A car with no steering wheel, Android 17 locks down, and how to kill Google's AI Overview

Tesla launched the Cybercab in Austin on Sept 3 — a two-seat robotaxi with no steering wheel, no pedals, and no mirrors. Within a day, US safety regulators opened an investigation into whether Tesla was right to self-certify it as road-legal. The future is genuinely here; the rulebook just hasn't caught up yet.

The problem

Every robotaxi so far still had a steering wheel and pedals as a legal and physical fallback. Tesla wanted to ship a vehicle with none of that — which collides head-on with federal motor-vehicle safety standards written for cars that a human can grab control of.

What changed

On September 3, Tesla put roughly 1,000 Cybercabs — two-seaters with butterfly doors, no steering wheel, no pedals, no mirrors — onto public streets in Austin, its first vehicle built purely for autonomous operation.

The catch

A day after launch, the NHTSA opened an Open Audit Query (AQ26002) examining the technical data Tesla used to self-certify the Cybercab and whether it was right to decide certain federal safety standards didn't apply. Under US law automakers can self-certify — but regulators can still challenge it after the fact, exactly as they did with Zoox.

What it means for you

Don't read the headlines as 'robotaxis are banned.' Read it as the messy, expected friction of a genuinely new category — watch whether NHTSA forces a design or process change, because that's what decides how fast wheel-free cars actually scale.

Android 17 is rolling out, and the headline feature is protection, not paint. Theft Detection Lock and Remote Lock are now on by default, apps can be granted one-time precise location that expires after a single task, and guessing a stolen phone's PIN just got much harder. It's the kind of update that quietly matters far more than a redesign.

The problem

Phone snatching and grab-and-run theft are a real daily risk, especially in India — and most anti-theft protections stayed buried in settings that almost nobody turned on, so a stolen phone was often wide open.

What changed

Android 17 turns the key protections on by default: Theft Detection Lock and Remote Lock activate on new, reset, or upgraded devices; Find Hub's 'Mark as lost' can now lock with biometrics; PIN/password guesses are throttled with longer lockouts; and a one-time precise-location button lets apps see your exact spot for a single task, then revert.

The catch

Defaults only help if you're actually on Android 17 — many phones, especially budget and older models, will get it late or not at all, and the strongest anti-theft tricks still assume you've set up a lock screen and a Google account you can reach.

What it means for you

If you're on Android, check for the update and confirm Theft Detection Lock is on — then use one-time location for apps that only need your spot once (ride, delivery, store finder) instead of granting them standing access.

Tired of Google's AI Overview answering before you've even read a real source? Run any search, tap 'More' in the filter row, then 'Web' — you get pure blue links, no AI summary, no shopping boxes. Want it every time, add &udm=14 to the search URL. In a hurry, just type -ai at the end of your query. You decide what to read, not the algorithm.

The problem

Google increasingly leads with an AI Overview that summarizes (and sometimes misreads) sources before you can judge them yourself — burying the actual links and slowing down anyone who wants to verify from the source.

What changed

Google keeps a plain 'Web' results mode: tap More > Web after any search for AI-free blue links, append &udm=14 to the URL to land there permanently, or add -ai to a query to strip the Overview for that search.

The catch

These aren't a permanent global setting — the Web filter is per-search unless you save a &udm=14 shortcut, and Google can tweak the behavior over time, so it's a habit rather than a one-time toggle.

What it means for you

Bookmark a &udm=14 search URL (or set it as a custom search engine in your browser) so every search skips the AI summary by default and you go straight to sources you can actually vet.

Console shopping in late 2026 comes down to three honest picks. The PS5 (~$650) still wins on exclusives and true 4K power — the best all-rounder. Xbox Series X (~$800) is the priciest box now, but Game Pass makes its library unbeatable value. Switch 2 (~$500) is the cheapest, portable, and carries the Nintendo magic. Want raw power, PS5. Value and travel, Switch 2. A huge library for a monthly fee, Xbox.

The problem

After a round of price hikes across all three consoles, the 'which one do I buy' question got genuinely confusing — each box now wins on a different axis, and the wrong pick means overpaying for strengths you won't use.

What changed

The 2026 split is clean: PS5 at ~$650 for exclusives and 4K horsepower, Switch 2 at ~$499.99 for portability and Nintendo-only games, and Xbox Series X at ~$800 where Game Pass turns a high sticker price into the best library value.

The catch

Prices keep moving and the 'best' box depends entirely on the games you want — a spec-sheet winner is worthless if your must-play titles are exclusive to a different platform, so buy for the library, not the benchmark.

What it means for you

Pick by your top three must-play games and how you'll play: power and cinematic exclusives point to PS5, handheld and family play to Switch 2, and a big monthly-fee library to Xbox.