At times, we often feel the urge to share an interesting web page with our working group leader friends or family. The traditional method we generally rely upon is simply copying the link and emailing it to the concerned individual. Similarly, if we’re browsing on a cell phone, we might share the page via Bluetooth or NFC.
While these tricks work in most cases, sometimes, they do encounter a problem and if all work done is not worth the hassle, you abandon and forego the sharing idea altogether. Not anymore!
Google has developed a technology that could allow you to share the link by saying it out loud and have it magically appear on a person’s screen. All this is made possible via a new Chrome extension called Google Tone. The extension allows your computer’s speakers to exchange URLs with nearby computers connected to the Internet.
Google Tone Chrome Extension
Google Tone uses sound to transmit information. All it needs to serve its purpose well are speakers and microphones, typically available on any laptop these days. The sound transmitted is picked up by other PCs (provided that they have the Tone extension installed) and then interpreted into a link. When a link reaches a device, the user receives a notification that carries the name of the sender and info about the link. Upon clicking the link, a new tab page opens and the user is directed to the shared web page.
The most recent version of Google Tone extension uses a “dual-tone multi-frequency signaling” system, similar to what telephone systems use. This means you can hear a short sequence of beeps when you hit the ‘Tone’ button in Chrome after installing the extension. The machines that pick up the sound will pop up a notification and clicking on that will open the shared URL (the beeps that you transmit when you press the keypad are signals that direct the call to a number). So when you hit the “Tone” button it emits a series of loud beeps.
If devices face trouble picking out the Tone, the developers recommend users to increase the volume level on their device to as high as it can go. Google understands that at all times not every nearby machine will receive every broadcast but you can keep doing it until the receiving device picks it up.
The developers are also working to make the extension work over long distances, as long as the sound it emits is discernible.
Take a look at the video above and if you like what you see, go get it here.
