urban

Toni Urban, Pixel Product Manager, about the Pixel 10a

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The new Pixel 10a comes to the fore to compete once again in the mid-range, a territory that over the years has become more ambitious and also more demanding. Each new generation tries to get a little closer to the experience of the top modelsincorporating advances that previously seemed reserved for more expensive devices. However, in this process there is a balance that does not depend only on technology, but on the ability to keep the essence of this segment intact. And it is precisely at that point where Google’s new proposal seems to be located. This balance does not arise in isolation, but from the product development process itself. In order to better understand this approach, we have spoken with Tony UrbanPixel Product Manager at Google, directly involved in this generation. Their answers allow us to contextualize the decisions made in the new Pixel 10a and frame its proposal within the evolution that the range has followed in recent years. Pixel 10a technical sheet GOOGLE PIXEL 10a DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT 153.9mm x 73.0mm x 9.0mm 183g SCREEN 6.3 inch pOLED Resolution: 1080 x 2424 422 pixels per inch Refresh up to 120 Hz Brightness up to 2,000 nits in HDR Maximum brightness of up to 3,000 nits outdoors Corning Gorilla Glass 7i PROCESSOR Google Tensor G4 Titan M2 Security Coprocessor MEMORY 8GB STORAGE 128GB / 256GB BATTERY and charging 5,100 mAh Wire: 45W Wireless: 10W REAR CAMERAS Major: 48 MP with f/1.7 aperture and 82º field of view Wide angle: 13 MP with f/2.2 aperture and 120º field of view FRONT CAMERA 13 MP with f/2.2 aperture and 96.1º field of view Operating system Android 16 SOUND Dual stereo speakers two microphones CONNECTIVITY Wi-Fi 6E 5G sub 6 GHz Dual SIM (nanoSIM + eSIM) Bluetooth 6 NFC USB-C (USB 2.0) OTHERS IP68 certification On-screen fingerprint reader PRICE 549 euros Pixel 10a, an update that focuses on coherence The Pixel 10a largely maintains the design that was so well received in the previous generation: straight edges with gently rounded corners, a compact format and that feeling of lightness that, when we hold it in our hands, does not give up transmitting solidity. It is when turning it that the most visible changes begin to appear. The rear now adopts a completely flat surface and any trace of relief on the camera module disappearsa discreet adjustment in appearance, but significant within the silent evolution with which Google has been fine-tuning the visual identity of the Pixel family for some time. Behind this iteration there is also a reflection on what those who choose the A series really expect. As Urban tells us, the development has focused on the aspects that these users value most, with photography at the center. “Having a great camera is important for everyone, no matter what budget they have. And we know that at Pixel we do it really well, so being able to take many of those learnings from the Pro range to the A series is something we know how to execute very well.” That same logic explains the commitment to a completely flat rear: “In this generation we were able to do it with a completely flat surface… because we were able to transfer a large part of the physical optics to computational photography in the software layer and in the processor. “You still get the same great photos you’re used to in the Pixel family, but in that nice flat format.” There are decisions that are not explained only from the technical sheet, but from the idea of ​​balance that defines a device. On the Pixel 10a, one of them is the continuity of your processing platform: Google is betting on it again G4 tensioner already present in the Pixel 9aa detail that does not go unnoticed in a newly presented phone. Far from being an isolated gesture, this choice points to a concrete way of understanding the evolution within the mid-range, as our interviewee explains to us. “We had to make tough engineering decisions to maintain that $549 price point, which we’ve maintained for four generations. The chipset is part of that consideration. We knew we could still deliver the best of Google’s AI and the best camera experience with the chip we had; we didn’t feel like we were sacrificing quality, and we still made important improvements.” Beyond that internal decision, the Pixel 10a introduces noticeable advances in everyday use. One of the most obvious appears in the 6.3-inch Actua screen, now capable of reaching up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness and offer better legibility outdoors, accompanied by improvements in connectivity and loading speed that reinforce the feeling of an updated device without altering its position within the mid-range. They are less striking changes than a leap in processor, but which many users can appreciate. This progressive evolution also extends to photography and functions supported by artificial intelligence, two classic pillars of the Pixel family. The camera system arrives practically unchanged in terms of figures, with a 48 MP main sensor accompanied by a 13 MP ultra wide angle. To improve the experience, it relies on functions such as Best Shot, include me either Camera Coach. It remains to be seen, however, how all this balance translates into real use. Sustained performance, temperature management or the behavior of the device on a day-to-day basis will be key to understanding how far this proposal really goes. It will be something that we will analyze in detail in Xataka when we can test it thoroughly. Until then, and at least from what we can see, the Pixel 10a can be a very valid option for those willing to spend 549 euros in exchange for the more direct Google and Android experience within the mid-range. Images | Xataka | Google In Xataka | The CEO of Nothing is clear that we do not need a high-end mobile phone every year. A mix of RAM crisis and common sense

Portable batteries are part of urban infrastructure in China. I have tried them and I need them to arrive in Europe

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After a decade of writing about gadgets and tens of thousands of miles of travel under my belt, a few weeks ago a destination managed to make me nervous. I was traveling, for the first time, to China. A few days before leaving, I realized that I did not have any batteries with the necessary certification and buying them in Spain is complicated. My idea was to get one there, but to my surprise I came across reality: hives of external batteries on every corner. Below I will tell you about my experience renting one and testing its loading speed. Powerbanks as urban infrastructure. A few months ago, my colleague Javier He already commented on his fascination with this ecosystem of external batteries that anyone can rent. It is really not something so new, since it has running since 2017 and its concept is very interesting. In China we need the cell phone for everything (AliPay and Wechat They are two apps that are your bank, your transportation card, your payment card, your way of ordering in restaurants and much more) and it is something that drains the battery. Therefore, the idea arose to locate stations with several external rental batteries at strategic points in the city. The market is dominated by four companies, they are in the main cities and the process is as simple as: Scan the station’s QR code. Take one of the removable batteries. Use them while we eat or move. Return them to any other point on the network (it does not have to be at the station where we took it). Photo: Xataka Photo: Xataka Photo: Xataka Photo: Xataka Photo: Xataka Photo: Xataka renting one. For me, who went with a iPhone 16 in your pocket (whose battery is no wonder), having something like this available was a lifesaver. And, since science doesn’t do itself, during breakfast I rented one available at my hotel with the intention of using it while I ate and returning it just before leaving. The process is indicated just above these lines and, in my case, I used AliPay. Photo: Xataka You have to go with the application previously configured and, in my case, I loaded a Revolut prepaid card. I didn’t have any problems during the week I was in Beijing. I scanned the QR code of the charging station with AliPay itself and… blessed translation system. It works when it wants and it translates some things regularly, but enough to understand it. The price is 0.12 yuan per minute (about 0.014 euros), but since I don’t have a bank account in China, I had to pay a deposit of 99 yuan (about 12 euros). As soon as I paid, the app told me what power bank I had to remove it and the station itself made the corresponding battery LED flash. To load. Charging experience. The first thing I liked is that you don’t need absolutely anything other than the battery. This includes a USB-C, Lightning and even micro-USB cable. They are short cables, but they are appreciated so you don’t have to carry yours in your pocket. It has LEDs that indicate the charge level and there really isn’t much more to say about the design. Regarding their characteristics, it depends, but they usually have 5,000 mAh and the big asterisk is in the power. 5V/2.4A It is about 12 W and that implies that it will charge at a slow speed. But hey, it is designed so that you can carry it for a while or while you eat and spend at least half an hour/an hour with it. Photo: Xataka On my iPhone 16, the charging times were as follows: I started with 26% battery and in 30 minutes I reached 45%. At 60 minutes it had reached 64%. After 90 minutes it was charged up to 82%. As I say, a slow experience, but I see it as feasible to spend an hour eating or walking between stores, and recovering 38% allows you to survive the rest of the day. When you return it, you have a map where you see all the available stations. I simply went to a different one, clicked on the finalize the transaction button, scanned the QR again and inserted it into the indicated slot. The final price was 14 yuan after almost two hours in my possession, about 1.73 euros to my account. And, the next day, I already had the 99 yuan deposit back in my Revolut. Reviews. Discussing the move with our teammates, we agreed that the price is not high for us, that we use the euro and for those 1.7 euros, well… it allowed me to continue the rest of the day. But we also wonder how the Chinese would view those 14 yuan. And it seems not very well. One of the complaints It is precisely that the price has been increasing in some points. If at the beginning it cost one yuan per hour, now it ranges between two and six. The reason is that it depends a lot on the location (more or less tourist areas, hospitals, hotels, bars, etc.). Coupled with the fact that it is a very fair power and cell phones have more and more battery life, it is almost better to buy an external battery if you know that every now and then you have to rent at one of these stations (which, in addition, can be full at times and you have to go around looking for another one to return the battery. The businesses themselves have also been dissatisfied at times, since it is a market monopolized by a few companies that, evidently, control both the rental price and the profits. Future. Despite this, for tourists, it is an extremely attractive option due to its convenience and because, let’s not fool ourselves, the exchange rate to our currency is favorable to us. And for the industry, it represents an important benefit. In 2020, … Read more

The urban heat island effect

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Summer is here and with him the desire of millions of people to escape the city. The east desire is more than the mere enjoyment of the beach, leisure or rural landscapes, there is also the prevailing need for escape heat. And part of the fault of this lies in the so -called urban heat island effect. What is the urban heat island effect Heat island? The term refers to the fact that cities They tend to accumulate heatwhich implies that the temperature in them is usually higher than in their surroundings. This effect can be felt during the day but it is perhaps at night when the difference between urban temperature and that of its surroundings is greater. The difference can be several degrees. An estimate For example, he calculates that the difference between New York City its surroundings is around the 4th Celsius. A recent study made in five Spanish cities estimated that the average variation in Madrid was 1.3º, but in Valencia reached 4.1. The responsible team came to measure differences of up to 11 between the center and the periphery of the Spanish cities studied. How a heat island occurs The causes of the heat islands There are several and diverse. The construction materials we use tend to absorb energy that they release during the night. This makes night temperatures do not descend in the city as much as in other contexts, thus accumulating heat. The buildings, in addition, block the passage of the air that would drag the heat accumulated in the day to day, while the absence of trees and of phenomena such as the evaporation of soil water contribute to a worst thermoregulation of the system. The other great factor responsible for urban warming is human activity. Many of our activities, from driving to heating a pout generate residual heat. Even when we cool things, for example when we use the air conditioning, the thermal “balance” is positive. What factors aggravate the problem We pointed out before not all cities experience a heat island of the same magnitude. The complexity of the factors that cause this phenomenon is responsible for it. Knowing this, we can list some factors that can influence the degree in which a city stands out from its thermal environment. Among these factors We could find Population density, orientation and structure of its street, characteristics (height, materials) of its urban buildings, vegetation and trees, the passage of rivers, or its location with respect to geographical elements such as the mountains or the coast. Even the color of the buildings, including its roofs, affects the temperature differential. The heat island in the city of Paris. Copernicus Climate Change Service, ECMWF. Consequences of the heat islands The direct consequence of this phenomenon is an increase in temperatures, which in turn affects a multitude of Aspects of everyday life of whom these cities inhabit. Both at night and day. Heat can have consequences on our health and well -being: heat strokes, Difficulty reconciling sleep or to concentrate or an increase in the risk of suffering the effects of certain diseases such as cardiovascular, among other problems. Urban heat can be somewhat positive in winter or certain climates from the energy point of view, but in summer it will imply that we will spend more to cool our homes, work areas and even our refrigerators. A problem that will go to more There are two factors that invite you to think that this phenomenon and its consequences will go worse in the coming years. The first, climate change. Perhaps the phenomenon that we mostly associated with climate change is the increase in the average temperature of the planet. This temperature increase can be added to the increase associated with urban heat island, thus increasing the risks and problems associated with this phenomenon. The second factor to consider are migrations, specifically the rural exodus. A growing proportion of people live in cities, some of them already host dozens of millions of people. The biggest cities They are more susceptible to suffering the problem of urban heat island. In addition, the more people live in them, the more people the impacts of this temperature increase will be vulnerable. How to prevent the heat island effect Urbanization is a process that continues, especially in the “developing” countries, so all we can do is search ways to reduce impact of these heat islands. To do this, understanding its causes and dynamics is essential. The solutions that They have been proposed To avoid heat accumulation in cities are diverse, but the possibility that they can be implemented depends on various factors. For example, in an area still under development, we can encourage architectures that optimize air flow and reduce the presence of materials that capture heat easily. It is also important to leave spaces to non -urbanized areas, natural and seminatural environments such as parks and urban forests. The introduction of trees and other green areas () can also be feasible in already built areas. The mere Presence of trees On an avenue you can significantly reduce the insolation that reaches the ground and thereby prevent it from hot as much as it would happen without the trees. In this sense, even the use of paintings that increase the solar energy reflected again to the atmosphere (if we paint a roof or a white square, for example) it can also become a useful resource. In Xataka | An American city is “terrifying” its streets to combat heat. They have an ally: NASA Image | Fabian Lozano

The urban legend about a mythical video game that continues to circulate 35 years later

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A legendary game, ‘Wing Commander’ contained a programming bulk error at a time when correcting a video game was more complex than now, in the same way as the testing processes They were less detailed and prolonged than the current ones. An error message that the ingenuity of a programmer made a brief congratulation to the player. That is what they have been telling us so far … but it wasn’t entirely true. Problems in the galaxy. The year is 1990. ‘Wing Commander’, the legendary saga of space flight simulators starts with a Initial Delivery on PC (MS-DOS), whose success would give rise to a franchise that would reach the most powerful microororders and consoles of the time, as a friend CD32, Sega Mega-CD and SNES. In the saga, the Terrestrial Confederation faces a militarized feline breed called Killrathi in the Vega sector. However, shortly before launch in September, Origin Systems developers realized that A fateful mistake hung the game In his final bars. Capital error. What happened was that they found An error message Produced by the memory manager Emm386, which frozen the game. As they needed to send the game to production, one of the programmers, Ken Demarest, directly edited the error message to show the message “Thank you for playing Wing Commander” instead instead of the technical description of the error. A real required required just in time … and that, in reality, never happened. Urban legends. The truth is that this ingenious solution for the error was not published in the final edition: the team managed to correct the error in time, according to Demarest On the Wing Commander Commer Information Centerin its section dedicated to denying urban legends around the franchise. As they say, Demarest was also head of programming in ‘Last VII’, and this game contained a similar closing message (“Thank you for playing ultima VII”). Therefore, the anecdote could have been incorrectly confused or attributed between both titles, further feeding the myth. Functional fudge. Over the years, the false anecdote (of which even There are captures) It became popular so much that this solution was used as an example of a “functional fudge”: a quick but little orthodox solution for the problem. By extension, some critics of Chris Roberts, creator of ‘Wing Commander’ and currently in the ambitious’Star Citizen‘, they have used urban legend to argue that the technical quality of their products has always been questionable. Finally, everything was one of the many urban legends that circulate in the industry. It is counted, it is rumored. The absence of a serious and established press in the first decades of the industry made the video games of the eighties, ninety and even beyond (such as ‘Wing Cmmander’) into hotbeds of rumors and half lies. Since the time of legendary ‘Polybius‘, a mental control device through recreational machines, to the suicide melody of Lavander town in’ Pokémon Red/Blue ‘, authentic Material for nightmares Creepypastathrough the non-existence of A game that erased itself‘Kill Switch’, video games have always had urban legends commented on dark Internet forums and in the cartridge and discs exchange corrillos. The ‘Wing Commander’, as we have seen, has already been officially denied, but it is clear that no one ever kills a good story. In Xataka | The 39 best games of the time to play now and free in the browser

The “Casas Clavo” that planted the progress of urban planning in China

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Imagine a small house with a couple of floors surrounded by huge blocks of homes. You don’t have to imagine too much, since we have seen it in Pixar’s popular ‘up’ movie, but far from being fiction material, such constructions exist, enduring firm before progress and concrete advance. They are the so -called “Casa Clavo”. It is a global phenomenon, but in China we find some of the most iconic cases that became a sample of popular resistance. Dīngzihù. When we talk about “Casa Clavo”, it is literal. The Chinese term “dīngzihù” comes to say precisely that. Dīngzi means “clavo” and hù is “family” or “home.” And it is an expression that refers to the owners who resist evicing their homes so that they are demolished, becoming that building into a nail that is difficult to get. It is a term that became popular with the modernization of the country. The new urban development projects needed land to build, so they offered economic compensations to the residents of these areas to leave their homes. Those who refused due to personal reasons or economic disagreements, saw how their house was the only one in the neighborhood that was stood, while huge moles of concrete were erected around them. In China, it is also curious because the phenomenon is relatively recent. Private property did not have much importance until not so ago, but in 2007 approved The first modern law of private property that hindered forced expropriation and empowered the owners. The only way to demolish a home was to justify the “public interest” of the new construction, and that is what originated a series of movements of the population to protect their homes. Wu ping. These ‘resistance’ movements are very media both for personal history and for the aesthetics of the new street, with small and traditional houses isolated in the midst of the new buildings. Several throughout these years have occurred, but if one perfectly reflects that struggle spirit, it is Chongqing in 2004. Wu Ping and Yang Wu refused to sell their property for the construction of a shopping center. The rest of the neighborhood was demolished, but his house endured and the photo is shocking: at the top of a mound, surrounded by excavation to start the construction of the complex as soon as possible. The marriage was the only one among 281 families in the area that rejected the moving to another area and declared that it was not “stubborn or rebellious -as they had described in the media.” I only try to protect my personal rights as a citizen, and I will continue until the end. “ Apart from why he did not want, in that house his family had lived for three generations. And do not believe that the contest was peaceful: the real estate developers cut the water and energy when they excavated the pit. For his part, Mr. Yang Wu, champion Marcial Arts, Nunchakus used to create an impromptu ladder to his house and threatened to hit anyone who tried to dislodge it. He also raised a Chinese flag on the property. After years of legal and media battle, they reached a millionaire agreement with the promoters and an apartment in the city center with a size similar to that of their old house. The house was demolished. Chinese resistance. Although the photo of the house Wu is, perhaps, the most picturesque, the case of that marriage is not Not much less unique As far as media noise is concerned. In Nanning, a small house was trapped in the center of a great avenue. Around the house, as if it were a roundabout, there was only asphalt and cars circulating. They ended up arriving at an agreement, but also left a photo for the story. Something similar occurred In Zhejiang, when in 2012 a five -story house was standing in the middle of a highway. Another 450 buildings were demolished, but the owners of this house considered that the compensation was ridiculous and could not buy an equivalent home. After greater compensation and land, they accepted and left their home, which was demolished. They will end up succumbing or not, something is clear: these examples are just a few of this sample of popular resistance in China, a defense of heritage and individual rights against a modernization that, in the Asian giant, has taken steps. Edith Macefield. But this of refusing to leave home so that they throw it is not something exclusive to China, and a case that you surely know, but not by this name, is that of Edith Macefield. In the American city of Seattle, the house of this lady caught the attention of half the world when she refused to compensate one million dollars to leave her home. The 84 -year -old lady at that time, received complementary offers, as free domiciliary care for the rest of her life, but did not give in: her house was not going to be demolished to build a shopping center. It was not for touching the noses: I was advanced and considered tedious to have to move. After several failures, the builders made the decision to raise the complex equally, but in a less hostile way than the cases we have seen in China. Three of the sides of the house with five -story high walls and Mrs. Macefield lived there until she died in 2008. The house is still there, empty, as a sign of that particular heroism. And why do I say that the house design and history may sound to you? Because it is the one that served as inspiration for Pixar to create the magnificent ‘UP‘. There are more stories on American soil, such as Thirsty Beaveran open bar in 2008 that was built in the middle of a field, but that in 2015 was surrounded by a huge floors building after its refusal to sell. And there it continues. Inspiration. As we say, there are other … Read more

In Spain, cutting urban trees looks like national sport. These Swiss have just demonstrated that it is a mistake

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There is only a handful of things that we know for sure about cities and one of them is that trees are key. And it is that the exposure to green spaces (and there the trees enter) “is associated with lower risks of mortality.” It’s simple, it’s clear, it’s easy. And, despite this, we do not take note. Wait, wait a moment … how? Yes and There are many reasons To do this: trees filter air pollutants, provide shadow, reduce ambient temperature in warm climates and encourage people to spend more time outdoors. They are a cheap and relatively accessible system to improve people’s lives. But, as I say, when planting trees it is not so easy. Among other things because there is no space. How can we plant trees to get maximum benefit? That is what They wondered Zurich ETH researchers. To do this, they examined high resolution data of the tree canopy to determine “the structure of the green tree spaces” within a radius of 500 meters of the place of residence of a person. Of six million people, actually. AND They crossed this urban data with health and mortality information from the neighborhoods of Europe and Asia that analyzed. What have you discovered? That both tree coverage in residential areas and its spatial distribution correlates with mortality. In fact, researchers They realized that the risk of mortality was “significantly lower in people living in neighborhoods with extensive, adjacent and well -interconnected areas of tree cups than in people who live in areas with less areas of fragmented tree glasses and with complex geometries.” This seems true, in addition, if we discount other factors such as age, wealth, gender or educational level. It is true that the data are correlational and, therefore, do not allow to establish causal relationships; But the effect size makes all this very promising. But, indeed, research is needed. “We are still in the early stages of this research”, The researchers explained. There are very basic things that are there to be clear: for example, they did not study the influence of specific factors such as pre -existing diseases, smoking or the same use of these green spaces. A big problem … that affects us especially. And I say it affects Spain because Bad care that urban trees are given here is An endemic problem. The causes are diverse, yes; But they can be summarized in three: few media, mismanagement and isolated political decisions of any current technical knowledge. Swiss study is just the last drop of a glass to be overflowing. Because we have known for a long time that trees help reduce atmospheric pollutants and mitigate the Urban heat island effect; But we don’t take it seriously. Nor do we go to take it. Image | Vladimir Kudinov In Xataka | A centenary ficus has just died in Seville after two years of agony. It is the best example of how Spain is killing its urban trees

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