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If you've ever tried to cook and search at the same time—say, when your hands are covered in flour and you need to know how many ounces are in a cup—you know it can be tricky. With the latest Chrome Beta, you can search by voice on Google—no typing, clicking or hand-washing required. Simply open a new tab or visit Google.com in Chrome, say "Ok Google," and then start speaking your search. This will be rolled out to English (U.S.) users on Windows, Mac and Linux over the next few days, with support for additional languages and Chrome OS coming soon. Here are a few examples to get you started:
  • Perform searches: Say “Ok Google, how many ounces are in a cup?” 
  • Set a timer: Say “Ok Google, set a timer for 30 minutes” 
  • Create a reminder for Google Now: Say “Ok Google, remind me to pick up dessert at 6pm tonight”
To enable this feature, visit Google.com, click on the mic icon, then click on “Enable Ok Google:"
Here’s what it looks like in action:
To learn more about Voice Search in Chrome, please visit the Help Center. 

 Import supervised users onto new computers
The latest Chrome beta also makes it easy for you to set up Chrome supervised users on multiple devices. Supervised users makes it easy to help your family members explore the web in a managed environment. You can determine sites you want to allow or block, and manage permissions for any sites your family member has requested to view. If you create a supervised user, now you can let that user browse on any device in your home with the new “Import” option. When you import a supervised user, all their permissions will then be synced across devices. 

Here’s how to do it:
  1. Click the Chrome menu on the browser toolbar and select Settings.
  2. In the "Users" section, click Add new user.
  3. Click “Import an existing supervised user”
  4. Select the user you’d like to import from the list
  5. Click “Import supervised user”



This improvement to supervised users is currently supported on Windows, Mac and Linux, and will become available on Chromebooks soon. Ji Adam Dou, Software Engineer and Search Whisperer
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[Cross-posted from the Official Google Blog]

The best meetings are face-to-face—we can brainstorm openly, collaborate closely and make faster decisions. But these days, we often connect with each other from far-flung locations, coordinating time zones and dialing into conference calls from our phones. Meetings need to catch up with the way we work—they need to be face-to-face, easier to join, and available from anywhere and any device. Starting today, they can be: Any company can upgrade their meeting rooms with a new Chromebox, built on the Chrome principles of speed, simplicity and security.

Chromebox for meetings brings together Google+ Hangouts and Google Apps in an easy-to-manage Chromebox, making it simpler for any company to have high-definition video meetings. Here are a few highlights:

  • Instant meeting room. Chromebox for meetings comes with a blazing-fast Intel Core i7-based Chromebox, a high-definition camera, a combined microphone and speaker unit and a remote control. Set up your entire room in minutes and easily manage all meeting rooms from a web-based management console. All you need is the display in your room, and you’re good to go.
  • Simpler and faster meetings. Walk into the room, click the remote once and you’re instantly in the meeting. No more complex dial-in codes, passcodes or leader PINs. Share your laptop screen wirelessly, no need for any cords and adaptors. Integration with Google Apps makes it easy to invite others and add rooms to video meetings, directly from Google Calendar.
  • Meetings with anyone, anywhere. Up to 15 participants can join the video meeting from other conference rooms, their laptops, tablets or smartphones. Need to meet with a customer who doesn’t use Chromebox for meetings? That’s easy too—all they need is a Gmail account. You can also connect to rooms that have traditional video conferencing systems using a new tool from Vidyo, and participants who prefer phones can join your meeting with a conference call number from UberConference.
Chromebox for meetings is available in the U.S. today starting at $999, which includes the ASUS Chromebox and everything you need to get going. That means for the same price that companies have typically paid for one meeting room, they'll be able to outfit 10 rooms—or more. CDW and SYNNEX will help bring Chromebox for meetings to customers and resellers, and Chromeboxes from HP and Dell will be available for meetings in the coming months. Later this year, we plan to launch in Australia, Canada, France, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the U.K.

Companies like Eventbrite, Gilt, oDesk and Woolworths have been testing Chromebox for meetings, and have told us that they love the simple setup, the ease of use, and being able to see their colleagues in other offices. More importantly, the low price will enable them to extend these benefits to even more employees, rooms and offices. Find out how Chromebox for meetings can help you and your coworkers see eye-to-eye. Happy meetings, everyone!

Caesar Sengupta, VP, Product Management
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Chromecast makes it easy to enjoy all of your favorite online content on a TV screen with the simple press of a button on your phone, tablet or laptop. We want to make it easier for that content to get to your TV, so today we’re releasing the Google Cast Software Development Kit (SDK) for developers who want to build Chromecast support into their apps and websites. For the rest of us, that means even more of our favorite movies, TV shows and music will become available on Chromecast as developers work with the SDK. Just be on the lookout for the cast button in your favorite apps and websites across Android, iOS and Chrome.
If you’re a developer looking to bring your content to the big screen, head on over to the Google Developers Blog for a deep dive into the nuts and bolts of it all. Meanwhile, for everyone else, a current list of apps that work with Chromecast can be found at chromecast.com/apps. Happy casting!

Posted by Ambarish Kenghe, Chromecast Product Manager and Cast Master
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Your friend Steve’s flight from New York is delayed by an hour. Your favorite soccer team is up by one point with two minutes left. Your Chromecast has just shipped. If you're using Google Now, you'd already know all of that information without having to ask. Google Now already gives you the right information at the right time on Android and iOS. Starting this week, if you’re using Chrome beta, you will be able to receive your Google Now notifications via the notifications center on your Mac, Windows or Chromebook computer. To enable these notifications, simply sign in to Chrome with the same Google Account you’re using for Google Now on Android or iOS.

So the next time you’re finishing up emails at your desk, Google Now might suggest that you leave the office a bit early to beat the heavy traffic on the way to your dinner date. To view the notifications, click on the bell icon on your desktop (on Mac and Windows) or the numbered box (on Chromebook) to open the Chrome notification center.
To learn more about Google Now notifications in Chrome and how to configure your settings, please visit the Help Center. If you’re not already using Google Now on Android or iOS, head over here to get started. Google Now notifications in Chrome will just be available in English initially, with other languages supported soon. Let us know what you think in the comments!

Update 3/24/2014: Starting today and rolling out over the next few weeks, Google Now users in all languages will be able to get these notifications in all channels of Chrome. To enable this feature, simply sign in to Chrome with the same Google Account you’re using for Google Now on Android or iOS.

Travis Skare, Software Engineer and Always in the Know
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