Search is the biggest Google product and at the I/O, the company is pushing its service to new levels. Earlier, Google introduced Multisearch which allows you to, for example, take a photo of an object, and base a search query around that photo. Now, the company has announced that it will be rolling out Multisearch with the additional “near me” variable and Scene Exploration features later this year.
Multisearch’s “near me” variable allows you to search for a plate of food, find out what it’s called, and find out where to eat it near you. It’s like Shazam but for Search queries.
Basically, you can search for a photo and a question at the same time. The feature will work on everything, such as a photo of a dish, and add “near me” – which will bring up a restaurant that serves the dish. It will scan photos from Maps contributors to match the photo you searched. The feature will be rolled out later this year for English and other languages over time.
Another Search feature that’s coming is Scene Exploration which allows you to pan your camera and instantly glean insights about multiple objects from a wider scene. You can scene the entire shelf with your camera, and it will display helpful info overlaid on the objects.
The feature uses computer vision to connect multiple frames that make up the scene and all the objects within it. The knowledge graph surfaces the most helpful results. Google cited a shelf of chocolates that you can scan and get information on which chocolate bars are nut-free. It allows you to get a sort of AR-looking overlay of an entire scene in front of you.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.