Mobile Tech & Gadgets

The landing of the first OPPO Ultra in Spain begins with a huge camera

by

Sometimes it is enough to look at a device for a few seconds to understand where a brand is going, and that is exactly what happened to me with the OPPO Find X9 Ultra. On paper, its size and the volume of the photographic module could make you think of a cumbersome mobile phone, and it is, but in the hand it also feels light, comfortable and clearly premium. Furthermore, it is a device that does not try to hide its photographic ambition, but rather makes it a central part of its identity. OPPO summoned us to a meeting to calmly explain a product to which it gives special weight within its catalogue, and it is not difficult to understand why. This is the first Ultra that the brand officially puts on the table in Spain and Europe, a move with which it wants to reinforce its position in the highest range. In fact, we will go into more depth about this topic in an interview we had with Kevin Cho, CEO of OPPO in Spain. Oppo Find X9 Ultra technical sheet oppo find x9 ULTRA Dimensions and weight Tundra Umber: 163.16 × 76.97 × 9.10 mm 236g Canyon Orange: 163.16 × 76.97 × 8.65mm 235g screen 6.82 inch AMOLED QHD+ 2K resolution Screen-to-body ratio: 94.60% Refresh Rate: Maximum 144 Hz Brightness: HBM 1800 nits processor Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 memory 12GB storage 512GB battery 7,500 mAh (silicon-carbon) 100W SUPERVOOC 50W AIRVOOC rear cameras 200 MP f/1.5 main, OIS 50 MP f/2.0 Ultra Wide Angle 200 MP f/3.5 3x telephoto, OIS 50 MP f/2.2 10x telephoto, OIS front camera 50MP f/2.0 connectivity 5G Dual SIM NFC Wi-Fi 7 Bluetooth 6.0 GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BDS operating system ColorOS 16 others IP69 certification Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor price 1,699 euros The camera is not an addition, it is the starting point Where this intention is most noticeable is in the design language itself. OPPO explained to us that it has been inspired by the Hasselblad X2Dand that reference is not just an aesthetic wink, but in a very specific way of building the terminal. The camera module, with that Master Lens design on a hexagonal piece, dominates the rear and does not try to go unnoticed. On the contrary, what we see here is a deliberate decision: to take that protuberance as part of the product’s character and turn it into a way of telling us that the camera is not an add-on, but the center of everything. That idea is also transferred to the materials and the way the phone seeks to fit in the hand. We have seen two very different finishes. Tundra Umber is committed to ecological vegan leather, with dark tones and brown nuances, and it is the one that best expresses that search for a firmer grip and a feeling closer to that of a camera. Canyon Orange, on the other hand, offers a more striking proposal, with a matte finish and the use of aeronautical fiber to reinforce resistance. If we go down from the brand narrative to the terrain of the technical sheet, the Find X9 Ultra also wants to make it clear where it is placed. OPPO equips it with a 6.8-inch 144 Hz screen, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 accompanied by a steam chamber to improve cooling and a 7,050 mAh carbon silicon battery. The company also ups the ante on charging, with 100 W wired SuperVOOC and 50 W wireless AirVOOC, and tops off the set with IP69 certification. It is a very serious technical basis for a phone that aspires to compete without complexes at the top. As we have been seeing from the beginning, the discourse of the Find X9 Ultra revolves again and again around photography. At this point, it is reasonable to look at the whole before going down to detail. And what the brand proposes is a rear system made up of four main cameras and a new True Color Camera, with which it aspires to cover everything from ultra-wide angle to long-distance optical zoom without giving up a clearly ambitious proposal. In this section there is one fact that immediately stands out: here we do not have a single 200 MP sensor, but two. The first occupies the 200 MP main camera, with 23 mm equivalent; The second appears in the 3x telephoto lens, also 200 MP and designed for portrait and distance. Added to this is a 50 MP ultra wide angle that reinforces the base of the set. And then there is the piece with which OPPO finishes stretching its proposal into unusual territory for a mobile phone. The Find X9 Ultra adds a 50 MP 10x optical telephoto lens, with a 230 mm equivalent focal length, and the brand also talks about optical quality up to 20xa figure that helps to understand how far he wants to push the scope of the set. Added to this block is a 300 mm teleconverter that reminds us of the strategy of Live with your X300 Ultra. Here’s an interesting fact: both Vivo and OPPO are part of the Chinese conglomerate BBK Electronics. The partnership with Hasselblad enters its fifth year and continues to take center stage in the product narrative, especially around Master Mode. There, one of the most striking messages they gave us was that there is no generative AI, “zero AI in Master Mode”, an idea designed for those looking for a more faithful image of what is in front of them. Added to this are options such as JPG Max and 16-bit RAW Max, clearly aimed at users who want more margin for work. The alliance with Hasselblad enters its fifth year and continues to occupy a central place in the product discourse. Although photography monopolizes almost all the focus, OPPO also wanted to extend this proposal in video and in the general user experience. The Find X9 Ultra promises 4K recording at 60 fps with Dolby Vision in all … Read more

The goal is for it to last about 200 years.

by

On April 18, Helsinki inaugurated a 1.2 kilometer bridge on which no cars will circulate. The bridge it was filled with people almost as soon as it opened, and organizers encouraged visitors to come with crowns, a reference to the name ‘Kruunuvuori’ (literally, crown mountain). Many did. There was music, food stalls, a choir, a samba group and even a bicycle parade. During the opening weekend, More than 50,000 people crossed the bridge. The Kruunuvuori has thus become the longest bridge in Finland, and is designed exclusively for pedestrians, cyclists and trams. It has taken a while to materialize. The project is on the political agenda of Helsinki since 2002although construction did not begin until October 2021. The bridge is part of the ‘Kruunusillat’ (the Crown Bridges) project, a set of three bridges creating a new tram and cycle path corridor to the island of Laajasalo, east of central Helsinki. The Kruunuvuori is the last of the three to be completed, and also the most ambitious. What makes it unique. The bridge connects Korkeasaari and Kruunuvuorenranta, and is the longest and highest in all of Finland. Normally structures of this size are not built only for pedestrians, public transport or cyclists, and in fact there has been a debate for years about whether cars should also circulate there. Daniel Sazonov, mayor of the city, recognized at the inauguration that these large projects usually generate conflicting arguments, although he trusts that the neighbors will integrate the bridge into their daily lives when the tram service starts. In detail. In 2012, as part of Helsinki’s World Design Capital programme, the city held an international competition to design the connection between Kalasatama and Kruunuvuorenranta via Korkeasaari. Of 52 proposals, the jury selected ten, and the winner was the Gemma Regalis projectthe jewel in the crown, a joint work of WSP Finland and Knight Architects. The result is a cable-stayed bridge whose most visible piece is a diamond-shaped pylon 135 meters high, taller than Finland’s tallest residential building, the Kalasatama Tower (134 meters), and significantly higher than the Olympic Stadium tower (72 meters). Construction of the pylon alone required approximately two years of continuous concrete pouring. The design also incorporates details designed for the people who pass through it in their daily lives and adapt its structure to the environment in which it has been built. For example, the route along which its citizens now walk is curved, an idea designed so that the destination can be better perceived. The railings on the south side protect from the wind, and embossed plastic pipes on the cables cause the accumulated ice to break off on its own, a detail that is designed to withstand strong coastal winds and icy winters, when the surrounding sea usually freezes. A large bridge. The Kruunusillat project itself is presented as the longest bridge in the world built exclusively for trams, pedestrians and cyclists. Although no Records organization such as Guinness has yet certified it, the New Atlas media pointed out that has not found any other longer bridge that combines pedestrian lane and light tram (not counting exclusive railway bridges). A bridge with a double objective. The Kruunuvuori Bridge alone represented an approximate investment of 130 million euros. The goal is for tram passenger service to be operational by early 2027 at the latest. Likewise, the distance between Kruunuvuorenranta and the city center goes from 11 kilometers to approximately 5.5 kilometers thanks to this corridor. The project facilitates access for residents of the eastern islands without relying on a private car while also reducing pressure on the eastern branches of the Helsinki metro, in the face of forecasts for population growth in new neighborhoods. Made to last. The bridge It has a projected useful life of 200 yearsa requirement that had not been required before for structures of these characteristics in Finland. This has forced the choice of specific materials, such as stainless steel in the outer layer of the pillar armor in the sea, to resist salt water and freeze-thaw cycles. Cover image | SSAB In Xataka | In 1957, two engineers had a delusional idea: to drill a well 40 kilometers deep offshore.

which Apple John Ternus inherits and where the cracks are

by

It arrived last night for Spanish time, but it is the news of the day. After 15 years at the head of Apple, Tim Cook will leave his position on September 1. It will be the moment in which a John Ternus50 years old and with 25 years in the company, will assume the position of CEO. From a sales shark, we will move to a hardware man. And, although Cook will leave Apple in an enviable position, Ternus will take the reins with significant debts and many open fronts. Let him Cook. Yeah jobs He was the idealist, cook was the executor. Most of the hardware of the Apple of the three decades with Tim at the helm was inherited from Jobs’ Apple, but Cook has made them shine. Products such as Apple Watch either AirPodsthe Mac line was turned upside down, giving sit down Intel to bet on its own chips and even the MacBook, which was not one of the economic legs of the business, has experienced tremendous success of the macbook neothe ‘cheap MacBook’. But under the mandate of a Cook who has developed his career doing numbers and not designing products, what has shone has been the services segment. Services > hardware. We already said it in 2024: services exceeded the combined revenue of practically all of Apple’s hardware except for the iPhone, which still represented approximately half of the company’s sales. Apple has gone from being a company recognizable for its devices to one in which the iPhone was still capital, yes, but in which wearables (AirPods and Apple Watch), accessories, home devices, iPad and MacBook They were capitulating to the software. Apple has been buying software (Pixelmator, for example) to strengthen its suite of applications, but it has also been moving to subscription models and opening new lines. AppleOnefor example, is the umbrella under which services such as Apple Music, Fitness+cloud storage, Apple Arcade either AppleTV. All with a monthly subscription, of course. Because the company has a complete line of services and subscriptions to compete against other alternatives. They are in all segments (music, video games, personal care, movies and series) and represent a lifestyle. But they also have their creative suite for compete directly with Adobe with apps like the aforementioned Pixelmator, Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro Proven effectiveness. If we talk about money, this translates into a beastly lever. Under Cook, Apple has grown, and it has grown in a big way: Income from 108 billion dollars in 2011 to more than 391,000 in 2024. Close to 4x. Capitalization which went from 320 billion to 3.7 trillion dollars in 2024, almost 11x. The margin left by services and subscriptions is greater and more direct than that of the iPhone, also allowing a constant cash flow that is not seen as much with hardware launches. An iPhone is purchased once a year, a subscription is paid every month. And all this leads us to talk about a different Apple than in 2011. If then it was the company of the iPhone and other devices, today it is a business that encompasses software and hardware. And there are not many who can boast of that. And Cook’s Apple has built this while creating an extremely streamlined and diversified supply chain with factories in China, India and Vietnam to adapt to regulations and market shocks. But although that is ‘Side A’ of Tim Cook’s film, there is a ‘Side B’. The limbo of the Vision Pro. At this stage we have seen many hardware successes, but also some devices that raise many questions. I don’t get into AirPower anymore (Do you remember AirPower?), but in the field of VisionPro. Apple’s VR/AR headset is a technological marvel, but also an expensive device, with compromises like that hanging battery and, above all, one that you don’t really know where it goes. Launched in 2024 at $3,500, they have not seen the light of day in many markets, they continue to cost the same and a renewal has not been presented in these almost two years. At that time, the other great promoter of VR, Meta, has moved to glasses that they have made a place for themselves among content creators and people who want to document their daily lives. It is evident that it is not the same product, but the underlying idea is: a wearable that you wear for much of the day to create content and consume it. In a different way (audio in the Meta, more video in the Vision Pro), but consuming content, in short. In these two years, we have not been able to give the Vision Pro a ‘killer app’, something that would really make them irresistible within the Apple ecosystem. Tariffs and Apple Intelligence. But if the Vision Pro can afford to be in limbo, these two issues cannot. First, the tariffs. That Apple is moving to other countries to stop depending so much on China is not a whim. Globalization has been breaking down with the most current protectionist policies. Not depending so much on China (which continues to happen) is necessary if Apple, like so many other companies, does not want tariffs to affect its products. It is a very complicated juggling act because the United States wants its companies to leave China, but China is consolidating like a huge marketwith Apple and NVIDIA being two of the companies more interested in continuing to penetrate it to get part of a huge pie. On the other hand, Apple Intelligence. Apple’s AI was introduced two years ago and not only is it not at the level of rivals like Google, they have to ask Google for help to revitalize Siri. Apple Intelligence It is the great pending task of an Apple that has not known how to compete in these early stages of the artificial intelligence race. 2026 is expected to be the year (even They have sent most of the engineers to an ‘AI … Read more

Vueling and Wizz Air cut ground in El Prat

by

The pulse between Ryanair and Aena due to the increase in airport taxes has made the airline withdraw millions of places in a good part of the regional airports of Spain. This summer too movement is coming In this regard, a maneuver that Ryanair is using to put pressure on the airport operator. This conflict It is going really well for the competition of the Irish airline. The last one was at El Prat airport, Barcelona, ​​where the reduction of seats by Ryanair is leaving room for other airlines to take over. Why is this happening? Ryanair has been engaged in an open battle with Aena for months over the price of the taxes that airlines pay to operate at Spanish airports. As a measure of pressure, Michael O’Leary’s company has been cutting flights and routes at different airports in the country. El Prat is no exception, and just as they count Since Expansión, in the first quarter of 2026 Ryanair transported 5% fewer passengers than in the same period of the previous year, remaining below two million travelers. Its market share fell to 15.9%, almost one and a half points less than in 2025. Who wins with it. The big beneficiaries are Vueling and Wizz Air. The low-cost of the IAG group touched five million passengers between January and March, 3.9% more than a year before, consolidating a market share that already exceeds 40%. On the other hand, Wizz Air increased its traffic by 25.7% to close to 766,000 travelers, taking advantage of both the void left by Ryanair and its own expansion on routes to Central Europe and now also to London. Ambition. In January, Vueling presented a strategic plan that contemplates investments of 5,000 million euros to reach 60 million annual passengers, double its current volume. Half of this growth, according to the company, will be generated precisely in Barcelona. Wizz Air also intends to continue pushing, as it has already announced a 32% increase in its seat offer for this year’s high season in El Prat. The airport. El Prat has been operating at the limit of its capacity for years. Just like they count According to El Economista, in 2025 it exceeded its theoretical ceiling of 55 million by more than two million passengers. Lluís Sala, vice president of the College of Aeronautical Engineers in Catalonia, explained that “it is normal for the map to not be modified when the infrastructure is at maximum capacity.” With such a congested airport, any step back by one airline is an immediate opportunity for the rest. There are agreed expansion works (3,000 million euros agreed in June 2025 between the Generalitat, the Government and Aena), but for the moment growth is achieved by squeezing the time slots with less demand. And now what. The question is whether Ryanair’s withdrawal is temporary or if it will go further. For now, the dispute with Aena has no signs of being resolved soon. Meanwhile, El Prat as a whole continues to grow, with 4% more traffic in the first quarter, and is heading for a new annual record. In Xataka | The airlines had been warning for weeks and the consequences are already here: Volotea will charge 14 euros more for the Hormuz crisis

the perfect storm that is leaving teenage girls bald

by

It’s time to banish the old myth that baldness is a problem exclusive to older men. Nowadays, the waiting rooms of dermatological consultations are filled with a very different profile: young women who see their hair losing density at an alarming rate. The data is conclusive: one in four young women, between 18 and 25 years old, suffers from hair loss problems. In the incessant search for an aesthetic ideal driven by social networks—which requires quick thinness and effortlessly combined with absolute neatness on the face—teenage girls are paying a very high price. TikTok’s viral fads, far from being harmless, are taking a direct toll on your own hair health. What is happening in the heads of Generation Z? We are facing a “perfect storm” that has collided head-on with the youngest. On the one hand, the massive viralization of ultra polished hairstyles and, on the other, the dispensing drugs such as Ozempic. The visual and psychological impact is devastating for them. Some young women report situations of real anguish to the magazine Womanconfessing that during times of exams or great stress “giant hairballs” fall out when combing their hair. This is not just an aesthetic problem: it generates deep anxiety, insecurity and reduces the self-esteem of adolescents who are already under enormous social scrutiny. From a medical point of view, the phenomenon is raising alarm bells. Although gastrointestinal problems have historically been the most documented side effect of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs (such as the famous Ozempic), alopecia has recently emerged as a major safety warning sign, accumulating more than 1,000 spontaneous reports in the United States FDA pharmacovigilance system. Faced with the desperation of seeing their hair fall out, many girls begin a true medical pilgrimage. As explained The Newspaperit is common for patients to end up stumbling through hair clinics that promise “miracle products”, spending large amounts of money on ineffective treatments or with erroneous diagnoses before reaching a real dermatologist. The root of the problem. To understand why this happens, we must analyze the two major trends that converge in this phenomenon: The danger of the ‘Clean Look’ (Traction Alopecia): This fashionable hairstyle, which consists of wearing the hair extremely tight, gelled and tied back, is not only a beautiful aesthetic choice; hides a serious mechanical risk. On many occasions, young women use it like a kind of “dry shampoo” camouflaged to extend the days without washing your hair. This continued tension literally tears off the follicle and restricts blood circulation, resulting in a lack of oxygenation. seriously disrupts the normal hair cycle. The Ozempic cocktail and extreme diets (Telogen Effluvium): It is important to clarify that the drug itself is not a direct toxin that kills hair. What happens is that drastic weight loss and appetite suppression generate a state of emergency or “survival” in the organism. By drastically reducing calorie and protein consumption, the body is forced to prioritize vital organs, abandoning functions that it considers “non-essential”, such as hair growth. The sociological background of all this is deep and worrying. The journalist and writer Noemí López Trujillo, in an interview for The Countryreflects on the current “Ozempic culture” and that “aesthetic of kneading bread while looking out the window” that the clean look. We are facing a paralyzing and contradictory aesthetic pressure: women are required to be thin (even resorting to medicalizing weight loss) and always present a neat and strictly controlled appearance. All of this responds to an attempt to achieve an aspirational version that we see on the networks, but which in real life is very expensive. What do medical experts say? The dermatological and pharmaceutical community is unanimous in its warnings. Regarding the risks of the fashionable hairstyle, the specialized pharmacist Helena Rodero, in statements to the magazine InStylecategorically warns that the damage caused to the follicle by these stretched hairstyles (traction alopecia) can become irreversible, unlike other hair loss. Along these lines, Dr. Gloria Garnacho, dermatologist at GEDET, explains in EFEsalud that chronic tension ends up inflaming the follicle until it is destroyed, causing “scarring alopecia.” In addition, warn that the practice of not washing your hair for days to maintain your hairstyle accumulates grease and dirt that irritates the microbiota of the scalp. Regarding rapid weight loss, Dr. Irene Marín, head of Dermatology, point in The Newspaper that restrictive diets associated with these drugs generate significant deficiencies of iron, zinc or vitamin D, which directly triggers diffuse hair loss. For his part, plastic surgeon Dr. Jesse E. Smith corroborates that hormonal fluctuations (especially changes in insulin levels) and the tremendous psychological stress of such rapid weight loss completely interrupt the natural hair growth cycle. The clinical literature maintains that Telogen Effluvium and Androgenetic Alopecia are, in fact, the most frequent subtypes of hair loss in patients under treatment with GLP-1. The light at the end of the tunnel. Hair loss caused by the use of GLP-1 drugs and restrictive diets usually appears between 3 and 6 months after weight loss, but in the vast majority of cases it usually resolves and regrowth (within 3 to 9 months) once the weight stabilizes and the nutrient levels in the body improve. To prevent major illnesses, specialists recommend making urgent changes to your lifestyle: In the hair routine: Experts insist on the need to alternate the use of the clean look With days of wearing your hair down, use fabric elastics that do not break the fiber and, under no circumstances, sleep with that tight hairstyle. In diet: It is vitally important to increase protein intake (which is essential for producing keratin) and supplement iron if there are deficiencies, an extremely common situation in young women due to losses during menstruation. As for treatments, the advice is clear: you should be wary of “miracle shampoos”, since these cosmetic products only act on the appearance of the hair fiber, but do not reach the root, which is where the problem truly lies. The real solutions are to consult a medical specialist … Read more

It doesn’t cure anything and your business is diluted in Spain

by

The homeopathy has received a hard blow today from the Spanish health authorities, and more specifically the AEMPS itself, by pointing out in a devastating report that homeopathy has no effectiveness proven when it comes to treating different ailments, despite the fact that they promise something completely different. Something that can mean a great fall for a business that has invoiced millions of euros and all thanks to the scientific evidence that is increasingly clear regarding the null effects that these ‘treatments’ have. A lot of weight behind. The history of homeopathy in Spain has been written for years based on regulatory purges, but the latest Health analysis leaves no room for doubt. Based on 64 systematic reviews From scientific studies published since 2009, the national body has ruled that these products They provide no real benefitdifferent diseases such as, for example, depression, autoimmune diseases or even dermatological diseases. And as we see, it is not something new, since the scientific community has been warning for years that the supposed improvements reported by some patients with homeopathy are explained by three factors: the placebo effect, the evolution of the disease itself and the unreliability of the studies on which its operation was based. A tug of war. In fact, science tells us that, when clinical trials are carried out with great rigor and with the appropriate research methods, the difference between administering a homeopathic product and a simple sugar cube is statistically null. But the mental effect of taking a pill that promises an almost miraculous effect when it comes to curing an illness plays an important role in making us think that it really improves us. The real danger. A priori, taking a homeopathic product does not have too many dangers for the patient, since they do almost nothing in the body. But the problem is that the use of homeopathy encourages the abandonment or delay of medical treatments with proven evidence, such as, for example, an antidepressant in major depression. Failure to follow the most appropriate treatment has fatal consequences, especially if we are talking about serious diseases where time is a super important factor. Furthermore, the AEMPS and various medical reviews have documented very serious adverse effects due to this lack of real medical care, such as abortions or deaths. Although the most serious may be in the field of oncology, where the use of these alternative therapies such as seawater has been shown to directly increase the risk of mortality as patients reject conventional chemotherapy or radiotherapy. A free fall. Today, this market moves around 30 million euros annually in our country, representing 0.5% of total pharmaceutical sales. Here the great giant of the sector is Boiron, which controls 90% of the market and is seeing its empire falter, since, although its products are still present in thousands of pharmacies, sales they haven’t stopped fallinggoing from billing 20.6 million euros in 2016 to only 14.6 million in 2024. Recalls from the market. The purge in pharmacies has been relentless, since following EU directives that require efficiency tests to authorize medications, the AEMPS has already withdrawn 66 injectable products in 2019 and another 314 in 2024. But as of today the Ministry of Health has recalled more than 1,000 homeopathic products. The 976 that have managed to survive and remain registered have done so under a “simplified registry.” This is an ‘escape system’ in the law, since here they are considered harmless products, but they are strictly prohibited from including any therapeutic indication or promise of cure on their packaging. In this way, no homeopathic product can have the promise of curing a disease in Spain. In Xataka | Millions of Spaniards consume benzodiazepines to sleep at night. They don’t know it’s poisoned candy

Sleeping four hours a day and performing at your best is not a myth, it is a genetic rarity of 1% of the population

by

There are people who boast of sleeping only four or five hours a day and claim to wake up fresh as a lettuce, something that can generate a lot of envy, but also skepticism, since it seems hardly credible being able to sleep little and be so active. And science has not stopped saying that sleeping little it is very bad for your healthalthough there is an exception to the rule (as we are used to seeing). What we knew. For decades, the unwavering recommendation of the World Health Organization and sleep medicine experts they have been clear: a healthy adult needs between 7 and 9 hours of sleep night so that your immune system, your metabolism and your mental health function properly. Getting out of there, below, is buying tickets for diseases such as, for example, Alzheimer’s to appear. The exception. Given this rule, there is 1% of the world’s population that has a true genetic superpower that allows them to bypass this rule without any consequences. And the culprit has been detected by researcher Ying-Hui Fu, who after tracking down these people has seen that it has an important genetic component. How it looked. To do this, the researcher decided to analyze entire families where several of their members ‘functioned’ perfectly with just six hours of sleep, without showing daytime sleepiness or cognitive deterioration, while the rest of their family members needed more than eight hours of sleep. And from here, the culprit had a first and last name: the mutation of the DEC2 gene, known as BHLHE41. Although this finding has been the tip of the iceberg, because subsequent studies in animal models and entire families of humans have found a real cocktail of mutations in other genes that seem to optimize sleep so that four hours is more than enough. And it even gave them a ‘protective shield’ against cognitive decline when they faced even shorter nights. In the end they are all benefits. Because you don’t have to try. Reading about these mutations can be tempting, since, after all, different very relevant figures have sold us the myth that we should sleep little because it is a waste of time, and we should get up early at five in the morning. But the truth is that it is vital to separate these people who have an alteration in their genetics from people who sleep little because they want to. If this is not the 1% of the population (which is most likely), science suggests that chronically sleeping six hours or less during middle age increases the risk of suffer from dementia by 30%and even the chances of suffering from diabetes or hypertension also increase. This means that the body should not be deprived of sleep when it is ‘asking for’ it. Something that is noticeable as soon as you wake up. Future views. The interest of the scientific community aims to perfectly understand how these genes can make sleep much more efficient, and above all how they protect against different diseases related to sleep deprivation. In this way, the long-term goal is not necessarily to create pills so that we all sleep four hours and work more, but rather to develop therapies for sleep disorders or prevent diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Images | user18526052 on Freepik In Xataka | Drink water right before going to sleep? Science has finally clarified whether it is a good idea or a terrible enemy of sleep

Doomsday. Disney’s response has been to invent its own IMAX

by

On December 18, 2026, two of the most anticipated blockbusters of the last decade share release date. Warner Bros. has contracted exclusivity on all IMAX screens in the United States for ‘Dune: Part Three’ for three weeks. It is a vital space for the box office blockbusters of this type, so Disney, following Bender’s teachings on the moon from the legendary pilot episode of ‘Futurama’, decides to set up its own IMAX for ‘Doomsday‘. He called it Infinity Vision. The contract of evil. The key is in a contract signed before both premieres collided. Warner Bros. booked December 18, 2026 for ‘Dune: Part Three’ in June 2024, almost a year before Disney moved ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ on that same date. Under this contract, Villeneuve’s film has all IMAX screens blocked for three consecutive weeks starting December 18, leaving the Marvel film without access to that circuit in the US market. In favor of ‘Dune’. In addition to the contractual issue, there is an added topic: ‘Dune: Part Three’ has been filmed mainly with 65mm IMAX cameraswhile ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ has done so with IMAX certified digital cameras. For the IMAX standard, there is a difference: the 65mm negative produces a native image in the expanded format of the characteristic IMAX screens, which makes ‘Dune 3’ a more technically competent release. Something that IMAX will undoubtedly use as a selling ingredient. Despite insistent rumors, it seems that Marvel will not move the release date, and Kevin Feige confirmed it at CinemaCon. Infinity Vision arrives. It was there where Disney announced Infinity Vision as a new certification for premium rooms. This is a seal that will help the viewer “find the best screens in their area.” This rating refers to the largest possible screen sizes, laser projection for superior brightness and sharpness, and premium audio formats for an immersive sound experience. That is to say, about 75 certified rooms in the United States and more than 300 globally. What Infinity Vision is not. It is not a new format. It is simply a certification for rooms that already exist and can boast high-quality equipment. IMAX, with its characteristic aspect ratio of 1.43:1, is a different experience from traditional cinema, a space that Infinity Vision does not come out of, no matter how much it is applied to high-quality screens. The Infinity Vision certificate will start with the re-release of ‘Endgame’, as an appetizer before the arrival of ‘Doomsday’. Why IMAX matters. To understand why Disney has a problem, let’s look at the numbers. IMAX occupies less than 5% of the screens, but for large studio productions it represents between 15% and 25% of the collection of the first weekend. For example, ‘Dune: Part Two‘ grossed $81.5 million domestically and $178.5 million worldwide in its opening weekend, with premium formats (IMAX and 70mm) accounting for 48% of the total opening business. That is, almost half of the box office concentrated in a small percentage of the theaters. With ‘Oppenheimer’, IMAX generated 35 million global dollars in the premiere alone, 20% of the opening total. EITHER said by the CEO of IMAX himselfRichard Gelfond: the format has added 15% of the box office in premium releases during 2025. IMAX’s global revenues are on track to exceed $1.4 billion in 2026and ‘Dune 3’ is one of the main drivers of that growth. Disney, for its part, is the largest contributor to IMAX revenue among all the Hollywood studios, which gives an idea of ​​the volume of business that is at stake with ‘Doomsday’. The precedent. In 2025, Jurassic World Rebirth was one of the few big blockbusters that could not have a premiere in IMAX for scheduling reasons. Some analysts blame this for its somewhat weaker performance than other deliveries. Meanwhile, Warner has already reported that the 70mm IMAX screenings of ‘Dune: Part Three’ they have already sold out in 19 locations in North America and London. A panorama for ‘Doomsday’ that, although it does not point to problems for what will undoubtedly be one of the great assets at the box office this year, may have more than one anxious executive in the Disney offices. In Xataka | If you download ‘Torrente Presidente’, Santiago Segura has the same message for you as if you downloaded ‘Torrente 3’

Ukraine has knocked down Russian shaheds from a hotel 500 kilometers away

by

During a military test in the United States, a pilot managed to land a fighter plane without touching the controls and miles away, guiding it only through a remote connection as if it were a simulator. A decade has passed, and what then seemed like an almost experimental technological curiosity revealed a disturbing possibility: that one day the most critical decisions in a conflict could be made very far from where they actually occur. The war from the basement. Ukraine has introduced a silent but profound change on the battlefield: the possibility of fighting without being physically in it, operating drones from secure locations hundreds of kilometers from the target. counted in one piece the financial times that, from spaces as discreet as basements in kyiv, highly specialized operators control interceptors that no longer depend on short-range radio frequencies, but on secure internet connections that eliminate distance as a real limitation. This leap allows the same pilot to intervene in multiple scenarios without exposing himself to enemy fire, transforming the traditional logic of combat and reducing one of the greatest costs of war: direct human risk. The distance no longer matters. The unprecedented fact that a drone has been controlled from a hotel 500 km away to shoot down two Russian shahed drones is not a technological anecdote, but a clear sign of where the conflict is evolving. Until recently, pilots had to operate close to the front, making them priority targets. Now, that vulnerability is diluted. Modern warfare enters a phase in which the location of the operator becomes irrelevant (due to remoteness), and where the range is no longer determined by the vehicle, but the network that connects it. The invisible key. The Times told This leap is based on a combination of advanced connectivity and artificial intelligence that allows you to maintain control even in the most hostile environments, with interference or momentary signal loss. As? It seems that current systems not only transmit orders, they also interpret images, identify targets and correct trajectories in real time, reducing operator burden and increasing accuracy. In this context, connectivity (that kind of militarized “WiFi”) stops being a support and becomes the true core of the system that pulls the strings. From improvisation to mastery. Plus: what started as an emergency solution to the shortage of missiles has become anthe pillar of defense aerial in certain areas, spaces where drones already intercept most threats. The key is once again that low cost and ease of deployment that allow saturate airspace with multiple layers of protection, freeing up more expensive systems for critical missions. This model not only resists massive attacks, but quickly adapts to new threats. Hitting where it was impossible. At the same time, this developing technology is making it possible to bring war to the enemy rear with unprecedented precision. We are talking about drones with autonomous decision-making capacity that are attacking logistics routes (the surrounding area of ​​the city of Donetsk) and weakening key defensive systems, facilitating operations that were previously unfeasible, and the decrease in these defenses opens windows of opportunity for deeper, more frequent and effective attacks. A system without borders. It is the last of the legs to analyze, because the integration of air, land and naval platforms reinforces this entire transformation, creating a kind of distributed combat network where each element amplifies the scope of the whole. In fact, that’s why intercepting drones from the sea (this week they shot down a shahed for the first time from a naval platform) or coordinating attacks from multiple domains is no longer an exception, but the next step logical. In this scenario, war is no longer defined by geographical lines and begins to depend on networks, nodes and connections. Invisibility. If you also want and as a last note, these advances give a conflict model where physical distance loses all the relevance of yesteryear compared to the capacity for connection. In other words, a scenario that until recently was more typical of a science fiction movie is opening up, one where a few operators can manage multiple systems from locations as remote as a room or a basement 500 km away away from “the war”, and where the front dissolves to become an extended network. Image | National Police of Ukraine In Xataka | From printing drones to looking at lasers, 300 reports have revealed that Iran’s battle manual has one name: Ukraine In Xataka | A disturbing idea has begun to take hold in Europe: Ukraine has turned Russia into a fearsome air force

five eReaders on offer to devour novels on Book Day

by

There are only two days left until the arrival of Book Day, so if you dare to make the leap to digital format or if you simply want to make a “wardrobe change” to renew the one you already have, today we are going to review the five best offers that we can find in these devices with brands such as Kindle or Kobo. Kobo Clara Color by 149 eurosa perfect reader for those looking for two things: color screen and a compact format. Kindle Paperwhite by 129 euros when you log in to MediaMarkt, Amazon’s best value eReader. PocketBook Verse Pro by 155.90 eurosa reader aimed primarily at those who want to use buttons to turn pages. Kobo Clara BW by 149 eurosa reader similar to the Clara Color, but with a black and white screen. PocketBook Era by 229 eurosa perfect reader for those looking for a large, color screen. Kindle Paperwhite (with advertising) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Kobo Clara Color He Kobo Clara Color It is perfect for those people looking for a color eReader without losing the portable format offered by a six inch screen. It allows you to read comics and magazines, as well as novels, manga and other types of books. But it also allows you to see illustrations and covers in color or underline dialogues with different colors to differentiate the characters in a book. And all this for 149 euros at MediaMarkt and other stores. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Kindle Paperwhite The eReader with the best quality-price ratio on Amazon is the Kindle Paperwhiteand it is basically because it offers performance like few other readers we have seen, its battery is the largest of the Amazon models (autonomy of up to 12 weeks), comes with a seven-inch screen and has 16 GB to store many books. In addition, it is waterproof. By 129 euros It is one of the best eReaders for reading in black and white. Of course, right now it is on sale for 129 eurosbut to see the discount you have to log in to MediaMarkt. Kindle Paperwhite (with advertising) The price could vary. We earn commission from these links PocketBook Verse Pro He PocketBook Verse Pro It is a very interesting eReader because it has several features. It is the ideal model if you are looking for a compact six-inch reader, but that allows the possibility of turning pages with the touch screen or through buttons, which in this case are located at the bottom. It’s also waterproof, comes with 16GB of storage, and allows you to access Dropbox. Its price in this case is 152.90 euros in El Corte Inglés. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Kobo Clara BW Do you like the Kobo Clara Color but you are only going to read in black and white? Well he Kobo Clara BW It’s perfect for you. In fact, It’s the one I usually recommend to friends and family.. It is essentially the same model, but instead of having a color screen, it comes with a black and white e-ink screen. It also has a six-inch panel, is waterproof and can play audiobooks. Its price on MediaMarkt is 149 eurosthe same one that the Kobo Clara Color has. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links PocketBook Era And if you are looking for a large model that also incorporates a color screen along with a button panel… here comes the PocketBook Eraan eReader that 229 euros It is most interesting. Its color screen is seven inches, the button panel in this case is located on the right side of the front, it comes with 32 GB of internal storage, is water resistant, has an audio output and allows access to Dropbox. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary. Images | Rakuten Kobo, Amazon Kindle, PocketBook In Xataka | Which Kindle to buy: buying guide with recommendations to get it right with Amazon e-book readers In Xataka | The 25 best science fiction books

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.