Gemini just pushed you towards something more ambitious

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If we need to get somewhere, check how long a trip will take or find a nearby restaurant, it is very likely that we will open Google Maps. The application has become over the years one of those everyday tools that we use both when we travel and when we move around our own city. Since its debut in 2005 as a service designed to help us get from point A to point B, Maps has been incorporating functions that expand its role in digital life. What Google just announced points to a new change in that evolution: the incorporation of artificial intelligence so that the map not only guides us, but can also answer our questions about places, routes and plans. Ask the map. This novelty turns the map search engine into a conversational interface. Instead of typing the name of a site, we can ask more open-ended questions and get recommendations tailored to the context. According to the Mountain View company, the system is based on information about more than 300 million places and contributions from a community of more than 500 million users who publish reviews, photos and ratings. Additionally, recommendations that appear on the map can be quickly converted into actions within the application itself. If we find an interesting restaurant, for example, we can save the place, share it with friends or start browsing in a matter of seconds, and the company adds that in some cases it will also be possible to make reservations. For travel, the system can suggest stops between different destinations and display them on the map with clear directions and estimated arrival times. Google further explains that these responses can be customized based on signals such as places that the user has previously searched for or saved in Maps. More visual navigation. If Ask Maps changes the way we explore and decide, the other big leg of the announcement points directly to how we follow a route within the application. This is where Immersive Navigation comes in, the redesign with which Google wants to make driving more intuitive. In this case, the map starts to show a three-dimensional view of the environment with buildings, overpasses and relief, and also highlights elements of the road such as lanes, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings or stop signs when they can help in a turn or merge. Google also ensures that this new navigation will offer a broader view of the route, more natural voice directions, information about the pros and cons of alternative routes and help in the final section, such as the entrance to the building or the nearby parking lot. Google’s bet on Gemini. The technology that makes Ask Maps possible is part of a much broader strategy within Google. Gemini is the company’s family of artificial intelligence models, designed to work with different types of data, such as text, images, audio, video and code. Google is progressively deploying it in several of its products, from the Gemini chatbot to tools within Google Workspace or the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Prowhere it acts as the default assistant. Integrating these capabilities into Maps fits with that movement: bringing generative AI to services that are already part of the daily lives of millions of users. Google Maps evolves. When it launched more than two decades ago, the idea was relatively simple: offer an easier way to get between two points. Over time, however, the product has expanded its reach with new features and sources of information. Google introduced real-time traffic a few years after the launch, Street View in 2007 and turn-by-turn navigation in 2009. Added to this were tools such as offline maps or the ability to consult hours, ratings and prices of millions of businesses. This entire data ecosystem is what now allows functions like Ask Maps to interpret more complex questions about places and plans. When will it be available. As is usually the case with this type of function, the rollout will be progressive and will not reach all markets from day one. Google has announced that Ask Maps is now rolling out in the United States and India, available on both Android and iPhone devices. The company has also announced that the experience will come to the desktop later, although for now it has not specified when it will expand to other countries. In parallel, Immersive Navigation begins to be deployed in the United States and will be extended in the coming months to compatible iOS and Android devices, in addition to CarPlay, Android Auto and cars that incorporate Google built-in. We will have to wait to know exactly when it will land in Spain. Images | Google In Xataka | At Amazon they have realized something: their developers spend more time fixing AI bugs than anything else

Getting married in Switzerland was equivalent to paying more taxes than a single person. And a referendum has put an end to the problem

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In Switzerland, marriages they are news. And not because of its rise or fall, demographic issues or new trends when celebrating them. They are for strictly tax reasons. In a historic decision the Swiss have supported majority (with 54% support) a reform that will basically put an end to what is called the “marriage penalty” in the country. In other words, saying ‘I do’ in Switzerland will no longer be (in most cases) a sentence to paying more when declaring income to the Treasury. The decision has come preceded by an intense debate, which gives a clue that the issue does not only have fiscal implications. The background is social, cultural and historical. What has happened? That after years of debate Switzerland has given the ‘green light’ to a key tax change for marriages. Couples in the country who formalize their relationship will stop paying taxes jointly, through a single tax return in which the sum of their income and assets is taken into account. From now on, each spouse will be taxed individually. Just as if he hadn’t gone through the altar. The measure has received the endorsement of 54% of voters during a referendum in which they have discussed more topicsbut it does not mean that it will be activated immediately. The idea is that it be adopted gradually, over the next five years. The cantons have margin until 2032. Is it so important? Yes. In fact in Switzerland (and other countries who have paid attention to the fiscal change) there is no talk of joint or individual taxation, but of something much more forceful: the end of the “marriage penalty”. Because? Because according to its promoters, the current Swiss tax regime punishes those marriages in which both spouses work and enjoy good salaries. In these cases, with the current system, couples are forced to bear greater burdens than they would face if they remained single. That is, the same couple can find themselves in one or another tax bracket (more or less beneficial) depending only on whether they have formalized their relationship. Why’s that? Basically because the Swiss system is a few decades old and is based on a traditional family model in which each household has a single base salary. If the family receives more income (a second payroll) they are usually taxed at a higher marginal rate. “The joint model came from a time when women’s income was considered a ‘complement’ to that of their husbands,” clarify Swiss Info. With the new system, that changes. Does it influence that much? What we have seen so far may sound abstract or too theoretical, but its scope is better understood with practical examples. In January Swiss Info carried out a simulation for different profiles of households with one or another tax system and found that the ‘photo’ changes quite a bit. The summary is very simple: new tax model It mainly benefits marriages in which both spouses earn the same or similar amounts and harms (forcing them to face a greater tax burden) those in which there is a greater imbalance of income between the members of the couple. A practical example. Let’s take the case of a couple in which both members earn the same: 100,000 francs. With the joint model that has been operating in Switzerland for years, its tax burden would be about 6,700 francs. With the new individual taxation system it would drop to 2,700. Things change in couples in which there is only one salary. In these cases (with the same level of income) individual taxation will mean an increase of 32% compared to joint taxation. What is the change looking for? Its promoters assure that the new model will solve a problem that has been dragging down the Swiss economy for some time: a tax system that discourages paid work for those people who provide a second income to their homes. When changing the legal framework, remember Financial Timesthe Swiss government hopes to increase the nation’s workforce by about 60,000 people and increase the national GDP by about 1%. Advocates of the change hope it will help women gain strength in the Swiss labor market. It is estimated that only 60% of Swiss women work full time, a percentage lower than the OECD average, which is around 78%. The “marriage penalty” has also led to some curious practicessuch as couples who marry without legally registering their union or even marriages that they divorce before retiring for tax reasons. Are they all advantages? Not at all. At least that is what the sectors most critical of the measure maintain, warning of several negative effects. The main one, that the new system will result in more bureaucracyincreasing the workload (and costs) of the administration. There are cantons that also fear that the change of model will affect their coffers, punishing them with a loss of income. Beyond the practical issues there is another ideological one: part of the critical sector warns that individual supervision will generate inequalities that will harm traditional families above all. According to the Government, the new framework will more or less half of the taxpayers see their tax burden reduced. 36% would not notice changes and only the remaining 14% will have to pay more taxes. Images | Leonardo Miranda (Unsplash), Ronnie Schmutz (Unsplash) and Leo_Visions (Unsplash) In Xataka | 40,000 euros to say “yes, I want”: weddings in Spain have become events and their price is skyrocketing

The MacBook Neo is everything Microsoft dreamed of with the disastrous Windows 8

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It was 2012 and Windows 8 He defied all canons. The mouse and keyboard were no longer enough: Microsoft wanted let’s touch the computerthat we handle it like an iPhone. That ambition led to the birth of one of the operating systems most original and brave in history. And also one of the most hated. Its greatest architect, Steven Sinofskyhas compared that launch almost 15 years ago with that of MacBook Neo which has just occurred and has left a clear message: with Windows 8 Microsoft was right. The only problem is that they arrived too soon. The Mac Neo is a “paradigm shift”. In its ‘Hardcore Software’ newsletter, Sinosky counted how he had bought one of the new MacBook Neo in “citrus” color with 512 GB of storage and “it completely blew my mind. It is a computer that changes the paradigm.” Their impressions coincide with other independent reviews: the performance of this device is indistinguishable from that of a conventional MacBook Air in everyday tasks. And that despite use a phone chip and not a “pure” laptop one. Windows 8 nostalgia. The use of the Neo has generated a feeling of melancholy and sadness in Sinosky when remembering his time at Microsoft. This Apple product is in fact the culmination of a concept that he tried to push more than a decade ago. At Microsoft they believed that a Windows laptop with an ARM processor made sense, and Sinofsky led that vision that led to the launch of Windows 8 and later Windows RT and the Surface RT. we were right. The MacBook Neo is for this former Microsoft executive the demonstration that he and his company were right when they tried to launch that product. According to him Windows on ARM and the Original Surface from 2012 They were not a technical error: that computer had an NVIDIA Tegra chip, 2 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, and “it had no problems running Office or browsing.” In his opinion, the hardware and software were not green – a very debatable point – and the failure was something else. People don’t like changes. Sinofsky explains that the mistake was trying to move the ecosystem to a new application model too quickly. “People wanted the old Windows application model,” but there was no way at the time to make it more efficient or secure, “it was designed for another era.” Microsoft certainly had the problem that its installed base was mostly conservative users: proposing a change as big as that, jump to an ARM architecture for goodit was unviable. Apple knew how to transition. Apple’s triumph with its ARM chips was due to the fact that its transition process has lasted almost two decades. During that time the company has been eliminating old code and obsolete APIs, allowing a smooth transition to its own Apple Silicon chips. Being early is not being wrong. Sinofksy also highlights how often being first on an idea—as was the case with Windows 8 or the Surface ARM—is often mistaken for being wrong, when in fact the problem was the execution of the ecosystem transition and not the concept itself. Reasonable sacrifices. Although there are clear hardware limitations (fewer ports, slightly different screen, smaller trackpad), they are irrelevant compared to the efficiency and portability of the device. The MacBook Neo is the definitive Chromebook. Apple’s affordable equipment is for this manager a “better Chromebook” focused on productivity, which is just the rescue plan he proposed for Windows RT after his departure from Microsoft in 2012. His vision, he argues, was the right one: the transition to ultra-efficient ARM devices was the inevitable future of personal computing. Yes, but. Sinofsky’s arguments are powerful, but also debatable. To begin with, Windows 8 and RT were designed to be much more “touchable”, but the touch interface has never gone beyond being an accessory in convertibles with Windows. Apple has in fact not touched the MacBook Neo operating system and has moved away from the idea of ​​the iPad converted to laptop. This is a MacBook with a cell phone chip, yes, but with a desktop operating system designed to be used with a keyboard and mouse. Without further ado. The condemnation legacy. There is another element that made it almost impossible for Windows RT to succeed: Microsoft had been feeding a monster called Windows on x86 architectures for a quarter of a century. End users could certainly have assumed an architectural change, but things were much more complicated in companies, where Windows adoption was massive. And of course, there are the apps. Applications that ran well on x86 ran poorly or not at all on Windows RT with ARM chips. Although Microsoft tried to address that problem —keep doing it with the “standard” of PC Copilot+—, he never completely succeeded and the public perception was clear: I don’t trust that the app I use on my x86 PC works well on an ARM PC. Apple overcame that obstacle with its Rosetta emulation layer (an invisible bridge) and the support of users and developers, but for them it was clearly simpler: they did not have the burden of millions of computers running legacy applications in offices and servers. Microsoft attempted a radical “clean slate” that left users without their long-standing programs. The Copilot+ PCs promised something like this. Microsoft actually wanted to resurrect the concept recently. The launch of the Copilot+ PCs relied heavily on ARM chips such as those manufactured by Qualcomm. The promise was that we would have cheap laptops, with enormous autonomy and that also no longer had compatibility problems with the software. The reality? The prices are basically the same as those of Intel/AMD equivalents, and although there are improvements in autonomy, the perception is that there is nothing particularly differential in this bet by Microsoft and some manufacturers. This is an opportunity. But all is not lost. Microsoft and manufacturers have in the MacBook Neo a demonstration that the concept … Read more

Before, stars were born in movies and ended up on Netflix. Now they are born in streaming and end in movies

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‘War Machine’, the war science fiction film starring Alan Ritchson, has accumulated 39.3 million views in its first three days on Netflixbecoming the most viewed title on the platform globally today. The second most viewed film that week was ‘Jurassic World Rebirth’, by a huge margin: 6.7 million. The result is also a symptom of how the star factory has changed: the new star system is born on the platforms, not in the multiplexes. Other figures. The opening of ‘War Machine’ is the second best placed of the year on Netflix to date. If it keeps up the pace, it could aspire to enter the platform’s all-time Top 10 in the English-language film category. To gauge the magnitude: in all 87 countries tracked during that four-day windowthe film ranked number one in 80 of them. What is it about? The film is not especially original in its premise, and its authors do not intend it to be. Directed by Patrick Hughes (from the weak ‘The Expendables 3’ and the fun ‘The Other Bodyguard’) and produced by Lionsgate, it follows a group of candidates for the American Rangers during the final selection phase. Their training maneuver becomes a fight for survival when a robotic threat of alien origin appears. Alan Ritchson plays the character known only as 81, a traumatized combat engineer, even more silent and introverted than his famous Jack Reacher. Although all the critics have stressed its derivative and unpretentious nature, the truth is that its two-hour chase structure finds an enjoyable middle ground between ‘Predator’ and Heinlein’s Space Troops (not Verhoeven, there is no irony here, as seen in an ending with will continue that replies, without venom, the recruitment spots of that masterpiece 1997). ‘War Machine’ embraces its spirit of an effective and direct B series with a healthy brainlessness that makes perfect sense that it has found a millionaire audience, eager to disconnect and let themselves be dazed. The star. It has taken Alan Ritchson almost two decades to become a star. He debuted in ‘Smallville’ as Aquaman and then went unnoticed through multiple series as a secondary character until in 2022 he played the protagonist of ‘Reacher’ on Prime Video. The series, which championed the return of the television “for parents” (of which ‘War Machine’ is also an excellent example), is one of the biggest hits on the Amazon platform, and is already preparing its fourth season. In just a few weeks, Ritchson has managed to position himself as the number one actor simultaneously on Netflix and Prime Video with different projects. The distinction that for years existed between the star of streaming and the one that can sell a blockbuster in theaters with its mere presence is blurring. It is not the only case. Although the case of Ritchson, exclusive streaming star, is particular due to his almost total absence of films in his filmography, there are many other cases of proper names who owe a good part of their fame to the platforms. Pedro Pascal is now a global star whose fame was born entirely in hits for streaming (‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Narcos’, ‘The Last of Us’, ‘The Mandalorian’). Henry Cavill or Chris Hemsworth were born as movie stars, but they consolidated (‘The Witcher’, ‘Tyler Rake’) their fame in streaming. Dave Bautista or John Cena is also finding a second home in streaming thanks to hits like ‘Trap House’ or ‘El Pacificador’. Unmistakable signs of the change of times. Stars germinate in different places, but they generate hits with figures that rival the biggest blockbusters on the big screen. In Xataka | When medical dramas seemed to be in the doldrums, ‘The Pitt’ appeared. And that has forced Netflix to make decisions

There is something that worries us even more

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Ban-Seng Teh, Seagate’s commercial director, has put on the table in statements that SCMP has been published What are we facing if we stick to the current memory crisis: “It is difficult to know if it will last forever (…) The current cycle is very unusual because in the past we went through cycles of shortages and excess supply.” As we have explained to you in other articlesthe sharp rise in the price of memory chips is due to the very high demand for this class of semiconductors from data centers for artificial intelligence (AI). Nothing seems to indicate that this demand is going to relax in the medium term, so it seems reasonable to assume that the cost of memory will most likely not reduce as soon as users would like. However, a very important idea emerges from Ban-Seng Teh’s statements that are worth not overlooking: the expansion of data centers for AI has the capacity to cause increases in the price of memory and storage chips to be more frequent and structural. In this context they would stop responding to temporary market cycles. “The new semiconductor cycle” is approaching Historically, the market for DRAM memories and NAND storage chips has behaved like a real roller coaster. In periods of high demand, prices rose and factories were forced to produce more. Some time later there was usually an excess supply that caused prices to plummet and manufacturers decided to moderate their production capacity. This cycle of successive growth and decline has described market behavior for decades, but AI has the ability to end this pattern once and for all. Several Chinese companies are investing aggressively to create HBM supply chains independent of Western influence. And it requires a type of memory, known as HBM (High Bandwidth Memory), which currently only three companies produce on the entire planet: the South Korean Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, and the American Micron Technology. Several Chinese companies, such as CXMT (Changxin Memory Technologies), are investing very aggressively to create HBM memory supply chains independent of Western influencebut for now these chips are only in the hands of the three companies that I mentioned a few lines above. An interesting note: CXMT hopes to launch its first HBM3E chips in 2027. The outlook for AI hardware manufacturers is desperate. So much, in fact, that NVIDIA has publicly asked HBM memory producers to build more factories, assuring them that it will buy all the production they are capable of generating. At this juncture SK Hynix, Samsung and Micron they have decided to sacrifice a part of its conventional DRAM memory production capacity with the purpose of dedicating more resources to the manufacture of HBM chips for AI. Presumably the demand for these latest integrated circuits will be persistent and massive, so the market will hardly reach saturation stocks that has cyclically occurred in the field of DRAM memories. And the main consequence of this behavior will be that prices will be consistently high. Image | Generated by Xataka with ChatGPT More information | SCMP In Xataka | While the US tries to stop it at any price, the Chinese industry exports more chips than ever: it has AI in its favor

A single shareholder will earn 3,234 million euros thanks to Inditex’s record profits: Amancio Ortega, of course

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There are companies that never stop breaking their own records and Inditex is one of them. The Galician group that owns Zara, Massimo Dutti or Pull&Bear has closed its 2025 fiscal year with a record net profit of 6,220 million euros, which is 6% more than the previous year. It is the fourth consecutive year that Inditex exceeds its own historical highs. However, what is really striking is not only the record achieved by the textile giant based in Arteixobut that record profit also implies unprecedented dividends for its shareholders. The 2026 dividend is the largest that Amancio Ortega will receive from Inditex in the entire historical series. No less than 3,234 million euros. A billion-dollar dividend. The Board of Directors of Inditex approved in its presentation of 2025 results the distribution of dividends among its shareholders. Given the increase in profits obtained this year, Inditex will offer a total dividend of 1.75 euros gross per share, which represents an increase of 4.17% compared to what it delivered the previous year. This dividend is made up of two parts: an ordinary component of 1.20 euros per share, equivalent to 60% of net profit, and an extraordinary payment of 0.55 euros per share. As is customary for the textile giant, the distribution of this dividend will be carried out in two equal payments of 0.875 euros per share. The first, scheduled for May 4, 2026, and the second will be sent on November 2, 2026. Two dates on the calendar that, for Amancio Ortega, have a very specific economic implication. What happens to Amancio Ortega. With a participation of 59.29% of the capital, distributed between his company Pontegadea (50.010%) and Partler Participaciones, Amancio Ortega controls 1,848 million shares of Inditex. Applying the dividend of 1.75 euros for each share, the resulting figure is 3,234 million euros gross, which implies surpassing the barrier of 3,000 million euros for the second consecutive year. Ortega received 3,104 million euros in 2025 for this same concept. To put this data in a little perspective, in the last five years, Inditex has raised its dividend by 88%. During that period alone, Ortega has earned 13.12 billion euros in dividends. Almost half of that amount, about 6.3 billion, corresponds only to the last two years. 100% of that income has gone directly to the accounts of Pontegadea, with which it makes all the investments that have led it to become the largest Spanish real estate by value of assets and one of the largest in Europe. The rest of the Ortega family also receives dividends. Despite being the largest company on the Ibex 35, Inditex has not lost the participation of the Ortega family, so its founder is not the only one who benefits from the distribution. His eldest daughter, Sandra Ortegacontrols 5.05% of the capital through the Rosp Corunna companywith 157.48 million shares without voting rights. For them, he will receive 275 million euros in dividends. A figure that, by itself, would be an extraordinary income for any medium-sized company. Curiously, Marta Ortega, youngest daughter of the tycoon of fashion and current president of the company, only controls 42,511 Inditex shares, for which she will receive a payment of 74,400 euros for those dividends. An abysmal difference with respect to his father. In Xataka | Amancio Ortega: the billionaire who lives like a neighbor (except for private jets and superyachts) Image | GTRES, Unsplash (Igal Ness)

It took Apple to put the iPhone chip in a computer so that we know that the iPhone is as powerful as a computer

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He MacBook Neo It is surprising analysts and buyers with its good performance. And the question should be: why? It is the first time that Apple has made a move of this caliber to make one of its star products cheaper: putting the processor of an iPhone inside a Mac. We consumers have so internalized that “a cell phone is a cell phone” and that “a PC is a PC” that, usually, we do not pay attention to what we usually have in our pockets. It took Apple to put the processor of an iPhone in a PC to realize that, precisely, what we have in our pocket is a PC. “Move up to 4k videos”. X is filled with analysts thoroughly testing the MacBook Neo, and hallucinating that it is capable of doing… what any other MacBook can do. The 8 GB of RAM is a limitation, as it was in the first generations of Macs with M1 chip. But, far from that “use for office, basic and browser”, the Neo is surprising for being capable of what is expected of a Mac: do more than that. The main limitation is given by the 8 GB of RAM, which is few even for a Mac, but not by the chip. It’s normal. A Mac with a mobile chip. It sounds like a crazy idea. But if we look (not even in depth) at A18 Prowe understand perfectly what is happening. No matter how much Apple mounts the A18 Pro in a mobile phone, it is a chip that far exceeds the capabilities that even a desktop or laptop would need for “basic use.” In fact, the A18 Pro scores above an M1 in Single-Core, it is not far behind in graphical performance and is much more advanced at the manufacturing level (number of transistors, instructions, frequencies). In fact, it’s not just an Apple thing: a Snapdragon 8 Elite sweeps an M1 in multi-core and reaches a M2 in single. We weren’t realizing. We have been saying for years that the power of mobile phones is completely excessive. A certain part is necessary for the highest-end mobile phones to be able to record in 8K, process images in real time and operate at the rate they work, but 90% we are driving at 30 km/h in a supercar that exceeds 300. This is not something new. In fact, for years Apple’s A processors were outperforming Intel’s, back in the days when M chips didn’t exist. As told John Gruberthe A9 CPU of the iPhone 6s In 2015 (it has rained) it was already comparable to MacBooks from 2013. In 2017, as he says Antonio Sabanthe iPad Pro was already faster than the MacBook Pro with the I7 chip. Just what was needed. Macs have historically been characterized as a perfect mobility solution for designers, musicians, video editors and other creators. But there was an even bigger niche: people who don’t do any of that and want a computer for “normal” use. While MacBook Airs are not over-the-top Macs, they offer much more than any average user needs. In fact, I myself bought an Air M4 and not a Pro because, even as a video editor, I don’t need much else. Apple has found in the Neo more than possibly the “e” phenomenona formula that we will see year after year if we achieve commercial success. Image | Apple In Xataka | Apple has only found one option to make a cheap laptop: make it a mobile

Participate in our raffle and get two double Experience VIP tickets for the great technology event in Seville

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In just a few days (March 19 and 20) the first edition of CTx Tech in Seville, a great technology, innovation and talent event with more than 400 hours of content that will welcome more than 15,000 attendees. Xataka is the official Media Partner of the event and, to celebrate, we are going to raffle two double Experience VIP tickets for two people and their respective companions. These tickets, valued at 180 euros each, will allow you to make the most of the event and access everything, from the themed hubs to the VIP terrace, including premium and exclusive areas. To be precise, this is all it includes: Full access to the venue during both days. Innovation HUB (thematic agoras, tech, entrepreneurship and innovation). Public & Social HUB (Auditorium of institutional contents). ADA Auditorium with great speakers and star content. General networking within the CTx ecosystem. Access to Investment Hub Thematic Auditorium (investment, AI, tech). VIP terrace with exclusive service. Premium visibility area to the ADA Auditorium. High-level networking with strategic profiles. As is obvious, it is a great opportunity for both technology lovers, entrepreneurs and professionals. And to add something else, on March 19 at 8:40 p.m. in the ADA Auditorium you can attend, if you wish, the live recording of a special program of Infinite Loop with Javier Lacort and Antonio Ortiz, founder of Xataka and co-presenter of Stochastic Monkeys. How to get two double VIP tickets for CTx Tech Image | CTx Tech Participating in the raffle is extremely simple: you simply have to sign up at this form by entering your name, surname and email. It is important to verify that it is written correctly, since it will be that email that we write to in the event of winning. The deadline to participate will end next Tuesday, March 17, at 9:00 Spanish peninsular time. The winners will be chosen at random through EasyPromos, they will receive an email informing them that they have won and must confirm their attendance within 24 hours. If they do not confirm attendance within this period, the tickets will be distributed to the substitutes also chosen at random. To win, in addition to registering correctly on the draw website, you must be of legal age and resident in Spain. There is no geographical limitationso residents of the peninsula, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ceuta and Melilla will be eligible for tickets. It should be noted that the prize is two double VIP Experience tickets, but travel, accommodation and per diem expenses are not included. That will be in the hands of the attendees. For more details about the procedure you can consult the legal bases of the draw. Images | CTx Tech More information and registration | CTx Tech

The soldiers’ scissors have mutated into something similar to a laser

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Since World War II, many of the most decisive military innovations were born not in perfect laboratories, but on fronts where soldiers improvised solutions with what they had at hand. He portable radarthe commercial drones adapted or even the use adhesive tape in military equipment they emerged like this. In modern warfare, that mix of improvised inventiveness and advanced technology continues to appear where it is least expected. In Ukraine, in fact, they are real experts on the topic. The war of the scissors. It we count long ago. For months, the Ukrainian battlefield has shown scenes difficult to imagine in a 21st century conflict. Soldiers equipped with drones, sensors and electronic warfare systems walked through trenches with something much simpler in their pockets: some simple scissors. The reason was unexpected, of course. Fiber optic drones (controlled by a cable that uncoils during flight) began to proliferate because they cannot be blocked by electronic interference. To neutralize them, many soldiers they started cutting any cable they found, no matter what side it was from. In some sectors of the front the ground reached to cover itself with filaments bright as cobwebs, forcing units to always carry scissors or knives to break those drones’ connections before they could attack. The strange logic of innovation in kyiv. This improvised resource summarizes one of the most striking characteristics of this war: that extremely sophisticated systems are usually faced with solutions surprisingly simple and austere. Thus, drones worth thousands of dollars have been shot down with shotgunsarmored protected vehicles with metal nets as if we were in the George Miller universeand defensive positions covered with mesh to confuse sensors. Even the drones themselves, which today dominate the battlefield, began as a cheap answer to much more expensive weapons. In this context, cut the control cable with scissors (or, if necessary, with your hands) became a rudimentary but effective way to neutralize one of the latest evolutions of drone warfare. When scissors fall short. However, the same speed of adaptation that led to those improvised methods is now pushing the conflict towards much more advanced technologies. Yes, in recent months they have started to circulate videos and testimonials suggesting that Ukraine could be experimenting with directed energy systems to combat drones. In fact, in a visual piece Widely distributed shows how a fiber optic cable is rendered useless after being hit by an intense light, which has unleashed all kinds of speculation about the use of lasers on the battlefield. There is no official confirmation that these systems are operational, but military analysts they point out that Ukraine could deploy functional laser weapons even before the United States thanks to its ability to test technologies directly in combat. The disconcerting technological leap. If you like, the possibility that wire-controlled drones, the same ones against which soldiers carried scissors in their pockets, will begin to confront laser systems sums up the almost absurd speed with which this war evolves. Western military programs often take years to go from the laboratory to the battlefield. In Ukraine and although it may seem like science fiction, this cycle can be reduced to months due to emergencies. It already happened with drones. The front functions like a gigantic laboratory where each enemy innovation generates an immediate response. What seems like improvisation today can become advanced technology deployed on a large scale the day after tomorrow. The mystery of the “alien scanner”. One of the strangest examples of the apparent Ukrainian advance appeared in another recorded video by a Russian drone in ambush. The footage shows something like a square light sweeping across a road, as if scanning the terrain, before the drone signal suddenly cuts out. Some Forbes analysts They have interpreted it as a laser capable of cutting fiber optic cables. However, a more detailed analysis perhaps suggests something different. It is more plausible that it is a Ukrainian drone equipped with a lighting or scanning system that seeks to detect cables shining on the asphalt. These cables usually reveal the presence of ambushed drones near supply routes. The fear that brought down the drone. The final explanation aims for something less futuristic, but equally revealing. Upon detecting the light sweeping the road, the Russian operator attempted to abruptly take off his drone to escape. The motor demanded too much energy at once and burned out the electronic controller that regulates the speed of the device. In pilot jargon, the operator “burned the ESC.” The drone was disabled without any laser having touched its cable. All in all, the episode shows something certainly important: on a front where the soldiers began cutting cables with scissorsthe mere suspicion that the enemy may use a laser It’s enough to cause panic. And that says a lot about the speed with which the war in Ukraine is jumping from improvisation to technologies that just a few years ago seemed like pure science fiction. Image | Telegram In Xataka | Europe has encountered a problem bigger than Russia: drones cannot be stored for more than eight weeks In Xataka | Europe has opened the drone that crashed at the British base in Cyprus… And it has had a disturbing surprise

The Samsung, LG, TCL, Xiaomi and Philips TVs with the best discount at the Spring Sale Festival

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The Spring Sale Festival is a good campaign to buy that device that you have been waiting for a few months to drop in price. The good thing is that there is a lot to choose from, even in televisions from different brands. If, taking advantage of the soccer World Cup, or simply to watch movies and series, you want to renew the TV in the living room, we are going to review the best deals we can find on Amazon during his campaign. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Best offers during the Amazon campaign Before commenting on what each of the televisions offers, we are going to mention what they are and what price they are right now: Philips 55PUS8200 by 329 eurosa television that includes the brand’s particular technology. Xiaomi TV F by 369 eurosthe Xiaomi television that comes with the Amazon operating system. Samsung Q7F by 449 eurosa Samsung TV that includes a QLED panel. LG OLED48C54LA by 739 eurosa smart TV with an OLED screen. TCL 98Q7C by 1,999 eurosa huge brand television with a 98-inch screen. Philips 55PUS8200 If you are looking for a television that has a size of 55 inches, the model Philips 55PUS8200 has dropped in price to 329 euros (before 379 euros). Incorporate technology Ambilight of the brand, which improves the experience and immersion through its LED lights. Comes with him Alexa voice assistant and it works with Google Home and Apple Home and its speakers are compatible with Dolby Atmos. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Xiaomi TV F Xiaomi has a good assortment of televisions and one of its ranges comes with FireTV, which is basically the same operating system that we have on the Fire TV Stick from Amazon. He Xiaomi TV F right now it has dropped to 369 euros from 589 euros (official price). It is a TV with a 65-inch screen that offers 178º horizontal and vertical viewing angles. It also has Alexa and its speakers are compatible with Dolby Audio. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links Samsung Q7F Amazon also has the television at a good price Samsung Q7Fa model by 449 euros (previously 999 euros) which stands out above all because it incorporates a 65-inch QLED screen. It also incorporates the Alexa voice assistant and works with Google Assistant, has Filmmaker mode and is compatible with HDR10+. Plus, it comes with the technology Q-Symphonyso if you have a compatible sound bar you can have a more immersive experience. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links LG OLED48C54LA On the other hand, if what you are looking for is a good OLED television, Amazon has an offer for 739 euros (before 799 euros) LG OLED48C54LAa smart TV that in this case incorporates a 48-inch OLED screen. In addition, its panel offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz, it is compatible with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos and its speakers offer a good 40W of power. The price could vary. We earn commission from these links TCL 98Q7C If what you want is a huge television, during the Spring Sale Festival we can find the television TCL 98Q7C by 1,999 euros. It is a television 98 inches which incorporates a QD-MiniLED panel, offers a refresh rate of 120 Hz, is compatible with Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos, incorporates a mode gamingits operating system is Google TV and it incorporates HDMI 2.1 ports. 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 | Philips, Xiaomi, Samsung, LG, TCL In Xataka | Best home theater projectors. Which one to buy and five recommended models from 299 to 18,000 euros In Xataka | Mega-guide to set up a home theater: projector, screen, sound system and more

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