Following October's news that Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin spaceflight company planned to build its own commercial space station in low Earth orbit, NASA announced on Thursday it has selected the program for funding through a Space Act Agreement to further develop the the station's design. The funding is part of NASA’s Commercial LEO Development program, which aims to "develop a robust commercial space economy in LEO, including supporting the development of commercially owned and operated LEO destinations." 

Blue Origin

“We are pleased that NASA supports the development of Orbital Reef, a revolutionary approach to making Earth orbit more accessible to diverse customers and industries,” Brent Sherwood, Senior Vice President of Advanced Development Programs for Blue Origin, said in a prepared statement. The station would be an orbital "mixed-use space business park" that would offer any number of turnkey services as well as reduced operational costs for burgeoning low-g industries "in addition to meeting the ISS partners’ needs." 

Blue Origin is partnering with Sierra Space in this project with the former focusing on the architecture and infrastructure of the station — everything from its design and construction to managing lift logistics using the New Glenn heavy launch system — while the latter is tasked with developing the station's LIFE (Large Integrated Flexible Environment). Boeing is also helping out, designing the operations-maintenance-science module and leveraging its Starliner crew capsule. Genesis Engineering Solutions is involved as well. It's working on a single person spacecraft that tourists and employees alike will be able to putter around in. 

Thursday's announcement, ironically, comes a the end of a year in which Blue Origin protested NASA's “fundamentally unfair” decision to award a lunar lander contract to rival SpaceX to the GAO, which quickly dismissed the claims. Blue Origin then sued NASA — literally, sued NASA —"in an attempt to remedy the flaws in the acquisition process found in NASA's Human Landing System," a spokesperson for Blue Origin told Engadget in August. The company subsequently lost that suit as well but, hopefully, Thursday's deal will serve as a balm for Bezos' critically wounded ego.

Northrop Grumman

The Orbital Reef team hopes to have its first modules in orbit by the end of the decade with further expansions happening throughout the 2030s. But Orbital Reef isn't the only egg in NASA's commercial LEO basket. Northrop Grumman announced on Thursday that it too had signed a Space Act Agreement — to the tune of $126 million — to design a "free flying" space station that will be a permanent presence in LEO for at least 15 years.

"Our station will enable a smooth transition from International Space Station-based LEO missions to sustainable commercial-based missions where NASA does not bear all the costs, but serves as one of many customers,” Steve Krein, Northrop Grumman's vice president of civil and commercial space, said in a statement. The company plans to leverage its existing Cygnus spacecraft, its Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV) and its Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), as the basis for the station's design. 

As part of its agreement with NASA, these development proposals will have to account for every aspect of the station's "commercialization, operations and capabilities," according to Northrop Grumman, "as well as space station requirements, mission success criteria, risk assessments, key technical and market analysis requirements, and preliminary design activities."

NVIDIA's plan to acquire ARM just hit a major stumbling block. The Federal Trade Commission has sued to block the merger over concerns the $40 billion deal would "stifle" competition for multiple technologies, including datacenters and car computers. ARM is a "critical input" that fosters competition between NVIDIA and rivals, the FTC said, and a merger would give NVIDIA a way to "undermine" those challengers.

The FTC was also worried NVIDIA would have access to sensitive info from ARM licensees. The merger could reduce the incentive for ARM to develop tech that might run counter to NVIDIA's business goals, officials added. The administrative trial is due to start August 9th, 2022.

The company didn't appear bothered. NVIDIA characterized the lawsuit as the "next step" in the FTC process, and repeated its arguments in favor of the buyout. The acquisition would "accelerate" ARM's product plans, foster more competition and still protect the chip architecture designer's open licensing model, according to NVIDIA. You can read the full statement below.

Despite the claims, an FTC lawsuit is a huge issue for NVIDIA. The Commission files lawsuits like these when it believes a company is breaking the law — concessions might not be enough. It also comes after the European Commission launched an investigation into the purchase in October. NVIDIA is facing questions from major regulators clearly wary of the acquisition, and those agencies might not accept the answers.

As it stands, NVIDIA's competition likely isn't happy. Qualcomm reportedly objected to the ARM deal in communications with the FTC (among other bodies) over fears NVIDIA might refuse to license designs. And when heavyweights like Apple, MediaTek and Samsung also depend on ARM, it's doubtful the rest of the market would be enthusiastic. At the least, the trial would likely delay closure of the union past NVIDIA's original 2022 target.

As we move into this next step in the FTC process, we will continue to work to demonstrate that this transaction will benefit the industry and promote competition. NVIDIA will invest in Arm’s R&D, accelerate its roadmaps, and expand its offerings in ways that boost competition, create more opportunities for all Arm licensees and expand the Arm ecosystem. NVIDIA is committed to preserving Arm’s open licensing model and ensuring that its IP is available to all interested licensees, current and future.

Rumors of a Google-branded smartwatch have persisted for years, but they might be close to coming true. Insidersources claim Google is planning to release its first self-developed smartwatch, codenamed "Rohan," in 2022. The Wear OS device would be an eye-catching device with a round display, but no physical bezel — the Galaxy Watch 4 might seem antiquated by comparison.

Rohan would be a relatively typical smartwatch on the inside with a heart rate sensor and a battery that would still require daily charging. It would use proprietary watch bands, so you'd have to forget about using conventional straps. A tipster talking to The Verge claimed the watch would "cost more than a Fitbit" and serve as an Apple Watch competitor.

The software may be the most important feature. Like Pixel phones, Rohan would serve as a "showcase" for Google's platform — in this case, Wear OS 3. The smartwatch (not necessarily called "Pixel Watch," despite the name floating around) would theoretically show customers what Wear OS can do, and give hardware partners a reference point to work from. It might also include a Fitbit tie-in, nicknamed "Nightlight."

Google has already declined to comment, citing a policy of not commenting on rumors or speculation. However, the concept might not be new. Google supposedly axed its first attempt at an official watch in 2016 and instead has put its trust in third-party offerings from Fossil, LG and others. It's moving forward now that it has not only finished acquiring Fitbit, but has reportedly merged its wearable team with Fitbit's and otherwise tried to replicate Apple's focus on health.

A first-party watch might be necessary. Apple continues to dominate the smartwatch market despite a flurry of low-cost hardware and competition from major brands like Samsung and Garmin. Some of this has been blamed on lackluster Wear OS hardware, not to mention a lack of significant OS updates. An official Google watch won't necessarily up-end the marketplace, but it could spur other watchmakers to try harder and add some (arguably needed) excitement.

Now that everyone you know on social media has shared their Spotify Wrapped year-in-review, SoundCloud would like you to know it too has a chronicle of what you listened to over the last 11 months. Starting today, you can access “Your 2021 Playback.” It’s a personalized playlist that features your most-played tracks from 2021. Since this is SoundCloud we’re talking about, it will have a different feel to your Wrapped 2021 playlist. If you turn to the platform to listen to the latest tracks from artists like BabySantana and Polo G, there’s a good chance they’ll show up here.

That’s not the only way you can revisit your listening history. Hidden Gems, another new personalized playlist, highlights tracks you may have glossed over or missed since January. Additionally, SoundCloud Go and Go+ subscribers can see a list of the artists they supported through the company’s recently launched listener-based royalties system. Lastly, there’s The SoundCloud Play, which chronicles the year that was on SoundCloud from a platform level. There, you can see things like the artist whose song attracted the most comments, among other things.

Nissan has unveiled the lunar lander prototype it has been working on with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The automaker has been collaborating with the agency on driving controllability since January 2020.

To help ensure the rover doesn't get stuck on the lunar surface, Nissan has employed a version of its e-4orce all-wheel control technology. The company says its driving-force controls can minimize wheel spin "in accordance with surface conditions." Not only could that prevent the rover's wheels from digging into the moon's powdery, rocky terrain, it might help the lander conserve precious energy.

Nissan announced the e-4orce powertrain system early last year. The tech, which is featured in the Ariya electric crossover and upcoming next-gen Leaf, allows for precise, independent control for all four wheels. The Ariya has front and rear motors, and the torque of each can be controlled individually to deliver traction during acceleration.

The company believes "the knowhow gained from this joint research with JAXA will lead to innovations in our vehicles that will bring benefits to customers," according to Toshiyuki Nakajima, general manager of Nissan's Advanced Vehicle Engineering Department.

The current design of the rover isn't aesthetically exciting, unfortunately. Right now, it's a rectangular box on wheels. But, as is usually the case, it's what's on the inside that really counts.

Polestar just offered a teaser of what might be its most important EV to date. The badge has provided its first good look (the last one was draped in a curtain) of the 3, its first SUV and its first US-made vehicle. The "premium" vehicle may be lightly disguised with QR code-like camouflage, but it looks like what you'd expect — it's a taller, roomier sibling to the 2 sedan. That's not necessarily a problem, though, and Polestar is betting on a few factors that could make the machine successful.

The company isn't shy about the target audience: this will be an EV built "in America for Americans," who keep buying upscale SUVs in large numbers. The category is likely to be one of the first to fully embrace EVs, Polestar said. The 3 should also be one of the "most climate-responsible" cars to date, and will eventually include hands-free highway driving through a combination of LiDAR and NVIDIA computing hardware.

The 3 arrives in 2022 and will join a growing EV lineup that includes the long Polestar 5 sedan. How well it fares will depend on factors like pricing and competition from its sibling brand Volvo, but it's clear Polestar is ready to be known as more than a niche brand — even if its sales goals (290,000 per year by 2025) are still modest.

Much like Assassin's Creed, Battlefield is morphing into a "connected universe." EA is plowing more resources into the series and revamping the structure of its studios to support that vision, despite a lukewarm reception (to put it generously) for Battlefield 2042. 

"As a whole, we're all-in on Battlefield," EA chief operating officer Laura Miele told GameSpot. "Collectively, we are out to unlock its enormous potential."

Multiple studios in North America and Europe are said to be working on Battlefield games and experiences. One of those is Battlefield Mobile, which will be released next year.

Vince Zampella, the head of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Apex Legends studio Respawn Entertainment, is now in charge of the Battlefield franchise. Zampella, who took over at DICE LA last year, will continue to run Respawn. In addition to producing the original Call of Duty, he has worked on Titanfall and Medal of Honor games.

"We intend to build a Battlefield universe, one with multiple projects that are interconnected with the player at the center," Zampella said. "We will continue to evolve and grow Battlefield 2042, and we'll explore new kinds of experiences and business models along the way that we can add to that foundation to provide an awesome array of experiences for our players."

Byron Beede, another Call of Duty veteran EA hired as Battlefield general manager this year, said EA has a "long-term plan" for the series. However, the main focus right now is on supporting Battlefield 2042. 

Ripple Effect, which worked on Battlefield 2042'sPortal customization mode, and a new studio run by Halo designer Marcus Lehto will help DICE improve that game. DICE just rolled out a patch that targeted Battlefield 2042's clunky user interface and fixed a ton of bugs.

Meanwhile, DICE general manager Oskar Gabrielson will leave the company at the end of the year. Former Ubisoft Annecy studio director Rebecka Coutaz is taking over that role.

Google is adding new tools to Search to make it easier to navigate the US healthcare system. To start, you’ll find a new filter on mobile that allows you to find providers that accept Medicare. Additionally, Google has added a directory option that allows clinics to list the languages the staff at their office speak. With today’s launch, there’s support for 12 languages, including Spanish and ASL. Lastly, the company now allows healthcare providers to update their Google Business Profile. They can do so by claiming their listing, which should help them ensure important information about their hours and services are accurate.

All of those may seem like small additions, but they’re ones that should help make healthcare more accessible for more people. If you’re someone who depends on your Medicare, there’s nothing more frustrating than showing up at a doctor’s office or clinic only to find out they don’t accept your plan. Similarly, a language barrier can often make a significant difference in healthcare outcomes.  

Nike isn't the only sportswear brand dabbling in metaverses. Adidas has teased a metaverse where people in "overlooked locations with updated values" can share their "most original ideas" and otherwise let their individualism shine. The company is cryptic about what this will involve, but NFTs might play a prominent role.

Adidas has joined the Bored Ape Yacht Club, a collection of Bored Ape NFTs on the Ethereum blockchain, with its own entry, the "rebellious optimist" ape Indigo Herz (shown above). This is a "sign of what's to come," the brand said, noting that NFTs would give metaverse users a chance to own a slice of what they made. The company is encouraging users to grab its Confirmed app to "discover more," and is taking email signups as well.

A move like this isn't surprising. It gives Adidas a chance to seize on two tech trends at once and ride the ensuing publicity, of course. However, it could also help the label expand its fashion and art ambitions to the digital realm. You might see other brands follow suit, at least if the metaverses from Adidas and Nike prove relatively successful.

The last couple of years haven’t exactly been great for most people, but if the planet’s most-used emoji are anything to judge by, at least we’re still in fairly good spirits. The Unicode Consortium says the top 10 most-used emoji are mostly unchanged from 2019 (the group didn't release a list last year).

The Tears of Joy (😂) emoji reigned supreme again. It accounted for five percent of all emoji use, even though many Gen Z-ers find it deeply uncool. It was also the top emoji in 2019 and the most tweeted one last year.

The Unicode Consortium said the only emoji that gets close to the popularity of Tears of Joy is the Red Heart ❤️. The rest of this year's top 10 most-used emoji, which mostly have positive vibes, are:

• 🤣 - Rolling on the Floor Laughing

• 👍 - Thumbs Up Sign

• 😭 - Loudly Crying Face

• 🙏 - Folded Hands (aka the prayer emoji)

• 😘 - Face Blowing a Kiss

• 🥰 - Smiling Face With Three Hearts

• 😍 - Smiling Face with Heart-Shaped Eyes

• 😊 - Smiling Face with Smiling Eyes

It seems most of us aren't super creative in our emoji use. The top 100 account for around 82 percent of total emoji shares, even though there are more than 3,600 to choose from, not to mention the mashups on Gboard.

Smiling faces and hand-based emoji are generally very popular, as are the plant-flower and emotion (i.e. hearts) categories. The least popular emoji category is flags. Country flags are used the least, even though there are more emoji in that category than any other and the Summer Olympic Games, one of the biggest demonstrations of national pride, took place this year.

Given that we've been enduring a pandemic for almost two years, it's not too surprising that there's been a rise in the use of health-related emoji. Even so, only 🥵 (Hot Face) and 🥴 (Woozy face) made it into the top 100 this year — 🦠 (Microbe) squeaked into the top 500. After all, instead of using a specific emoji depicting sickness, many people are likely to just say they're feeling like 💩.

It's heartening to know that despite the turmoil the humanity has endured lately, our emoji use trends toward happiness, love and positivity. It's far better to be a 😎 than a 🤡.