Mobile Tech & Gadgets

Spain 1- Hungary 0. MG chooses Spain for its European electric car factory, according to Bloomberg

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MG is one of the Chinese fashion brands in Spain. It is the company that dominates the market by sales volume, among other things thanks to its clear focus on the entry-level or mid-range. Its figures in the Spanish state rise like foam: In 2025 they sold 45,163 units and grew by 46.78%. In the midst of the global structural reconfiguration of the sector towards electric mobility enhanced by an EU that does not hesitate to try to regulate the market in favor of classic players located in its territory against the deluge in quantity, quality and price made in ChinaSAIC motor has made a move to protect its piece of the pie in the old continent: set up a plant to act as a European hub. Anonymous sources They have leaked to Bloomberg that the chosen destination is Spain. MG Choose Spain. SAIC Motor, one of the China’s largest automakers by volumeplans to establish its first electric vehicle production plant in Europe within Spanish territory. Anonymous sources linked to the sector they point out to Bloomberg that the decision is not yet final and that key details such as the size of the investment, production capacity or deadlines are missing. As explains The EconomistSAIC Motor has been studying options within the Spanish state for more than a year, which has experience in the deployment of electric vehicle platforms under the umbrella of government incentives. Why is it important. For SAIC Motor the answer is simple: investment is critical to mitigate the impact of the tariffs that the EU applies to Chinese manufacturers. By producing on European soil, MG escapes these taxes, which allows it to continue maintaining its aggressive pricing strategy, essential for its rapid growth. From a technical point of view, having a plant here would allow it to better adapt its models to the standards and tastes of the European consumer, in addition to reducing its logistical footprint. Spain It is the second European automobile producer and ninth in the world, with almost 2.3 million vehicles produced in 2025 according to ANFAC data. The arrival of a brand with the sales volume of MG represents traction for the entire automotive and associated industry, in the face of a panorama of forced transition from combustion engines and with an uncertain future of its most historic plants. That the industry shifts from fossil fuel engines to electromobility is key so that it does not lose relevance in the state GDP. Context. After eight months of investigation, Brussels determined that Chinese electric manufacturers receive state subsidies that distort competition and threaten millions of European jobs, so producing these cars on the old continent avoids those tariffs in the bud. The final tariffs approved by the European Commission applicable to BEVs imported from China are: BYD Group, 17%; Geely Group, 18.8%; SAIC Group, 35.3%, among others. To that we must add 10% base. Bottom line: SAIC Motor Corporation Limited is more interested than anyone in finding a solution. Despite this, they are selling cars like hotcakes: just look at any recent ranking of best-selling cars. Chinese brands have found two ways to avoid tariffs: establish factories within Europe or import vehicles in unassembled kits (CKD) to assemble them on European soil. SAIC aims to combine both phases. What Spain has that Hungary does not have. The eastern European country has until now been the favorite of Chinese manufacturers in terms of electric cars and batteries and there are no shortage of reasons to choose it: it offers lower labor costs, it has a geographically central position in Europe and direct links with China through the Belt and Road Initiative (Belt and Road). In addition, it already accumulates investments from BYD, CATL either NIOas well as other classic actors in the industry. Spain adds to its industrial muscle and its consolidated experience in the sector an advantage that Hungary does not have: a market where MG already leads sales and an ecosystem that is fully activated. In addition to having efficiency as a flag, in the words of the Spanish Minister of IndustryJordi Hereu. But there is a key milestone: the Figueruelas (Zaragoza) plant now has a date for make Leapmotor electric vehicles starting in October of this year, combining Chinese technology and Spanish production, consolidating a model in which SAIC can be reflected. Zaragoza is not only a precedent: it is proof that Spain can accommodate the Chinese electricity transition without industrial or political friction. All the pools point to Galicia. In the absence of official confirmation and knowing more details, the location for the future plant What sounds the most is Galicia: has extensive industrial experience linked to the sector, a consolidated chain of suppliers, the Salvaterra-As Neves logistics platform and the proximity to the port of Vigo, which opens the doors to maritime connections with the United Kingdom, northern Europe and Atlantic markets. The icing on the cake: the president of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, focused on his recent official trip to China in strengthening commercial relations in the automotive industry and in his busy schedule he had time to visit the SAIC factories and hold a meeting with the board of directors. First steps. Unveil Galicia Press that the model initially proposed for its Spanish plant points to CKD assembly, with the possibility of evolving towards full production according to sources in the sector. That is, the main components of the vehicle are manufactured at source and sent in pieces to the new factory for final assembly. Leo Zhang, head of SAIC for Spain and Portugal, has already spoken profitability of a possible European plant: from around 250,000 units per year. Although it is unknown which model they will start with (there are those who point to the utility vehicle MG2, direct rival of the Renault 5 and the future Volkswagen ID.2), if there is an orientation regarding deadlines: SAIC intends launch the first model manufactured in Europe in 2027. Yes, but. The news rests on anonymous … Read more

In 1972, a Swedish model posed nude for ‘Playboy’. Years later, we have the JPEG format thanks to this

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The one of Lena Sjööblom It is one of the most delirious races in the history of technology. To begin with, because when she made her mark in the sector she was not an engineer, nor a mathematician, nor a physicist, nor anything that resembled her in the slightest. Nor did it have any known “Eureka” moment nor did it contribute any discovery or invention. No. Sjööblom was a model. From a model she became what was then known as a “Playboy girl.” And from the pages of the nude magazine he jumped to the front-line research that today, half a century later, allows us to enjoy the JPEG image format. Let’s go in parts. In the early 70s, Sjööblom, a 21-year-old Swedish immigrant Recently landed in the US, she made a living as a model. To make her way and probably without the slightest idea of ​​the journey her image would end up taking, at the end of 1972 she agreed to pose nude for Playboya magazine that at that time sold millions of copies around the world. In one of the central photos that he took of him Dwight Hookerone of the most famous portrait painters of the city, appears from behind, in front of a mirror, with no clothes other than a hat, a red boa, stockings and heels. I liked his work. A lot. At least that’s what we can deduce if we take into account that the November 1972 issue, in which Sjööblom was the playmate main feature and Pamela Rawlings was on the cover, sold 7.16 million copiesmaking it the most successful in the magazine’s entire history. The pose became so famous that in 1973 Woody Allen He even snuck it into one of his movies. As often happens with fame, that sudden public interest came, swept away and, with it, evaporated. Sjööblom continued her modeling career and, once retired, returned to Sweden. Chances of life, one of those 7.16 million copies of the 1972 magazine ended up in the hands of a person linked to the Signal Image Processing Institute (SIPI) of the University of South Carolinaa laboratory in which, at that time, they worked on image processing and were laying the foundations of what would end up being the JPEG and MPEG standards. The coincidence would not be of greater interest if it were not for the fact that that reader took his Playboy to SIPI at the right time: just when They were looking for an image for their tests. The right place, at the right time Today it may seem crazy for someone to show up at the office with a nude magazine under their arm. Not in the 70s. As Lorena Fernández remembersof the University of Deustoin The Conversationnot only was it common for the staff to show themselves with their Playboy in teams that, like Carolina’s, were made up solely of men. It was even well seen, just like doing it today with The Times or the guide with the programming of La 2 documentaries. In that context, the arrival of Sjööblom’s photos was as well received as it was proverbial. Around June or July 1973, electrical engineering professor Alexander Swachuk, one of his graduate students, and the manager of SIPI were madly looking for a photo that they could scan and include in one of their presentations on image compression. They had their own stock, of course, but it was made up of files inherited from the boring and trite television standards of the early ’60s. The Swachuk Team I wanted a human face and an image that was also bright to guarantee a good output dynamic range. And what better option —they thought— that Sjööblom’s face? Skipping all the rules on property rights and decorum, the researchers used the image of Playboy. They kept only the top third of the magazine’s central poster and placed it under their muirhead scannerequipped with analog-digital converters and a minicomputer Hewlett Packard 2100. Jamie Hutchinson details To stay with a section of 512×512 pixels, they scanned 5.12 inches of the top of the photo, which in practice showed only Lena Sjööblom’s face, her shoulders and part of her bare back. The result showed a software error that forced the team to retouch it, but Swachuk’s team was working against the clock and decided to keep the distorted and altered image. The fact is that he liked it. Just as I had liked Sjööblom’s photo shoot in Playboy at the end of ’72. “They asked us for copies and we gave them to them so they could compare their image algorithms with ours on the same test image,” the professor himself recalled some time later. The final process At the SIPI they turned Sjööblom’s portrait into a test image for digital compression and transmission work. Arpanetthe precursor of the Internet. And that, with the passage of time, had an unpredictable result: the image of that model that everyone began to refer to as “Lena” or “Lenna” and whose origin began to blur became the standard used by other researchers who wanted to compress similar files with their algorithms. The face of that twenty-year-old Swedish woman, with a hat and a bare back, was replicated in books, conferences, articles, traveled through the “Atapuerca” of the Internet and helped lay the foundations for the JPEG image format. “Many researchers know the Lena image so well that they can easily evaluate any algorithm that runs on it. That’s why most people in the industry seem to believe that Lena has served well as a standard,” comments Hutchinson. In addition to being a “familiar image”, the photo combines shadows, highlights and blurred and sharp areas and details, a mixture that makes it “a tough test for an algorithm processing”. Perhaps the most curious thing about the entire story is that so much Playboy Like Lena Sjööblom herself, they spent decades without knowing the exorbitant fame—and the important role—of the 70s portrait. The first to … Read more

Profeco has something to tell you about it

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Tipping is part of many consumer experiences, especially when we talk about restaurants, bars or cafes. For some people it is a natural way to recognize good service; For others, an added expense that should be decided calmly when reviewing the account. The sensitive point appears when that decision stops being completely in the hands of the consumer and begins to be integrated into the payment process as if it were just another charge. In Mexico, that border between custom is once again at the center of the conversation. The reminder. The practice has spread enough that Profeco has had to launch a specific reminder. The Federal Consumer Prosecutor’s Office indicated that no establishment that provides a service can require payment of tips or establish the amount that must be covered. The agency also urged consumers to report when this happens, because the tip cannot become a condition for receiving or closing a service. In other words: it can be proposed as a voluntary option, but not imposed or charged as if it were a mandatory part of the account. What the law says. The basis of the reminder is in article 10 of the Federal Consumer Protection Law, which establishes that “Suppliers may not apply coercive and unfair commercial methods or practices, nor abusive or imposed clauses or conditions in the supply of products or services.” In practice, this means that tipping can exist as a voluntary gratification for direct attention, but not as a condition added to consumption. The reminder is not just a warning: it can also translate into sanctions. The Official Gazette of the Federation, the official medium where rules and regulations of the federal Government are published, specifies the amounts in force for 2026. According to this update, the sanctions provided for by the Federal Consumer Protection Law can range in these ranges: Article 128 of the Federal Consumer Protection Law: from $1,053.01 to $4,118,491.38 pesos Article 128 BIS, which also contemplates the temporary closure of the business: from $219,912.08 to $6,157,537.94 pesos The specific amount is not automatic: it depends on the severity of the violation, the recurrence and the damage caused to the consumer. That legal distinction clashes with a scene that has become recognizable at checkout. According to The Truth Newsin bars, restaurants and cafes in Mexico, the collection of tips continues to generate disagreement, especially when the staff asks if they want to add it or when it is included directly in the bill. In some cases, this medium points out, it is proposed with a minimum percentage of 10%. The American factor. There is context that helps understand why this conversation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. As reported by Bien Informed, between January and October 2025, Mexico received 38.4 million international tourists and 67.3% of them came from the United States, according to data from the Ministry of Tourism cited by that medium. It is relevant because we are talking about visitors who arrive from a country where, as we have told in Magnetthe tip has a much greater social and economic weight. It is not enough on its own to explain the practice, but it does allow us to understand why some businesses may see an incentive to push it. The reference with the United States. We are faced with a fact that is not minor because there, tipping has been part of the daily operation of restaurants and services for decades, to the point of seeming almost inseparable from the experience. But that tradition is also being questioned from within. Even McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski criticized the system for “shifting the responsibility for payment of labor to the client.” What to do if they charge you. Profeco’s recommendation starts with something as basic as checking the account before paying. If the consumer detects an unrecognized charge, the agency advises notifying the establishment; and if the establishment requires the tip, then you can file a complaint or complaint through institutional channels. The channels are the Consumer Telephone, 55 5568 8722 and 800 468 8722, the email denunciasprofeco@profeco.gob.mx and the 38 Consumer Defense Offices. Images | Xataka with Grok In Xataka | MrBeast created an extreme survival challenge with the goal that no one could overcome it. Until ‘Juan the Mexican’ arrived

woke up with a bill of more than 18,000

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The cloud is somewhat invisible until the bill arrives. We build an application, we test one APIwe leave a budget set up and continue with our lives thinking that the system will warn if something goes out of plan. The problem is that warn is not the same as stop. And that difference, which may seem like a technical nuance, is exactly what separates a controlled test from a huge debt when a key is exposed, someone uses it and the charges begin to accumulate without us seeing it. That’s what he claims happened to Venturaxi, a Reddit user who told his story. According to GRYOnline.pl accountwent to sleep with a budget alert set to 10 Australian dollars (about 7.15 US dollars) and woke up to a bill of 25,672.86 Australian dollars in Google Cloud, just over 18,000 US dollars at the exchange rate. The user maintains that, during the night, some 60,000 unauthorized requests were made through an API key that he could not initially identify. The story, it should be stressed from the beginning, comes from his public testimony, not from an independent investigation. An alert may sound as the bill continues to grow The key is in a nuance that Google explains in its own documentation on budgets: a budget alert does not stop consumption, it only sends notifications when certain thresholds are reached. That is, it serves to inform us that the expense is close to or exceeds a figure, but it does not work as a switch that automatically cuts off the service. In normal use it may be enough to react in time. In a scenario with automated requests and a compromised key, however, the counter can continue running even though the notice has already been sent. The most delicate part of this story is better understood if we leave the jargon behind for a moment. An API key is, in practical terms, a key that allows an application to identify itself to a service and say: I am this account, let me in. As long as it is well stored, it fulfills its function. If it is exposed, another person can use it to generate requests that will be charged to that account. Google recommends protecting these keys, rotating them, and restricting them by domain or IP. Venturaxi claims that the password used came from an old gardening app created for his mother in Cloud Run. There appears one of the most confusing parts of the case. The user explains that, at first, he did not find that key in the usual list of AI Studio keys, although Google indicated it as the source of consumption. Later, saccording to his update on Redditmanaged to locate it in another section of the Google Cloud panel thanks to another user’s tip. The key matched by the visible name, not for the full keywhich made it difficult to follow the trail. The most frustrating part came when he tried to ask for help. In his publication, he says that he first dealt with automated agents, then with different support members, and later with escalation managers, without having a single person to follow the case from start to finish for days. He also maintains that, as the requests continued, he had to insist several times that his account had been compromised before getting an escalation. The other delicate point is at the account level. Venturaxi maintains that its billing account was automatically raised at a higher level due to its age and payment history, although the project affected was much more recent. According to the explanation he says he received from Google, this change responded to a relationship of trust associated with the account, not necessarily the specific project. The result, always according to his story, was that he was able to consume more than he expected, without clear notification or specific consent. The case has had a long history precisely because it does not appear isolated in the conversation. On Reddit, other users assure having experienced similar scares with unexpected charges, compromised passwords or difficult-to-resolve billing disputes. That doesn’t make every story verified evidence, but it gives us an idea of ​​what might be happening. At the same time, it helps to understand why venturaxi’s post has resonated: it points to a concern shared by several developers. According to the developer, the bill of 25,672.86 Australian dollars tfinished being canceled and Google would also have returned the $9,800 that, according to its story, had been distributed in five increasing collection attempts. The economic outcome, therefore, would have been resolved in their favor. Even so, the user maintains that he still had no clear answers about several points of the incident: how the key was exposed, what activated the account level jump or where exactly the traffic came from. The invoice of 25,672.86 Australian dollars ended up being canceled The most striking thing about this story is not only the number, but how easy it is to understand how something like this can get out of control. We are not talking about a large deployment or a huge infrastructure, but rather a key, an old app and an alert that did not do what many users could imagine. There is the warning for anyone working with these services, even in small tests: it is worth reviewing what is left open, what limits are real and what tools only inform us that the problem is already underway. Images | Xataka with Grok | charlesdeluvio In Xataka | You get a job offer from Spotify and another from Disney. What’s behind it is a phishing scam waiting

little by little, it is “nationalizing” AI

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The Manus case appears to have planted a seed in how China will manage its AI talent. And Beijing has given another touch of attention to another company of artificial intelligence, MiroMind, so that it does not move researchers or intellectual property outside its borders. While China does not prohibit the export of chips like the United States does, it does appear to be prohibiting the export of brains. And with this it is building, by force, its own AI ecosystem with large barricades. The Manus thing. In January 2025, the startup Manus, born in Wuhan, relocated to Singapore and sold to Meta for 2 billion dollars, it seemed to have made the perfect move: leave China, access Western capital and complete one of the operations that has given the most talk in the field of AI. After the mess, Beijing I act by vetoing him from leaving the country to its co-founders while they investigated whether the operation had violated any export regulations. For the rest of the startups, the message has resonated deeply. What has happened with MiroMind. According to has published The Washington Post, Chinese authorities directly warned MiroMind, a startup specializing in advanced reasoning with declared headquarters in Redwood City, California, and Singapore, not to move talent or research abroad. Much of the company’s early work had been done in China, and its chief scientist was until recently Jifeng Dai, a renowned researcher at Tsinghua University who had previously led projects at SenseTime, a partially state-owned AI software company. According to Dai himself, he left MiroMind precisely because the company asked him to relocate outside of China, something he was not willing to accept. As of today, MiroMind does not have employees in China, although the majority of its staff is still of Chinese nationality and works in that language from Singapore. The model that no longer works. For years, many Chinese startups have chosen to legally incorporate the company in Singapore, hire a handful of local employees, and continue operating from China. The very ‘Singapore washing’, which is how this operation is colloquially known in the sector. The Manus case has made it clear that this is no longer enough. Matthias Hendrichs, advisor to AI companies in Singapore, explained to CNBC that for the operation to be real and not a parapet, “the entire team has to relocate, the client base has to move and the first Chinese investors generally have to exit their positions.” “Where the product is developed is more important than where the parent company is registered,” explained also to the media Yuan Cao, lawyer. lBeijing’s strategy. What China is doing has no direct equivalent to what the United States is doing. Washington controls the export of chips and semiconductor manufacturing technology. Beijing, on the other hand, is controlling the export of talent and research. It does not prevent their companies from internationalizing (in fact, encourages them to expand globally) but it does draw a red line: you can’t take your technological DNA with you. The result is an attempt to build a self-sufficient AI ecosystem that does not bleed to the West. Whether this strengthens it through concentration or weakens it through isolation is still an open question. Singapore in the eye of the hurricane. The city-state, which has been acting as a bridge between East and West for years, is beginning to find itself caught in the crossfire. According to collect Reuters, more and more companies choose it not to connect with both blocks, but to distance themselves from both. But this gray zone role also has its risks. Chong Ja Ian, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore, explained to the media that if Singapore continues to be perceived as a space where technological transfers occur that neither of the two large blocs wants to occur, “it could end up with restrictions imposed on it.” And now what. Chinese startup founders face a dilemma with a growing shadow: either they build their company from day one outside China, giving up the advantages of the local ecosystem (subsidies, cheap engineers, domestic market), or they assume that Beijing can knock on the door and demand their work at any time. “The path of Manus is one that people will no longer travel,” counted Wayne Shiong, partner at Argo Venture Partners, told CNBC. The global technological fracture deepens. Two ‘internets’, two chip supply chains, two AI ecosystems. And now, too, two talent markets that Beijing and Washington are determined to keep separate. Cover image | Unsplash (aboodi vesakaran, Arif Riyanto) In Xataka | “70% of the work took three days”: Mercadona has created its own internal search engine with Claude Code after years thinking about how to do it

There is a product prepared so that we can stop taking our cell phone out of our pocket. The glasses: Crossover 1×44

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We have been wanting to find a replacement for our cell phone for years. We believed that smart watches could be a good alternative, but in reality they have ended up becoming a useful complement, without more. However with the smart and connected glasses things promise to change, especially because it is a product with a very striking formatfeatures that can be truly remarkable and a current state that promises a lot in the short term. The question is whether glasses can process everything that smartphones can do today. They may not be prepared for our current consumption of video or networks – there the mobile touch screen continues to win for the moment – but their possibilities in terms of voice and visual interaction with AI They are very interesting. There is here a first clear challenge with privacy. We already saw how Google Glass could not fight against that stigma, and suspicions have continued to appear with Ray-Ban Meta glasses. The other, that of miniaturization: can technology integrate everything necessary into these glasses that weigh just 50 grams to ensure that the experience and performance achieve their results? What we have seen seems to point to yes -the chinese manufacturers They are surprising a lot in this area—but we will have to see how it advances quickly. We talk about all this in this new episode of Crossover, so we hope you enjoy it and find it interesting. On YouTube | Crossover In Xataka | Going to an exam with AI glasses and passing it by cheating is now possible. And Valencia wants to avoid it

Today the series about a porn video club with which Amazon wants to establish its own ‘Alpha Males’ arrives on Prime Video

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Nines is a housewife, a conservative, and in 1998 she has just been left alone in charge of a bankrupt video store in Valladolid. The solution he finds, porn, is the starting point of ‘Pigs‘, the new original series of Prime Video what is premieres today on the platform and whose approach and style is reminiscent of the Netflix hit ‘Alpha Males’. The premise might sound like a provocative seasonal comedy, but the series has been talked about since it was presented at the Malaga Festival. The story begins when this woman played by Malena Alterio inherits from her husband in a coma a business that is in the red. To pay the bills, she decides to specialize in the only genre that makes money, porn, which changes her life and triggers a social earthquake among the neighbors in the neighborhood. With the help of the foul-mouthed video store employee and a regular customer and inveterate movie buff, he transforms the life of the city. Carlos del Hoyo, creator of the series, is also the creator along with Abril Zamora of ‘Señoras del Hampa’, where he began to experiment with black humor, situation comedy and female characters with character. ‘Cochinas’ will be released simultaneously in more than 240 countries, as part of Prime Video’s strategy to disseminate its Spanish fictions, since the figures are very promising: thanks to productions such as ‘Culpa mia’ or ‘Reina Roja’, three of the ten most viewed Spanish titles in 2023 They received 80% of their reproductions outside of Spain. The question with ‘Cochinas’ is whether a comedy so specifically rooted in the geography, language and taboos of deep Spain can work with that same export logic. We will have the answer in the coming weeks but for now, it is one more in Amazon’s extensive catalog: since Prime Video launched its first original Spanish series in 2018, ‘Little Coincidences’, the streamer has released more than thirty own productions of different genres. In Xataka | Today the animated spin-off of the platform’s only powerful franchise premieres on Netflix: ‘Stranger Things’

12 light years away, in a giant that humiliates Jupiter

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Although we have all complained at some point about the clouds when they have ruined us a sunny daywithout them the Earth would be much more inhospitable. Therefore, the discovery that the James Webb Space Telescope has just made on an exoplanet located 12 light years from us is really interesting. It’s not ammonia, it’s water. Epsilon Indi Ab is a gas giant even larger than Jupiter, located in a star system made up of two brown dwarfs and a K-type star. This planet is known to have clouds in its atmosphere, just like Jupiter. Given their similarity, one could expect that the clouds of both would have the same composition. Jupiter’s clouds are basically made up of ammonia. However, when some scientists have analyzed the composition of the clouds of Epsilon Indi Ab with the help of James Webb, they have discovered that there is hardly any ammonia in them. In reality they are composed mostly of frozen water, like what we have here on Earth. Hotter than expected. The exoplanet Epsilon Indi Ab is located at a distance from its star similar to that which separates Uranus from our Sun. Uranus is a very very cold planet for obvious reasons. However, Epsilon Indi Ab is much larger and younger, so it still retains much of the heat that came with its formation. Although there is no clear figure, it is believed that it may have an average temperature of 0ºC. That may seem cold to us if it catches us on Earth without shelter, but for a planet so far from its planet it is quite hot. That heat is emitted in the form of infrared radiation and this is where the good stuff begins. James Webb comes into play. The James Webb Space Telescope It has a great ability to detect and measure infrared light. Therefore, it has been with it that these clouds have been analyzed. To do this, the first step was to block the star’s light. If this were not done, it would interfere with the infrared radiation emitted by the planet and could not be analyzed properly. Once this was done, filters that capture 10.6 and 11.3 μm of light were used. Thus, the observation would focus on the planet’s radiation, right in the ranges of interest. Ammonia crystals are known to block 10.6 μm light when it passes through them. If the clouds of our exoplanet were like those of Jupiter, a large blockage would have been observed in this range. But it wasn’t like that. There must have been another substance in them. By studying the 11.3 μm filters and also observing a slight emission of light at 3 and 5 μm, it was concluded that this other substance must be water. The cloud crystals of Epsilon Indi Ab are frozen water, like on Earth. A companion in the rear. Since water clouds are very important for the habitability of a planet, this finding demonstrates James Webb’s ability to analyze one more factor when searching for terrestrial analogues beyond our solar system. The best thing is that, as NASA announced this weekthe Roman Space Telescope, which will be launched in September if all goes well, can join forces with those of the James Webb, providing even more precise results. Perhaps we are facing the perfect team to find that planet we have been searching for for so long. Image | EC Matthews, MPIA / T. Müller, HdA In Xataka | James Webb has been detecting red dots in the universe for years: the only problem is that we don’t know what they are

the strange atmosphere of the Mutua Madrid Open

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The Caja Mágica is, on paper, one of the best-conceived tennis venues on the circuit in Spain. Modern facilities, first-class slopes, careful organization. And yet, each edition of the Mutua Madrid Open sparks the same conversation: why are the stands so empty? Why is the atmosphere more like a corporate event than a Masters 1000? The answers are uncomfortable and point in very specific directions. What is the Madrid Open. The Mutua Madrid Open celebrates its 25th edition in 2026. Since 2009 it has been played in the Caja Mágica, the venue designed by Dominique Perrault in the Parque Lineal del Manzanares, and since 2019 it has been directed by Feliciano López, who combines that role with his last seasons as a professional player. It is a combined Masters 1000 tournament, which means it simultaneously hosts the ATP men’s draw and the WTA women’s draw: one of nine events of that category in the world, one step below the four Grand Slams. The prices. Tickets for the Manolo Santana Stadium, the center court of the tournament, with capacity for just under 10,000 spectators, oscillate between 10 euros in the first days and 176 euros in the semis and final. They are not scandalous numbers, but at Roland Garros, tickets for the main draw with assigned seating on the Philippe-Chatrier court (the equivalent of Manolo Santana, with capacity for more than 14,000 spectators) They start at 95 euros in day sessions. Tickets for the semifinals started at 120 euros, and the final at 220 euros. In other words: The semifinal of the most important clay Grand Slam in the world has a price similar to what Madrid asks for a final round match in a Masters 1000. And Paris is Paris. From here, prices skyrocket: a second week pass has a starting price of more than 850 euros, which places the Madrid Open in a league of exclusivity that its weight on the circuit does not fully justify. Furthermore, the sales model (separate sessions, stadiums with differentiated access, multiplication of premium categories) turns the purchase of a ticket into a labyrinth for deep pockets. When the VIP is empty. In May 2024, one of the most commented images on social networks was the image of the Manolo Santana VIP boxes during the women’s final, played between the two best tennis players in the world at that time, with dozens of empty seats. Complaints from fans were especially directed at that area, occupied largely by guests, with low attendance that was visible both in smaller matches and in meetings with the most popular figures of the tournament: tickets sell out quickly, resellers raise prices, and at the same time there are dozens of seats reserved for guests who end up not showing up. Image problems. Outside, the tournament projects an exclusive and aspirational image. But inside, the empty stands do not go unnoticed. When Feliciano López himself spoke this month about the controversies over the invitations, his explanation pointed directly to the structure that owns the event: “The owners of the tournament are not us; they are other companies, with other interests, clients who have to help.” Tennis and networking. The tournament’s own official website describes its premium spaces as ideal for combining “leisure, sports and networking with the idea of ​​satisfying the needs of the most demanding fans.” It is not an oversight in the writing, it is just that this is the business model: in a tournament with the relatively short tradition of the Madrid tournament, the imbalance between the space conceived as a social experience and as a sporting spectacle is even more evident. The result is an atmosphere that lifelong fans criticize with phrases like “I’m going to take a photo, I don’t care about tennis.” Attending the Open has become a social event where tennis is the decoration. Gamblers in the stands. Another type of networking: in the 2025 Madrid Challenger (a minor category tournament held at the Country Club) incidents related to bettors they marked the entire week. During the quarterfinals, comments such as “Gaubas is going to pay me” could be heard as attendees looked at their phones to check live betting apps. The Slovak tennis player Norbert Gombos even stopped the match to directly rebuke a group of young people in the stands. It was a semi-final, and a scene difficult to imagine at Roland Garros or Wimbledon. LaLiga’s Integrity Director warned that tennis and basketball are the sports where the pressure of bettors on the atmosphere in the stands becomes more evident, due to the pace of the game and the proliferation of micro-event markets (point-to-point betting, per game, per set). The public no longer cheers out of hobby: they are getting excited or angry depending on the money they win or lose. An attitude that degrades the atmosphere of a sport that requires concentration and silence. The drama. Neither the Madrid Open is a failure nor the Caja Mágica is a bad venue. But there are doubts about the tournament model that has been built: prices that leave out the average fan, stands that look like corporate meeting rooms, a poorly maintained invitation policy and results that give a bad image… an atmosphere that does not accompany the quality of the tennis played on the court. In Xataka | If Carlos Alcaraz is not allowed to wear a smart bracelet, Whoop has provided him with the solution: underwear with sensors

The Roomba Mini comes in because of its size, but the experience is not just about that

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My experience with him Roomba Mini It started in a rather unusual way for a robot vacuum cleaner: without that impression of being faced with something difficult to place. It may seem like a minor detail, but it is not. From the moment I picked up the box and took it with me on the Metro, it was clear to me that size was going to be an essential part of this story. Then, when I opened it, that intuition became certainty. The device is not only compact on paperit is also in the hand and in real space. It is light, easy to move and, above all, it feels like it was designed to fit effortlessly into everyday life. With the Roomba Mini, “the smallest cleaning robot in the world“, there is a second impression that comes right after that initial surprise, and it has less to do with the size and more to do with the way in which iRobot wanted to present the product. The mint finish, along with the other color options offered by the brand (black, white or pink), introduces a point of personality that is rare in this category, where almost everything tends to move in much more neutral codes. Added to this is a particularly easy installation: as soon as I take it out, I find a very guided, clear and fast process, one of those that allows you to go from the box at first power on in a flash. The Roomba Mini arrives with simple packaging Beyond what I found when I took it out of the box, the Roomba Mini also says a lot about the moment iRobot is going through. The brand, now in the hands of a Chinese companyhas chosen to respond to a market that is increasingly loaded with functions with a proposal that does not revolve around excessbut to containment. It doesn’t try to impress by size, but by fit. That is, in fact, the key to this launch. On paper, the idea sounds good: a 24.5 cm robot, a smaller self-emptying base and a set that is easy to integrate into a small home. In practice, however, this approach also requires resignations. A format designed to fit, with disclaimers included If I have been grateful for anything in this first contact, it is that iRobot has not complicated a phase that in many connected devices continues to cause more trouble than necessary. Here the implementation is quite direct. I download the app, connect the robot to the network, follow the steps that appear on the screen and, in a matter of a few minutes, everything is ready to start. The experience, at least at this point, is well resolved: there is a clear logic in the process and a constant feeling that the product is taking you by the hand without wasting your time. This helps a lot to ensure that the good initial flavor is not diluted just when it is time to really start using it. In my case, there is also an important nuance that should be made clear from the beginning: I have not tried it in a large home or in a house full of complicated rooms, but in a small spacejust the kind of environment this Roomba Mini seems to have been designed for. The map generated in the app makes it quite clear, with perfectly differentiated areas within a contained distribution. And that matters, because here it is not about asking it to perform miracles, but rather seeing if that promise of a compact robot makes sense when we put it to work in the scenario that, in theory, best fits it. The Roomba Mini incorporates a three-arm side brush for edges and corners, along with a central roller that is responsible for the main collection. From there comes one of the most important parts of the experience: seeing how the Roomba Mini reads the house. In my case, the mapping has been quick and, above all, quite precise when drawing the different areas of the house. Then I’m the one who decides how to label them in the app, but the basis on which the robot works is well built and makes a lot of sense. Here the ClearView LiDAR system plays an obvious role, because it does not give the sensation of improvising routes. And that matters a lot: because a well-resolved map is the foundation of this type of product. The Roomba Mini in action As soon as I put it to work, the feeling is quite clear: the Roomba Mini delivers. Its cleaning pattern makes sense, because it usually starts at the edges and then finishes the rest of the area. The power seemed enough to me for the daily maintenance of a small apartment like mine, but not for particularly demanding cleaning. It copes with dust, crumbs and light dirt, although it also exposes certain limitations fairly quickly. iRobot Roomba Mini Robot Vacuum Cleaner and Floor Mop with AutoEmpty Base (up to 90 days), LiDAR Navigation, 7000Pa Suction, Compact Design for Small Spaces, App, Scented Mops, Green The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Where I have noticed a clear advantage of this format is in the way the Roomba Mini moves through narrower or more obstacle-laden areas. Being smaller than other robot vacuum cleaners, it is easier to fit into gaps where a conventional model would fit more tightly, and this is noticeable on a daily basis. In my case, I have seen it maneuver quite easily between furniture and pass through areas where its small size clearly works in its favor. It does not make the robot a brilliant solution on its own, but it does give it an agility that fits well with the type of environment for which it has been designed. It is easier to slip into gaps where a conventional model would fit more tightly. That size reduction, of course, does not come … Read more

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