California-based technology giant Google has a very cool new feature of Google Assistant on preview at the ongoing CES 2020. This new feature will enable Google Assistant on Android smartphones to turn the device into a supercharged screen reader. With this, the users will have the ability of making Google Assistant read out articles or any text on webpages to them just by saying “Hey Google, read this.”
It is worth pointing out that screen readers are not a new feature on smartphones. However, Google has said that it has now enhanced its digital assistant’s ability to parse sentences. So now, with this improvement, Google Assistant will be able to read out texts on webpages in a more natural and human-like fashion.
But then, that’s not even the coolest thing about the new enhancements. Google has said that its Assistant now has the ability to read out text in up to 42 languages.
We should mention that even now, when these enhancements in Google Assistant have not been rolled out, it has the ability to parse whatever is written on your smartphone’s screen when you ask it to. This feature was launched by Google in 2015, which means that it has existed for longer than Assistant itself. For those unaware, the feature — called ‘Now on Tap’ — often pops up as a suggested action whenever you access Google Assistant.
Right now, the new screen reading feature is just in preview and there is no word on when it will be rolled out. Personally, we are looking forward to it because we think this is going to be extremely useful. Google has also said that it is now focussing on auto-scroll webpages that will be activated when the Assistant is made to read webpages. The company also plans to add the ability to automatically highlight text on webpages.
All this put together will make Google Assistant far more useful than what it already is.
Other than this, Google has also said that Assistant’s ‘interpreter mode’ — which has till now been present in smartphones and smart displays — will be coming to more of its partners including airport lounges, banks, and even hotels. The company, in fact, is even collaborating with Mercy Corps and will be providing interpreter mode speakers for the charity work done by the organization.
Other than this, the company has announced a number of new Google Assistant features today like better integration with smart homes, enhancements in notes and more transparency in terms of privacy.
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.
