OK, so what if you never had to type again while searching Google? Google Search has had voice search capability for some time, but until now you needed to click on the microphone icon to activate it. In an effort to fight carpal tunnel syndrome, or maybe just to show up Apple’s Siri, starting today you can talk to Google when you’re using Chrome, handsfree without typing!
Simply say “Ok Google” and then speak away to search.
Google Voice Search Hotword (Beta)
You can install the Google Voice Search Hotword extension at the Chrome Store. There is a catch, though: this extension only sends your question to Google when it hears the phrase “Ok Google” on the search page itself. At this time, the extension doesn’t listen while you browse other webpages. Though this would be be really useful, it would require much more CPU usage according to Google’s warning when installing the extension (and common sense). Google recommends that you disable active “Ok Google” listening after an idle time of five minutes.
It will be interesting to see if Google eventually incorporates this feature into Chrome’s core functionality after a successful beta trial and whether Google will develop future versions that consume less power.
To get started just download the extension and give Google permission to use your microphone. Then voilà, go to Google.com on Chrome and say “Ok Google” to begin your voice search.
OK, what do you plan on saying to Google?
