Google is working on offline speech-to-text for Chromebooks – Review Geek

Chromebooks are often appealing to first-time users or those who find Windows or MacOS too intimidating. A recent update to the Chrome OS code indicates that they may become even more friendly. The Chrome Story blog saw two flags in a Canary (alpha) build that indicate that system-wide voice dictation is coming even when the device is offline.

The flags are displayed as ̵

6;Dictate extension with experimental accessibility’ and ‘Dictate with experimental accessibility offline’. There is also an error tracking entry that mentions offline speech recognition. Exactly when the feature will be ready for end users, even in the sample canary builds, is not available at this time.

While Google Docs can perform voice dictation, an active data connection is required, and even that capability is not extended to other OS-level text entry points. Dictation outside of Google Docs currently requires third-party extensions. This is in stark contrast to the Google Android mobile operating system, which has had deep voice integration for years and can transcribe “okay, Google” commands even without a data connection. Connecting via cellular or Wi-Fi increases accuracy and capabilities.

Obviously, having a voice input option would be a huge benefit for anyone who is physically limited in terms of traditional keyboard text input. But I think it could also be huge for anyone who just isn’t comfortable or fast enough with normal typing, especially as Chromebooks become commonplace in educational applications.

Source: Chrome Story via LaptopMag