Mobile Tech & Gadgets

The round of peace meetings in Ukraine has ended. Russia says it is “ready”, but for war with Europe

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The last two rounds of contacts between the Kremlin and Trump’s envoys have confirmed that the peace process for Ukraine is technically alive, but politically blocked. Putin took advantage of the arrival of the emissaries to launch a verbal offensive: Accused Europe of torpedoing peace, suggested the EU “is on the side of war,” and said Russia does not want a continental conflict but that if Europe starts one, “we are ready right now.” A trapped peace process. For Moscow, the talks are “very useful” as they allow it probe the limits Washington and explore what it is willing to sacrifice in exchange for a stable ceasefire. For the United States, they are an opportunity to zoom in positions without openly acknowledging that the original plan favored Russia too much and was unacceptable to kyiv. Five hours of meeting in Moscow served to review successive versions of the US document, but not to generate a “compromise option”: Russia accepts some elements, rejects others with a “critical and even negative attitude” and, above all, keeps intact its objective of translating its military advances in territorial gains formalized on paper. Moscow red lines. At the center of the disagreement is the territorial question. Moscow insists Ukraine must resign to 20% of Donetsk which he still preserves, while boasting (not without response from kyiv) of having taken Pokrovska key logistical hub that had been in operation for more than a year trying to capture with a great cost in lives and material. This insistence is not only cartographic: is part of a maximization logicin which victories at the front are used as an argument to tighten political conditions. Added to this are other structural requirements: deep cuts in the Ukrainian armed forces, severe limits on Western military aid and a fit of Ukraine into the Russian sphere of influence that would empty its formal sovereignty of content. In this context, talking about “progress” is, in reality, talk about margins: Washington explores how far it can give in without kyiv perceiving it as a capitulation, while Russia calculates how far it can stretch its demands without completely breaking the diplomatic channel that is useful to buy time and legitimize its narrative. Parallel diplomacy and mixed signals. Witkoff and Kushner’s role adds a ambiguity layer to the process. They are not classic diplomats, but political emissaries who operate in a gray zone between official diplomacy and American domestic politics. His presence in Moscow, after meeting with Ukrainians in Florida and reviewing a 28 point plan which initially tilted the board towards Moscow, sends several signals at once: kyiv is shown that Washington “listens” to its objections and tweaks the document, Moscow is made clear that the White House is willing to continue negotiating concession frameworks, and Europe is reminded that the decisive conversation remains, above all, Washington-Moscow. The Trump statement Calling the war a “mess” that is difficult to resolve fits with that approach: rather than a closed strategy, the administration seems to seek an agreement that reduces the political and economic cost of the war for the United States, although the final balance is very delicate for Ukraine. Europe as a scapegoat. The Putin’s words on Europe reveal a perfectly calculated strategy: presenting European capitals as the real obstacle to peace, accusing them of “being on the side of the war” and of preventing Washington from closing an agreement. By saying that “Europe is preventing the US administration from achieving peace in Ukraine,” the Kremlin is trying several things at the same time: put pressure on the Europeans to lower their demands, feed the fatigue of war in Western societies and drive a wedge between the United States and its allies, suggesting that Washington would be more flexible if it were not bound by “European demands.” The added threat that Russia “does not intend to fight Europe, but is ready if Europe starts” has a double effect: it works as a military warning and, at the same time, as an internal message to reinforce the idea of ​​a besieged Russia that only defends itself. The risk of being isolated. For Ukraine, cross-play is especially dangerous. Zelenskiy insists on receiving security guarantees “livable” for the future, that is, mechanisms that prevent a new Russian attack once an agreement has been signed. HE frontally opposes to any formula that forces him to give up territory that he currently controls or to reduce his army to levels that leave him defenseless. But, at the same time, it knows that a part of the European capitals and the American political class are seeking, with increasing urgency, an outcome that freezes the war and stabilizes the front, even if that enshrines a status quo very unfavorable for Ukraine. Its margin consists of supporting in the European bloc tougher (those countries that see a bad agreement as a disastrous precedent for continental security) and to remember that any credible reconstruction involves using frozen russian assets and for a framework of Western guarantees that makes another Kremlin attack politically unaffordable. Putin’s calculation of strength. The threats “cutting off Ukraine from the sea completely” and intensifying attacks on ports and ships entering them fit into a broader strategy: combine slow but steady advances in the Donbas with the ability to strangle the Ukrainian economy and make the protection of its maritime corridors more expensive. Each city taken or partially controlled serves the Kremlin as proof that time is in its favor and that it can rise the price of peace at each plan review. Editorials from related media, as Komsomolskaya Pravdareinforce this idea by presenting the negotiations as a scenario in which Russia can afford to tighten its conditions as “more and more Ukrainian territory” passes into its hands. The implicit message is clear: if the current proposals already seem harsh, the next round could be worse for kyiv if the war continues. Uncertainty. The final result is a peace process that formally remains open, but that moves on a dangerous … Read more

Spain had been saved from neo-Nazi terrorism. The police have just dismantled the first accelerationist cell

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The National Police has dismantled a terrorist cell installed in Spain. That alone would be news in itself, but in this case the operation has been special due to the ideology of its protagonists. What the agents have dismantled is a neo-Nazi group, “the first accelerationist in nature” detected in the country. In fact, the police suspect that the detainees are linked to ‘The Base’a far-right and supremacist network that the European Council included ago just over a year on its list of terrorist organizations active in the EU. Where and when? The operation It took place in the province of Castellón, where the National Police arrested three people allegedly related to the terrorist group on Tuesday last week. ‘The Base’. For now, the person in charge of the Spanish cell is already in prison. The detainees are accused of belonging to an illegal organization and crimes of recruitment, indoctrination and training for terrorist purposes, in addition to possession of weapons. During the five searches carried out in Castellón, the agents located nine weapons (two of them firearms), ammunition and around twenty knives. This is without taking into account technical equipment, propaganda from ‘The Base’, Nazi paraphernalia and other organizations and supremacist material. The operation to dismantle the cell was deployed at dawn on the 25th, although has been announced now. Why did the police act? Although the police has made a move now In reality, the investigation began months ago, when the agents detected a person who was “very radicalized and” aligned with the supremacist postulates” of ‘The Base’. Upon investigating, they discovered a “cohesive cell” made up of two other people, also radicalized, with a lifestyle marked by the organization and (most importantly) “in a position to carry out attacks.” The inspectors found out in fact that they had already participated in tactical training during which paramilitary equipment was used. Did they pose a danger? “In recent months, the detainees had hardened their radical discourse, encouraging violent actions, even stating that they were willing to carry out selective attacks for the cause,” he adds. the note published by Interior, which recalls three other key facts. First, the detainees resorted to the network to recruit more militants. Second, that they had stockpiled weapons. Third, just a month ago the founder of ‘The Base’ launched a call to consolidate organized cells at an international level and carry out “selective attacks.” How was the operation? Europol, which has supported the National Police to disarm the terrorist group, explains that in reality the operation took place over three days between Madrid and Valencia and resulted in the three arrests last Tuesday the 25th. In total about 50 agents participated and carried out five home searches. In addition to the three detained suspects, the community organization highlights the seizure of weapons, supremacist material and material that praises other terrorist groups and propaganda from ‘The Base’. What is ‘The Base’? A far-right network included in the list terrorist organization of the European Union, which among other issues affects its funds and financing channels. Other countries, such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada or the United Kingdom as well They consider her a “terrorist”“. From her Europol points out its “militant neo-Nazi accelerationist ideology” and remembers that its objective is “to achieve white supremacy through terrorism” and achieve the collapse of the system. To this end, it relies on a network of paramilitary cells. The origins of ‘The Base’ date back to the US in 2018. Europol precise Furthermore, its founder is Rinaldo Nazzaro, whom some sources They are now located in Russia. In 2020, the chairwoman of the Military Personnel Subcommittee in the US House even slipped that the Kremlin was trying to “exploit racial tensions” in North America and did not rule out that, to that end, it was supporting “white supremacist groups” located in the US and Europe. “The organization operates as a decentralized and clandestine network of small operational cells, whose main ideological postulates are supremacism, militant accelerationism and preparation for a ‘racial war,’” comments the police, who have released images of the weapons and articles located during the intervention, including several copies of the book ‘My Fight’. What is accelerationism? Broadly speaking, an extremist theory that seeks to foster instability to lead society to collapse. The ultimate objective: that this leads to a revolution that allows the reconstruction of a system designed “for the white man,” explains Veryan Khan, president and CEO of the Terrorism Research and Analysis Consortium, told the BBC. “Accelerationism integrates the anti-system and, in a similar way, seeks to cause the collapse of democratic and capitalist societies, accelerating their decline. This can be achieved through attempts to manipulate public discourse as well as by violent means,” Europol elaborates in a report on terrorism of 2024 in which it recognizes that “militant accelerationism” has gained “considerable popularity” thanks to online communities and comes in the midst of the expansion of extremist propaganda, supported in turn by conspiracists and fake news. Is there anything else? There are those who believe so. In X Manuel R. Torres, professor of Political Sciences, was sliding yesterday that in the images shared by the National Police about the operation you can see “something much more interesting than the Nazi paraphernalia.” That? To answer it attached an article signed by him and published in 2024 by the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies with a suggestive title: “Will technophobia be the driving force of a fifth wave of terrorism?” In its pages it reflects on a wave of terrorism driven by technophobia, fear of job loss, surveillance or environmental degradation. One of its objectives would be precisely to weaken civilization by attacking “neural points” of the system, taking advantage of the fact that society’s technological dependence makes it “more vulnerable” and facilitates “accelerating its collapse.” Images | Ministry of the Interior and Europol In Xataka | In 2017 Liverpool signed a star footballer. Without knowing it, he had found the solution to racism in … Read more

The visual garbage of AI is so omnipresent that it is already unleashing a counter-aesthetic current: neo-brutalism

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The Internet is being flooded with images and designs that seem to be cut from the same mold: identical fonts, predictable gradients, aesthetics polished to the point of nausea. This phenomenon is difficult to describe and limit due to its infinite variants and omnipresence, but it has a name: “AI slop“. By this we refer to digital content generated with artificial intelligence, from images to web design itself, and where quantity takes precedence over any hint of originality or meaning beyond the effectiveness of the mass production chain. But what is AI Slop. The expression gained traction in 2024 thanks to British programmer Simon Willisonalthough it had previously circulated in communities such as 4chan and Hacker News. The concept indicates a root problem: When AI models are trained with the most common patterns on the internet, they replicate a generic and forgettable aesthetic ad nauseam. It’s what experts call “distributional convergence”: everything seems designed by the same depersonalized algorithm. And the anti-AI slop? Faced with this invasion of algorithmic uniformity, a visual counterculture emerges that celebrates precisely what AI avoids: the clumsiness, the unevenness, the marks of the human creative process. The anti-AI slop is not an aesthetic whim, but a declaration of principles that rescues imperfection and turns it into a differential value and a trait of delicious humanity. Some critics celebrate it as a kind of digital neo-brutalism, referring to the famous unadorned concrete architecture of the 1950s. This neo-brutalism is characterized by taking digital nudity to the extreme: sites built with basic HTML and minimal CSS, where the code is displayed without artifice. The fonts are not the elegant paid fonts, but the system ones installed by default: Arial, Times New Roman, Courier. The photographs appear unretouched, with their digital noises and compression artifacts clearly visible. Asymmetrical compositions, in short, that break any notion of classical balance. Like children. This leads us to a style perhaps opposite to cold brutalism, but also contrary to IA Slop: the aesthetic of a childish hasty sketch. Deliberately unbalanced proportions, freehand illustrations, elements that overflow the margins. Lindsay Marsh, a designer specializing in visual trends, points out that These visible “errors” act as signatures of authenticity: They are proof that behind the screen there are human fingers, not processors without humanity. The people of Phantom Watchers formulates it in a similar way: “It’s our way of saying ‘a human was here.’” Any notable example? The recent redesign of the oldest magazine The Face It is full of imperfections. Hell, it even looks like they programmed it in HTML. What features does it have? Like IA Slop itself, this opposition mutates in countless ways: disproportionately large fonts that challenge traditional visual hierarchy, website scaffolding exposed in an exhibitionist manner (even leaving the code visible), and color combinations limited to one or two colors on uniform black or white backgrounds, sometimes imitating the texture of analog montage. The templates are twisted on purpose, breaking with the obsessive symmetry that dominates more formal styles, and which are easier to imitate by those AIs that propose to set up a web store in just a few minutes and with a couple of prompts. But… why? The guiding principles of this rejection movement are clear: imperfections as a form of rejection of digital makeup, functionality without disguises, frontal rejection of prefabricated templates. “We don’t need decoration, we need design that just works,” summarized the people from the U1CORE design team when analyzing one of the many tentacles of this anti-AI Slop: the brutalist minimalismwhich is the label under which this new design trend is also categorized We have philosophy. And China, no less. Some evoke the aesthetics of another architectural and decorative trend: Japanese wabi-sabiwho finds the ephemeral and the defective beautiful. Cracks in walls and objects, time-worn textures, organic asymmetry… everything that algorithmic perfection rejects, anti-AI slop highlights. Many designers have named it “post-AI visual fatigue“the feeling that has given rise to all this: a collective exhaustion in the face of designs as polished as they are sterile and devoid of personality. Who said punk? For some of us, those of us who are old dogs, this philosophy reminds us of the guidelines of the first punk, the one who created fanzines with headlines made with letters cut out of magazines. Then ethics became aesthetics, and everything was militancy of photocopying and album covers as if they were kidnapping notes; But along the way, there was also opposition to a giant. To serious media, with gray designs and content without stridency. Punk stood up to the establishment with filth and “do it yourself”. It sounds very familiar to us: AI is the new mainstream, and many are going hardcore mode. Header | Kris Shakar In Xataka | Young people have decided to stop posting (so much) on Facebook and Instagram. “AI-generated garbage” has free rein

now it has a 250 euro discount

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Carrefour has emerged as one of those stores where you can find very interesting televisions on sale. Now, the supermarket chain is celebrating its Cyber ​​Week. This TV Samsung TQ65QN74FAT It is a bargain now, since it has a 250 euro discount. It has gone from costing 999 euros to 749 euros. Samsung TQ65QN74FAT 65″ TV The price could vary. We earn commission from these links A large screen TV with a great discount When buying a large TV, this one from the Korean firm is a good option. Assemble a panel 65-inch Neo QLED with 4K resolution. It has Filmmaker mode, a 144 Hz refresh rate (which makes it an ideal option for gaming) and is compatible with HDR10+. Its two 2.0-channel speakers offer 20 W RMS power and offer surround sound, although you can always enhance this section by adding a sound bar. Regarding its design, this TV is AirSlim typesomething that makes it thinner than many other models and its base is Aero Center type. The operating system under which it works is tizencoming with the Bixby assistant as standard. It is also compatible with Google Assistant, Alexa and Apple AirPlay. Like many Samsung TVs, it comes with Multi-View mode (to view two screens at the same time). Likewise, it stands out for a wide connectivity section, with two USB-A, four HDMI, digital audio output, Bluetooth 5.3, WiFi 5, Ethernet and HDMi eARC. Movistar Plus+, a streaming app to maximize this TV If you want to make the most of this TV, a good option may be to hire a streaming app like Movistar Plus+. Now, you can contract your subscription for 9.99 euros per month (without any commitment to permanence). With Movistar Plus+ you can access an extensive catalog of series and moviesmatches from major football leagues (such as LaLiga and Hypermotion), other sports, documentaries and children’s content. Movistar Plus+ subscription The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some accessories that may interest you for this TV LG S40T – Smart Sound Bar, 300W The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Select (latest generation) 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 | Webedia and Samsung In Xataka | Best home theater projectors. Which one to buy and five recommended models from 299 to 18,000 euros In Xataka | Mega-guide to set up a home theater: projector, screen, sound system and more

73 million forced investment

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The Ministry of Digital Transformation has brought to public hearing a royal decree that forces the main operators – Telefónica, Masorange, Vodafone and Digi – to invest up to 73 million euros to shield their networks in view of blackouts like the one in April and natural disasters like DANA. Why is it important. The operators are going to have to reinforce 7,280 of their 10,400 strategic locations. Currently, only 30% have enough batteries or generators to maintain service for at least four hours without electricity supply. The mandatory investment comes at a particularly delicate moment: Telefónica is executing an ERE and in others there are cost-cutting plans. The obligations. 85% of the Spanish population must maintain access to telecommunications – including emergency calls – for at least four hours in the event of a power outage. Critical infrastructures will have tougher demands: First level (submarine cables, main data centers, backbone nodes): guaranteed operability for 24 hours. Intermediate level (internet exchange points, satellite systems): 12 minimum hours of autonomy. Rest of infrastructure (standard mobile network antennas): four hours of continuous service. The stick and the carrot. If companies do not comply, the Secretary of State for Telecommunications may carry out inspections, audits and request access to data at any time. Serious violations can result in fines of up to 2 million euros for the company. In addition, managers who have participated in decisions that violate the rule may receive personal fines of up to 30,000 euros. The harshest measure is that the Government reserves the right to temporarily or totally suspend operating licenses. It may also prohibit certain managers from exercising management functions. Yes, but. The rule exempts from sanctions managers who did not attend meetings where decisions contrary to the regulation were made, or who voted against them. Coordination with Defense and Interior. A coordination table will be created between Digital Transformation, Interior, Defense, National Security, autonomous communities and the CNMC. It will not manage incidents directly, but will act as a strategic forum to develop protocols, recommendations and good practices. Associations of operators, manufacturers and consumer organizations will also participate. The context. The royal decree responds directly to recent crises such as the DANA of Valencia either the eruption of the La Palma volcanowhere communication outages made emergency work and the coordination of those affected difficult. The regulations will come into force after passing the public hearing, being approved by the Council of Ministers and ratified by Congress. Featured image | Zac Gudakov In Xataka | Telefónica does not buy Vodafone or Digi for now, but it already has a plan: one in which mergers are necessary

To the question of what sense it makes to compete with Google, OpenAI or Anthropic in AI, Mistral has an answer: small and local models

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French startup Mistral AI Mistral 3 has been launcheda family of 10 open source artificial intelligence models that represent its most ambitious commitment to date. The Parisian company, which is often considered the main European hope in the development of AI, seeks to differentiate itself from the large American technology companies by betting on flexibility and deployment in all types of devices instead of raw power. Under these lines we tell you all the news. What Mistral has presented. The Mistral 3 family includes a flagship model called Mistral Large 3, with 675 billion parameters, and nine compact models grouped under the name Ministral 3 (in three sizes: 14,000, 8,000 and 3 billion parameters). All models are released under Apache 2.0 license, allowing unrestricted commercial use. The large model also has multimodal capacity, being able to process text and images. It is also multilingual, with a special emphasis on European languages. On the other hand, small models can run on devices with just 4 GB of memory, making them perfect for modest laptops, mobile phones and embedded systems without the need for an internet connection. Why strategy matters. While OpenAI, Google and Anthropic focus on increasingly powerful and closed systems with agentic capabilitiesMistral has focused on the breadth and scope of its models, efficiency and what its co-founder Guillaume Lample calls “distributed intelligence.” According to declared told VentureBeat, the company believes the future of AI is defined not by scale, but by ubiquity: models small enough to run in drones, vehicles, robots and consumer devices. The economic and practical argument. Lample explained It means that in more than 90% of cases, a small, specifically tuned model can get the job done, especially if it is trained with synthetic data for specific tasks. According to Lample, this is not only cheaper and faster, but it eliminates concerns about privacy, latency and reliability. The company also has teams that work directly with customers to analyze specific problems and fine-tune small models that perform specific tasks. This, above all, can attract companies that become frustrated when choosing the best possible model for a specific task and, if it does not perform adequately, they end up giving up. Europe is lagging behind. If we talk about innovation and technology around AI, we do not hesitate to say that Europe is leagues away of what companies in the United States and China are offering. This is why Mistral AI advocates a different approach in which it prioritizes massive deployment in devices and the flexibility of its smaller models. The capacity offered by open models can be a great asset to continue betting on these technologies. In China, for example, the open models of DeepSeek, Alibaba or Kimi are emerging widelyabove in certain tasks even competitors as large as ChatGPT. Lample explained that most leading Chinese models are exclusively text-based, with separate image processing systems. For this reason, they also want to opt for a multimodal approach. A complete ecosystem. Mistral no longer only offers language models. The company has built an entire ecosystem that includes Mistral Agents APIwith connectors for code execution, web search and image generation; Masterlyyour reasoning model; Mistral Code for programming assistance; and AI Studioan application deployment platform that also has analytical and logging capabilities. Furthermore, his assistant Le Chat It has incorporated a deep research mode, voice capabilities and a list of more than 20 enterprise integrations. Thus, in addition to its model offering, the company can provide other companies with a whole layer of personalized products and services, with the aim of being their main source of financing. Digital sovereignty. Although Mistral is often characterized as Europe’s answer to OpenAI, the company prefers to consider itself as ‘a transatlantic collaboration’. Its CEO, in fact, is in the United States, has teams on both continents and trains these models in collaboration with American teams and infrastructure. However, its positioning as a defender of European digital sovereignty has earned it strategic partnerships with the French army, the country’s employment agency, the Luxembourg government and various European public organizations. The European Commission presented in October a strategy to promote European AI tools that provide security and resilience while boosting the continent’s industrial competitiveness. Offline capabilities for democratization. The use cases that Mistral has designed for its small models include, above all, local applications, such as factory robots that use sensor data in real time and without relying on the cloud, drones in natural disasters or rescues that operate offline, and smart cars with functional AI assistants in remote areas. Lample stood out that there are billions of people without internet access but with laptops or cell phones capable of running these small models, which he considers potentially revolutionary. Additionally, by running on the device, these apps preserve the privacy of user data. Real “open source” debate. Not everyone celebrates Mistral’s approach. Some critics question his decision to opt for models’open weight‘, that is, free to access but providing less information about their code than truly “open source” models, which provide the code and training data necessary to train a model from scratch. Andreas Liesenfeld, assistant professor at Radboud University and co-founder of the European Open Source AI Index, declared to the Financial Times that data at scale is the missing key in the European AI innovation ecosystem and that Mistral does not contribute to that at all. The long-term strategic bet. Lample recognize that their models are “a little behind” the most advanced closed systems, but argued that the important thing is that “they are catching up quickly.” Time will tell if Mistral’s approach to low-cost, versatile models with local applications ends up working for them to end up positioning themselves as one of the great European bets on AI. Cover image | Mistral AI In Xataka | China already has an army of 5.8 million engineers. His new plan involves accelerating doctorates

New Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, features, price and technical sheet

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Do you have the feeling that mobile phones are too similar to each other? You are not the only one. After so many continuous generations, it is normal that it is difficult to find something that truly surprises. And just when many they start looking at the folding ones, a world in which Apple has not yet landeda format appears that wants to go one step further. The triple foldables are already circulating. We are not talking about mobile phones that fold in two, but in three, and that when unfolded become a device that is almost the size of a “tablet”. It is a striking movement at a time when much of the sector assumed that innovation was advancing with the brakes on. Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold technical sheet Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold dimensions and weight Folded: 159.2 x 75.0 x 12.9 mm Unfolded: 159.2 x 214.1 x 3.9 mm* (screen with SIM tray) / 4.2 mm (center screen) / 4.0 mm (screen with side button) 309 grams indoor screen Dynamic AMOLED 2X 10 inches 2160×1584 269 ​​ppi 1600 nits peak brightness 120Hz (adaptive) outdoor screen Dynamic AMOLED 2X 6.5 inches 2520 x 1080, 21:9 422 ppi 2600 nits peak brightness 120 Hz (adaptive) processor Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy (3nm) memory and storage 16 GB of memory with 1 TB of internal storage 16 GB of memory with 512 GB of internal storage Not compatible with microSD rear camera 200 MP wide angle, autofocus, OIS, F1.7, 85˚, 2x optical quality zoom 10 MP PDAF telephoto, OIS, F2.4, 1.0 μm, 36˚, 3x optical zoom, up to 30x digital zoom front camera 10 MP F2.2, 1.12 μm, 85˚ selfie (outdoor screen) 10 MP F2.2, 1.12 μm, 100˚ selfie (indoor screen) battery and charging 5,600 mAh QC2.0 and AFC connectivity 5G LTE Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 5.4 operating system Android 16 One UI 8 others IP48 resistance price From 3,594,000 won (2,105 euros at the exchange rate) Samsung enters the triple-folding format with a proposal that does not go unnoticed At the end of the first quarter of this year we learned about the Huawei Mate XT Ultimate Designhe first triple folding that actually reached the market. And after the move of the Chinese manufacturer, it is South Korea’s turn. Samsung prepares its entry into this new format with the Galaxy Z TriFolda bet that aims directly at an emerging niche. The Galaxy Z TriFold opens a new step within Samsung’s folding family by incorporating a double-folding system that gives way to a 10-inch screen. It is an approach that seeks to balance two worlds: that of a premium, thin and transportable mobile, and that of a device capable of offering a much larger viewing area when the situation requires it. Samsung uses two hinges of different sizes with a double rail system to ensure uniform movement when opening and closing the device. The frame combines titanium and aluminum, materials found in the brand’s most advanced folding products, while the back uses a reinforced polymer capable of reducing the risk of cracks. The set is completed with an internal distribution that distributes the battery 5,600 mAh in three cells to balance power delivery and maintain a slim profile. If we talk about the screen we find that it supports three applications vertically and allows them to be rearranged relatively quickly, although the experience varies depending on what software is used. DeX It arrives in a standalone format and adds several desktops, as well as compatibility with external monitors, keyboard and mouse. It is not a replacement for a laptop, but it can be an additional resource for those who work with notes, emails or documents. The TriFold audiovisual experience is supported by a large panel and a brightness level that reaches 1600 nits. The variable 120Hz refresh rate, meanwhile, should contribute to smooth video playback and scrolling, and Vision Booster adjusts contrast and color according to the ambient light. The YouTube interface allows you to keep the video on one side and the comments on the other, making better use of the available space. Samsung talks about a minimized fold, although it is still an element present in this type of screen. The announcement of the TriFold occurs with an eye on the movement that Apple is apparently preparing for next fall, if it comes true what Bloomberg advances. The publication maintains that the company is working on a folding book whose launch would be scheduled for that date, although for now there are no official details. Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold price and availability The brand has confirmed its launch in Korea and in markets such as China, Taiwan, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, accompanied by six months of Google AI Pro and a specific discount on screen repairs. The price in the brand’s native country starts at 3,594,000 Korean wonwhich translates into some 2,105 euros at the exchange rate. Now, we should not pay too much attention to direct currency conversion and the most prudent thing would be to wait for the official price of our target market. If we focus on Europe, the situation remains unclear. Samsung’s official announcement does not include specific information for the region and the company has not communicated a second launch phase either. This leaves the continent in a holding pattern, especially considering that the TriFold will be distributed in limited quantities. With this approach, it is not strange that Samsung prioritizes other markets in the first wave, but the total absence of details means that, for now, European availability is a pending point. Images | Samsung In Xataka | The POCO F8 Pro and F8 Ultra are a great change of direction for the brand. We spoke with POCO to find out what awaits us now In Xataka | Apple’s foldable is getting louder and louder. It is a golden opportunity to change the smartphone market

40% of the soil is already ‘sick’

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For years we have talked about the desertification as a future threat or a shadow that loomed over the Iberian Peninsula. Now, thanks to data science and to joint work from the University of Alicante (UA) and the CSIC, we have stopped talking about probable futures to talk about tangible presents, and the truth makes us rethink many things. The reality. In order to get an idea of ​​what our country is facing, researchers have prepared the First Atlas of Desertification of Spain (ADE). This is not just a map, but it is a complete x-ray of the Spanish soil health based on decades of data that we had accumulated and that has served to understand the trend of the country. The diagnosis in this case is quite clear: more than 40% of the national territory undergoes a degradation process. But although this is an alarming figure, it is not the most worrying. The Atlas itself reveals our relationship with water: technology and intensive irrigation They are ‘covering up’ a problem that is advancing silently under our feet and that we are not seeing. An exhausted soil. To understand this research, we must first kill a myth: desertification does not mean that Spain is becoming the Sahara full of dunes, although it is a reality that aridity is increasing. How do they explain project coordinators, Jorge Olcina (UA) and Jaime Martínez Valderrama (CSIC), desertification is the degradation of land in dry areas. It is a process by which the soil loses its biological and economic capacity to produce. Stop being fertile. The data. There are two points to take into account in this case. The first of them is that 40.9% right now is showing signs of degradation. But if we go to the ‘dry lands’ such as arid, semi-arid and dry subhumid areas, the percentage of “sick” territory shoots up to 60.94%. The paradox of irrigation. One of the most interesting points in this case is the role that agricultural technology is playing. And although right now it may be thought that the irrigation system can combat desertification, the study points out that In many cases it can speed it up. That is, the opposite effect. The report details how intensively irrigated agriculture acts as a “cover-up mechanism.” Thanks to fertilizers and massive extraction of groundwaterwe can see very green crops on the surface, which makes us think that there are no problems with them. But the reality is very different. The demonstration. The Atlas has cross-referenced the data on the amount of chlorophyll and biomass that can be seen on earth with the state of water resources and the reality that emerges. For science, we are right now maintaining that greenery at the cost of depleting the aquifers and salinizing the soils, as can occur in the maintenance of very profitable crops such as avocados in the south of the peninsula. A devastating fact from the report illustrates this: in the Guadiana basin, 86% of the aquifers show rates of overexploitation or degradation linked to this phenomenon. And we are giving a lot of weight to maintaining the color green while we are ‘charging’ our water resources. The state by zones. The Atlas, which consists of more than 60 thematic maps generated using Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, allows you to zoom in on critical areas. The “zero ground” of desertification in Europe is clearly drawn in the southeast of the peninsula, where there are some highly affected regions: Region of Murcia: it is the most affected community, with extreme water pressure and increasing aridity. Valencian Community and Andalusia with large areas of intensive cultivation that overlap with areas of high climatic vulnerability. Canary Islands with an island location that adds an extra risk factor to land management. La Mancha and Aragón are inland areas that, although less in the media, are suffering accelerated degradation due to agricultural transformation. Specific case. In addition to this information, the report points to strategic locations such as the Sierra de Gádor in Almería, which suffered from 19th century mining and therefore deforested holm oak and espart forests with 52,000 tons of charcoal from half a million destroyed trees, leaving skeletal soils that last for centuries despite repopulation. Changing the rules. This is something really important, because until now Spain depended on more general or outdated maps. ADE changes this by introducing socioeconomic variables into the equation. Not only does it look at how much it rains (which is becoming less and more torrential), but also at how we use the water that falls. The document warns that 42% of the national territory consumes more than 80% of the available fresh water. In a context of climate change, where rainfall will be more erratic and temperatures higher, maintaining this model is physically impossible. Images | giovanni cordioli Being Organic in EU In Xataka | The drought is turning water into a very scarce and valuable commodity in Spain. And there are already organized groups of thieves

The British skipped fuel tax by switching to an electric car. The Government’s solution: create another tax

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The British Government recently announced a new tax for electric vehicles in which drivers would pay per distance traveled (miles), with the intention of it coming into force in April 2028. The measure, which is included in this documenthas drawn criticism from many citizens and experts, and comes at a key moment, as the United Kingdom plans to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars in 2030. Its public coffers are losing revenue from fuel taxes while the adoption of electric vehicles grows. How the system is planned so far. Electric car drivers will pay 3p per mile traveled (about 3.4 euro cents), while plug-in hybrids will pay 1.5 pence. The calculation will be made through an annual mileage estimate that drivers will declare when renewing their road tax, and will subsequently be verified during the technical inspection of the vehicle. According to the Government, an average electric car driver who travels 13,680 kilometers a year you will pay about 255 pounds additional (approximately 295 euros). Why this change matters. Just like share According to The Telegraph, Finance Minister Rachel Reeves justifies the measure as necessary to compensate for the drop in fuel tax revenue. According to Dan Tomlinson, MP and Secretary of the Treasury, if no action is taken, by 2030 one in five drivers will not pay fuel tax while others will continue to contribute an average of £480 annually. According to the media, the Office of Budget Responsibility predicts that this new tax could reduce sales of electric vehicles by 440,000 units in the next five years. Industry reactions. Manufacturers such as Ford and the British manufacturers’ association SMMT have harshly criticized the measure. Ian Plummer, Commercial Director at Autotrader, declared that “we need more carrot and less stick if we are serious about the electric transition.” From Ford they pointed out that the budget sends “a mixed message” about the government’s goal of driving the shift to electric vehicles. Implementation problems. The system presents several practical challenges. Drivers will have to estimate their annual mileage without it necessarily coinciding with the date of their MOT (the equivalent of the MOT in the UK), which complicates the calculation. New cars, which do not require inspection for the first three years, will need additional checks. Furthermore, the Government recognize which could increase odometer fraud, a practice which, according to The Telegraph, already affects 2.3% of British vehicles. A controversial issue. As the current regulations are stated, drivers who use their vehicles outside the United Kingdom They would also pay for those milesdespite not using British roads. The Government justifies this decision by arguing that the percentage of drivers traveling abroad is small, although it recognizes that it will especially affect residents of Northern Ireland, as they frequently cross into the Republic of Ireland. The impact on the pocket. Although the Government insist With the rate equal to half of what gasoline and diesel drivers pay, many electric vehicle owners are already starting to worry. Stephen Walton, a driver who bought an electric car in 2023, counted to the BBC that “it will be my first and last electric vehicle because there are no tax advantages for electric car drivers.” A unexpected advantage for China. Analysts such as Sam Goodman, from the China Strategic Risks Institute, warn that the new tax could encourage British consumers to opt for cheaper Chinese models such as the BYD Dolphin Surfwhich sells for 18,650 pounds compared to the more than 26,000 that some eligible European alternatives cost. During the third quarter of 2025, Chinese models They already represented 11.8% of the British new passenger car market, according to Schmidt Automotive Research. What’s coming now? The Government has opened a consultation period to define the final details of the system before 2028. It also announced an additional investment of 1.3 billion pounds in aid for the purchase of electric vehicles, although only four models currently qualify for the maximum subsidy of 3,750 pounds, the cheapest being the Ford Puma Gen-E (£26,245 applying subsidies). The Office of Budget Responsibility esteem The new tax will raise £1.1bn in its first year and £1.9bn by 2030-31, although the actual figure will depend on how many Britons decide to buy electric cars in the coming years. In Xataka | Your car windshield has hundreds of small black dots. It is not decoration, it is technology to save our lives

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