https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Spain in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed UK mobile and internet operator Vodafone announced on Tuesday it will shut all 34 of its proprietary stores in Spain by March 2022, laying off 509 employees and leaving only the brand's franchises and distributors behind. https://www.thelocal.es/20210929/vodafone-to-close-all-its-own-shops-in-spain-by-march-2022 Wed, 29 Sep 2021 13:18:02 +0200 vodafone-to-close-all-its-own-shops-in-spain-by-march-2022 The phone industry's largest annual trade fair, the Mobile World Congress which wrapped up in Barcelona on Thursday, was dominated by fast-charging phone batteries, virtual reality and connected objects, from toothbrushes to cars. https://www.thelocal.es/20170303/five-takeaways-from-the-barcelona-mobile-world-congress Fri, 03 Mar 2017 10:30:50 +0100 five-takeaways-from-the-barcelona-mobile-world-congress Phones rugged enough to survive falling from the sky or resistant to foaming hand soap - just some of the special features mobile phonemakers are offering to appeal to niche markets. https://www.thelocal.es/20170301/phonemakers-chase-niche-markets-with-special-features Wed, 01 Mar 2017 14:03:06 +0100 phonemakers-chase-niche-markets-with-special-features Dumbphones -- handsets that just make calls and send texts -- were set to disappear as technology moved on, but they have survived in emerging markets and among nostalgics of simpler devices in the West. https://www.thelocal.es/20170227/dumbphones-make-a-comeback-at-barcelonas-mobile-world-congress Mon, 27 Feb 2017 10:29:05 +0100 dumbphones-make-a-comeback-at-barcelonas-mobile-world-congress Phone makers will seek to seduce new buyers with artificial intelligence functions and other innovations at the world's biggest mobile fair starting Monday in Spain. https://www.thelocal.es/20170224/phone-firms-turn-to-artificial-intelligence-at-barcelona Fri, 24 Feb 2017 12:52:27 +0100 phone-firms-turn-to-artificial-intelligence-at-barcelona Mobile roaming fees are likely to be abolished within the European Union by 2017, it emerged on Monday, a move immediately welcomed by Spanish consumer associations. https://www.thelocal.es/20150623/eu-commissioner-calls-for-ban-on-roaming-fees-by-2017 Tue, 23 Jun 2015 18:49:27 +0200 eu-commissioner-calls-for-ban-on-roaming-fees-by-2017 A global study of mobile phone messaging habits has shown that Spaniards' emoji use characterize them as fun-loving party-seekers. https://www.thelocal.es/20150422/spaniards-live-up-to-stereotype-in-emoji-use Wed, 22 Apr 2015 16:26:58 +0200 spaniards-live-up-to-stereotype-in-emoji-use A mobile industry survey has revealed that the vast majority of Spaniards are no longer the talkative and up-close communicators they were once known to be. https://www.thelocal.es/20140918/spaniards-would-rather-whatsapp-than-talk Thu, 18 Sep 2014 19:30:00 +0200 spaniards-would-rather-whatsapp-than-talk Spaniards spend an incredible 8 hours and 48 minutes a day using devices outside work, making them the most tech addicted people in Europe, a new study has found. https://www.thelocal.es/20140718/spaniards-crowned-biggest-tech-addicts-in-europe Fri, 18 Jul 2014 17:00:00 +0200 spaniards-crowned-biggest-tech-addicts-in-europe Lost in virtual translation whenever a Spanish friend texts you? Here The Local offers a simple guide to SMS and Whatsapp shorthand so that you don’t have to keep writing '¿Qué?' after every message. https://www.thelocal.es/20140429/phone-dummy-guide-spanish-texting-slang Tue, 29 Apr 2014 11:25:00 +0200 phone-dummy-guide-spanish-texting-slang A 'self-destructing' smartphone made by airplane makers Boeing for the the U.S. defence and intelligence communities underwent its rigorous testing process at a lab in the Spanish city of Malaga. https://www.thelocal.es/20140228/self-destructing-spy-phone-tested-in-spain Fri, 28 Feb 2014 17:44:00 +0100 self-destructing-spy-phone-tested-in-spain Billionaire 29-year-old Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is in Barcelona to deliver a keynote speech at the world mobile industry's biggest fair on Monday, fresh from his €14 billion ($19 billion) takeover of smartphone messenger WhatsApp. https://www.thelocal.es/20140224/facebook-founder-stars-at-barcelona-tech-fair Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:44:00 +0100 facebook-founder-stars-at-barcelona-tech-fair The festivities councillor for the Andalusian town of Tarifa has clocked up an astronomical €20,000 bill resulting simply from premium text messages sent in June and July. https://www.thelocal.es/20130912/fiesta-councillor-rings-up-20000-sms-bill Thu, 12 Sep 2013 13:34:07 +0200 fiesta-councillor-rings-up-20000-sms-bill A 23-year-old man has fallen to his death from a second-storey balcony in Spain while trying to find WiFi coverage on his mobile phone. https://www.thelocal.es/20130826/wifi-seeking-man-dies-in-balcony-plunge Mon, 26 Aug 2013 18:26:00 +0200 wifi-seeking-man-dies-in-balcony-plunge Spaniards are in their usual rush to take their summer holidays as official sources estimate 2.7 million vehicles will hit the road in the first 24 hours of August’s “operation exodus”. https://www.thelocal.es/20130731/traffic-jams-expected-as-holiday-exodus-kicks-off Wed, 31 Jul 2013 11:50:28 +0200 traffic-jams-expected-as-holiday-exodus-kicks-off The Spanish words 'wasap' and 'wasapear' — both variants of the name of WhatsApp, the popular instant messaging service for smartphones — have been given the backing of one of Spain's language heavyweights. https://www.thelocal.es/20130701/spain-rings-in-new-words-wasap-and-guasap Mon, 01 Jul 2013 20:35:00 +0200 spain-rings-in-new-words-wasap-and-guasap A new survey shows that the popular instant messaging service WhatsApp is being increasingly used by Spaniards to break up with their short-term partners. https://www.thelocal.es/20130529/spanish-switch-to-whatsapp-to-dump-lovers Wed, 29 May 2013 12:19:00 +0200 spanish-switch-to-whatsapp-to-dump-lovers A new book pays tribute to Mónico Sánchez who emigrated from Madrid to New York in 1903 and built an x-ray machine before working on the world's first mobile phone. https://www.thelocal.es/20130521/spaniard-designed-first-mobile-phone-100-yrs-ago Tue, 21 May 2013 13:49:00 +0200 spaniard-designed-first-mobile-phone-100-yrs-ago