Hello Browser!

Today Google released the beta version of its next Chrome browser update. The beta comes with a Web Speech API that will enable developers to incorporate voice commands for web apps, allowing you to do things like dictate emails. The beta will also automatically disable some extensions on Windows that may have been added by third parties without user permission. You’ll be notified if anything is disabled, and have the option to restore any disabled extensions.

 Using your voice to search on your computer or phone is handy, but there’s so much more you can do with voice commands. Imagine if you could dictate documents, have a freestyle rap battle, or control game characters with your browser using only your voice. With today’s Chrome Beta release, this future is closer than you think. With the inclusion of the Web Speech API for developers, users can start enjoying new, interactive experiences with web apps, like in this demo where you can compose an email by speaking. With this new JavaScript API, developers can integrate speech recognition into their web apps. So, in the near future you’ll be able to talk apps into doing all sorts of things.

Download Chrome Beta to give these latest enhancements a test drive. If you dig APIs more than chocolate cake you can get more details on the Web Speech API and this Chrome release over on the Chromium blog.