launched

Manus is the Chinese startup of AI that has just launched a 200 dollars a month. It is a bad sign for the industry

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Some called him the other “moment Deepseek“From China. This new model, called Manusquickly became viral for its ability to do deep analysis looking for sources of information and then synthesize clear but detailed answers on any issue. It was a direct competitor of OpenAI and its “Deep Research” modeand after being available limited and free, now its creators have decided to market this product big. With subscriptions, of course. Manus. Although its creators describe it as an AI agent, in reality Manus is fundamentally aimed at giving more meditated responses and after a deep analysis of various sources of information. It is true that this process automates, but does the same as Other “AI agents” such as Openai Deep Research mode and also those who also offer Claude or Gemini. Its performance, of course, is comparable to that of these services, and was initially available (under invitation) for free. That is over. Face subscriptions. As they point out In Bloomberg Manus now offers a public version of payment for $ 39 per month to be able to use its benefits with 3,900 credits, but also has a higher plan of 199 dollars per month for version with even less limits (19,900 credits) when it comes to exploiting those deep research modes. Taking into account that the service has just appeared, those prices of course They are aggressive and even controversial. Be careful with this. Manus’s decision is surprising for several reasons. To start, it is a company with hardly any market penetration and practically unknown to the general public. Come from good 200 dollars a month It seems to risk sinning for excess confidence. Not only that: the worrying thing is that this can be the canary in the AI ​​mine. This is: a precedent of what comes to us, with subscriptions of business companies that ask us for true monets for services than more reputed ones (such as Openai) also offer and without a clear differential factor. Committed virality. With the Internet boom and social networks virality was achieved with free massive products that were monetized Through advertising. Google and Facebook nurtured those models, but AI seems to depend on the freeemium model: we can access basic functions, but we do want to take advantage of the models, we have to go through a subscription model. And there is a clear reason for it. The generative AI is very expensive. The cost of each consultation we made to chatbots of AI is comparatively much greater that for example have traditional search engines. Training these models is also exceptionally expensive –It is estimated That GPT-4 training cost about $ 100 million-and you have to try to recover the investment. IA companies know how to do it: increasingly faces. And we are getting used to subscribing to everything. With the “era Google” We did not pay for the product but we were the productbut little by little payment subscriptions have been taking force with the rise of content streaming. We are already very accustomed to paying for services we use, and AI wants to take advantage of that trend. The problem, as is the case with the aforementioned streaming segment, is that There must be differentiating factors to bet on a payment service and not for another. And there Manus has it especially difficult, because he competes with very reputed models and that can be perceived as more confidence for users. No own model. Manus is a “Wrapper“, a platform that is built from the functions of other AI models such as Claude, from Anthropic, or Qwen, from Alibaba. It does not depend on itself. Its creators do not seem to have their own model, but even having the problem is that they will not be able to invest in it the amount of time, money and resources (as talent) necessary for the models to be especially remarkable. Too much competition. But Manus faces true giants. It is a situation analogous to which Anthropic and his chatbot claude livethat do not have the financial muscle of Google, Microsoft or even OpenAi. Manus has both that competition in the US and especially important rivals in China. There Deepseek is the main protagonist, but Alibaba, Baidu or Tencent They will not let a newcomer steal their wallet easily. In Xataka | Now the competition to overcome Depseek is also fought in China herself: Alibaba has just announced QWen2.5-max

has launched a reprimand against Google and Apple for not complying with the DMA

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“Companies operating in the EU, regardless of their place of constitution, must comply with the EU standards, including the Digital Markets Law (DMA),” has declared the Spanish commissioner Teresa Ribera in one of her first outstanding actions since she assumed the since Margrethe Vestager occupied before. His words do not arrive alone: ​​they are accompanied by a reprimand against Google and Apple, two giants who are in the sights for their relationship with the DMA. And he does it in a context marked by the Growing friction with the United States. Google’s case The European Commission, the executive arm of the block, has determined that certain functions of Google Search are designed to give preference to Alphabet’s own services on those of the competition. A movement that, according to Brussels, collides directly with the principles of transparency and non -discrimination of the DMA. On the other hand, he also pointed out that Google Play also does not comply with the aforementioned regulations, since it limits applications developers when “directing” users to external offers outside the store. This is what has determined, in a preliminary way, the European Commission in its investigation: Google Search: Google matrix treats Its own services, such as purchases, hotels, transport or financial or sports results, more favorable in Google search results than similar services offered by third parties. Here it is easy to imagine several scenarios. For example, if we seek ‘Apple Quote’ on Google, it is likely that the first result comes from Google Finance instead of other financial sources. The same goes for searches such as ‘Cheap flights to London’, where Google Travel usually appears before external alternatives. In the words of the commission: “Alphabet gives its own services a more prominent treatment compared to others by showing them at the top of Google search results or in dedicated spaces, with improved visual formats and filtering mechanisms.” Google Play. In the case of the official Android application store, European regulators accuse Google of Restrict the ability of developers to lead users to their own distribution channels and offers. In addition, they point out that, although the company can collect a rate for facilitating the collection of new customers through Google Play, the commissions that Alphabet applies exceed what they consider reasonable “Alphabet charges developers a high rate for an excessively long period of time for each purchase of digital goods and services,” says the commission. Apple’s case Brussels regulators They have pointed out that Apple must take measures to fulfill certain aspects of its interoperability obligation. As they explain, this will facilitate a more fluid integration of third -party products within the company’s ecosystem and allow users to access a greater variety of compatible devices and services. There are two key points in this issue. Let’s see what are: Connected devices. The commission has focused on the connectivity functions of iOS that allow to link devices such as smart watches, headphones and televisions. The required modifications seek to improve the user experience, allowing the visualization of notifications in wearables, the wireless transfer of files and more accessible configurations. “The connected devices of all brands will work better on the iPhone,” they say. Interoperability requests. The objective is that Apple facilitates access to developers who want to make the most of the interoperability capabilities of their ecosystem. For this, improvements are proposed as a more transparent access to technical documentation on functions, more agile communication and update and a more predictable period for requesting applications. As explained, “developers will benefit from a rapid and fair processing of their interoperability applications.” What’s still for Google and Apple In the case of Google, the company has the right to formally defend and respond to the conclusions of the European Commission. If preliminary opinions are confirmed, Brussels could formalize the breach of the DMA, which would mean fines of up to 10% of its global income. In case of recidivism, the sanction could double up to 20%. As for Apple, the company is obliged to apply the measures imposed by European regulators. However, these decisions respect their right of defense and remain subject to judicial scrutiny. Although, for now, the decision does not imply immediate sanctions, if the company refuses to comply, the commission could adopt additional measures under the DMA, which would eventually derive in fines. The effect in the United States This movement comes at a time when several technological leaders have raised their voice against the fines imposed in the EU. The protests have reached Donald Trump. Last year, the president -elect said in a podcast that Tim Cook called him to talk about the sanctions against Apple in Europe, to which he replied that he would not allow the EU to “take advantage” of US companies if he arrived again at the White House. After his electoral victory, his speech has not changed. Any future sanction to Apple or Google could generate a Negative reaction from Washington. Images | European Union (via Wikimedia Commons / CC by 4.0) | Solen Feyissa In Xataka | The EU regulatory obsession raises a world in which AI will have two speeds. And Europe will lose

China has launched the largest military deployment of 2025 against Taiwan. Taiwan has just responded with the same currency

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A few days ago the news in Taiwan was not around the island, it was somewhat further. A series of images next to a video showed that, in an unidentified coast, China had displayed artificial platforms that they remembered too much to Mulberry ports with those who the allies invaded Normandy. The island has been found in the last 24 hours with a Chinese military army in the surroundings, and this time they have decided to replicate. A phrase as a trigger. China held on Monday The greatest military exercise On a large scale so far this year, and he faced Taiwan mobilizing 59 aircraft and drones, along with nine vessels, in a clear sample of force in response to the recent comments of President Taiwanés, Lai Ching-Te, who He described Beijing as a “foreign hostile force” and promised to strengthen national security against its infiltration attempts. The unusual in this case is that Taiwan has responded To the exhibition deploying aerial and maritime patrols, in addition to defensive missile systems, while its Minister of Defense, Wellington Koo, accused China of being the “disturbing of peace and stability” in the region. Increase tension. Last Thursday, Lai hardened his speech After a national security meeting, accusing China of seeking Taiwan’s annexation through influence tactics. In response, he announced stricter measures to regulate trade, travel and residence of Chinese citizens on the island. Beijing, who considers Lai and his party, the DPP, as separatists, reacted with virulence: the spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China, Chen Binhua, He described it of “destroyer of peace in the Strait” and accused him of pushing the island “towards a scenario of war and conflict.” Since the inauguration of Lai last May, China has intensified its military pressure. We have been counting it: in December, it deployed more than 90 ships from the Navy and the Coast Guard in an operation that Taiwan described as Its greatest maritime mobilization In recent history. The growing military activity China reinforces that fear that Beijing is preparing a direct confrontation scenario. The Described bridges A few days ago it is a “spicy” more to tension. The “Gray Zone”. The truth is that all these military activities of the Popular Liberation Army (EPL) of China around Taiwan is what experts describe as a “Gray Zone” strategythat is, coercion tactics that do not reach the direct armed conflict but that wears out the defensive capacity of the adversary. So that? This campaign would seek to increase the Psychological pressure On Taiwan, force their Armed Forces to operate in a constant state of alert and weaken the perception of security on the island. The United States position. Irremediably, the situation leads to Washington. Donald Trump’s return to the US presidency has added A layer of uncertainty To the equation. In the middle of the commercial war with China, Trump seeks increase your investment In defense. In addition, its administration has expressed discomfort for the impact of the island on the American semiconductor industry, threatening new tariffs to strengthen local production. No doubt, contradictory signals from Washington have generated restlessness in Taiwan. While the island’s government has expressed Your willingness to collaborate With Trump in the construction of a “democratic supply chain”, key companies such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) have promised investments up to 100,000 million of dollars in the United States to relieve tensions. Attempts of calm (and commitment). Amid all this uncertainty, the director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), Raymond Greene, tried to reassure Taipei. In a statement Posted on FacebookHe said that the Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, has reiterated his commitment to Taiwan, ensuring that Trump seeks world peace and strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific to avoid conflicts. Greene emphasized that Washington cannot guarantee security of the region alone and needs allies like Taiwan to reinforce its defensive capacity. He also stressed that a conflict in the Taiwan Strait would have devastating economic consequences, with an impact greater than 10% of global GDP, “more serious than World War II,” he said. Be that as it may, the current increase in Chinese military activity and the surprise Taiwanese response mark a new critical point in the already tense relationship between both parties. With a most unpredictable Trump, the future of American support to the island is still uncertain. Meanwhile, Beijing continues to press with demonstrations of strength and rhetorical threats, in a context where any calculation error could serve as a fuse to trigger a conflict of unpredictable proportions. Image | 總統府 In Xataka | China has a plan with six options if things “twist” with Taiwan. World War II advocates all In Xataka | Taiwan lives an unprecedented situation in three decades: there is an army of 53 planes and 90 Chinese ships in front of the island

Astronauts launched by Boeing are returning to Earth nine months later, in a Spacex ship

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Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are returning to Earth after nine months at the International Space Station. It is not an unusually long stay for an astronaut (the Russians They have come to spend three times longer in orbit), but Wilmore and Williams originally rose for a test mission just over a week. What followed was one of the most controversial decisions that NASA has taken in recent years. Express rotation Although How Elon Musk and Donald Trump tell himNASA’s two astronauts have not been really abandoned. The Boeing Starliner ship, with which they went up to the ISS in June, returned empty to Earth for a failure in the propulsion system that caused NASA managers to lose confidence in a safe return for their astronauts. Wilmore and Williams were reassigned, first, to the CREW-8 mission of Spacex. If there had been an emergency in the ISS between August and September, they would have returned in that ship under the seats of the other four crew, without the right suit. In September, the CREW-9 mission reached the ISS with two empty seats and two costumes for both, which regularized its situation. Since then, Wilmore and Williams have had a firm return plan: as soon as the four relay astronauts (the Spacex Crew-10 mission), they would return to Earth together with their two companions of the CREW-9 mission. There were some delays for technical issues (the Crew Dragon ship initially assigned to the CREW-10 mission was not ready and had to be replaced), but political tensions ended up accelerating things. Crew-10 arrived at the ISS during the early hours of Monday. 24 hours later, in the early hours of Tuesday, the CREW-9 mission was decoupling to enter the atmosphere and return to the earth. Normally astronauts spend more time together to catch up on the details of the orbital station, but this time it has been an express rotation. The return flight Dressed in their Spacex costumes, very different from those of the Boeing Starliner ship with those who were thrown into space, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said goodbye to their peers and entered the Crew Dragon ship with Nick Hague of NASA and Aleksandr Gorbunov of Roscosmos, the other two crew of the CREW-9 mission. At 5:05 UTC, the Spacex ship decoupled from the ISS autonomously and quickly moved away from the laboratory in orbit using its propellants. The Crew Dragon has been maneuvering to reduce its altitude. It is expected that Amerize near the Coast of Florida at 9:57 p.m. UTC, 17 hours after its departure. The most delicate maneuver will occur 12 minutes before shocking. The ship will detach from its trunk and turn on its engines to exorbitar. Then he will perform his atmospheric reentry, being surrounded by plasma by the speed at which he will cross the gases of the Earth’s atmosphere. When it reaches 5,500 meters of altitude, the two pilot parachutes will open to stop the ship, followed by four main parachutes to 1,950 meters to cushion the shocking. The Dragon ship will play the Atlantic Ocean at a speed of 7.6 meters per second, detaching from its parachutes and bringing back to Butch and Suni after nine months of scientific work and maintenance aboard the ISS. The soap opera will have finished. Images | POT In Xataka | “Stranded” astronauts in space say goodbye to the ISS with a script turn: supporting Elon Musk’s version

Spacex has launched 8,000 Starlink satellites in five years, but they are not enough. And we are beginning to understand why

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Starlink satellite Internet service is the golden egg chicken that is helping Finance the Starship program and other ambitious Spacex projects. But for it to work, Spacex cannot stop launching satellites. Starlink is a commercial success. Spacex announced Friday That Starlink had exceeded 5 million customers, two more than he had a year ago. The satellite Internet service is now available in 125 countries, and has also been integrated into more and more aircraft, ships and cruises. With the deployment of the first Direct To Cell constellation, satellites that in addition to the usual connections include cell connectivity, Starlink has also started working as a service for telephone operators. T-Mobile already offers in the United States The option of never running out of coverage. A sum and follows for the Golden Eggs of Spacex. Spacex numbers. According to a Payload reportSpacex invoiced $ 13,1 billion in 2024, 8,200 million of which came from Starlink. It is almost double what Starlink had entered the previous year. More difficult to calculate is how much it costs Spacex to put the satellites into orbit. We know that Starlink is a profitable businessbut we do not know the internal cost of launching a Falcon 9 rocket full of satellites. We know that it is much less than other rockets cost, because their first stage is able to land and take off at least 26 times; But not how much. We have, yes, a starting point. Elon Musk said a few years ago in an interview they aspired to A cost of 15 million dollars by launch. Taking into account that Spacex launched 134 Falcon 9 rockets last year, and that 96 were Starlink missions, at least 1,440 million dollars of Starlink’s revenues were used to cover the launch expenses of the satellites, to which the manufacturing costs, jobs, etc. The elephant in the room. In total, Spacex has launched more than 8,000 Starlink satellites, of which 6,000 are still active. The others no longer work or have burned in the atmosphere. Except for failure (such as the geomagnetic storm that caught a Starlink lot), satellites have a five -year -old useful life. The elephant in the room is that this useful life depends mainly on a physical appearance: satellites unfold in the low terrestrial orbit and reduce their height due to the effect of orbital decay, until disintegrating by friction with the atmosphere. Spacex cannot stop launching satellites. And you have to do it at an even greater pace to continue adding customers, while replenishing the satellites that are resenting. 100 reentrades in a month. Five years have passed since Spacex began to regularly launch Starlink satellites, and the effects are being noticed. According to an analysis by astrophysician Jonathan McDowell, At least one Starlink satellite He resents in the atmosphere every day, but January beat the record with 120 resentments. Many occur during the day, so they are not visible. Those that occur during the night are often a show of fleeting stars produced by the metals that vaporize In the atmosphere. The economic and environmental implications of all this are about to see, because Spacex is the only company that usually reuses its rockets and, therefore, the first to build a satellite constellation as large as Starlink. Perhaps the entry into Starship service changes the equation, but the order of the factors is clear: Starlink and the constellations that arrive later are condemned to eternally replenish the satellites that come out for those who enter. Image | Spacex, that In Xataka | Now any US smartphone can be connected for free to Starlink satellites. From July it will have a price

The US has restored the base of the Pacific that launched atomic bombing on Japan

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In December it was learned that the United States had carried out a curious test. In essence, He had shot herself a missile To see if he was able to neutralize it. That rare Avis took place in an “unbalanced territory” of the nation, on the island of Guam. A Pacific Strategic Eat whose geographical situation makes it “nuclear” objective. And if Guam does not work out, now we know that a plan B is ready. Strategic rebirth. The United States Company Planet Labswho monitor the possible changes and evolutions throughout the planet via satellite, has compiled a series of images that leave no doubt and ranging from December 2023 to January of this year. The historic North Field, on the island of Tinian, has just completely rehabilitated after having remained abandoned for more than 75 years. Originally built during World War II To launch the sad b-29 bombings About Japan, including The missions that took the atomic bombs to Hiroshima and Nagasakithe airfield clearly points to a reconstruction to become a key piece of the United States military strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. The images obtained show the complete progress in the restoration of 2,000 square meters of tracks, filming streets and other key infrastructure. Apparently, grid -shaped design, Inspired by Manhattan, New York, complicates enemy attacks by distributing strategic assets in a pattern difficult to neutralize with a single blow. Tinian: A key node. As we said, Tinian, currently part of the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands of the Northit is located about 200 km northeast of Guam, which makes it a strategic point to support US air operations in the Pacific. In fact and as we explain at the beginning, with the modernization of its airport, the Tinian International, and the expansion of its facilities, the island now offers a viable alternative in case the base Andersen in Guam be attacked or unused. There is talk of Several projects underway which include the expansion of tracking and streets, new fuel deposits in the main port of the island, the construction of a large parking platform for aircraft and the modernization of infrastructure for joint military operations between the Navy and the Air Force of USA. Tinian location, on the left, with Guam directly to the south. Wake Island, in the center, and Hawaii, on the right, are also marked Of abandonment to military avant -garde. We do not talk about one more place, of course. During World War II, North Field was the world’s largest air basewith four tracks almost 3 km long, sufficient space to house more than 500 B-29 bombers and an endowment of 40,000 troops. After the war, The base was abandoned in 1947 and remained inactive for a long time. In the 2000s and 2010, the Air Force carried out minor works to use one of its tracks in operations exercises on austere lands, but It was not until 2023 that the decision was made to recover the entire base as part of the strategy of the called as Agile Fuat Employment (ACE). AGILE COMBAT EMPLOYMENT: DISUNICATION BEFORE CHINA. Ace doctrine is based on The Air Force capacity to deploy forces quickly and flexible in improvised or remote bases, reducing their vulnerability to enemy attacks. North Field’s rehabilitation is part of this plan, allowing Military aircraft can operate from multiple locationsinstead of depending on fixed bases such as Andersen in Guam, which would be a priority objective in a conflict with China. Not just that. In addition, the Navy and the Air Force have implemented measures to disperse and hide strategic assetshindering the planning and execution of enemy attacks. In this regard, A recent report by Hudson Institute He pointed out that China could disable entire bases with only 10 missiles Loaded with submunitions, which makes the diversification of aerodromes such as Tinian fundamental for operational survival in a high intensity conflict. Rehabilitation and bunkers. While other countries, including China, seem to be strengthening its bases with bunkerized structuresthe United States Air Force has opted for a different strategy: not hardening bases, but make them more mobile and scattered. That said, There is a debate In the country on whether this strategy is the most appropriate in front of a rival like China, a nation that He has developed a missile arsenal precision capable of attacking bases throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Expanding versatility. It is the last of the legs that is understood after the progress. The Modernization of North Field It will also allow the operation of aircraft with capabilities Vertical or short landing (Stovl)as The F-35b of the Marines Corps. This type of aircraft can operate on improvised and remote tracks, increasing the flexible attack capacity of the United States in the region. In addition, the use of Mobile braking and electromagnetic catapult systems (EMALS) in land bases is also being evaluatedwhich would facilitate the operation of combat aircraft in airfields with shorter and fixed aircraft carrier infrastructure. Therefore, the recovery of the base in Tinian represents, a priori, a key piece in the new military architecture of Washington in the Pacific. Its rehabilitation offers greater operational flexibility, a possible Plan b To Guam, and complicates the enemy attack capacity while reinforcing the asset dispersion strategy in the region. Image | Planet Labs In Xataka | The United States fears that China’s long -range missiles will reach Guam. So he just launched one himself In Xataka | In 1940 a creature sneaked into an island in the United States and devoured everything. Today two of the most feared species for humans coexist alone

He has just launched one of the most advanced military satellites in Europe

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Spain already has one of the most advanced communications satellites of the world. Run from the United States with a Spacex rocket, the Spainsat NG 1 positions Spain as one of the NATO members with the greatest operational capacity in sovereign communications. The secret is in their antennas. The Spainsat Ng 1 communications satellite. The most advanced in Spain and the first in Europe with next -generation antennas. The spainsat Next Generation 1 was successfully deployed this morning to offer safe communications in government and military missions of the European Union, as well as its partners in the Atlantic Alliance. The satellite meets NATO’s requirements For missions and deployments, and positions Spain among the most advanced countries in sovereign communications. Adaptable to critical and emergency response operations, it is planned to remain in service until 2037, covering North and South America, Africa and the Middle East, and part of Asia to Singapore. Launch by Spacex. It is striking that a European military satellite is put into orbit by an American company. But it is not surprising, taking into account the multiple delays of Ariane 6: the only European rocket that could have launched the six -ton NG 1 spainsat. He did it Instead a Falcon 9 of Spacex From Cabo Cañaveral. The rocket loaded with 450 tons of propellants took off from the 39A platform of the Kennedy Space Center at 1:37 UTC, taking advantage of the last drop of fuel to take the satellite to a geostationary transfer orbit. His first stage was discarded without landing after 21 successful pitches, including the Japanese lunar mission Hakuto-R and the deployment of 400 Starlink satellites. Deployment in geostationary orbit. After separating from the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket, the satellite undertook a solo trip until its final position in geostationary orbit, 35,786 km on the earth, a height of almost three times the diameter of the earth itself. The Spainsat NG 1 will undergo a series of commissioning tests before entering operation. The Spanish company Hisdesat will be in charge of its operations During the next 15 years, with the support of the Department of Connectivity and Safe Communications of ESA. What makes it so special. The 6.1 tons satellite, the size of a minibus, carries X Band Antennas with Beam Hopping technology, which means that they can modify the communications beam to different regions or users electronically, without moving. The antennas were developed by Airbus Defense and Space in Barajas, but A consortium of Spanish companies participated In the design and development of the satellite: Sener, Indra, Technobit, Arquimea, GMV and the Hisdesat itself. This industrial and institutional collaboration is included in the Pacis 3 project, which is in turn part of the Spainsat Next Generation program of Hisdesat, with an expected fleet of two satellites based on EUROPAR NEO DE AIRBUS technology. Images | ESA, Spacex In Xataka | In full brawl between Musk and Europe, Spacex prepares to launch the most advanced Spanish satellite ever built

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