On June 19th, a Phoenix police officer pulled over an autonomous Waymo vehicle that had been driving in an oncoming traffic lane. The car was apparently confused by some construction signs and reportedly ran a red light before pulling over in a parking lot to let the officer talk to one of Waymo’s support representatives.

In about two-and-a-half minutes of bodycam footage published by AZCentral, the officer told Waymo the car was driving in a construction zone when it “went into opposing lanes of traffic, which is real bad.” He then told a curious bystander what had happened, adding, “so I light it up and it takes off in the intersection.” A dispatch record reportedly said the car drove through a red light and ‘FREAKED OUT’ before it pulled over.

Waymo told multiple outlets that the vehicle drove into the oncoming lane because of “inconsistent construction signage,” and that it “was blocked from navigating back into the correct lane.” The company said the car drove away from the cop “in an effort to clear the intersection” before pulling into the parking lot where the traffic stop took place. The company reportedly said the stop lasted “approximately one minute.”

iPhone owners, eat your heart out.  

Android is the clear winner with a new tool that Google has introduced called Circle to Search.

This innovative tool allows you to search for anything on your screen without switching apps, making information discovery more seamless and intuitive than ever before.

How Circle to Search works

Circle to Search is activated by long-pressing the home button or navigation bar on your Android device. Once activated, you can select any part of your screen using various gestures:

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• Circling an object
• Highlighting text
• Scribbling over an area
• Tapping on an item

The artificial intelligence-powered search then provides relevant information about your selection right on your screen without interrupting your current activity.

The Circle to Search AI feature  (Google)

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Versatile search capabilities

This feature is incredibly versatile, allowing you to search for a wide range of content:

• Visual searches: Identify objects, clothing or products in images or videos
• Text-based searches: Look up unfamiliar terms or concepts
• Multisearch: Combine image and text queries for more specific results

The Circle to Search AI feature  (Google)

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Real-world applications

The possibilities for Circle to Search are vast:

• Shopping: Identify and find similar products while browsing social media
• Learning: Look up unfamiliar terms or concepts while reading articles
• Entertainment: Get more information about actors, locations or objects in videos
• Problem-solving: Find solutions to visual puzzles or math problems

The Circle to Search AI feature  (Google)

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AI-powered insights

Circle to Search leverages Google’s advanced AI to provide comprehensive information. When you ask a question about your selection, the feature can pull together relevant details from across the web, offering a more in-depth understanding of the topic.

The Circle to Search AI feature  (Google)

Supported devices

Circle to Search is available on select premium Android smartphones, including:

• Google Pixel 6 series and later
• Samsung Galaxy S21 series and later
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and later
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and later
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series

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The Circle to Search AI feature  (Google)

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How to use Circle to Search

To search for text, images or videos on your screen:

• On Gesture navigation mode, long press the navigation handle.
• Start Circle to Search:
• On 3-button navigation mode, long press the Home button.

The Circle to Search AI feature  (Google)

• Circle, highlight or tap anywhere on the screen to select the text, image or video you want to search.
• If desired, you can refine your search by adding text in the search bar.

The Circle to Search AI feature  (Google)

• Your search results appear at the bottom of the screen. To see more results, swipe up on the results.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

Circle to Search represents a significant step forward in making information access more intuitive and seamless on mobile devices. By eliminating the need to switch between apps, it allows you to stay focused on your current tasks while satisfying your curiosity. As this feature continues to evolve and expand to more devices, it has the potential to revolutionize how we interact with and learn from the digital world around us.

What other features or improvements would you like to see in mobile search tools to enhance your user experience? Let us know by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact

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The Epic Games Store app for EU iPhones has passed Apple’s notarization process, putting the alternative app store a step closer to selling apps directly to iOS users outside of the App Store. AppleInsider reports that while Apple confirmed the app had passed, it has asked Epic to “fix the buttons” in a future submission to the company’s app review process.

But the approval is just “temporary,” posted Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, who puts Apple’s request differently. He says the company is “demanding we change the buttons in the next version,” vowing that the company will “fight this.” The apparently conditional approval is just the latest part of the back-and-forth saga between Apple and Epic. Previously, Apple reinstated Epic Games Sweden’s European developer license after EU regulators started investigating its decision to pull it.