was rumored to unveil the phone at CES.

The companies join numerous major brands that have backed out of real-world CES involvement, including Amazon, AT&T, GM, Google, Intel, Lenovo, Meta, Microsoft and T-Mobile. Others were already focused on virtual presentations, such as NVIDIA. Show mainstays like LG, Samsung and Sony were still committed as of this writing.

CES' organizer, the Consumer Technology Association, is still planning an in-person event and believes its health and safety measures are enough to protect attendees. It also downplayed the wave of departures, noting there had been more new sign-ups than exits as of December 23rd. The situation has changed in recent days, though, and the concern is more about the size of the companies than sheer numbers — this won't represent a CES revival if the star attractions are nowhere to be seen.

Lego isn't quite done mining your video game nostalgia. After nearly a year of work, the company has revealed that its Sonic the Hedgehog Green Hill Zone set will be available online and in Lego stores on January 1st, 2022 for $70 (£60). The brick-based recreation of the game's best-known area includes minifigs for Sonic, Dr. Eggman (aka Dr. Robotnik), two critters and the Phantom Ruby. Sonic won't dart around loops, unfortunately, but there is a Technic lever to launch him (or any other characters) along with the rings and powerups you'd expect.

The set is the finished adaptation of Sonic fan Viv Grannell's submission to the Lego Ideas platform. Their concept set racked up the 10,000 votes necessary to be considered for a real set. Lego officially began work in February.

You probably won't see too many more video game-themed Lego sets in the near future. Sonic and Mario are two of the best-known franchises — other game-related Lego Ideas for Legend of Zelda, Metroid and other classics haven't come close to passing the 10,000-vote threshold. This does illustrate the power of crowdsourcing, though, and it's good news for kids who grew up with a Genesis (or Mega Drive) in the living room.

Hyundai only just released its first ground-up electric car, but it's apparently ready to leave combustion engines behind. As Electrekreports, Korea Economic Dailysources claim Hyundai shut down its research center's engine design unit sometime this month. There will still be some workers left to refine existing engines, but the rest will move to EV-related work.

The company is understood to be converting buildings for EV development at the same time. The powertrain development center is becoming an electrification test facility, and the performance development center is now dedicated to electrified machines. There's also a new battery development center, while researchers are now sourcing raw battery and chip components.

The aim is simple, according to the leak. Hyundai wants to accelerate the transition to EVs, and that means devoting much more of its energy to the newer technology. Electrification is "inevitable," new research chief Park Chung-kook reportedly said in email, and the transition will help produce cars that "dominate the future market."

We've asked Hyundai for comment. The change in priorities would make sense, at least. Many countries and individual states intend to ban combustion car sales in the 2030s. Hyundai's home of South Korea, for instance, has a climate plan that would ban combustion-only sales by 2030 and all combustion vehicle sales by 2035. Hyundai is already phasing out diesels. There wouldn't be much point to designing new engines that would only have a brief time on the market, and the company is likely to significantly expand its EV lineup long before any government cutoffs.

Cheating is as much a problem in mobile games as it is elsewhere, and Krafton is taking extra steps to crack down on the worst offenders. 91Mobilesreports the developer is now permanently banning cheaters' devices in Battlegrounds Mobile India (aka the local version of PUBG Mobile). Rogue players can't just create new accounts to continue ruining your matches — in theory, they have to buy a new phone or tablet.

The concept of a device ban isn't new. Titles like Call of Duty: Warzone and Valorant routinely block hardware. It's not as common on mobile, however, and Battlegrounds Mobile India is a particularly prominent example when over 16 million people play daily.

Device bans won't suddenly end cheating in the battle royale brawler. While device bans require more effort to circumvent, particularly on mobile, it's not impossible. Krafton's effort might deter many 'casual' cheaters, however, and that might be enough to attract (or keep) honest players put off by past mischief.

Tesla is quickly responding to the NHTSA's investigation of in-dash gaming while cars are moving. The Guardian has learned Tesla will deliver an update disabling on-the-move Passenger Play. A spokeswoman for the regulator said Tesla promised the change after discussing the matter with officials. There was no mention of when the update might arrive, but it's safe to presume you'll have to park for future gaming sessions.

The representative stressed the investigation would continue despite the update. The NHTSA reiterated that the Vehicle Safety Act bars companies from selling cars that pose significant safety risks, including from distracted driving. The investigation covers roughly 580,000 Tesla EVs between the 2017 and 2022 model years.

Tesla no longer operates a public relations team and wasn't available for comment. The feature change isn't surprising, though. Inaction could worsen the consequences if the NHTSA finds Tesla was negligent. There's also the matter of competitive pressure. Mercedes-Benz recently fixed an error that allowed mid-drive video playback — it wouldn't look good if Tesla refused to follow suit.

Intel is learning first-hand about the challenges of pleasing both its home country and China. The New York Timesreports Intel has apologized on Chinese social networks after it sent local suppliers a letter saying it wouldn't use labor and products from the province of Xinjiang. The company said it was honoring US sanctions against the province, not outlining a political viewpoint like social media users, celebrities and nationalist press had suggested.

The US applied sanctions following widespread claims the Chinese government was suppressing Xinjiang's Uyghur Muslim population. Many have accused China of human rights violations that include forced labor, internment camps and constant surveillance. China has long denied the allegations. Intel may have played a role in those violations, as its chips were used in both a spying-oriented supercomputing center and in surveillance systems police obtained despite a blocklist preventing access to US tech. Intel said it wasn't aware China was misusing its hardware.

The uproar underscores the juggling act Intel, Apple and other American tech firms maintain when operating in China. They have to respect US sanctions (as Intel will continue to do here) and frequently want to be seen embracing American notions of civil and human rights, but they also risk losing a major source of revenue if they antagonize a Chinese government eager to silence criticism. Companies have removed features, transferred data storage and otherwise made exceptions to preserve their business in China. Intel won't necessarily be pushed to make a decision after the letter, but it clearly doesn't have much leeway in situations like this.

Never mind smelling what's on screen — would you like to taste what you see? Probably not, but one scientist is pressing forward anyway. ASCII and Reuters report Meiji University professor Homei Miyashita has presented Taste the TV, a set you can lick to get the flavor of whatever's on-screen. The prototype sends electrical signals to 10 flavor canisters to create unique sprays that cover a (thankfully hygenic) film overlay.

The device has been long in development. Miyashita discussed the basic concept of a "taste synthesizer" in spring 2020, and offered an early look at the TV in October this year.

It sounds disgusting, and people would no doubt give you strange looks if you French-kissed your TV in the middle of a show. However, Miyashita doesn't necessarily see this as gimmick to add to everyday consumer screens, like 3D TV. He instead imagined lickable screens as tools for cooks and sommeliers, and even hoped to build a platform where you could download tastes like you might songs or videos. This could help you taste recipes from around the world while staying at home.

The technology might be more practical than you think, too. The professor took about a year to build the prototype himself, and he estimated a shipping version would cost the equivalent of $875 to make. Although you probably wouldn't make one the centerpiece of your living room, it might be affordable enough for the culinary industry and dedicated gourmands.

Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral pill will already have some competition in the US. As the Associated Pressreports, the Food and Drug Administration has given emergency use authorization for Merck's Molnupiravir pill. The treatment limits replication of SARS-CoV-2 by inserting "errors" in the virus' genetic code while an infection is relatively young, ideally preventing mild or moderate cases from becoming severe in high-risk patients.

The medicine might not get as much use as Pfizer's Paxlovid, however. Merck's offering will only be available to those 18 years or older versus 12 years for Pfizer's, as there are concerns it might affect bone and cartilage development in younger patients. There are also warnings against using it during pregnancy or while attempting to conceive — the FDA said people should use birth control both during and after treatment, with women waiting days and men waiting three months.

Molnupiravir also doesn't appear to be as effective as Paxlovid. While Pfizer's solution reduced hospitalization and death by as much as 90 percent, Merck's only managed 30 percent. This pill may become the secondary option, particularly in situations where Paxlovid isn't available. Both companies' products are expected to remain effective against the virus' Omicron variant as they don't target mutating spike proteins.

Still, this might become another useful tool for minimizing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. Pfizer's pill will be the most readily available when the US is ordering enough to treat 10 million patients, but there will be enough of Merck's drug to address 3.1 million. Even if the effectiveness is limited, that could spare hundreds of thousands of people from the worst the disease has to offer.

Don't worry if you're scrambling for a last-minute audio gift or IOU — you have good timing. Best Buy is selling the Jabra Elite 85t true wireless earbuds for an all-time low price of $140, a sizeable $90 below the usual price. You'll have to be happy with one color to get that price, and the deal is only available for today (December 23rd), but it's difficult to object when this undercuts even the Black Friday pricing from a month earlier.

The Elite 85t might be your choice if you prize active noise cancelling first and foremost. The earbuds do a superb job of blocking outside noises, whether it's a busy city or a raucous household, and you can customize the ANC levels to filter just enough sounds. They're also comfortable for extended periods and offer wireless charging you don't always get at this sale price.

There are limitations. The audio quality is good but not stunning, and you won't find special tricks like spatial audio or tight integration with specific phones. At $140, though, you probably won't mind — this is a viable alternative to AirPods, Galaxy Buds and other go-tos for portable listening.

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