The new beta of Google’s Chrome web browser has just touched down, and we’re seeing some nice new stuff with this beta version 34. The update to Chrome 33 was just last week, so for stable users that wait for the updates to officially push out, you’ll have some awesome stuff to look forward to. For those that like to live closer to the bleeding edge and are using Chrome’s beta versions for the web browser, Chrome Beta 34 allows for some things you might find useful, like hands-free Google Voice Search and responsive images. You’ll also find an unprefixed version of the Web Audio API which is more for developers.
While it may not sound very exciting, responsive images should be a huge improvement and help peoples computers have to work less when grabbing or trying to load an image for whatever reason. Chrome 34 allows web developers to input multiple resolutions for uploaded images via various resources. So the next time you click on an image, Chrome will be able to provide you with the image resource that will take the smallest tole on your device, which Google hopes will make load times quicker. The unprefixed Web Audio APIs are more for the developer side of things, and won’t be noticed by end users. The idea was to take the way that Chrome employs Web Audio and have it adjust to the specifications of the WC3 Draft.
The best part about this new update to come, which is slated to get its release sometime around next month or April, is the hands free use of Google Voice search. Basically this is the feature that has already made its way into the canary versions of Chrome. We have talked about it before and you’re probably already familiar with it for the fact that it’s available on the Nexus 5. It allows you to open up the Google Search page and simply say “Ok Google” (just like on Chromebooks too) and start speaking search query’s. The feature is finally making its way over to the normal version of Chrome for users on PC, Mac, and Linux, which should make using search a whole lot easier and more fun. This is of course considering you have a working mic on your computer or a mic that is close enough to hear the speech. For Beta users, all you have to do to turn this feature on is click on the mic button on Google Search page, and click on the “enable OK Google”. Once that’s done you can have the features of an always listening mic for the hot word. The hands free voice will also perform other various functions, like set timers and note reminders. The Hands-Free Google Voice Search is rolling out over the next few days.