LIFE TECH

Which rates do the cheapest ADSL offer? A review of the main ADSL offers with the lowest price     Within its quest to attract customers, companies in the telecommunications sector have drawn different user profiles to better target their offers. Among the different classes of customers, we highlight the no frills (without additives), users who seek an internet connection service at the lowest price, without prioritizing the speed of the line. For this profile, the search for adsl is cheaper than fiber optic with the fastest download. This niche market has all the interest of the main operators, since until now they had focused on the other two segments: on the one hand the premium , which are the customers who want the broadest service coverage; and the value for money , which are the users who know their consumption habits perfectly and choose the offer that best suits their needs.      To conquer this market segment consisting of non-frills, the users who val...

Apple and Xiaomi eat their rivals They gain in sales in the period of greatest consumption: Christmas and Black Friday    Apple paraded yesterday by the catwalk of results where it returned to dazzle with the results of the past exercise, although the sale of its famous iPhone fell a 1% in comparison with previous quarter . However, according to the IDC consultant, the last three months of 201 have two clear winners: Apple and Xiaomi. Months especially marked in the companies with Christmas and Black Friday as special periods of consumption. The market share of Apple in this latter part of 2017 has reached 19.2% while Samsung remains at 18.4%. Curiously, both have risen with respect to 2017, although Apple has done it with more force.    The other battle being waged in the market is the leadership of Chinese brands, which is still led by Huawei with a 10.2% market share that remains in a comfortable third place, according to the IDC report. More interesting is the fi...

This chip makes any product smart Thinker is designed to understand, support neural networks and consume little energy     China has set a goal and is to make any device smart. The project is from Tsinghua University in Beijing that has developed a chip to support neural networks, according to MIT Technology Review. Thinker, as its name is, is able to satisfy the needs of the software to which it is coupled and stands out for its low energy expenditure . With this tiny device you can get recognition of objects in images or understanding of human speech. This is one of the projects in which the Asian giant has gone to work to lead a technology called, according to experts, to lead the development in the coming years.      Big brands such as Samsung or China Huawei have already allocated resources to the development of artificial intelligence chips . Although, the real research is taking place in the laboratories of the universities of the Asian giant. A research ...

What does an electronic nose smell? These innovative systems serve both to detect diseases through olfactory patterns and to find and deactivate explosive devices   When it comes to competing in the animal kingdom, the human nose loses the battle at the first moment of change. According to a study by Japanese researchers, elephants have a smell five times more developed than that of humans and more than dogs. They have 811 olfactory receptors. Humans only 386, although for some scientists there is no problem. "We can detect and discriminate an extraordinary range of smells, we are more sensitive than rodents and dogs to some of them, we are able to track odor traces and our behavioral and affective states are influenced by our sense of smell," says John McGann , associate professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.     Although the best friends of the human being, dogs, are still the preferred ones to detect explosives and prohibited substances, the advance of techn...

Your payroll in bitcoins Spanish companies begin to get on the cryptocurrency cart and some already think of bitcoins to pay their employees and receive payments     A large part of the population is not clear about what bitcoins are, although it is a term that has become very popular in the last two years, but on the other hand there are those who already receive part of their salary in this virtual currency and even have the possibility of buying houses and trips with her. As in all technological advances, "it will take a few years" for the population to adapt to change and "cryptocurrencies become a day-to-day thing". Curro Quevedo works from Zooo, a mobile repair shop in the ABC Serrano shopping center in Madrid, where one of the first cryptocurrencies ATMs in the Bitnovo company has been installed. The responsible says that although it has been installed for a year and a half, at first it was not very used. However now "every day people come to buy bitcoin...

Can you (and should) be anonymous on the Internet? The proposal of the PP to end anonymity in social networks will be difficult to get ahead     Both on social networks and on forums and websites, many users prefer not to give their real name and show their opinion under a pseudonym. A strategy almost as old as literature. But is this anonymity on the Internet legal? For now, yes. Anyone can use many of the services and tools of the Internet without having to show their true identity. In fact, some of the accounts that more followers drag on many of these social networks respond to the profile of an anonymous. "People have the right to surf anonymously on the Internet if they do not commit a crime and do so in a positive way," says the president of the Association of Internet Users, Víctor Domingo, who, therefore, considers that "it does not make sense" to legislate the anonymity so that it is illegal.     However, on December 26, the Popular Party presented in the ...

Only 3 out of 10 Spaniards have the skills to face the digital transformation 65% of young people will work in positions that do not exist today, so their training and the digitalization of companies and public administrations «is key», warns César Alierta     Although 65% of young people who currently study Primary and Secondary in Spain will occupy jobs related to the digital world that currently do not exist, only 31% of Spaniards today have advanced digital skills to adequately address this moment of digital transformation that the world has to face. Therefore, the focus should be on education because it is "fundamental" that new generations "know how to move" in digital skills in Big Data, Cloud and Artificial Intelligence , said César Alierta, president of Fundación Telefónica, during the presentation this Monday in Madrid of the report 'Digital Society in Spain'. "It takes 2.5 million boys and girls by 2020 to study to be experts in digitalizatio...

R & D has a hard time overcoming the crisis in Spain Europe is the accelerator of innovation, while here the public sector investment is 13% below 2009     Although the economic crisis began in 2008, the R & D & i sector (Research, Development and Innovation) comes later because there is a first drop in private spending in 2009, but public spending is not reduced until 2011. Cows fat of innovation occupied the year 2000 to 2008, beginning the millennium with an investment 50% higher than what the average of European countries, but reaching eight years later to 71%. The report of the Cotec Foundation for Innovation (which takes data from the INE and Eurostat as a reference) reveals that public investment today stands 13% below pre-crisis levels , while private investment 5.8% below . Aleix Pons, director of Economy and Finance of Cotec, explains to this newspaper that currently "practically all European countries have recovered the investment prior to the crisis", ...

TIAGo, the robot assistant made in Spain The semihumanoid device is programmed to help the elderly at home      About five million Spaniards live alone and the vast majority are people over 65, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). By Autonomous Communities, those with the highest percentage of single-person households are Asturias, Castilla y León and La Rioja. Technology has become an ally to help older people to carry out their daily tasks and monitor the day to day of the elderly. This is the summary of the Catalan project of the company PAL Robotics, which has developed a semihumanoid robot capable of giving the pills at the time it touches, monitoring vital signs and physical state, and locating the keys or the mobile.      TIAGo, which is the name of the device, is able to accompany sick or dependent people who are notified about the time to eat. In addition, the robot is also prepared to recommend healthy dishes, carry o...

Spanish SMEs need help to join ecommerce The leaders in this channel are the Aragonese companies    Seven out of ten small and medium-sized Spanish companies recognize that they need external support to integrate the mobile channel into their business, according to the study Spanish SMEs in the online field, conducted by the global e-commerce platform eBay. This study emphasizes that the smartphone is one of the main means by which users search, compare and buy products. However, the need for external support is offset by the willingness of SMEs to reinforce their strategy in several channels. Thus, 44.4% say that having mobile applications or optimized websites is vital for the growth of their business, while 43.1% recognizes that, in the future, everyone will buy through applications.      The study shows that 70.5% of the SMEs surveyed know the advantages of mobile commerce, but only 28.4% have an application or an optimized web of their business for this cha...

The first call 5G is achieved in Spain Huawei and Vodafone manage to complete the first connection of this type with the new commercial standard NSA     Castelldefells (Barcelona) and Madrid. These two cities are the transmitter and receiver of the first 5G call in the world with the commercial standard NSA (Non Stand Alone). This framework approved last December will be the one that is incorporated into the commercial expansion of this new technology that will arrive in the coming months. The new standard contemplates the use, in a first phase, of the infrastructure of the 4G network for the control and management of traffic, so it will be necessary that both terminals and base stations can establish "dual" connectivity to networks 4G and 5G at the same time.     This new standard reaches speeds above 2 Gbps and latencies below 10 milliseconds. "The first 5G call has been made just two months after the new 5G standard on dual infrastructures (5G / 4G) has been publi...

Puigdemont clears his mansion in Google Maps Waterloo Users who want to locate the home in the search engine will find a blurred spot that prevents them from seeing the house     A few weeks ago, it was announced that the former president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, had rented a luxurious mansion in the Belgian town of Waterloo, south of Brussels. Within a few hours, the area around the residence was filled with media and curious people who wanted to see what the new home of the escaped politician could be. However, faced with the expectation that caused the news, the former president of Catalonia has decided to delete it from Google Maps . That is, now, if you look for the 40 Avenue de l'Avocat , in Waterloo, what appears is a blur that prevents you from seeing the house. This decision may have taken also by the little grace that made the owner of the mansion see his property protagonist of all the news.      The residence is an area of ...

Smart skin to know the inside of the body Is able to measure heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure and perform an electromyography      A team of Japanese researchers have created an ultra-thin and elastic LED screen that can adhere to the skin and display dynamic graphics in order to monitor the health status of patients, especially the elderly. The device can help these groups, "who often have difficulties to use and obtain data from existing (intelligent) devices" to access information, and facilitate nurses and people who care for patients in their home to monitor their status . Takao Someya, a professor at the University of Tokyo, is responsible for leading the development of the screen, a sheet of a millimeter thick made of rubber, which he believes will "improve the quality of life" by allowing, for example, to remember a sick person taking his medication.       By adhering to the skin, "it's like a part of the body that transmits not only inf...

Flowkey, the method to learn to play the piano online The application created by German entrepreneurs facilitates the learning of this instrument with simple tutorials based on the favorite songs of each user      Playing the piano is a complicated task, but technology can help. That is the idea of Flowkey, a new app that facilitates the user learning and is suitable for people who have never been in front of a roof as for intermediate and advanced musicians. The biggest advantage is that it allows you to learn to play piano directly through songs. In its platform it has a wide repertoire so the user can start from the beginning to play the piano with their favorite songs. From flowkey they assure that each tutorial has been realized by "professional pianists of first level".      Also, the platform has interactive lessons on notes, chords, technique, improvisation and many more aspects related to the piano and music in general. The app is available for iPh...

The addiction of the Spaniards to the mobile does not cease Three out of four Spaniards say they could not live without a cell phone         The smartphone is one of the devices with more presence in the pockets of the Spanish and the Spanish. Specifically, nine out of ten Spaniards have a mobile phone, according to data from the CNMC. Device that has become an essential tool, since three of every four Spaniards affirm that they could not live without it, according to the "IV Study of Online Comparison towards Smart Saving", carried out by Rastreator.com. Leisure, communication and entertainment are some of the most frequent uses of smartphones. However, the need for these devices has led to an increase of more than ten percentage points when it comes to encrypting their dependence.       In 2016, smartphone dependence stood at 17.7%, now that figure stands at 28.3% or what is the same, almost three out of ten Spaniards claim to be addicted to their te...

The Civil Guard blocks 23 websites for downloading movies and games Divxtotal, Gamestorrents and Estrenosdtl, among others, gave access to P2P links for direct download of all kinds of protected audiovisual material, in some cases without having been released in Spain yet     The Civil Guard has announced on Tuesday that it has launched a campaign to block websites downloading content protected by copyright with the blocking of 23 web pages that link free of charge to sites where movies, series, music and video games were downloaded. . In this first phase of the 'Cascada' operation, which is led by the Central Operational Unit (UCO), a total of 23 web domains have been blocked from which P2P links were directly downloaded from all types of protected audiovisual material. in some cases without having been released in Spain yet.     According to the Guardia Civil, the blocked websites, including www.divxtotal.com, www.estrenosdtl.com or www.gamestorrents.com, offered h...

Patents a drone that is controlled with the look The sensors track the movement, position and position of the user     The market for unmanned aircraft or drones continues to arouse interest among the general public and, particularly, in companies. Amazon, Vodafone or Correos are some of the companies interested in these small aircraft. The automation of drone movements is one of the objectives of many companies. Samsung has registered a patent to control these devices with just the look. The South Korean works in a drone that would monitor the movement and position of the user and allow the user to control it with his eyes without needing any other action.     The drone would be composed of a central module, with an LCD screen, and a flying unit, as well as a series of sensors that would track the movement, position and position of the user, but also facial and pupil reading systems. According to the text of the patent collected by Let's Go Digital, this device woul...

Chinese mobiles colonize the Spanish market Samsung keeps its crown, but Huawei cuts distances | One in three smartphones sold is from a Chinese firm      In 2014, the percentage of Chinese mobile phones in Spain was only 21%, now the percentage has increased 14 percentage points to 35%. This figure means that one out of every three phones sold in national stores are 'made in China' , according to a study by idealo.es. In 2016, Huawei positioned itself as the undisputed leader, covering more than half of the demand for Chinese mobile phones (53%), followed by Xiaomi (10%), Motorola (9%) and ZTE (7%). Last year, Huawei continued to be the company preferred by the Spanish, although its weight has fallen slightly (48%), while the demand for Xiaomi mobile phones has shot up to cover 27%, growing by 17 percentage points. In addition, Honor, the Huawei brand of mid-range, entered stomping in the ranking of the most desired Chinese manufacturers in Spain, with 6% searches in 201...

Create a system that saves 40% of the usual water consumption in a home  Its creators estimate that the device allows reducing CO2 emissions by 35%      Spain is currently suffering from a severe drought. In spite of the last rains, the data are very alarming and it is not only a problem of this last year, but it comes from a long time ago. Climate change and the increase in population have aggravated this scenario. This problem has been a business opportunity for two Valencian plumbers who fight against the waste of water. An idea that was born "on a daily basis when they observed the daily waste of water that was done in all homes and businesses," says the company.      The bet of Smartwater , that is the name of the Valencian company, allows to develop a system that saves up to 40% . Rafael Rodrigo and Francisco Pelegero decided to create a system that avoids that waste that occurs at the moment when the tap or shower is opened and waits for it to c...

The most politicized Mobile begins Despite the organizers' warnings to take the technology fair to another city if the climate of instability continues, pro-independence groups place placards and plant the King at the inaugural dinner     All eyes are on Barcelona and, for the first time in months, it is not for a political reason. The most important mobility fair in the world, the Mobile World Congress, has given its kick-off on Monday in its thirteenth edition in Barcelona . This Sunday the great technological firms are already beginning to teach their letters to the media, although this year with more measured presentations than on other occasions. But not everything is technology in this global event. After rumors about the possible displacement of MWC to another location after the illegal referendum of October 1 last week the CEO of the company organizing the Mobile (GSMA), John Hoffman, launched a strong message at a press conference: no an environment of stability, the ...

What would Barcelona miss if the Mobile changed its city? The technological fair generates an economic impact of 471 million euros and involves the creation of 13,000 temporary jobs      The Mobile World Congress (MWC) not only brings technology and big conferences to Barcelona, ​​but it also generates an economic impact that many cities look with greedy eyes since the independence crisis began. This year's edition (the thirteenth held in Barcelona) expects to attract 108,000 attendees, the same number as last year. The speakers, businessmen and media come from 200 countries and generate an economic impact of 471 million in the city, according to GSMA, an association that groups the mobile industry and organizes the event. Since 2006, the MWC has left more than 4,400 million in the Ciudad Condal. The fair will feature in this edition with some 2,300 exhibiting companies (197 Spanish) and 170 international delegations, something that shows the great world speaker that is a...

Cacerolada against the presence of Felipe VI in Catalonia A detainee for alleged aggression against the Mossos in the protests in Barcelona     Thousands of people have made a cacerolada this Sunday at 21.00 hours in points throughout the city of Barcelona to protest against the presence of King Felipe VI, who attends the inaugural dinner of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) at the Palau de la Música Catalan The protest has been felt in several neighborhoods of the city and especially in the vicinity of the Palau de la Música Catalana, where the inaugural dinner of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) is being held with the presence of the King, for the concentration convened by the Committees of Defense of the Republic (CDR). "You're not welcome in Catalonia," one protester told the king. "If the person who has to act as a mediator, puts himself on the side of the beaters, what do you want us to receive with applause?", Another protester asked. Mild wounds The tension...

The King bets for Barcelona in the midst of territorial crisis and eludes criticism of secessionism The independence movement is mobilized to express its rejection of the presence of the Monarch     King Felipe VI appealed this Sunday in Barcelona to the «institutional cooperation» as the basis of «success» if carried out with «clear objectives and for the benefit of all». During the inauguration dinner of the world mobile salon, which this week will attract more than one hundred thousand directors of the telecommunications sector in the Catalan capital, the head of the State made a closed defense of Barcelona and its inhabitants, who stand out for his "dynamism and entrepreneurial spirit," he said, and he pleaded for the city to remain the site of the event, despite the fact that the government warned hours before secessionist tensions could harm him in this regard.     The King, in English, Spanish and Catalan, opted for the Catalan capital as a "candidate to house...

Samsung gets all the prominence of the MWC with its Galaxy S9 Huawei introduces a notebook without frames, LG the new V30S with Artificial Intelligence and Nokia a renewed 8110     No surprises Samsung has managed to capture all the attention in the first day of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) that is held these days in Barcelona. All on your part: a good worthy product worthy of this role but also driven by the news released by its biggest competitors, much more decaffeinated than on other occasions. Below, an analysis of the presentations that took place this Sunday in Barcelona: SAMSUNG Last year, 1.2 billion photos were taken with mobile phones around the world and 5,000 million emojis were shared per day. With this premise, Samsung has presented its new bet of 2018 with its eyes on the camera and the new way that its users have to communicate. Thus, the new Galaxy S9 does not differ excessively at the design level of its predecessor S8. Continues with that style so charac...

China will have in 2022 a solar superhighway with automatic car loading The automobiles will not have to stop either to pay the tolls, since the amount will be paid automatically through a chip installed in them     China will have its first solar superhighway in 2022, which will allow automatic charging of the electric vehicles that circulate along the 161 kilometers that will link the cities of Hangzhou and Ningbo, in the east of the country. The six-lane highway will have solar panels throughout the resort that will automatically charge electric vehicles and allow autonomous driving, in an attempt to decongest traffic from another parallel highway, the official newspaper Global Times reports today. Another novelty is that cars will not have to stop to pay tolls, since the amount will be paid automatically through a chip installed in them.     With this project, the authorities want to promote the development of electric vehicles in this country, the world's larges...

Create an intelligent jacket that adapts to cold and heat Mercury is connected to Alexa to check the outside temperature     Now that the Siberian polar wave is advancing in the Old Continent and threatens to leave Spain at six degrees below zero, technology is allied with citizens to overcome the last throes of winter. Ministry of Supply, a clothing firm based in Boston (United States), has manufactured a jacket that adapts to the temperature and protects its users. Mercury is connected to the internet, controlled by an application, synchronized with Alexa, Amazon's intelligent assistant, and customizes its temperature through automatic learning. The American jacket uses an accelerometer and temperature sensors to change the amount of heat it pumps according to the temperature of its surroundings in combination with user activity levels.        The company, which has started, a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter where you can contribute from $ 295 to mor...

One in three Spaniards wants to pass the credit card 24% of the European population already pays for these devices     One in three Spaniards wants to make contactless payments through their watch, wristband, keychain or other portable devices, according to the latest study prepared by Mastercard. The report also reveals that, in Europe, 175 million people are interested in this form of payment, representing 24% of the total European population. These figures are mainly due to the great acceptance that contactless cards have among consumers. According to the report, spending through contactless cards in 2017 increased 145% in the continent and 153% in Spain.      Currently, 54% of Spaniards say they make a payment of these characteristics, at least once a week. 14% say they do it daily, 2% less than the European average. The convenience and speed of this method of payment has fostered its great acceptance among the consumer and, in turn, this increase in its use...

«In all the houses there will be a robot that takes care of us» International companies strive to show the most human face of these assistants who teach to program children, give company to the elderly or make video calls      Lately, a recurring theme has been current every few years: robots will take away the work of humans in the near future. On many occasions you have an apocalyptic vision of them but the reality is that, at least today, they help society much more than harm it. In the framework of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) that takes place these days in Barcelona, ​​international companies have taken the opportunity to present their novelties in assistance robots that help humans. Some take a step further and see a future full of humanoid robots to help us out at home. "All households will have a humanoid robot that takes care of us and helps us with domestic chores," Rosa Liu, senior accountant at IEI Group, said Monday. His company has launched AfoBot , a dom...

The battle for the super online intensifies The purchase of the fresh product online is the last link in the chain. Although success has resisted so far, users increasingly demand this service and supermarkets know that the last mile is in the fresh     Convenience, time savings and a great capacity to control spending are the advantages that the purchase of online food provides to users. So much so that, according to the FoodISDIgital study conducted by Ipsos, we save more if we buy online. Therefore, it is not surprising that e-commerce in this sector has grown in value by 24.5% in the first quarter of 2017, according to data from Kantar. The acceleration that the pure players have granted to the channel continues to have an effect, and this sales platform advances two tenths with respect to 2016 and already represents 1.2% of household spending on consumer products. In addition, according to this consultancy, the online channel can curb in the medium term this tendency to i...