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Mozilla Launches Experimental Voice Search, File-Sharing and Note-Taking Tools For Firefox (techcrunch.com)

Posted by msmash on from the browser-features dept.

Firefox has just launched three new Test Pilot experiments that bring voice search, built-in note taking and a tool for sending large files to the browser. From a report: While the new voice search, which currently works on the Google, Yahoo and DuckDuckGo homepages, and note-taking features are browser plugins, the new Send tool is web-based and allows anybody -- no matter which browser they use -- to send files up to 1GB in size. It encrypts the file as it is uploaded and gives you a link you can share with your friends and co-workers. Files are automatically deleted after one download or after one day. That's not exactly the most novel concept (and Mozilla has often been criticized for diverting its attention from its core competencies), but the built-in encryption and the open-source nature of the tool do make up for that.

6 of 74 comments (clear)

  1. Bloat, bloat by QuietLagoon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    and more bloat.

    1. Re:Bloat, bloat by apoc.famine · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Wasn't there an article about how they sped it up just a day or two ago? I'm guessing that they needed to take that step forward so they could take these two back. It's all part of their master plan to slowly sink into oblivion.

      --
      Velociraptor = Distiraptor / Timeraptor
    2. Re:Bloat, bloat by QuietLagoon · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Flamebait? For calling bloat bloat? These "features" should be plug-ins, while keeping the core browser as lean and efficient as possible.

  2. *sigh* by JohnFen · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I just wish they'd spend some development time to actually improve the browser, rather than let it continue on the decline it's been engaging in for years now.

  3. Re:Next Steps? by xfizik · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I watch Netflix in Firefox. On Linux and Windows.

  4. Re:Opera had this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Could be some dumb fun for luddites like me still with a beige tower and wired keyboard, meaning I can sit far back (or have food plates in the way) and use only the mouse sometimes.

    But the main reason is probably that they've been doing research on voice features. And so this is a way to expose it to the public, more specifically willing users. This might well bring attention to that "Test Pilot" programme in the first place.

    Even if it's kind of useless, the four or five evil giant companies are pushing voice interfaces, some of them apparently selling a few zillions devices even. So there's something of a danger of leaving it entirely to the faceless giant companies. And if this thing only types words into a search box, at least we can understand what it does. Good thing to keep it dumb. Less things behind my back. Ideally this could be an entirely offline feature.