Google recently, and quietly, launched its new conversational search feature in the latest version of its Chrome browser for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Chrome users will now see a small microphone symbol in the right-hand side of the search field on the Google homepage and at the top of any page that has search results. Before enabling any conversational searches, it will ask for permission to access a connected, always-on microphone.
With this new feature, you can now browse the web and ask Google questions from the desktop using just your voice. The point is that people can ask questions in a way that they would in an everyday conversation. For instance, just ask how to get somewhere and Google will pull up the route information from Google Maps. Like Google Now, this feature also pulls from information that is stored through other Google products and services, so if you ask what you have planned on a certain day it will automatically search through your Google calendar.
You can start your following questions with the phrase “Okay Google.” Google is definitely working towards developing a very capable personal assistant. With this new feature, it opens the door for a whole new way of searching the web, without having to lift a finger.
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