⭕️ Circle (or highlight or scribble) to Search – by Google
Hardware differentiation will never be Google’s strong point, but the software will. Here are some key ideas from their announcement:
1/ Circle to Search is a novel feature for Android phones allowing users to search anything on their device using simple gestures like circling, highlighting, scribbling, or tapping, without needing to switch apps.
2/ User-friendly interaction. It enables more intuitive interaction with the phone by letting users long press the home button or navigation bar to activate the feature, then use gestures to select items of interest directly on the screen for more information.
3/ Multisearch and AI integration. The feature incorporates multisearch, combining text and image searches, along with AI-powered upgrades to facilitate a deeper understanding of concepts, ideas, or topics by aggregating information from across the web.
4/ Practical use cases. Circle to Search is useful in various scenarios like identifying untagged items in videos, understanding popular trends (e.g., Korean corn dogs), or learning about new topics (e.g., ‘thrift flipping’) directly from the context of the content being viewed.
5/ The feature is set to launch on January 31 on select premium Android smartphones, including the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, and the new Samsung Galaxy S24 series, in all languages and locations where these devices are available.
Conclusion: nobody from iOS will switch to Android to have this feature.
