Mobile Tech & Gadgets

While half the world is worried about aging, one industry is rubbing its hands: the elevator industry

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The world ages. And at a good pace too. If the World Health Organization (WHO) hits the nail on the headin 2050 the percentage of people over 60 years of age will double that of 2015. From representing 12% it will become close to 22%. Beyond the percentages, this aging translates into challenges in economic, health and social matters. Also in juicy business opportunities, like the one that he thinks he has before him the elevator industry. In their case, an older world will be a world with more work. What has happened? That TK Elevator has shaken the elevator sector by openly recognizing that the gradual aging of the planet (very visible already in Europe or countries like Japan either Korea) represents a lucrative business opportunity. The reason is simple: the more elderly, the greater the need for elevators in buildings. Especially since these and their services are also aging. “A growing trend”. If TK’s words have generated so much expectation, it is because it is not just any company. The firm, based in Düsseldorf, is a heavy weight within the sector, where it is responsible for both manufacturing machinery and maintaining it. Their models can be found in emblematic skyscrapers in New York, although the bulk of their business comes from much more modest buildings occupied by homes, offices or shops. His prediction about the future of the sector in an increasingly aging world has not been made anywhere either. has shared it with one of the most influential newspapers in the US, Financial Times. “As the population ages there is a need to install elevators. We see this becoming a growing trend,” recognize the firm’s executive director, Uday Yadavl. The example of Japan. During his interview, Yadaval cited a specific case: Japan, perhaps one of the countries that is most clearly suffering from the winds of demographic winter. Although all your attempts to reactivate its population engine (and there have been many), the birth rate continues at levels historically low while on the streets it is increasingly easier to find elderly people. According to Our World in Datathe country has the highest “old-age dependency ratio” (the ratio between people over 64 and people of working age) in the world: in 2021 it exceeded 50%, which means that there are only two people of working age for every elderly person. And since then demographic indicators have not exactly improved. It is estimated that about 30% of the country’s population is 65 or older, which is equivalent to tens of millions of people. A widespread phenomenon. Japan is not the only nation facing an aging population, a problem with which Europe fights and other countries, such as South Korea either China. In general the WHO has warned that the trend seems to be accelerating globally and remember that in 2020 the number of people aged 60 or over exceeded that of children under five. “In 2030, one in six people in the world will be 60 years old or older,” insists the WHO, recalling that by then the world population over 60 years old will total 1.4 billion people, well above the 1,000 in 2020. Demographics (and more). It’s not just that more and more older people live in cities and need elevators to get to their homes, it’s that the buildings themselves need renovations. At the end of the day, we age… and the blocks in which we reside. Yadav estimates There are about 22 million elevators worldwide, of which a third (30%) are more than two decades old. In practice, this translates into an immense number of facilities that probably need improvements and tune-ups, a demand that, assures the manager from TK Elevator, is already “growing in a meaningful way.” “More than remarkable”. Although his weight in the sector gives him special relevance, Yadav is not the first to have publicly recognized the good forecasts that the elevator industry has. Last summer Roland Berger published a report in which he provided several insights into the global elevator market, valued according to his calculations at 107 billion dollars. After “several ups and downs” in recent years, marked by COVID-19 or the real estate crisis in China, companies now face a “more than notable growth panorama.” A trend that connects the sector with the flourishing silver economythe economy driven precisely by aging. Images | Zhuojun Yu (Unsplash) In Xataka | In Japan there is no doubt that they live worse than 30 years ago. Houses are literally getting smaller.

450 kilometers above Earth

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The idea of ​​​​harvesting solar energy from space may sound like science fiction and, furthermore, it would make all the sense in the world for it to do so: Isaac Asimov already wrote about it in his story “Reason” of 1941. However, the scientific community has been ruminating on it since 1968, when American aerospace engineer Peter Glaser published the first technical article on this concept in Science magazine. Since then, entities such as NASA, the California Institute of Technology or the Japanese Japan Space Systems have explored the possibility. However, Japan is the closest to achieving what no one has yet achieved: generating electricity in space and sending it directly to Earth. Context. To begin with, the cost of launching rockets has become enormously cheaper since the idea began to be glimpsed. On the other hand, we are in the midst of global energy transition from mobile fuels towards renewable sources where there is one that stands out: solar energy. But solar energy requires space to deploy parks with photovoltaic panels, which is why China is choosing to assemble them in the open sea, Germany explores with lakes and Japan… Japan is an island with little space. On the other hand, solar energy has another important limitation: it only works when there is sun. However, in space there are no clouds or night and the sun shines without stopping. Why is it important. Because the business models that J-spacesystems is developing They are designed to generate about one gigawatt of constant power. To better understand the dimensions of that figure, it is the energy necessary to cover 10% of the consumption of a megacity like Tokyo and is also equivalent to the power of a standard nuclear reactor. We are facing a paradigm shift in energy density: a solar plant in space capable of ‘redirecting’ its energy beam towards different receiving antennas according to demand, whether within the country itself or the world. This opens the doors to sending energy to areas in emergency situations or meeting consumption peaks, something that is not possible with the current infrastructure. Japan Space Systems Scheme What is Ohisama. Ohisama is sun in Japanese and it is also the name of a Japanese satellite of 180 kg that has an integrated solar panel approximately the size of a door (70 cm x 2 m) is to orbit at 450 km altitude, where it will be able to generate 720 watts of electricity that it will then convert into microwaves. It will then launch those microwaves up to a 64-meter antenna in Nagano. If the energy arrives, it will be converted into electricity. The ultimate goal: light an LED. Yes, all this to light a light bulb. In reality, the important thing is not so much the power transmitted in the test (which is very small) but rather being able to validate that the transmission works through the ionosphere. It is the test of truth: in 2024 Japan has already tried it successfully from a plane seven kilometers high, but this is already a jump to a real orbit that will allow everything to be scaled (if it goes well). When and where. From now on, literally: The window for the third attempt began on February 25, with a backup date until March 25. The launch site will be the Kii Spaceport in the city of Kushimoto, Wakayama Prefecture, the first private rocket launch site in Japan. What comes next. If the experiment goes well, Japan would go on to implement those commercial models, which consist of 2.5 square kilometer solar panel arrays in geostationary orbit at 36,000 km with 4 km diameter receiving antennas on the ground. The estimated date for its commercialization is from 2040 and in addition to supply on land, Japan has in mind to use the system for energy supply in lunar exploration missions. Why is it so difficult. The first immediate risk inherent to the project is Kairos 5 of Space Onethe private Japanese company in charge of putting Ohisama into orbit: the two previous launches failed. Third time lucky? The possibility of another company from outside doing it is not an option (at the moment). As explains Yanagawa of J-spacesystems: “Although overseas rockets were an option, we selected Kairos following the national policy of supporting Japan’s private sector launch capabilities.” But even if the launch were successful, the big problem will be microwave diffraction: transmission over thousands of kilometers risks scattering, requiring huge transmitting antennas and very precise phase control. Japan has been working to solve this bottleneck for decades. In Xataka | Japan has just made a monumental bet on perovskite solar panels: they are its best chance against China Cover | Hunini CC BY-SA 4.0 and Nuno Marques

We believed that Generation Z was returning en masse to the Church. An error in a survey is to blame for the mirage

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Stadiums vibrating with thousands of twenty-somethings raising their arms, eyes closed, singing to god. International pop stars posing in nun’s habits on the covers of their most anticipated albums. And, as a backdrop, an incessant barrage of headlines announcing the unthinkable: the massive return of the youth to the church pews. Over the past few months, the world seemed to witness a fascinating twist in the script. Generation Z, the most secular and secularized demographic cohort in history, was re-embracing Christianity. However, when you scratch the surface of this apparent spiritual awakening, what emerges is not a collective epiphany, but a trap. A gigantic demoscopic mirage. What they sold us as the great rebirth of faith is, in reality, a monumental miscalculation where the armies of artificial intelligence, the mischief of paid online surveys and the desire to believe in a revival have completely distorted the true—and much more complex—religious transformation of young people. We believed that faith was returning to the streets, but the fault was in the method. The spark that ignited the narrative of the great Christian revival jumped in the United Kingdom with the publication of the report The Quiet Revivalcommissioned by the Bible Society. Based on survey data YouGov, The study showed a spectacular figure: monthly church attendance among English and Welsh young people aged 18 to 24 had quadrupled, going from a marginal 4% in 2018 to a resounding 16% in 2024. The news spread like wildfire. Entire dioceses held conferences to “turn up the volume” on this revival, and politicians in the British Parliament used the report as proof that “Christianity is neither oppressed nor decayed,” as reported by BBC. However, demographic experts were quick to raise alarm bells. Surveys considered the “gold standard” of sociology for using random probability samples—such as the British Social Attitudes wave Labor Force Survey— showed a diametrically opposite film. According to these rigorous metersthe percentage of practicing Christians between 18 and 34 years old had not only not risen, but had fallen from 8% in 2018 to 6% in 2024. The danger of surveys opt-in If young people are not filling the churches, where do the miracle figures come from? The answer lies in the architecture of the internet itself. The report of the Bible Society was based on surveys opt-inthat is, panels where users voluntarily register in exchange for financial rewards or points. Demographer Conrad Hackett warns that this format suffers an “existential threat.” Those who respond to these surveys usually seek to maximize your profits filling out questionnaires at full speed, lying about their age to access more surveys, or using Virtual Private Networks (VPN) from other countries to get paid in hard currency. Worse still, Artificial Intelligence has come into play. The researchers have detected armies of chatbots programmed to imitate humans and fill out surveys en masse. The fake young people in these polls are so unreliable that, in similar studies carried out in the USA12% of those surveyed opt-in under 30 years old even stated that he had a license to pilot a nuclear submarine. The “great awakening” was largely an algorithmic hallucination. The situation in our land In Spain, the optical illusion is similar. Phenomena like Hakuna Group Music They managed to bring together 12,000 young people at the Vistalegre Palace, while events such as Calls They gathered 6,000 people at the Movistar Arena. Both are betting on Contemporary Worship Music (CWM), an evangelization format of Protestant and evangelical heritage, full of giant screens, pop-rock and raw emotions. But the noise of the stadiums clashes head-on with the silence of the parishes. The comparison of the official reports of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE) is devastating. If we analyze the transition from the previous exercises to the most recent data, the fall of the sacraments is an undeniable constant: Baptisms: They fell from 152,426 registered in 2023 at 146,370 in 2024which represents a year-on-year decrease of 3.97%. The magnitude of the collapse is better understood if we look in the rearview mirror: in 2007the Church celebrated no less than 325,271 baptisms annually. Communions and weddings: Inertia drags the rest of the life cycle. First communions fell by almost 5% (standing at 154,677), and Catholic marriages fell by 6%, remaining at a reduced 31,462 ecclesiastical unions. Institutional collapse has other profound social consequences. Given the collapse of baptismal prayers, more than 150 Spanish town councils now offer “civil baptisms” or lay welcome ceremonies to celebrate the arrival of newborns. At the same time, the bleeding of vocations has left Spain with only 15,285 priests, whose average age is around a worrying 65 years. The problem It’s so pressing that has forced bishoprics like that of Tui-Vigo to make lay women official to lead “Celebrations of the Word” in the villages in the face of the total lack of priests. The only discordant note—the small statistical lifeline to which the Church clings—is the baptism of children over 7 years of age. This figure experienced a reboundrising from 11,835 in 2023 to 13,323 in 2024. A figure that suggests a paradigm shift in Spanish Catholicism: conversions that are much more thoughtful, personal and less conditioned by “cultural” inertia. The great gap between Spirituality and Religion To understand Generation Z in Spain, two concepts must be drastically separated: the Catholic institution and the search for the transcendent. Here comes into play what my partner in Xataka defined as: “The 29-59% paradox.” According to the Barometer on Religion and Beliefs in Spain (BREC) of 202561% of young people between 18 and 24 years old declare themselves indifferent, agnostic or atheist. Only 29% define themselves as Catholic, a figure much lower than the 46% national average. However, just because they don’t set foot in a church doesn’t mean they are pure materialists. That same report reveals that 59% of young people firmly believe in the existence of the soul and 45% in “energies.” As the sociologist Mar Griera explainswe are not facing a return to dogma, … Read more

underwater drone swarms are ready

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During the Cold War, hundreds of nuclear submarines simultaneously patrolled the oceans, turning the seabed into the quietest and most strategic setting on the planet. Today, unlike air or land space, the underwater domain remains one of the least mapped and harder to monitor: Communications travel slower, signals are distorted and visibility is practically zero. In that opaque territory is getting rid a new career strategic. The Russian submarine challenge. They remembered this week on Insider that, while the war in Ukraine hits Russian soldiers and material at a pace that is difficult to sustain, Moscow seeks to compensate for its conventional inferiority compared to the 32 members of NATO by strengthening asymmetric capabilities. With a fleet of more than 60 submarinesseveral capable of carrying ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads, and the development of experimental systems such as the Poseidon autonomous torpedo or the missile Burevestnik nuclear cruiserRussia is committed to mastering the underwater domain as a space where it can hide and strike without needing to match the allied surface power. For controls as Norwegian Vice Admiral Rune Andersenthe bottom of the sea is the last place where a great power can still hide, and that is why NATO has redoubled its attention to that invisible area. The European essay. In this context, the European Defense Agency has completed the Sabuvis II project after four years of joint work between Poland, Germany, Portugal and Slovenia. The objective was not to develop a simple underwater drone, but everything a coordinated swarm of autonomous vehicles capable of operating as a coherent system, sharing data, adjusting formations and adapting missions in real time in an environment where there is no GPS, limited bandwidth and high latency. Tests in real settings showed that these groups can keep self-configurable acoustic communications, integrate platforms from different manufacturers using common standards and continue the mission even if a unit fails, transforming individual vulnerability into collective resilience. A special command against asymmetry. If you will, Europe has also successfully tested a kind of special command against the greatest challenge that Russia presents. Faced with Moscow’s fleet that relies on the opacity of the ocean and second response weapons of almost unlimited range, the swarm logic introduces a new layer of surveillance and control in the marine subsoil. Furthermore, it is not a single hunter submarine, but rather multiple distributed nodes capable of monitoring critical infrastructures, ports and strategic routes, carrying out intelligence and reconnaissance, and reacting in a coordinated manner to threats. Interoperability between countries and manufacturers also demonstrates that the European response is not fragmented, but integrateda key requirement in a theater where early detection can make all the difference. From the invisible submarine to the monitored ocean. One thing is clear: Russia may not match Allied conventional strength, but its commitment to submarine and nuclear asymmetry forces NATO to strengthen control of the underwater domain. With 14 allied countries operating their own submarines and growing investment in anti-submarine warfare, the objective is to prevent May the sea once again be an impenetrable sanctuary. Those autonomous swarms They add a technological dimension that, a priori, multiplies the presence without increasing crew costs or exposing manned platforms. In a scenario where Moscow trusts hide underwater to compensate for its wear and tear on land, Europe responds by filling that space cooperative sensors capable of bridging the gap between invisibility and detection. Image | Royal Navy In Xataka | Europe faces a question it can no longer avoid: how to respond to a war that is rarely declared In Xataka | In the midst of rearmament, Spain has just surprised Europe: 5,000 million for 34 warships and four submarines

a focus on productivity for the sub-€500 tablet range

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We are already fully in the Mobile World Congress 2026 and that means one thing: Xiaomi has returned with a well-loaded backpack. As is customary in the company, we have news, but also global launches of products that were only available in China. And the Xiaomi Pad 8 is one of the latter. Next, let’s see all the features of the three Xiaomi Pad 8, their prices for Spain and everything that has to do with one tablet who wants to stand up to iPad. And now more than ever thanks to a batch of accessories that provide more versatility. Technical sheet of the Xiaomi Pad 8 and Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro Xiaomi pad 8 xiaomi pad 8 pro Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro Mate SCREEN 11.2 inch panel Resolution of 3,200 x 2,136 px 144Hz refresh 800 nits peak Supports Dolby Vision Aspect 3:2 11.2 inch panel Resolution of 3,200 x 2,136 px 144Hz refresh 800 nits peak Supports Dolby Vision Aspect 3:2 11.2 inch panel Resolution of 3,200 x 2,136 px 144Hz refresh 800 nits peak Supports Dolby Vision Aspect 3:2 matte panel DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 251.2 x 173.4 x 5.75mm 485 grams 251.2 x 173.4 x 5.75mm 485 grams 251.2 x 173.4 x 5.8mm 494 grams PROCESSOR Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 Snapdragon 8 Elite Snapdragon 8 Elite RAM 8GB LPPDR5X 12GB LPDDR5T 8GB LPPDR5X 12GB LPDDR5T 12GB LPDDR5T STORAGE 128GB UFS 3.1 256GB UFS 4.1 128GB UFS 3.1 256 or 512 GB UFS 4.1 512GB UFS 4.1 FRONT CAMERA 8 Mpx f/2.28 32 Mpx f/2.2 32 Mpx f/2.2 REAR CAMERAS 13 Mpx f/3.06 50 Mpx f/1.8 50 Mpx f/1.8 BATTERY 9,200 mAh 45W charging 9,200 mAh 67W charging 9,200 mAh 67W charging OPERATING SYSTEM Xiaomi HyperOS 3 Xiaomi HyperOS 3 Xiaomi HyperOS 3 CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi 7 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Bluetooth 6.0 Wi-Fi 7 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Bluetooth 6.0 Wi-Fi 7 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Bluetooth 6.0 OTHERS Xiaomi Focus Pen Pro Xiaomi Focus Keyboard Four speakers Xiaomi Focus Pen Pro Xiaomi Focus Keyboard Four speakers Xiaomi Focus Pen Pro Xiaomi Focus Keyboard Four speakers PRICE From 449.99 euros From 599.99 euros 699.99 euros Screens, the common point… except in the most Pro In terms of design, the Xiaomi Pad 8 is very similar to the previous generation. That comparison with the Apple tablet is not coincidental: they look very similar. The bezels are very similar, as are the front or flat sides. If something works, it suits everyone, ultimately. It is not a very large tablet, but it makes good use of that front to fit an 11.2-inch panel with 3.2K resolution. That translates into 3,200 x 2,136 pixels and a 144 Hz refresh rate. To complete the screen data, the aspect ratio is 3:2 and something interesting: there are two versions. The Xiaomi Pad 8 and the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro share a panel and design, but there is a variant: the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro Mate Glass Version. Its name is quite revealing: same panel characteristics, but with nanotextured glass. Qualcomm heart in two flavors If we go inside, we have some differences that seem minor, but which must be commented on. The Xiaomi Pad 8 has the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4a processor built in 4 nanometers with a CPU made up of four cores at 3.2 GHz, two at 2.8 GHz and another two at 2 GHz. It is accompanied by 8 or 12 GB of memory and versions of 128 and 256. The memory speed of 256 is faster than that of 128, something that must be taken into account. On the other hand, the two versions of Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro They have the 3 nanometer Snapdragon 8 Elite. It has two cores at 4.32 GHz and six at 3.53 GHz and is accompanied by the same memory configuration: 8 or 12 GB. It is a more capable processor, especially thanks to its GPU, but the Xiaomi Pad 8 does not go barefoot in comparison. The battery also promises: 9,200 mAh in both models with 45 W charging for the Xiaomi Pad 8 and 67 W for the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro. And, inside, we have Android with its own system HyperOS 3. Xiaomi has worked on a new interface that is better suited to the tablet format thanks to a more pronounced focus on the productivity and multitasking. It is something that will have to be checked when we can analyze them, but linked to that multitasking we have both a keyboard case that already existed and a new Xiaomi Focus Pen Pro. It is a stylus that has pressure sensitivity control, gestures such as double tap and pinch, and is magnetized so it can be left on one of the sides. The combination of the nanotextured panel with the Pen should be very interesting. Versions and price of the Xiaomi Pad 8, Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro and their accessories Given the characteristics of the Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro, let’s go with the price: Xiaomi Pad 8: 8GB+128GB: 449.99 euros. 8GB+256GB: 499.99 euros. Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro 8GB+256GB: 599.99 euros. 12GB+512GB: 679.99 euros. Xiaomi Pad 8 Pro Matte Glass Version 12 GB + 512 GB: 699.99 euros. The price of accessories is as follows: Xiaomi Pad 8 Series Touchpad Keyboard: 129.99 euros. Xiaomi Focus Pen: 99.99 euros. Xiaomi Pad 8 Series Cover: 49.99 euros. Images | Xiaomi In Xataka | Buying guide for tablets for children: what to look for and 9 recommended models

If ads made with AI seem horrible to you and position you against the brand, you are not alone: ​​science supports you

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“The most profitable ad in Pepsi history.” The most voted comment in YouTube of the ad generated with AI by Coca-cola for Christmas 2025 suggests something: a popular rejection of advertising made with AI. Is this true? A new study from the University of Zaragoza on the effect of artificial intelligence on advertising points in that direction. The researchers’ conclusion is that customers avoid services advertised with AI-generated images, especially in companies that offer pleasurable experiences—such as hotel vacations—or that force high-involvement decisions. The reason? Artificially generated images are interpreted as unreliable. Its four authors explain to Xataka that “consumers value real images more because they show a faithful image of the product or service and they distrust companies that use images created with AI because they seem less professional or hide reality.” However, recent studies show that images created with AI can be equally effectiveand easier for companies to obtain, especially when consumers do not know that they are not real, they clarify. What AI gives you, AI takes away Using AI in an advertisement conveys a feeling that “the brand makes little effort, especially in luxury and beauty brands,” explains Lucía Caro Castaño, professor at the Department of Marketing and Communication at the University of Cádiz. After the Christmas controversy, Coca-Cola was forced to share how did you make the announcement to show “all the effort and investment it had required in terms of people.” Caro points to savings in personnel as one of the reasons why content made with AI generates disgust. Coca-Cola has recognized The Wall Street Journal that producing your typical Christmas advertisement has gone from needing a year to a month, recognizing savings in costs and time. However, the creation of spot forced to enormous human work to fine-tune AI-generated images. Coca-Cola is not the only company that has discovered the advertising limitations of AI. Dell share your experience: “We’re very focused on getting the most out of a device’s AI capabilities, but what we’ve learned this year, especially from a consumer perspective, is that they don’t buy based on AI. In fact, I think AI probably confuses them more than it helps them understand a specific outcome,” argued a few months ago Kevin Terwilliger, Chief Product Officer at Dell. There are several reasons for this rejection of advertising AI: the feeling of “already seen”, which penalizes the lack of originality and creative effort; and the perception of “dehumanization” transmitted by excessively robotic content, explains Patricia Coll, doctor in Communication and professor at EAE Business School. Diana Gavilán, professor of Marketing at the Complutense University of Madrid, highlights the benefits of AI in automatable tasks in advertising and digital marketing: “The problematic thing is when it replaces a human. If a robot serves me but you want to convince me that it is like a human, there is a drop in confidence.” According to researchers at the University of Zaragoza, their study shows that real images are particularly effective when it comes to a product or service with high involvementthat is, the consumer wants faithful images when the decision they make is important. Real images are also better than those generated with AI to publicize hedonistic products or services because they allow “a better assessment of what the personal experience will be like.” On the other hand, when the products are utilitarian and low-involvement, images generated with AI are effective. In some sectors it is advisable to use commercial images made with AI, such as schools and social entities to avoid showing real children to protect their privacy, scientists highlight. The professor of Marketing at the University of Alicante, Ana Belén Casado, adds that not all consumers or all brands reject AI: “It depends a lot on the type of product, good, service or idea that is being marketed and the differential value proposition of each brand.” For Gavilán, AI is like the Thermomix: a tool with which you don’t do everything in the kitchen, “but you can use it and it is at your disposal, depending on how you use it, it will be better or worse.” In his opinion, the Coca-Cola ad was “a strategic mistake” for wanting to make the same old ad with AI instead of making a different story with that technology. Brands taking a step back with AI? Before Coca-Cola, the clothing brand H&M had already launched a campaign with real models and “digital twins” generated with AI. Although all images generated by AI are labeled so as not to confuse them with real ones and the models have image rights Regarding his digital copy, Caro highlights that “we do not know exactly what this contract has been like in terms of the rights to his own image that exceed those models, nor will it affect photographers and the rest of the workers who make these campaigns possible.” This innovative campaign was quite small, around a line of denim clothing, and the head of AI at the Swedish multinational, Linda Leopoldleft the company shortly after the campaign. “We don’t know where H&M will continue next, especially with all the controversy generated,” says Caro. Gavilán’s vision is that AI will continue to be implemented and that it will be applied more in areas “where it is very relevant.” Despite his water and energy consumptionthe environmental NGO WWF in Denmark launched a campaign titled “The hidden cost” in April 2025 to denounce the environmental impact of eleven different products. It was made entirely with AI. In Spain the first advertising agency focused on AI, AI::gencyhas worked with brands such as Nissan, Seat, Cushla and Ebro. Other brands have chosen publicly reject the AI. In his campaignWhy don’t we get on the AI ​​bandwagon?” in February 2024, the browser Vivaldi announced that it would not be incorporating AI “for the time being.” The reasons given by the company were copyright and privacy violations, as well as “plausible-sounding lies” generated by AI. At the advertising level, doveUnilever’s personal care brand, has … Read more

2026 promised to be the great year for US tourism. Now it has found itself with a hole of 11 million visitors

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2026 looked good for US tourism. with the sector recovering of the pandemic on an international scale, the US started the year with three ‘hooks’ capable of attracting thousands of visitors: the world cup of FIFA, the centenary of Route 66 and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Three milestones that under normal conditions would make agencies, airlines and hotels rub their hands. Instead of that voices sound that warn that curves are coming. There are those who warn that the American industry risks losing a fortune and it is even done a question: Are there millions of tourists missing in the country? What has happened? That in a year in which (theoretically) the United States has everything in its favor to reinforce its tourism, in the country voices arise that speak of the complete opposite: loss of tourists foreigners and dark clouds on the horizon that threaten to cost the sector billions and billions of dollars. a few days ago The New York Times public an analysis in which he already slipped several worrying data: in January the flow of foreign travelers fell 4.8%a percentage that is largely explained by the decline in Canadian tourism, 28% lower to that of 2024. It is not only that the data is bad, it is that it maintains the negative trend of 2025, the year in which the US suffered a 6% decline in foreign visitors while the industry grew globally. How does 2026 look? That same question Oxford Economics did it not long ago, especially because according to its records in 2025, international overnight stays were reduced by 5.7% in the US. His answer is interesting: the observatory estimates that in 2026 the influx of foreigners will increase by 3.9%, although this growth is accompanied by some fine print. Getting started Oxford Economics remember that the celebration of the FIA ​​World Cup, which the US hosts jointly with Mexico and Canada, should be enough to boost the arrival of tourists. However, the 3.9% forecast for the US is much lower than the increase in demand expected worldwide, which is around 8%. Its analysts already warn that the US risks “underperforming other international markets again this year.” Is there more data? Yeah. TNYT appointment some analyzes and sources that point to stagnation or even a drop in demand from Europe. The most revealing is a study by Cirium that reflects a year-on-year drop of 14.2% in July reservations made from the old continent. The data must be handled with caution in any case. First because 2026 has just begun. Second, because the analysis is based on external sources and travel agendas, which does not include reservations processed directly with airlines. Can the panorama change? Yes. A month ago World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched a resounding statement in which he warned of the impact they would have the new demands posed by Washington for travelers who want to use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), including a in depth review of the applicant’s history on social networks. If the measure is finally applied, the organization warns, the sector could suffer a drop in demand with serious consequences. “34% of respondents say they are less likely to visit the US in the next two or three years if the changes are implemented. Only 12% say they would be more likely, which will translate into a significant net decrease in travel intentions,” explains. WTTC estimates point to a loss of 4.7 million international arrivals and $15.7 billion in visitor spending. In terms of employment, some 157,000 positions would be damaged. Are there more factors at play? Yes. The changes to the ESTA would explain the losses calculated by the WTTC for the future, but they do not the ‘prick’ that foreign tourism in the US already suffered in 2025, a year in which the sector grew in most destinations. In fact, the UN itself has highlighted the “weak results” of the US, especially during the third and fourth quarters. What is the reason for this trend? For the WTTC the answer seems clear: in 2025, with Trump in the White House, I already warned that “while other countries welcome (the traveler) the US Government hangs the ‘closed’ sign.” How is the sector doing? It is not the only warning he issues. The WTTC recently recalled that the US inbound tourism market has suffered the loss of 11 million visitors in just four years, between 2019 and 2025. The organization does not go into details or delve into the data. The one who does it is the UN, although for the whole of North America. According to your statisticsIn 2019, the region received 146.6 million foreign visitors. In 2025 there were 135.4. That period has coincided with the pandemic and its subsequent hangover, but in recent months it has been marked by international politics led by Trump, with threats of one kind or another to the EU, Mexico and above all Canada and Greenlandterritories that the Republican wants to annex to the United States. Why is it a problem? “When eleven million international visitors fail to show up, the result is billions of dollars in economic losses for the travel industry,” warns in The New York Times Erik Hansen, director of the United States Travel Association. As the New York media recalls, the Trump administration has not made it easy for travelers, restricting entry from a dozen countries and announcing measures that would make visas more expensive and would force tourists to undergo deep scrutiny to enter the country. With that backdrop, there are those who already has called for a boycott trips to the US, even during the world cupamong other reasons for protest due to the actions of ICE. Images | ANDilis Garvey (Unsplash), Gianandrea Villa (Unsplash) In Xataka | If you want to visit New York, go to the consulate first: the US has added a requirement for visas for Mexican children and elderly

a photographic show that aspires to become the best mobile phone of 2026

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Xiaomi has a new workhorse for the highest range. It is the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, one of the most ambitious phones on the market and a clear candidate for best mobile of 2026. On paper, it has everything to compete head-to-head with anyone that comes before it: a camera system that, at least in hardware, sets new benchmarks in the sector, a generous battery and Qualcomm’s most powerful processor. We review the characteristics of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra. Xiaomi 17 Ultra technical sheet xiaomi 17 ultra dimensions and weight 162.9mm x 77.6mm x 8.29mm 218g screen 6.9 inches Xiaomi HyperRGB Resolution 2608 x 1200 LTPO adaptive refresh 1-120 Hz 3,500 nits peak brightness HDR10+, Dolby Vision processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Storage 12 + 256GB 12 + 512 GB 16GB + 1TB rear cameras 50 MP, f/1.67 OIS, 23mm equivalent 200 MP, variable aperture f/2.39-f2.96, OIS, 75-100mm equivalent 50 MP, f/2.2 ultra wide angle front camera 50MP, f/2.2 battery 6,000mAh 90W fast charging 50W fast wireless charging operating system Android 16 based on One UI 8.5 connectivity 5G Wi-Fi 7Bluetooth 6GPSNFCUWBUSB type C price From 1,449 euros The lightest Ultra Regarding the design, the Xiaomi 17 Ultra It is the lightest and thinnest Ultra to date. Xiaomi has left the curvature behind (thanks, Xiaomi) to create a flatter and straighter device, weighing below 220 grams. Not bad considering that we are looking at a phone with a good-sized battery and that measures more than 16 centimeters high. Xiaomi has abandoned the curves and its new Ultra looks better than ever. It’s thinner, lighter, and even more refined It is manufactured in aluminum alloy for its sides, and fiberglass in its rear part. In the Stellar Green finish, the phone is made with mineral particles, giving a very attractive shine effect. The device’s screen is 6.9 inches, flat, with OLED technology and a peak brightness of 3,500 nits. The company has worked especially to make it a panel that is not harmful to the eyes, and has TÜV certifications for blue light emission and flickering. Chicha, lots of chicha About the hardware it is exactly what you expect: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5configurations of up to 16 GB of RAM + 1 TB, LPDDR5X and UFS 4.1 memories, and a 6,000mAh battery with 90W fast charging and 50W wireless fast charging. Perhaps a little more fast charging could be expected given the size of the battery and knowing that some cheaper Xiaomi phones have been using 120W systems for years, but they are not figures to complain about. If you are wondering about the composition of the battery, we are talking about a silicon content of 16%, so we are looking at the technology expected in a phone of this height. The software stars Xiaomi HyperOS 3 and is based on Android 16with an additional layer of artificial intelligence powered by both Gemini and Xiaomi under the name of Xiaomi Hyper AI. The camera, tell me about the camera The reason for this phone is the camera. Because it’s not just any camera. The main sensor repeats the size that every flagship should aspire to: one inch. The lens is signed by Leicaand the resolution is again 50 megapixels. But the magic of this phone, like any high-end phone, is in the zoom. The telephoto lens is one of the most ambitious at the moment: variable aperture, focal range from 75 to 100mm and resolution of 200 megapixels. The zoom is mechanical, allowing you to shoot at 75 and 100mm without loss of quality between focal lengths. It has a Samsung HPE sensor, one of the most current and capable at the moment. To top it off, it has a 50-megapixel ultra-wide angle, and a selfie camera with the same resolution. As usual in the Xiaomi Ultra, this year we can also bet on the photography kit. This not only allows for a better grip and adds a physical button panel to be able to photograph with a more analog experience, it also adds 2,000mAh capacity to the phone so that it can last the day even better. Versions and price of the Xiaomi 17 Ultra The Xiaomi 17 Ultra will arrive in Spain in four color options: Black, White, Starlit Green. We can buy it in two variants: Xiaomi 17 Ultra 16GB+512GB: €1,499.99 Xiaomi 17 Ultra 16GB+1TB: €1,699.99 The Photography Kit It will be available in three color options: Silver, White, Purple for a price of €99.99 in my.com and official distributors. The Photography Kit Pro will arrive in black and will be available for €199.99 on mi.com. In Xataka | You can now buy the Xiaomi Tag: the rival to Apple’s AirTag and that you can use with both Android and iPhone

that is on the hidden side of the Moon

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Just as it happens when you want to see a shower of stars or meteorites, to observe the universe well you have to flee from civilization. If you are looking for an elevated place, all the better. That explains why there are large observatories in the Atacama desert in Chile, in the Roque de los Muchachos from La Palma or the Square Kilometer Array in Australia and South Africa: deserts, volcanic peaks or remote plains are ideal candidates. That on Earth. Astronomer Jack Burns, whose career began in the late 1970s in the Very Large Array of New Mexicohas spent his entire professional life defending that the next big jump is the Moon. Time is proving him right. The Earth is not enough. Clear skies, a dry atmosphere (humidity distorts signals), and getting away from humanity’s electromagnetic noise are essential to having a good observatory. But as Burns has seen firsthand, even in an environment as privileged as that of the VLA, there are insurmountable limits to knowing more about the origin of the universe for two reasons: Earth’s ionosphere blocks much of that low-frequency spectrum. There is still electromagnetic pollution from humanity, for example electrical, telecommunications, radar infrastructures… that mask the signal. The problem of signs of the beginning of the universe. The most abundant element in the universe is neutral hydrogen, but while in the laboratory it emits at 21 centimeters of wavelength, if the signal arrives from the dark ages traveling through the universe, it reaches the Earth stretched to a range that cannot be heard well. From Earth. These radio signals from the cosmic dark ages, a period of between 200 and 400 million years that It started “only” 380,000 years after the Big Bangare really weak and reach frequencies below 50 MHz (very low), so it is difficult to capture them from Earth. Hajor. Wikimedia CC BY-SA 3.0 The solution is on the far side of the moon. The far side of the moon is probably one of the quietest places in the inner Solar system as the mass of the satellite serves as a kind of natural shield that blocks terrestrial and solar signals. When it’s night on the moon (a night that can last up to 14 Earth days), it is possible to achieve almost complete electromagnetic silence: without direct solar radiation and without interference from the Earth. Ideal for listening to the cosmos. Why is it important. Hearing about the dark cosmic age sounds abstract, but being able to observe them would be useful to better specify the models that explain how the first stars and galaxies were formed, not to mention the advances it would allow in the observation of dark matter, dark energy or gravitational waves. In addition, it opens the doors for the moon to become a permanent scientific platform for humanity. This is the LuSEE-Night radio telescope. It’s time for presentations: Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment – Night It is the radio telescope designed to take advantage of that silence. It operates in a range from 0.1 to 50 MHz with the goal of mapping the first low-frequency sky and potentially capturing those first signs of the dark ages. Technically, it had to overcome contradictory demands: it was required to have high sensitivity to detect the weakest signals and, at the same time, high resistance to deal with a hostile lunar environment with large thermal variations. This minimizes its own noise so as not to dirty the listening and with the ability to communicate with the Earth. A winding path. The program has been full of disappointments: in 2024, the first American lunar landing in 50 years, the Odysseus module, landed poorly and broke a leg. It only had time to transmit two hours of data, enough time to at least confirm that the hardware was working. In March 2025, Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1 achieved the first successful private lunar landing and now LuSEE-Night will travel on its successor, Blue Ghost 2, which will land on the far side of the moon without anyone on Earth being able to see it. What comes next. If LuSEE-Night is successful, the roadmap is ambitious: develop FarViewa colossal lunar interferometer on a larger scale that would allow the study of the dark ages with a precision hitherto impossible. The project would begin assembly in the 2030s and would have initial funding from NASA. In Xataka | The hidden side of the Moon is no longer a mystery. A NASA camera is to blame In Xataka | The far side of the Moon hid an icy secret. We finally know why it is so different from what we see Cover | NASA/Firefly Aerospace

features, price, technical sheet and release date

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In time for MWC 2026, Xiaomi has just presented its new flagship. In addition to the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, which also arrives here, in this article we focus on the base model. It should be remembered that both devices They are already on sale in China last September, so it is now that the European public can get their hands on these devices. Of course, at the moment, and it doesn’t seem like things will change, we are left without Pro models (the ones with the little screen on the back). Below these lines we tell you all the details. Xiaomi 17, technical sheet Xiaomi 17 dimensions and weight Length: 151.1mm Width: 71.8mm Thickness: 8.06mm (camera bump not taken into account) Weight: 191g screen OLED 6.3 inches 2656×1220 Up to 120Hz 3500 nits DCI-P3 HDR10+, HDR Vivid | Dolby Vision processor Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Manufactured in 3nm process Eight-core Oryon CPU with maximum frequency up to 4.6 GHz graph Adreno 840 GPU Memory and storage 12GB LPDDR5X 256GB / 512GB UFS 4.1 charge and battery 6,330 mAh High energy density silicon-carbon QC3+ / QC3.0 / QC2.0 / PD3.0 / PD2.0 Xiaomi Surge 100W Wired Charging Xiaomi Surge 50W Wireless Charging 22.5W Wireless Reverse Fast Charging rear cameras Leica Optics Main camera: 50 MP (ƒ/1.67, 23 mm) Floating telephoto lens: 50 MP (ƒ/2.0, 60 mm, 10 cm to infinity focusing distance, Zoom EIS Ultra wide angle: 50 MP (ƒ/2.4, 102°, 6P Lens) front camera 50MP (ƒ/2.2, 90°) GRID 5G Support for 2 Nano-SIM ports USB 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps) wireless connectivity WiFi 7, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 4 and 802.11a/b/g 2.4G Wi-Fi | 5G Wi-Fi MLO, 2×2 MIMO, 8×8 sound for MU-MIMO, WiFi Direct, Miracast, 2.4G and 5G dual channel Bluetooth 5.4, dual Bluetooth SBC/AAC/AptX/AptX HD/AptX Adaptive/LDAC/LHDC 5.0/LC3/MIHC NFC positioning B1I + B1C+ B2a｜GPS: L1 + L5｜Galileo: E1 + E5a GLONASS: G1｜QZSS: L1 + L5｜NaVIC L5 operating system Xiaomi HyperOS 3 OTHERS Fingerprint unlock box contents Mobile phone, power adapter, USB Type-C cable, case, screen protector (factory installed), SIM card pin, user manual price From 999 euros Design: thinner, lighter and more compact There are changes in the design of the Xiaomi 17, if we compare it with its predecessor. The most notable thing in this aspect is the change in aesthetics in the camera frame, which now the sensors are exposed. There are also changes in its dimensions, as the company has chosen to reduce its size a bit to strengthen its compact character compared to the rest of the range. The device has a thickness of 8.06 mm and a weight of 191 grams, figures that make it a fairly contained terminal. The front uses reduced frames of 1.18 mm all around. On the back it incorporates high-resistance matte glass. The set is reinforced by what the brand calls Xiaomi Guardian structure, which includes Xiaomi Shield Glass and IP68 certification against dust and water. Brighter (and slightly smaller) screen The screen is a 6.3-inch OLED panel with Full HD+ resolution, offering a pixel density of 460 ppi. It is slightly smaller than that of the Xiaomi 15 (6.36 inches), although the change is practically negligible. It also has LTPO technologyallowing an adaptive refresh rate between 1 and 120 Hz. On the other hand, Xiaomi promises a peak brightness delivery of up to 3,500 nits. Additionally, it includes support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. The screen also uses an M10 panel customized by Xiaomi which, according to the company, reduces energy consumption by 23% compared to the previous generation. Camera with Leica seal, and with hardly any hardware changes Xiaomi maintains its collaboration with Leica, although if we stick purely to the technical specifications, the changes are not so groundbreaking in hardware if we compare it with the Xiaomi 15pointing almost all the weight of its improvements to the software and image processing: main camera: 50 MP, f/1.67 aperture, OIS. 1/1.31-inch Light Fusion 950 sensor with 2.4 μm 4-in-1 Super Pixel and 13.5 EV dynamic range. 23mm equivalent focal length. Telephoto lens 60mm Leica floating: 50 MP, f/2.0 aperture, OIS. Samsung JN5 sensor. It allows macro photography at 10 cm and 5x level optical zoom, with an AI-powered zoom that goes up to 20x. wide angle: 50 MP, f/2.4 aperture, 102° field of view. OV50M sensor. 17mm equivalent focal length. Xiaomi and Leica promise a refinement in processing, rather than a big change in hardware. The Ultrawide sensor widens the real optical perspective, going from 115º to 102º, reducing lateral deformations and improving calibration. Where the most changes are noticeable is in the selfie camera, where the Xiaomi 17 debuts a 50 MP camera with f/2.2 aperture, improved autofocus at both long and short distances, and automatic framing. For video, the device records in 4K at 60 fps with Dolby Vision, supports Log up to 4K 60 fps and also supports 8K recording at 30 fps. We have the mechanical stabilizer (OIS) in the two main rear cameras. Top processor, as expected The Xiaomi 17 works with the platform Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 from Qualcomm, manufactured in the 3 nm process. In this way, and as expected, the device includes Qualcomm’s top processor to date. It is an eight-core chip with two Oryon V3 cores at 4.6 GHz, and another six efficiency cores at 3.62 GHz. It is accompanied by the Adreno 840 as a GPU, and the new generation Hexagon NPU for processes that require AI. The device will arrive in two configurations, both with 12 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and then a choice between 256 GB or 512 GB of UFS 4.1 internal storage. In Europe it seems that we are running out of versions with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB, which are sold in China. Presumably the RAM crisis have something to do with it. HyperOS 3 with its “Hyper Island” The device will arrive with HyperOS 3 and Android 16 pre-installed. In addition to touches on the visual section of … Read more

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