Microsoft is testing a redesigned Windows Search built on WinUI 3, featuring faster animations, a large inline preview pane, and improved natural-language matching that tolerates typos and synonyms. Corporate VP Anshul Rawat says early tests show better performance and memory usage, and the new interface lets users preview files like PowerPoint slides and photos, send texts, and perform launcher-like actions directly from search.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-08
Microsoft announced at its fall Surface event that Windows 11's Task Bar Search Menu will gain chatbot-like capabilities starting this fall, letting users type commands to control settings, find files, and converse with Copilot without opening a separate app. Executive Pavan Davuluri demonstrated features like toggling dark mode via text command and sending text messages through a paired phone directly from the Task Bar.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-07
Android Authority released its weekly Wallpaper Wednesday roundup for October 7, featuring six reader-submitted images and three from its own team. The free, watermark-free wallpapers are available in both JPG and PNG formats, optimized for phones, tablets and PCs, with full-resolution downloads offered via a linked Google Drive folder.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-07
A post on Hacker News poses a hypothetical in which a US government nationalizes Alphabet via constitutional amendment to restore Google Search to its 2010-era quality and strip out all LLM features. The author asks commenters what they would be willing to accept or trade for a search engine that works again, after what they describe as years of commercial degradation of the product.
news.ycombinator.com
· 2026-10-06
An Entrepreneur contributor writes that he coined the term 'Machine Relations' in 2024, describing AI search visibility as an emerging discipline. He notes that in April another agency launched a service using the same name without crediting him, yet AI engines still attribute the term's origin to him, citing his original definition, wire coverage and research. He contrasts this with daily AI search rankings, citing Paralax research showing Gemini dropped 42.8% of previously cited websites in a single day during a 89-day tracking period.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-10-06
Google is testing a redesign for Search Live in the Google app that allows users to minimize and reposition the camera feed, reducing screen clutter. The update also removes the glow effect around the video feed and may relocate the transcript button, which has currently disappeared in beta versions. These changes aim to shift focus from the camera view to the answers provided by Search Live.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-06
Poland's Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) alleges that Google used its dominant market position to deny local news publishers information needed to negotiate fair compensation for content shown in Google Search, News and Discover. UOKiK president Tomasz Chróstny said Google failed to comply with rules requiring it to disclose data that publishers need to assess proper payment, and the regulator could fine Google up to 10 percent of its annual revenue.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-05
Android Authority found code in Pixel Search app version 1.0.983036833 referencing devices from the 2021 Pixel lineup onward, suggesting Google plans to officially bring the expanded search app beyond the Pixel 11 series. The app currently requires Android 17 QPR2 Beta 5 or later to function, with the stable release expected around December 2026.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-05
A new version of Google's Pixel Search app adds a 'Privacy & Permissions' settings section with toggles for 'Help improve Pixel Search,' 'Call Logs,' and 'SMS.' These let users control whether their call and message history is used to improve contact suggestions, though disabling them doesn't stop call or SMS results from appearing in search unless app permissions are revoked separately. Code analysis by Android Authority also uncovered references to an unreleased 'Gemini-powered suggestions' feature.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-05
Cloudflare has released a beta Web Search API that lets AI agents and applications query the live internet rather than relying on a model's training data or guessed URLs. Developers can choose from three launch partners—Ceramic.ai, Exa, and Linkup—all of which support Zero Data Retention and Cloudflare's verified bot crawling standards. The API runs through AI Gateway, logging requests and billing them at each provider's list price with no markup, and can be called via REST API or a Worker AI binding.
developers.cloudflare.com
· 2026-10-05
Android Authority found a work-in-progress Gemini interface redesign inside Android Auto app version 17.9.664004, which it enabled to preview. The new animation adopts Google's Neural Expressive design style with dots around the Gemini interface, spanning the full screen width with Live and close buttons on either side, replacing the current subtle glow indicator.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-05
A technology commentary argues that widespread dislike of AI reflects frustration with how companies are aggressively pushing the technology, not the technology itself. It notes that US states have proposed or passed over 2,100 AI-related bills in three years, a tenfold increase, and points to open-source alternatives to OpenAI, Google and Anthropic as giving consumers more choice than they had during the social media era.
technologyreview.com
· 2026-10-05
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