Spaniards are traveling more than ever. That’s why the new trendy restaurants are gas stations and airports.

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The Spain of 2026 is not fed the same as that of 2016, 2006 and (of course) that of three, four or five decades ago. That is something that can be sensed by taking a look at the trends in the sector: the bread consumption and fish is in the doldrums in homes, just like the wine either the beerand we are increasingly inclined to buy food on trayspre-cooked or even dishes elaborated in the supermarket, what is making gold to Mercadona. For changing it has even changed the way to focus the pitanza: three course menu we have passed to the snackfication. Now we know something else: in a Spain that is increasingly inclined to travel, the ‘road’ restaurantssuch as those located at gas stations or airports. Eating ‘on the way’. We knew that 2025 had not been a bad year for hoteliers in Spain, who (although with a slight decrease in the profitability of restaurants) saw their turnover grow about 4.7%. What we didn’t know is that, within the sector, there is a niche that seems to have done well particularly good: premises located in ‘transit’ places, such as service areas, airports, railway stations and ports. That is, restaurants in which (it is assumed) a large percentage of customers are travelers in transit, people looking for a place to eat while traveling from one place to another. The percentage: 6.2%. The DBK Sector Observatory has just published a report in which it details that in Spain there are some 4,300 restaurant establishments with this profile, ‘on the road’ businesses that last year increased their sales by 6.2%. It’s not bad at all. Especially if we take into account that in 2024 the sector has already expanded by 11.6% and has registered “strong growth” since 2021. A billion-dollar business. In practice, this growth translated in 2025 into a global turnover of 1,790 million euros. Of them, 45.5% came from bars located in airports, which generated a turnover of 815 million euros. They are followed (in size) by the service areas, which generated around 785 million, the railway terminals (150 million) and the maritime stations, which totaled 40 million, around 2.2% of the sector. As for the network of ‘on-the-go’ restaurants, the service areas stand out above all. Of the 4,300 establishments of this type that DBK has registered throughout the country, 3,500 correspond to businesses located in places where customers stop to refuel. They are followed at a distance by stores located in airports, which total about 430 businesses, 10.1% of the total. Already in third place are the bars at the maritime (190) and train stations (175). Business type Billing (Millions of €) Growth % (2025-2024) Airports 815 +7.2 service areas 785 +5.9 railway stations 150 +3.4 Maritime stations 40 +2.6 TOTAL 1,790 +6.2 airport menu. He DBK report provides another interesting fact: restaurants located in airports are not only the ones that make the most money in general, they are also the ones that have expanded their business the most. The consulting firm estimates that in 2025 its turnover increased by 7.2%nothing surprising if we take into account that Aena’s passenger traffic also grew last year. The airport operator accounted in total 321.6 million of travelers, 3.9% more than in 2024. In fact Aena reached a user record both in its entire network, which includes facilities located in the United Kingdom and Brazil, and in around twenty airports. These brands are driven both by the movements of Spaniards who fly between different cities in the country or to destinations abroad, as well as by the tourists with other nationalities. Why is it important? Beyond what it means for the sector, the DKB report is interesting because it helps us understand how we eat in Spain. We know that every time we are less dice to consume fresh fish at home, which is a respectable percentage of Spaniards who never or very rarely cook and who seem to less interested on traditional bar menus and more inclined to compare precooked either dishes prepared in supermarkets. Now to all those trends, and others related to the pecking either alcohol consumptiona new one is added: more and more we eat in transit places, something that makes sense if we take into account the increase in travel outside. Images | Ivona Rož (Unsplash) and Max Harlynking (Unsplash) In Xataka | Spain has made it fashionable to serve beer in frozen glasses. Cruzcampo is clear about his opinion: “Totally against it”

The business ‘Dream Team’ repeats as the best company and the highest valued manager in Spain

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If we think about which Spanish company is the best ratedit is very likely that Inditex, Mercadona, Banco Santander or Repsol are among the most repeated. The same thing happens when we talk about entrepreneurs who have founded them or managers who direct them. Names like Amancio Ortega, Juan Roig or Ana Botín are the first that come to mind. For the last 25 years, the corporate reputation business monitor Merco make a ranking with the best valued companies and managers in the country. In its 26th edition of Merco Empresas, the duo Inditex and Juan Roig have remained immovable on the podium as a company and manager best rated from Spain. Inditex, again at the top One more year, Inditex tops the list of the 200 companies with the best reputation in Spain. They are closely followed by Mercadona and Grupo Social Once, which complete a podium that barely changes from one year to the next. The Merco Empresas study is prepared based on 65,000 surveys, seven evaluations and 29 different sources, as detailed by the Merco Empresas study. Merco report. In fact, the top 5 of 2026 has not moved one place compared to the 2025 edition. But from sixth place onwards changes do appear. Caixabank rises two positions compared to the 2025 ranking and enters the top 6. The insurer Mapfre also improves its rating, going from tenth to eighth place, achieving 7,111 points from the experts. Coca-Cola, on the other hand, loses four positions and falls to tenth place. Repsol, Iberdrola, Caixabank, BBVA and Santander complete the top 10 best valued Spanish companies. Juan Roig, eight years unbeatable Something very similar happens in the leader ranking. Juan Roig, president of Mercadona, repeats as the highest-rated executive in Spain for the eighth year in a row, as confirmed by himself leader ranking. Ana Botín, executive president of Banco Santander, follows closely behind. Closing the top 3 is Amancio Ortega, followed by Marta Ortega, founder and non-executive president of the Inditex group respectively. This block already has several editions without changing ordersomething unusual in a ranking that measures public perception and not just the figures on a balance sheet of financial results. From fifth place onwards there are new developments. Josu Jon Imaz (Repsol) rises to sixth place and Pablo Isla (Nestlé) enters seventh. Isidre Fainé and Gonzalo Gortázar (CaixaBank) also climb positions compared to the previous year. Antonio Huertas (Mapfre) slips into tenth place after climbing five steps. Florentino Pérez (ACS Group) and María Dolores Dancausa (Bankinter), on the other hand, leave the top 10 this year. From the analysis of this reputation list, two clear conclusions can be drawn. The first is that both Mercadona and Inditex, as well as their directors and founders, are two examples of business success not so much for its good growth figuresbut for having achieved connect with your customerswhich are those that are taken into account in this type of listings. On the other hand, it is striking how the personality or image that a manager projects can even be above the perception levels of the company he or she directs. That is to say, the public recognizes the work of a manager like Ana Botón, placing her in second position but, on the other hand, Banco Santander has not achieved the same connection with users than its president, maintaining ninth position in the company ranking. Amancio Ortega, the boss who no longer commands but continues to weigh Amancio Ortega left the executive presidency of Inditex in 2011 and does not even have a management position in its investment arm Pontegadea. Since then he has lived away from the spotlight in La Coruña. But its shadow is still very long. Ortega continues to be the largest shareholder of the group, with more than 59% of the capital through Pontegadea, and will collect this year a record dividend of more than 3,234 million euros. Furthermore, he remains the only Spaniard among the ten richest in the world, according to the Forbes list of 2026. Ortega no longer signs decisions on a day-to-day basis at Inditex, however, even after his retirement, his name continues to occupy a prominent place in the ranking of managers best valued by the public. In Xataka | Mercadona is doing the opposite of other large companies: freezing Roig’s salary to reinvest it Image | GTRES, Mercadona

Today at Lidl (and with a 20% discount) this Parkside robotic lawnmower with which you can effortlessly leave your lawn perfect

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If you are lucky enough to have a home with a garden, you will know that keeping it in perfect condition when the good weather arrives can turn into hours of work that many are not willing to waste. Between the heat and the time it consumes pass the traditional lawnmowerthe idea of ​​automating the task is increasingly attractive. However, the prices of autonomous robots are often prohibitive. Luckily, today on the Lidl website, we found this Parkside City Smart 20 V robotic lawnmower reduced with a 20% discount, being able to buy it for 143.99 euros. Don’t delay buying it though because the offer ends today. Parkside City Smart 20 V robotic lawnmower The price could vary. We earn commission from these links As we have already said, this offer is only available today, so if you are one of the laggards and can’t get this deal, on Amazon we have found another connected robotic lawnmower that may interest you. It is about the Worx WR303Ewhich is more expensive (it is now reduced to 599 euros) but it is worth it for the top features it offers such as automatic mapping, voice control and AI. WORX WR303E Landroid Vision Cloud Cordless Robot Lawn Mower The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A tool to have your perfect garden without lifting a finger The secret of this Parkside robotic lawnmower lies in its balance between connectivity and autonomy. It works under the brand’s 20 V battery ecosystem and is specifically designed to efficiently manage, urban and medium-sized gardens. Through the Lidl Home app (via WiFi or Bluetooth), you can schedule outage days, delimit the hours of activity and check the status of the device in real time from the couch or while you are away from home. It is equipped with a brushless motor (brushless) long-lasting and is a robot that optimizes energy consumption and significantly reduces noise compared to conventional gasoline or electric models. In addition, its cutting system finely shreds the grass, which means that the remains are deposited on the ground, functioning as natural fertilizer, thus saving you the task of collecting waste bags. With this robot you can forget about the device crashing or breaking if it starts to rain. The Parkside City Smart incorporates a rain sensor which orders it to automatically return to its charging station if the weather worsens, protecting both the motor and the health of your lawn. It also has Tilt, elevation and obstruction sensorswhich guarantees that you will avoid any unforeseen event on the terrain safely. Its configuration is extremely simple thanks to the included perimeter cable, which allows you to perfectly delimit the work area so that the robot knows exactly where to move. ⚡ IN BRIEF: offer for Parkside City Smart 20 V robotic lawnmower today ✅ THE BEST Good fluidity for gaming (144 Hz): It is his great asset. Finding a TV of this size with a native refresh rate of 144 Hz for this price is almost a miracle. If you connect a next-generation console or a PC, the experience is ultra-fluid, without jerks and with minimal latency. Google TV: For many, this is the best operating system for televisions. It is fast, intuitive and has the largest catalog of apps on the market. Plus, Google voice control works great for searching content without having to type on the remote. ❌ THE WORST Standard sound… Although it is suitable for the news, the integrated speakers do not have the punch necessary for an action movie. The image is so big and so good that the sound is dwarfed. Reflections in brightly lit rooms… If you have a window right in front of the TV, the panel may suffer from reflections during the day, since it does not have the anti-reflective treatment of the ultra-high ranges. 💡 BUY IT IF… If you are a gamer, since it is one of the best quality-price TVs currently. It is also recommended for moviegoers on a tight budget. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You have very large sofas and the family is spread throughout the living room and many watch TV from side angles, since it will not be the best option. You may also be interested Lawnmaster OcuMow®16 Electric Lawnmower Robots for Gardens of 150 m² The price could vary. We earn commission from these links MOVA LiDAX Ultra 800 Robotic Lawnmower, 800㎡ Coverage The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Image | Webedia and Parkside (Lidl) In Xataka | Best handheld vacuum cleaners: which one to buy and 6 + 1 recommended models from just over 30 euros In Xataka | The best window cleaning robots to always have shiny windows

The 48 “black flag” beaches that Spain has this summer, on a map

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Summer has its own rituals. And one of those more usually like to the town councils of the coastal areas is to boast of their ‘Blue Flags’the distinctive features that have identified the most comfortable sandy beaches and marinas for decades. In Spain, however, there is another much less comfortable recognition: the ‘Black Flags’banners of Ecologists in Action that point out the opposite. They basically serve to locate on the map the beaches most affected by pollution or poor environmental management. And we already know those of 2026. What has happened? That Ecologistas en Acción has just starred in one of the most uncomfortable moments of the year for coastal cities: the presentation from his ‘Black Flags’ report. Said like this, it may not seem like a big deal, but what the organization does is publicly point out the 48 beaches in the country (both in mainland Spain and the archipelagos, Ceuta and Melilla) that have received the worst results from their quality examination. It is interesting because its authors are dedicated to evaluating two aspects: pollution and the efficiency of environmental management. Are there many beaches? In Spain there are more than 3,500 beaches registered and the Ecologistas en Acción report includes only 48 black flags. It is a low figure. Especially if we take into account that there are 677 with blue badge. That does not mean that the vast majority of sandbanks are in optimal conditions. That there are only 48 ‘failures’ is explained by the NGO’s way of working: although its technicians analyze more than 8,000 km of coast, they limit themselves to giving two flags per province. One for dirt. The other due to mismanagement. “The report, as in previous years, includes the most serious environmental conditions on the Spanish coast, but not all. Unfortunately there could be many more flags that we award year after year,” explains the environmental organization. Their report is interesting for another reason: it is not a new study or a study that just came out of nowhere. It has been taking place since 2005 and its authors have included a “restoration proposal” for each specific case, a kind of diagnosis with which the NGO aspires to contribute to the recovery of the Spanish coast. Why are the beaches suspended? Each of the 48 black flags points to a specific problem, but in general the NGO groups them into eight categories. The most common (responsible for 14 distinctions) are “discharges, deficiencies in sanitation systems and serious purification problems.” Next in frequency are “affects to biodiversity”, causing another nine black flags, and urban developments and works that invade the maritime-terrestrial public domain, which has also caused eight black flags. In seven other cases the problem has been “chemical contamination.” The list is completed by beaches where there is “environmental degradation” caused by tourism and overcrowding, others where the NGO has registered “unnecessary or poorly managed works” and the accumulation of garbage, waste and microplastics. In a specific case, on the Santander coastal paththe flag was assigned for “damage to historical and cultural heritage.” Do we know anything else? Yes. In your report The NGO includes a slap on the wrist to the administrations of the coastal regions, to which it warns: “A good part of the coasts have been and continue to be subject to a continuous process of degradation.” “The regression of beaches, destruction of wetlands and dune systems, marine pollution, loss of biodiversity and increased vulnerability to storms and floods are some of the most visible consequences of a model that puts the coastline at the service of economic interests,” ditch. Images | Ecologists in Action In Xataka | Spain now has more pets than children. So more and more cities open their beaches to dogs in summer

This is the new LG xboom La Bestia Stage 501

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Summer and heat bring back those late-night gatherings with family or friends. A good bluetooth speaker It’s going to help us liven it up with a little music and that’s exactly where the LG xboom The Beast Stage 501a new portable speaker that can be very useful if you like karaoke and is available for 399.20 euros on MediaMarkt and also on amazon. LG STAGE501 – Xboom Stage 501 Speaker, High Power, 220W, Portable, for Parties, Karaoke, LED Lights, DJ Effects, Bluetooth, 25h Battery, IPX4 Resistance, Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links 220 W of power in a speaker with LED lights and karaoke This is a large speaker (its net weight is 11.7 kg), but it has a pair of handles so that we can transport and move it comfortably. Has IPX4 certification against splashes, so you can use it near the pool. Depending on the brand, Its battery is capable of reaching up to 25 hours of autonomy. In addition, it is removable, so if you need much more autonomy, you could purchase an additional battery and replace it whenever you want. One of its most striking functions is artificial intelligence that will help us have a very versatile karaoke at parties. It has what LG calls ‘AI Karaoke’, a technology that removes vocals from songs in real time and turns them into instrumental tracks. In addition, since it has an input for two microphones, you can generate a very fun activity for groups. In terms of sound, it has a power of 220 W with two 5.25” woofers and two 2.5” tweeters, so we can expect very powerful sound and bass. Of course, to take advantage of this sound power it is necessary that we connect it to a power outlet (with the battery, it remains at 160 W). When we use it, we can also configure the LED light it emits so that it works to the rhythm of the music, thus generating a very striking effect that looks great at any party. ⚡ IN SUMMARY: lg xboom stage 501 ai ✅ THE BEST Powerful sound and bass: We can expect a powerful and clean sound from it. The same can be said about its bass. Karaoke function: Being able to use the speaker as a karaoke machine is a very cool and versatile option, all taking into account that its AI will allow us to use any song. Many connectivity options: In addition to Bluetooth, it also has a USB-A port, a 3.5 mm port, and two microphone inputs. ❌ THE WORST It’s big and heavy: Despite its handles, its more than 11 kg net weight makes moving it not an easy task. The 220 W, only connected to the power: When used with battery, its sound power remains at 160 W. 💡 BUY IT IF… You are one of those who have a lot of meetings or barbecues at home and you are looking for a very powerful speaker that also allows you to use it for karaoke. ⛔ DON’T BUY IT IF… You prefer a much more manageable portable speaker, you don’t like karaoke or you don’t need as much power. You may also be interested JBL Charge 6, Wireless Portable Bluetooth Speaker, 28h Battery Life, IP68 Water Resistance, Dust and Drop Proof, JBL Pro Sound with AI Sound Boost, Compatible with Auracast, Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Soundcore Powerful Boom 2 Bluetooth Speaker, with Powerful 80W Sound Thanks to the Subwoofer and BassUp™, 24h, IPX7, Has RGB Lights, USB-C Port, for Camping, Beach or Field The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | LG In Xataka | Best Bluetooth speakers in quality price. Which one to buy based on use and seven recommended models In Xataka | Lidl sells this gadget for less than 9 euros and it will be very useful during the summer holidays

Finding approved glasses to see the eclipse is more complex than it seems: here is a guide

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The total solar eclipse on August 12 will be the first in peninsular Spain since 1912. However, many Spaniards have already seen the occasional partial eclipse. Although we are ashamed, many of us also have memories of having looked at the sun through an x-ray, in the absence of approved glasses. There were many myths about it and it used to be said that this measure was enough to protect the eyes. A very dangerous statement that left more than one person with sore eyes. Nowadays, luckily, there is much more information and we know that, to look directly at the sun, only glasses approved for eclipses are valid. The problem is that, as with everything, there will be people who try to profit by selling at a lower price some glasses that, in reality, do not meet adequate safety standards. Therefore, it is very important that we, as users, know what we should look at. Make sure they are approved. Approved glasses must contain the inscription: EN ISO 12312-2:2015. In addition, if you buy in the European Union, the CE marking must also be visible. On the other hand, there is certain information that must always be included: the name of the manufacturer, instructions on its safe use and conservation instructions. All of this should be included on the packaging or instructions. Make sure they are not broken. Your glasses may be approved and suitable for eclipses, but they may be damaged. If this is the case, they can be equally harmful to the eyes. That’s why, you should check that the filter is not scratched, loose or bent, and also that some areas are not lighter than others. In general, if you see any signs of deterioration in the area covering the eyes, you should look for others. Be careful where you buy. As long as all of these criteria are met, it doesn’t matter where you buy your eclipse glasses. However, it is true that if you buy them from planetariums, astronomical associations or scientific entities, they are more likely to be reliable. No, sunglasses don’t work. It may seem intuitive to us to wear sunglasses. After all, they are made to protect the eyes from solar radiation. However, direct and indirect solar radiation are not the same, especially when the direct radiation occurs under the conditions of an eclipse. Sunglasses meet their own safety criteria for protect us from scattered lightbut not to look directly at the king star. In fact, they can increase the risk, since they don’t block as much UV radiation as eclipse glasses, but enough so that we don’t have to squint. We will have them wide open and those radiations from which they do not protect us will be able to penetrate and affect us more. It doesn’t matter if 99% of the sun is covered. Even if there is only 1% of the sun visible, it is important to use approved glasses. The problem with eclipses is that, since there is a certain darkness, we do not blink or squint as much as we would when looking directly at the sun, so we do not have that perception of danger, but we do run the risk of damaging our retinas. Therefore, always check that your glasses are well approved. This way you can enjoy the eclipse safely. Image | Astroclubkosova In Xataka | A third of Spain will be completely dark for a minute or two. The astronomical event of the century is approaching

“As AI takes on more jobs, you’ll be able to retire earlier and work shorter workweeks”

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Bill Gates has been talking for some time about a topic that has become almost an obsession for the millionaire: what will happen to work when AI takes care of a good part of it. The technology magnate did so sitting in front of the Indian businessman and host of the podcast “People by WTF” Nikhil Kamath. During the conversationGates presented his concerns and predictions about the future of work, from the perspective of someone who has been away from the front line of business for many years and is close to retirement age (if that is the case). millionaires retire one day to be). “In 20 years, AI will have changed things enough that this purely capitalist framework probably won’t explain much anymore.” The shortage that Gates considers dead. The founder of Microsoft assures that “we have always had a shortage: a shortage of doctors, of teachers, of people to work in factories. These shortages will cease to exist. It will be a quite profound change, which will free up a lot of time.” That is, thanks to the implementation of AI and robotics tools, the deficit of professionals in certain areas will be reduced. The data agrees with the founder of Microsoft, at least in relation to the shortage of qualified labor in strategic sectors like the toiletor the teacher, for whom UNESCO foresees a shortage of 44 million primary and secondary education teachers by 2030. “For those of us who have been in a world of scarcity for almost 70 years, it is difficult to even adapt,” acknowledges the millionaire. Hands made of metal. Beyond the knowledge work that AI can develop, the veteran millionaire also spoke about the role of robotics and how robots will contribute to reducing people’s working hours and working lives. “You have to have extraordinary hands to do those things. We will achieve it,” says Gates about the work of robots in factories, construction and in sectors as physically punished as hotel cleaning. He’s not the only one who thinks so. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang estimates that humanoid robots could move a market of 40 billion dollars. Elon Musk, assured that by 2040, there will be at least 10 billion humanoid robots priced between $20,000 and $25,000. Still lacks real skill for perform with ease and reliability in an industrial environment, but investments and engineering are already at work in that direction, just as Gates predicts. Retire early: the old promise that seems to be moving away. The most controversial phrase in the interview, however, refers to the fact that employees will no longer need to have such a long career to access retirement, something that clashes head-on with the policies of delay in retirement age that many are applying countries of the worldamong which find Spain. “You will be able to retire earlier, work shorter work weeks, and that will require almost a philosophical rethinking of how time should be spent (…) We will have created, in a way, free intelligence.” Gates’ approach is not new at all. In 1930, the economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that technology would reduce the work week to just 15 hours. Almost a century later, a full-time worker in the US spends on average 8.5 hours to work on a working day, while in Spain it is dedicated between 40 and 37.5 hours per week. The promise of more free time has not been fulfilled for almost a hundred years.

The new WhatsApp usernames have a reason for being. Advertising, specifically

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WhatsApp launched a couple of days ago usernamesone of the most important innovations when it comes to contacting people. Until now, talking to someone on WhatsApp was synonymous with having their phone number, but not now. Now just know (or guess, we’ll come back to this later) your username. To pave the way, WhatsApp now allows reserve your usernamethat @ that you have been using for so long on other social networks. And what can happen? That it is not available because someone has claimed it (shout out to the beast that @josedextro has reserved). That’s when WhatsApp puts a solution on the table: if you already use that user on Instagram, You can link your WhatsApp account with said social network and try to claim it. Basically, reading is different. Because, in essence, this is still a mechanism to promote the unification of accounts and have more data to show targeted advertising in an app that, by design, does not allow that option. Your @ is more than a name Last year, precisely around this time, WhatsApp announced the arrival of advertising to the application. The proposal had three branches: Promoted channels. Paid subscriptions for channels. Advertising in the States. WhatsApp confirmed that it was not going to touch the chats screen or the chats themselves, but that the ads would be limited to the “News” tab. According to the platform, 1.5 billion people access the content of that section every day. The question, however, is obvious: how can Meta, the world’s largest targeted advertising platform along with Google, show personalized ads in an app whose content is encrypted? If our user is not available, but we use it on Instagram, WhatsApp allows us to unify accounts to be able to claim it | Image: Xataka Last year, Nikila Srinivasan, VP of Business Messaging at Meta, explained that would use data that they do have access to, such as the country, city, device language, channels we follow and interactions with ads in the “News” tab. But he also explained something else, and that is that if a person decides, voluntarily, link your WhatsApp account with the Meta account center (Instagram, Facebook and Threads), information could be cross-referenced to target ads. Coincidentally, now, practically a year after this announcement, WhatsApp launches the ability to have a username and be able to claim it if you already use it on Instagram. Platform that, by the way, disabled end-to-end encryption in private messages just a few weeks ago. By linking the accounts through the Meta account center, and always on paper, Zuckerberg’s firm would have the ability to link your activity on Instagram, Threads and Facebook with WhatsApp. That would allow, in theory, Advertising could be directed to the user while maintaining end-to-end encryption how popular it made the app in its day. Based on creating a system that allows us to talk to other people without sharing the phone number, WhatsApp has devised a mechanism to unify accounts and expand the reach of advertisements. It is not mandatory, far from it, but the temptation to have the same @ in all apps is strong. And dangerous, because anyone could try to guess your username to contact you. What’s more, when you reserve your username, it is activated by default so that anyone who knows it can write to you. This must be changed manually, although privacy concerns maybe you would like to know that you can set a key so that, if someone wants to write to us, they not only need the @, but also a four-digit password that you must give to the contact at the time. By activating the password, we will prevent anyone from writing to us if they guess our username WhatsApp, for its part, fences which has “multiple layers of defense: username keys limit who can contact you, we restrict how many new people any account can contact, and our systems detect and block patterns of abuse.” If you wish, you can access the Meta account center from here and unlink your accounts. Another option is to opt for an app without ads, as encrypted as WhatsApp and less popular like Signal. Curiously, WhatsApp Plus subscription does not include the ability to remove ads. breaking a spear The reservation system has a positive point, and that is to guarantee that public figures or well-known users can have the same @ on WhatsApp. Best of luck to ElRubius trying to book @elrubiusWTF, or to Ibai Llanos trying to get @ibaillanos. There are personalities who may have a genuine interest in making their symbol recognizable and the same as on other social networks. This system allows it. Image | Xataka In Xataka | We have turned WhatsApp into an “emotional pacifier”. And science warns that it is making us more fragile

traditional physical stores

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Because here we are not big on getting crazy, but the truth is that we have had a month of dramatic movements in the industry whose real scope, frankly, is impossible to gauge for now. The news of ‘GTA VI‘ about its price and format, the unflattering business movements of Xbox and, now, an unexpected announcement from Sony. Well, we lied. There is a consequence of all this that is easy to gauge: it is going to be difficult for traditional video game stores to get out of this crisis, if they manage to do so. What Sony has announced. The production of physical Blu-Ray discs of all the new games that come out on their consoles will be discontinued from January 2028. Sony speaks of a “natural direction” to adapt to consumer trends, and that “the overall preference for digital media significantly exceeds physical discs” adding that this decision “will allow us to align more closely with the way in which the majority of our community prefers to access and play games today.” There are analysts who read the announcement as a guarantee that PS6 It will not arrive before 2028, and when it does, Its base version will do without a disk reader. In any case, it is obvious that Sony has crunched the numbers and made the most beneficial decision for its accounts, but… is it beneficial for the industry as a whole? And for businesses that make a living from software? What Rockstar tells. A GameStop employee summarized the ‘GTA VI’ pre-order day on Reddit with a single figure: they had gotten five reservations. And they expected five hundred. Because Sony’s announcement comes just a few days after Rockstar confirmed that the physical edition of ‘GTA VI’ will not include a disc, It will only consist of a box with a download code. Not even the title that is going to sell the most units (figuratively) in years has a physical disc: a perfect prologue for what Sony has announced, which we can define without fear of exaggeration as the death of the physical format in video games. It was seen coming. Capcom and PlayStation have been advancing this Sony decision with their financial balances for five years. 93% of Capcom’s video game sales during its last fiscal year they were digitalcompared to 90% the previous year and 75% in 2022. PlayStation went from 19% of digital sales in fiscal year 2015 to 78% on average in 2025, with a quarterly record of 85%. In Spain, the physical market closed 2024 with a turnover 18.11% lower than the previous year, while digital games rose 19.75%. They are not the only ones. In its financial report at the end of fiscal year 2026, Nintendo spoke of digital sales of games on its platforms adding 25% more than the previous yearreaching 54.6% of total software sales. In the case of Xbox, there is also data: 66% of Xbox Series X|S sold in the United States during 2025 were units without a disc reader The problem with physical stores. GameStop closed 590 stores in the United States during fiscal year 2024 and has added more than 400 additional closures by early 2026. In Spain and other European countries, GAME gradually dismantled its business of exchanging and selling second-hand consoles already in 2024, while GameStop reinforced the sale of collectibles and merchandising. In fact, in its annual report for fiscal year 2025, Gamestop said that software revenue had fallen 27.5% and hardware and accessories by 12.3%, while the sale of collectibles had grown by 47.7%. That is to say, the store no longer lives by selling and reselling games, but rather by everything it has found as best it could to replace them. Video game stores are going to become (those that last) stores of objects related to video games… with the exception of the games themselves. Goodbye to second hand. Record production to end in January 2028 strikes down the second handa secondary market that indirectly benefited console manufacturers and whose real scope is impossible to gauge at the moment (the question is: will consoles sell as much if we cannot pay more affordable prices for used games?) We went, in any case, with digital, to paying for a renewable license, not for a game. The true validity of what we possess is more in doubt than ever: ask the users of ‘The Crew‘ when Ubisoft closed its servers, and more recently (just a couple of days ago, with Sony again as the protagonist!) to StudioCanal content buyers who PlayStation Store will withdraw from its users’ libraries starting in September. In Xataka | SSD prices are so crazy that a 2TB drive for the PS5 costs more than the PS5 itself

A year later, it has been such a success that her neighbors are already asking about her

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Solar electricity can be generated right under the wheels of a train without posing any risk. Switzerland has just confirmed this in a project that, after a year of having startedhas shown that the idea works, and is now beginning to arouse interest in France, Italy and Asia as well. What has happened? In April 2025, the startup Sun-Ways installed photovoltaic panels between the rails of a 100-meter section in the town of Buttes, in the canton of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, resting on the sleepers. They claim that it is the first installation of this type in the world, and its particularity is that the modules can be easily removed when maintenance work needs to be done on the track. Twelve months later, more than 11,000 trains have passed over the panels without any incidents being recorded. “We have achieved our objectives, both in terms of railway safety and electricity production,” explained Joseph Scuderi, founder of Sun-Ways, told Swissinfo. Why is it relevant? The main obstacle to renewables is no longer just technological, but also space. And it is necessary to find land to install panels without invading crop fieldsforests or protected landscapes begins to be a complicated task. Spain knows this debate well, with projects such as the Maestrazgo renewable macroparkwhich has generated friction due to its visual impact. This proposal presents an alternative taking advantage of an infrastructure that already exists and is hardly used for anything else. In detail. The energy generated is poured into the local electrical grid and, according to data provided by Sun-Ways, the installation has produced more than 16,000 kWh since May 2025, despite a one-month break due to snow and technical work. That figure is equivalent to the annual consumption of three or four households. Extrapolated to the nearly 5,320 kilometers of tracks that the country has, discounting tunnels and sections with little sun, Sun-Ways calculates that the entire Swiss railway network could generate up to 1,000 million kWh per year, around 2% of national electricity consumption. Between the lines. Two of the biggest fears surrounding this system have been dispelled during testing. The first, the accumulation of dirt on the panels. Scuderi had initially thought of cleaning them with a brush installed at the back of a train, but discovered that the very passage of the convoys, which travel up to 90 km/h on that section, generates a current of air that carries dust. The second, the possible dazzling of the train drivers, which has not materialized either. And TransN, the public operator that manages that line, has assured that it has not received any report from its staff in this regard. The company itself also confirms that there have been no conflicts with infrastructure, maintenance or train circulation. The other plus point: installation is quick. The panels, patented by Sun-Ways, are placed using a machine developed together with the railway company Scheuchzer, capable of laying up to 300 meters of panels per hour, according to collect Electrek. And when it is necessary to remove them to repair a track or change a sleeper, disassembling a module with three panels and six meters in length takes about ten minutes, according to reports. detailed Scuderi. The pending challenge. Julien Pouget, professor at the Valais University School of Applied Sciences (HES-SO), warns that transporting the electricity generated over long distances continues to be complicated, since current technology does not allow it to be done efficiently in sections greater than 500 meters, which is why a specific electrical architecture is needed to raise the voltage, as explained to the Swiss newspaper 24Heures. Together with other HES-SO researchers and Scuderi himself, Pouget intends to present a possible solution to this problem at a conference in Paris next August. And now what. The project has caused interest internationally. And the French railway company SNCF, which manages some 28,000 km of tracks and has set the goal of covering 20% ​​of its energy consumption with solar energy by 2030, signed in February a technical cooperation agreement with Sun-Ways. In Italy, the startup is in contact with Rete Ferroviaria Italiana to organize a pilot before the end of the year, while in South Korea already there is an approved government project near the Osong station, and in Indonesia a solar engineering company is closely following the results obtained in Switzerland. Scuderi, for his part, hopes to shorten the three-year trial period set by the Swiss Federal Transport Office and obtain final approval as soon as possible, allowing, he says, his partners abroad to also advance. Images | Jean-Christophe Bott and Sun-Ways In Xataka | Spain produces so much solar energy that it is the envy of Europe. And even so, 70% of what you consume matters

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