Mobile Tech & Gadgets

There is an island without which the world would not function. This is how Taiwan has become a world technological epicenter: Crossover 1×35

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In February 1974, the Prime Minister of Taiwan met with a small group of experts and together they came to a conclusion: the country had a difficult time with the economic strategy of the time, and they had to make a bet on the future. That bet They were, of course, the semiconductors. That famous meeting marked a before and after for a country that has a very delicate geopolitical situation. China considers it a rogue state, but while they have their own government and currency. Despite this tension, Taiwan has managed to become a strategic partner of countries such as the aforementioned China or the United States, and in both cases for the same reason: chips. Taiwan has managed to become a absolute giant in the semiconductor industry, and this is demonstrated by the company that It is the crown jewel of the country: TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company). Since it was founded in 1987, the company has grown and its alliance with Apple in the early 2010s has proven crucial to its current dominance. But before all that happened, Taiwan went through a complicated process that included wars and dominance by Japan for nearly half a century. In this episode of Crossover we precisely analyze the history of this peculiar island and how it faces a future that, even with its current position, is full of challenges. On YouTube | Crossover In Xataka | TSMC’s only problem was that it was in Taiwan. So the United States has decided to get her out of there

consolidates a terrain where Google has not yet reached

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Don’t know where your suitcase ended up after a trip? Or have you lost sight of your keys just when you were in the most hurry? To clear up doubts in this type of situation, Apple users have had the AirTagthe company’s tracker, which is now renewed with discreet but important changes. And it is advisable to be clear about them if you are thinking of buying one. What exactly does the new AirTag bring?. We are facing the first update since the launch of the original AirTag in 2021. On the outside, the device is identical to the first generation model. The difference is on the inside: Apple has updated the hardware to introduce concrete improvements without increasing the price. That is, more benefits without paying more. Second-generation ultra-wideband (UWB) chip: it is the same component that devices such as the iPhone 17 incorporate, the iPhone Air or the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Series 11. The result is a 50% improvement in Precision Search, the function that guides you with arrows, vibrations and sound to the object. New speaker: Also with a 50% improvement in power, which makes it easier to hear the AirTag from a greater distance and speed up the location process. Precision Search from Apple Watch: if you have a Apple Watch Series 9 or later, or a Apple Watch Ultra 2 or later, you can use this function directly from the watch to find the AirTag and, by extension, whatever you have attached to it. If we talk about the price, it can now be reserved on the Apple website and in the Apple Store app, and it will arrive in Apple Store stores later this week. It is available for 35 euros the unit or in a pack of four 119 euros. And, for those who want to complete the set, Apple also sells the fine braided keychain for AirTag for 45 euros. How the AirTag works. The key point of the AirTag is that it does not have integrated GPS. Its operation is based on Bluetooth and Apple’s Find My network: the AirTag emits a signal and, when an iPhone, iPad or Mac passes nearby, it detects it and sends an approximate location to iCloud. That location is what we then see on the map from the Search app. When you are already close, ultra-wide band (UWB) comes into play, which is the technology that allows Precision Search: locating the AirTag with much more accuracy at short distances. Google still does not release its own. As we can see, the AirTag works solely within the Apple ecosystem, and that integration is a big part of its appeal. On Android there are alternatives, but an equivalent commitment signed by Google is still missing: its own tracker that plays in the same league, and that can compete head to head with Apple’s proposal. On Android there are trackers, but… The temptation is to think that Android is at a disadvantage because it does not have an official AirTag. But the picture is more nuanced. Google has Find Hub and around that network a fairly active market of compatible trackers has already been built, with names like Chipolo either Pebblebee. The problem is that this ecosystem does not have a single direction: there is no iconic model that sets the standard, that pushes specific functions and that serves as a reference point for everything else. In practice, there are many trackers, but not such a uniform experience. The technology that makes the difference. To understand why Apple insists so much on ultra wide band (UWB) You have to look at the most complex moment of any search: when you are already close, but you don’t see it. Bluetooth can help you narrow it down, even make it sound, but it’s not particularly fine. UWB, on the other hand, is designed for that final phase: it allows precise location within a few meters, with clear guidance and in real time. That’s the difference between “it’s over here” and “it’s two meters away, to the left.” Why UWB is so rare on Android. If you’re wondering why UWB is still so rare on Android, there’s a pretty simple explanation: the market isn’t pushing it hard yet. Most Find Hub trackers are designed to work with Bluetooth, which is more universal and helps control the price. The side effect is that UWB is reserved for few models and, therefore, for few users. Samsung and its commitment to UWB. UWB, as we say, exists on Android. There are cases like the Moto Tag 2 or the Samsung SmartTag+ as the most representative model. But that advantage in the case of the South Korean brand comes with fine print: its proposal is linked to the Galaxy ecosystem and SmartThings. It is not an “Android” experience in the broad sense, but rather a branded solution. And that reinforces the underlying idea: there is progress, but dispersed, without a common standard pushed by Google. “Pixel Tag”: more than a device, a push. In this context is where the great absence makes sense: a Google tracker. Not so much because of the gadget itself, but because of what it would drag behind it. A “Pixel Tag” would be, above all, a declaration of intent: a product capable of setting a benchmark experience on Find Hub, pushing the real use of UWB and forcing the platform to mature faster. What changes for users. If Google took the step, the change for the user would not be so much “having another tracker”, but rather gaining a more coherent experience. Today, many solutions work well, but vary too much depending on the model and brand. With its own product as a reference, Find Hub could become more consistent: better search accuracy, more integration, and more features. Images | Apple | Samsung In Xataka | Apple has made the quietest turn in its history: its design teams no longer report to design

North Korea believed the threat was miles from its border. A video has revealed that it is a few meters away with a huge warhead

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For years, North Korea has built your security on the idea that the most dangerous thing came from afar and could be seen coming in time. But on the peninsula, threats do not always come from the other side of the world: sometimes they develop much closer than anyone imagined. A “monster” missile. a video has revealed that South Korea has begun to operationally deploy the Hyunmoo-5its largest ballistic missile to date and one of the most peculiar in the world due to the combination of size and mission. Although it remains shrouded in secrecy and there are no publicly confirmed test launches, its input in units indicates that Seoul already considers it a real instrument of deterrence. A weapon designed for an extreme scenario on the peninsula, where the problem is not just attacking, but hitting what is buried, protected and designed to survive. The key: the head. What it places to Hyunmoo-5 In a category of its own is its warhead gigantic penetrationmuch heavier than that of usual conventional missiles. Where it is normal to carry loads of less than a ton, here we are talking about a block that can be around several tons, with an important part dedicated to dense metal and structure to pierce before detonating. The logic is simple and we have seen it before in the United States MOP: enter the ground at enormous speed, break through like a kinetic hammer and then explode once inside, attacking bunkers, command centers, warehouses and shelters designed to withstand traditional attacks. Ballistic bunker-buster. In terms of effect, it is reminiscent of bunker buster bombs launched from a planebut with a decisive difference: here it is not falling from a bomber at subsonic speed, but rather hits like a ballistic projectile at speeds close to hypersonic or directly hypersonic. This multiplies the penetration capacity by pure impact energyeven before counting the explosion. It does not make the weapon “nuclear,” because the type of destruction is different, but it does create a conventional tool with the power of entry and demolition that seeks to get closer to what a regime fears most: losing its underground shelters. Ceremony celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Korea The mystery of scope. The huge warhead penalizes the range, and that is why many estimates They place their radius of action around about 600 kilometersmore typical of a short-range missile despite the size of the set. For South Korea that is not a problem, because the priority objective is close and it’s concrete: Hardened facilities in North Korea. Still, if the load were lightened, it could reach much greater distances, even entering intermediate-range missile parameters, opening the door to broader regional readouts. Total design freedom. For decades, Seoul developed missiles under agreed limits with Washington, first very strict and then increasingly relaxeduntil those guidelines disappeared completely in 2021. That change was not symbolic: it came at the pace of North Korea’s advance in missiles and nuclear weapons, and left South Korea with room to create heavier, more capable systems with greater range options. Hyunmoo-4 had already raised the bar with a powerful charge, but Hyunmoo-5 represents the definitive jump to the idea of ​​“demolition power” as a main feature. The three-way strategy. Plus: the Hyunmoo-5 is integrated into the South Korean scheme designed to avoid or respond to a North Korean nuclear attack, with three pillars that complement each other: a preemptive strike plan on nuclear and missile capabilities if deemed inevitable, an air and missile defense to intercept launches, and massive conventional retaliation against leadership and strategic infrastructure if the North strikes first. On that board, the missile serves both to punish and to decapitate capabilities, because its specialty is attacking what the adversary hides underground to guarantee its continuity. Deterrence and escalation. They counted the TWZ analysts that the South Korean bet aims to maintain a “balance of terror” with increasingly forceful conventional means, but it also fuels an uncomfortable debate about the future. If Seoul one day decided to pursue a nuclear arsenal of its own, a missile from this family would be a natural candidateand a nuclear charge would also be much lighter than the current conventional one, which would expand range and flexibility. Meanwhile, the mere existence of Hyunmoo-5 already serves as an unmistakable message: even without crossing the nuclear threshold, South Korea wants the ability to open any relevant bunker and force Pyongyang to assume that his depth no longer guarantees security. Beyond Pyongyang. In public, South Korea frames these weapons as an answer to North Korea, but the regional background weighs more and more. Have a missile potentially adaptable in range and with a devastating payload add margin facing scenarios where the threat is not only from North Korea, but also from nearby powers such as China or Russia. The idea of ​​​​increasing their survival and employment options with future naval platforms is even contemplated, following the trend global from “arsenal ships”because in deterrence it is not enough to have the weapon: we must also guarantee that it will remain alive when the time comes to use it. Image | Lightrocket, 촬영 – 이헌구 기자 In Xataka | “It’s a level 10 Godzilla, but they only see a tiger”: South Korea’s surprising response to North Korea’s rearmament In Xataka | If the question is what has North Korea achieved in the last four years, the answer is simple: an unimaginable arsenal

The number of new apps coming to the App Store has skyrocketed. We have a culprit: “vibe coding”

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The arrival of tools based on generative artificial intelligence has caused a real explosion in mobile application stores, especially since we have development environments with AI that allow us to create and deploy applications without needing to know programming. According to data from venture capital fund Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), new apps launched in the iOS App Store in the United States increased 60% year-on-year in December, after remaining practically stagnant for the previous three years. The accumulated year-on-year growth in the last twelve months reaches 24%. The person responsible has a name: the “vibe coding“, that way of programming in which AI does much of the work. What is happening. 2025 has been the year in which “sensation programming” has exploded. And it is that in environments of ‘agentic programming‘ or vibe coding, just explain to an AI tool what application you need and the machine takes care of writing the code. Platforms like CursorBolt, Google AI StudioClaude Code or V0 have democratized app creation to the point that anyone with an idea can turn it into a working prototype without writing a single line of code. This opens many doors, as thousands of new developers without technical training are publishing applications in stores. That’s also a problem. Going back to 2008. As points out a16z, the situation evokes the early days of the iPhonewhen Apple launched its SDK and in a matter of months went from 500 applications to downloads that exceeded 1,000 million. That ecosystem ended up generating hundreds of billions of dollars in revenue. Here the phenomenon is even more overwhelming, since the creation of applications is no longer ‘limited’ to experienced developers, which means that in an afternoon we can create any simple app, as long as we know what to ask of the AI. Image: a16z The problem. Things are clear: you will not be able to create a complex application in one sentence. And now he told us Miguel Ángel Durán, a software engineer known as midudev, in March of last year: “don’t think that just saying something without knowing anything about programming is going to give you the next Airbnb.” As my colleague Javier Pastor mentioned some time ago, the case of Leoa user who created an entire SaaS platform with vibe coding and even got paying customers, perfectly illustrates the risks, since two days after bragging about his achievement, he had to ask for help because his app displayed public API keys, had an easy-to-jump paywall, and crashed his database due to basic programming errors. Quality matters. “You can do very basic things. We have tried Cursor, Bolt, etc., and you reach a level that one may think is advanced, but in reality what usually happens is that they are cloning a Github repository and changing its colors,” we say. counted Some time ago Daniel Ávila, co-founder of CodeGPT. There is a flood of low-quality apps, much more than before, since now many more inexperienced people can easily publish them in any app store. And the problem is that many of these applications do not even reach the prototype level, being unfinished products that work superficially and then end up accumulating all kinds of technical errors. Even worse if the app has a paywall. Between optimism and caution. “Vibe coding is super interesting to extend the prototyping of ideas and empower people,” we say. explained last year Nerea Luis, doctor in computer science. But he also recognizes that “it has risks” because completing these projects requires knowledge that neither the user nor the AI ​​possess. On the other hand, Omar Pera, Chief Product Officer of Freepik, was more optimistic: “vibe coding turns top engineers into 2x or 3x engineers.” Does it democratize access to application development? Yes, of course. The problem comes when the AI-generated application of someone without experience goes from a project to learn, as a hobby, or as an app development for one’s own use, to a project that encompasses more ambition and seeks to attract many clients. Cover image | James Yarema In Xataka | We believed that the AI ​​talent war is about engineers and developers. Actually, it’s about plumbers and electricians.

148 elderly for every 100 young people

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Spain may move in record numbers of population, but that does not mean that its demographic engine is oiled. On the contrary. If the census grows it is thanks to immigration. The latest INE studies show that every time fewer babies are bornexactly the opposite of what happens with life expectancy (continuously increasing) and deaths (stagnating). With these data on the table, the latest red light that has been lit in the national demographics is less surprising: the aging index has risen so much that it already marks a historical fact. This is not good news for the country’s labor market. What has happened? That Spain is increasingly a country of elderly people. It is no surprise, but that does not mean that the data that just published Adecco Foundation is striking. In its report ‘Aging and occupational ageism’ it reveals that in 2025 the “aging index” climbed to 148%. What does that mean? That in Spain there are now 148 people over 64 years of age for every 100 under 16. Just a year ago that same index was 14.23% and if we go to the end of the 90s it was at 99.8%, which means that almost the same proportion of elderly people resided in our country as those under 16 years of age. Is it important information? It is certainly illustrative. Both for its most obvious reading (148 people over 64 years of age for every 100 young people), and for the trend it suggests. Between 2024 and 2025, the index grew 5.7 percentage points, the largest increase since Adecco studied the phenomenon. As if that were not indicative in itself, the 2025 result shows that the country is still deep in the aging curve that it has been tracing for years. Between 2003 and 2009 (coinciding with a period of intense migratory flow, prior to the financial crisis) the proportion of children and adolescents over the elderly seemed to recover, but this trend soon stopped and has not been corrected. Is this a surprise? No. The Adecco study is new, but it is based on previous data from the INE that already suggested the same idea. In November the statistical institute published a balance on ‘Natural Population Movement’ in which three major trends were made clear. The first, the decline in the birth rate. In 2024, 318,005 births were registered in Spain, 1% less than in 2023 and far from the 427,595 recorded by the INE in 2024. On the contrary, life expectancy has continued to grow since the pandemic to stand at 84.01 years. If we add to the above that the number of deaths has also remained stable, the conclusion is clear and connects with Adecco’s calculations: fewer young people, more old people, greater imbalance, tipping the balance in favor of the latter. If at the beginning of the century there were practically the same number of people of retirement age as there were young people under 16, today it is much easier to meet the former on the street than the latter. Does it happen throughout the country? No. Not at least with the same intensity. Adecco has dedicated itself to calculating the aging index of each autonomous community and its results demonstrate the profound differences that exist at the territorial level. The oldest region is Asturias, with an indicator of 265.3%. That is, there are 265 people over 64 for every 100 under 16. Galicia (231.6) and Castilla y León (230.7) follow in the ranking. At the opposite pole are Melilla (60.4), Ceuta (74.5) and Murcia, which debuts in the ‘red zone’ with an index of 102.7%. And what does it matter? With the index Adecco does not want to cover only a statistical curiosity. Its objective is to launch a warning that directly affects the economy and the productive capacity of Spain: the pool of young population, who is about to join the labor market or will do so in the short or medium term, is increasingly lower compared to the sector of the population about to retire or who is already collecting their pension. And that is a problem. “Spain faces a structural paradox: while the population ages and the workforce becomes older, the labor market continues to underutilize professionals over 45 years of age and perpetuate the barriers that limit their employability,” warns Adecco Foundationwhich recalls that long-term unemployment affects 34% of the unemployed in Spain, a percentage that skyrockets to 48.5% if we talk about those over 45 years of age. To do? The organization is clear: rethink deep-rooted ideas. “The aging rate does not stop growing and this demographic reality places our country before a structural challenge that does not allow further delays,” reflect Francisco Mesonero, general director of the Adecco Foundation. “In this context, occupational ageism is revealed to be an obsolete phenomenon and a profound contradiction. Spain cannot afford to do without millions of older professionals.” There are those who warn in any case that Adecco’s calculations must be handled with some caution for a simple reason: it is based on two very large, different population groups and in which diverse realities are mixed. “We have a new old age that is neither short nor homogeneous and it must be conjugated in the plural because we cannot put a 64-year-old and an 85-year-old in the same bag, just as a 15-year-old cannot be equated with a 35-year-old,” commented recently in The Vanguard Dolores Puga, demographer and CSIC researcher. Images | Mark Timberlake (Unsplash) and Adecco Foundation In Xataka | After years of Japanization, in Spain there is already a generation on the verge of an uncertain scenario: old age without children

There is a Chinese startup creating the most amazing robots of the moment. It’s called X Square

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The only embodied AI (bodied artificial intelligence) company backed by the three Chinese technology giants: ByteDance, Meituan and Alibaba. Just over two years of life and financing rounds in which they have managed to overcome the 400 million dollars. These are some of the cover letters of X Square Robot, one of the most promising companies in the field of robotics. where does it come from. XSquare It is a Chinese startup which was born in 2023 at the hands of Wang Qian, an engineer and doctor from the University of Southern California who, in recent years, has maintained a discreet profile in the industry. The company was born not only as a company aimed at creating humanoid robots: they are also behind the development of the language models necessary to lead in robotics. The roadmap. The startup, despite its youth, has made the most of its two years of life. December 2023, full financing and start of operations. March 2024, efforts begin to develop a general large-scale model for embodied AIthe brain that would move its robots. May 2025, commercialization of Quanta X1, a bimanual wheeled robot equipped with its WALL-A model. Specially designed for logistics and commercial tasks. July 2025, first to show purposeful AI model general capable of directly controlling a highly dexterous robotic hand. Unlike traditional approaches—based on rules, fixed trajectories or action-specific training—the system uses a single model that integrates perception, planning and control, allowing grip and movement to be adapted in real time to changes in the environment. August 2025, Quanta X2 arrives, its first humanoid robot, also with a wheel base. The product. Quanta X2 is the latest solution from X Quare, a wheeled humanoid robot that integrates the company’s own AI model. This model allows the robot to have a vision system, autonomous motion control, real-time task planning, etc. We highly recommend watching the demo video in which X Square shows it in operation, because it is spectacular. Why is it important. X Square does not sell ordinary humanoid robots, it sells cognitive capacity. The norm in robotics companies is to design the hardware and adapt it to existing software. X Square designs its own models focused on physical AI. This is something fundamental for his native country, China. The country wants to accelerate the automobile industry in 2030 with 100% automated factories. The aid policy is especially favorable for local companies developing robotics solutions. China has created centers responsible for training robots to imitate human behavior. X Square software is key The backup. X Square is backed by giants like Alibaba and Bytedancethe first group having announced an internal team dedicated to robotics using Qwen, its AI models division, as a base. Despite Alibaba’s muscle when it comes to creating its own language models, the investment of more than $140 million in X Square Robot makes it clear that it is much more than a typical startup. Image | XSquare In Xataka | Robotics has just broken another scale barrier: there are already autonomous robots smaller than a grain of salt

They kicked him out of the factory in 2020. Today, this tiktoker sells his company and an AI that replaces him for 900 million

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Khaby Lame, the tiktoker with the most followers in the world (160 million), has sold his company Step Distinctive Limited to Rich Sparkle Holdings for between $900 and $975 million. The operation was closed in January with shares, without cash, and represents one of the largest transactions in the new creator economy. Who is it. He Italian of Senegalese origin25, rose to fame after being laid off from his job as a machinery operator in the pandemic. He began to publish silent videos, favored for their comical expressiveness, where he dismantled one of the fashions then in vogue on the Internet: life hacks that he knew how to detect as ridiculously complicatedand whose artificiality he exposed with a gthis distinctive that became his trademarkand that helped him propose obvious solutions to problems that, in reality, did not exist. On June 22, 2022, she surpassed Charli D’Amelio as the most followed person on the platform. What does the deal include? Dubai-based Step Distinctive Limited handled licensing, partnerships and sales. Lame becomes a shareholder of Rich Sparkle Holdings but loses operational control. A key fact: according to Celebrity Net WorthLame only had 49% of his company. 51% belonged to partners such as the Chinese Anhui Xiaoheiyang Network Technology, of the Three Sheep conglomerate. Lame’s case is not isolated. Mergers and acquisitions in the creator economy grew by 73% in 2025, reaching 52 operations. The sector, valued at more than 200 billion in 2024could exceed one billion before 2033. Other notable cases: MrBeast’s Beast Industries was valued at 5 billion and earned 473 million in 2024. Logan Paul earned 1.2 billion with Prime in 2023, valued between 2,000 and 3,000 million. The formula pursued is obvious: convert your followers into buyers. Digital twins. The most striking thing about the agreement is the transfer of the digital twin made by Lame’s AI. This technology creates digital replicas capable of speaking different languages ​​without recording new content. In China, platforms like Douyin employ AI-generated streamers who sell 24 hours a day, reducing costs by 80%. This technology allows a person to “work” simultaneously in multiple markets without a break. Who buys? Prior to the deal, Rich Sparkle was a financial printing company with no history in social media or AI, and the deal raises questions about the financial effectiveness of these types of deals. Now, for three years, Rich Sparkle has exclusivity over Lame’s business operations but despite his fame, is it a good move? Creators build value with their identity, but when they are controlled by outside corporations they risk losing what made them unique. The creator economy is no longer marginal: it has become a sector that operates with the same amounts as traditional industries. What started in March 2020 with an unemployed worker posting videos has ended five years later in a nearly billion transaction involving AI and Chinese conglomerates. But… is such a purchase capable of maintaining the spontaneity and freshness that characterized Lame? In Xataka | TikTok has dodged the bullet of the US veto. Although it has not been free

We thought measles was history. The data shows that we were very wrong

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For years, measles seemed like a disease of the past in much of the developed world thanks to mass vaccination campaigns who had managed to corner the virus until turning the outbreaks into anecdotes. However, everything is changing as the WHO itself points out either the US CDC by drawing a very different scenario: measles has returned and it has done so with unusual force. The return What began as an “immunity gap” after the pandemic has become in a worrying statistical trend. From the Mediterranean to the United States, and with an echo in Spain, the figures for 2024 and what we have for 2025 confirm a global rebound that tests herd immunity. The global ‘leap’. To understand the magnitude of the problem, you have to look at the raw numbers that the WHO itself offers ussince it makes us see that we are not facing a standard seasonal rebound, but rather it is a very important change in trend. In this case the European Region The WHO has registered 127,350 cases in 2024, a figure that not only doubles the records of 2023, but also marks the all-time high since 1997. In depth. If we break them down, we can see that in Europe cases have increased by 47% compared to pre-pandemic levels and in the Eastern Mediterranean the increase is 86% compared to 2019. In the case of the European Union, ECDC documents more than 35,000 cases in 2024, which increases ten times the previous year. The severity lies not only in the contagion, but in the consequences: more than half of these cases in Europe have required hospitalization. And this leads to greater pressure on care. In the United States. If in Europe there is a lot of concern about this issue, in the North American country, since the growth is vertical. The CDC itself has set off alarms after observing how cases have multiplied by five in a matter of months. In this way, while approximately between 285 and 300 cases were reported in all of 2024, projections and partial data for 2025 place the figure above 1,500 affected. This paints a very clear picture: 92% of infections occur among people who have not been vaccinated, with outbreaks concentrating in communities with low immunization. The case of Spain. If we focus on our country The truth is that we have remained free of endemic measles since 2017. This means that the virus does not constantly circulate freely within our borders. However, globalization is causing a change in photography. Official data indicates that while in 2023 only 14 cases were recorded, in 2204 they increased to 229 cases and in 2025 the forecast points to almost 400. Its origin. The Ministry of Health and the Spanish Association of Pediatrics (AEP) point out that the majority are imported cases (mainly from Morocco and Romania) that find “small gaps” to spread. Although there are active outbreaks in communities such as Andalusia, the Basque Country and Catalonia, the virus enters from outside and lights the fuse in non-immunized groups. The mathematics. Measles is one of the most contagious viruses that exists, and to keep it at bay through herd immunity, the WHO establishes a fairly strict safety threshold: 95% of the population must have both doses of the vaccine. This is something where Spain is doing quite well, since the first dose has a coverage of 96-97%, while the second drops to 91-93%. But this difference between having one or two doses is very important. That margin of two or three percentage points below the recommended 95%, added to the anti-vaccine movements and delays in post-COVID vaccination, is the crack through which the virus is sneaking in. Although the general population is protected, there are enough “pockets” of vulnerable population for an imported case to generate a local outbreak. Images | Wikipedia Fusion Medical Animation In Xataka | The myth of 37º: it is increasingly clear to us that there is no “normal” body temperature

Technology salaries in Spain do not depend on the skills of the employee. They depend on the type of company

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The technological salaries in Spain They no longer depend so much on how good you are at programming, but on the type of company you work for. The same senior profile can earn from figures typical of a small traditional SME to salaries that compete with the best engineers at Google or Meta, just for changing the type of company. At least that theory is what emerges from a salary analysis carried out by the technological employment platform Manfred, based on the observations of a former Uber engineer: in technology there is not one type of salary, but there are three, and it depends on the type of company in which you work. The “trimodal” model of technological salaries. The “trimodal” concept explains that the technology salary distribution It does not form a uniform continuous line that brings together the entire sector, but rather three distinct groups with little overlap between them. Depending on what type of company you are working for, this is how good your salary will be. The analysis is based on the observations of Gergely Orosz, former head of engineering at Uber, who analyzed on his blog the distribution of technological salaries in Europe and highlights that these groups arise from how each company decides to compare itself with the competition when setting compensation. If an SME only needs to compete against other SMEs, their salaries will be lower than those of large corporations that want to compete among themselves. Manfred has adapted that model to the reality of salaries in Spain and shows that a senior engineer can earn from 35,000 euros to 130,000 euros gross annually depending on his company group, even carrying out a job with similar responsibilities. This division makes individual talent matter less than the company’s salary strategy, creating huge gaps for equivalent profiles. Trimodal distribution of salaries in Spain. Source: Manfred Group 1: local companies with technology as support. The companies in the first group see technology as an internal service, similar to an IT department and, at a salary level, they are only compared with close competitors in your sector. In Spain, Manfred describes them as consultancies and large non-digital corporations, with basic selection processes and very hierarchical structures. This first group presents the greatest labor concentration of all of them, but offers the lowest salary rangeplacing 40,000 euros at its most common average. Given that their market is local, their salary structures are within the usual margins in Spain. In this group, the work is predictable, with a good balance between work and personal life, but without significant variable incentives, beyond a possible 10% of the base salary linked to the company’s performance. Group 2: “Scaleups” and technology companies. The second group brings together companies that compete with the entire local and some international technological fabric, raising their salary offers to attract talent or capture it among your competitors. This group includes technological startups that have already surpassed their maturity and are now seeking both national and international growth, with tougher and greater hiring processes. emphasis on autonomy. The salaries of these companies no longer only compete for the best talent at a local level, but also expand it to a European level, which is why they usually offer salaries above 60,000 euros and offer bonuses of up to 20% of the base salary in cash and shares to more experienced engineers, although not always on a general basis. That is, their remuneration is slightly above the average in Spain. Group 3: giants competing on a global scale. Companies in the third group measure themselves with the international market, attracting talent from anywhere in the world. We are talking about jobs in large technology companies such as Amazon, Uber, Google or Meta, as well as large financial entities that are developing large technological infrastructures. In this group they are shuffled international level salaries in order to attract the best qualified talent regardless of their place of origin. However, to access these positions you also have to overcome much more competitive selection processes. These firms offer salary ranges above 100,000 euros and cash bonuses of around 40% or 50% of the base salary are offered for those employees who achieve all their objectives and actions for all levels, even for junior employees. Not everything is money, what career do you want? Beyond money, each group offers a very different style of work. In Group 1, local companies prioritize stability and work-life balance, with schedules that allow for some flexibilityin addition to offering a greater number of job offers. Instead, Group 3 of global giants brings greater instabilitywith frequent rounds of layoffs when you don’t meet expectations and high turnover because they pay so much to attract only the best. Teleworking is a common practice in Groups 1 and 2, but the large corporations in Group 3 practically they have removed it of their offers and sometimes ask to move close to their main offices in Madrid or Barcelona. The number of job offers in Groups 2 and 3 are much lower than those in Group 1, so it is also more complicated to access a company with these characteristics, making it difficult to jump from one company to another within that same group. In Xataka | The harsh reality of salaries in Spain: the most common gross salary in 2023 did not exceed 16,000 euros per year Image | Unsplash (Sigmund)

I have tried the Huawei FreeClip 2, headphones with a still strange shape but surprising comfort

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I’ve been using the Huawei FreeClip 2 for a couple of weeks. I put them on out of work obligation, but since then they have spent more time in my ears than I thought they would. That says quite a bit about these headphones. But, as almost always in life, there are asterisks. Huawei FreeClip 2 technical sheet HUAWEI FREECLIP 2 Earphone dimensions and weight 25.4 × 26.7 × 18.8mm 5.1g per earbud DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT CHARGING CASE 50.0 × 49.6 × 25.0mm 37.8g sound 10.8mm driver NOISE CANCELLATION ANC Cancellation on calls with 3-microphone systems ‘Crystal-clear calls’ system Open-ear transparency mode microphones 3 Clear Voice battery 60 mAh per earbud 537 mAh in charging case USB-C charging 5V 1.5 A Wireless charging up to 3W Theoretical autonomy Up to 9 hours on a single charge Up to 38 hours with the case charged connectivity Bluetooth 6.0 Dual connection Quick pairing on Huawei with EMUI 10.0 or higher compatibility Android 8.0 or higher / iOS 13 or higher (to use the Huawei Audio Connect app) Standard Bluetooth connection without advanced features if the app is not used design Open-ear headset with C-shaped bridge design (arc that surrounds the ear) Bridge material: silicone + shape memory alloy Resistance IP57 (headphones) and IP54 (case) price 199 euros HUAWEI FreeClip 2 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones, Open Earbuds, All Day Comfort, Open-Ear Adaptive Listening, up to 38h Autonomy, iOS and Android, 42 Month Warranty, Black The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Design with personality and that requires personality The design, officially “C cross-bridge design” and unofficially “two pairs of cherries”they no longer feel like as risky a bet as they did in their first version. That first generation It made me ask a legitimate question.: Who is going to want to wear spheres hanging from a cable over their ear? This is how they will see you with them. Image: Xataka. Two and a half years later, after a wave of imitators of the format, it seems that the market has responded: people do want this. I personally still have my reservations: I don’t go through life hiding, but Yes, I like to go unnoticed, and with these headphones in my ears it is complicated. There is some look from someone who wonders if that is an earphone, a modern hearing aid, a piercing or what. Huawei has reduced the weight to 5.1 grams per earbud. The bridge that connects both parts uses liquid silicone with shape memory. And the tension is just right: they don’t press, they don’t slip. I have bent down to pick things up from the floor, I have run with them and I have spent long periods of time cleaning the house with them in my ears. They usually don’t move. But there is some ‘but’: Sometimes, for some reason (I guess we all have different ears), my left one would slip a little and I would have to adjust it. Are you going to wear a hood? Problem. Will you take off your sweatshirt? Problem. These helmets are not designed to stay there with that type of friction. Running with them is acceptable, but it is clearly not their ideal use, and in fact I did not feel like repeating the play. By the way, these headphones, like those of their first generation, They are exactly the same as each other, there is no left and right model.so it doesn’t matter how you put them on or how you store them in the case. That’s where the sound comes out to your ear. Image: Xataka. Open-ear comfort always sounded like an empty promise until now. These headphones fulfill it because they simply disappear. You really forget you’re wearing them. After hours with them I suddenly realized that they are still there. That’s how well they integrate, that’s how little they bother you. The sound, without any big fuss, it fulfills for the day to day, without further ado. The bass has presence thanks to a drivers 10.8 mm double diaphragm. They do not give the punch of closed headphones, but for an open design it seems acceptable to me. Voices over the phone remain clear, but the treble at high volumes sounds a bit sharp. With the ten-band equalizer you can do something. In short: they deliver, but no one expects miracles in detail and dynamics. The application to customize them and access some advanced features. Image: Xataka. What surprised me the most is controlling sound leakage at moderate volumes. Huawei incorporates a system that emits waves in inverted phase to cancel escaping audio. That is, the noise cancellation system, but towards the outside instead of inward. It works reasonably but not impressively. I listen to something with my wife and, if it is not at high volume, she assures me that she does not hear anything. I pass them on to her and confirm it. If I decide to increase the volume to around 80%, there is an obvious leak. I didn’t try the first FreeClipbut I remember seeing some complaints on this point. The problem has not disappeared but I think it has lessened. The battery is one of its strong points. Lasts up to nine hours of continuous real use. Seven or so most of the time. With the case you can chain charges up to about 38 hours in total. Very good figures for those who travel or spend the day working outside. Fast charging is another detail: ten minutes in the socket gives you three hours of autonomy. A unique appearance. Image: Xataka. The touch controls work on the cable that joins both parts. At first I didn’t understand why a natural gesture produced certain behaviors. Then I failed several attempts because I forgot where that wire was exactly. Afterwards you get used to it, but it is not a perfect system, it is not completely reliable because it requires a lot of precision. Swiping your finger on the … Read more

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