HomeWinBuzzer NewsMozilla Showcases Scout, a Voice-Controlled Browser That Can Read Your Articles Aloud

Mozilla Showcases Scout, a Voice-Controlled Browser That Can Read Your Articles Aloud

Mozilla's experimental Scout browser will work entirely by voice, reading articles and freeing users up for multitasking or cross-room control. It's not clear when the product will release.

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creator is working on a voice-controlled browser named Scout. The experimental project is looking to create a web experience that's controlled by speech, rather than mouse, making it perfect for digital assistant integration.

The non-profit revealed the browser at an ‘All Hands' meeting this week in San Fransico and showcased a little functionality. Users can tell the browser to read them an article about a specific topic and have it dictated aloud.

As the number of smart devices grows, users are becoming more used to talking to technology. Cortana is on every Windows 10 PC, Google Assistant on every Android phone, and Alexa is a favorite in the smart speaker market.

A Privacy Conundrum

So far, though, we haven't seen such a project for any of those giants, which could give Mozilla a head start. On the surface, it feels like a bit of a gimmick, but a voice browser could be perfect for those with accessibility issues or looking to multi-task.

Of course, it also means you can sit back comfortably in your chair or control the browser from across the room. It's not a stretch to imagine Mozilla building in dictation support for messages or any number of features.

However, it also raises questions for a company that has been very outspoken about privacy rights. Assumedly, Scout would have to collect telemetry to improve and learn user's preferences, though it's possible Mozilla will do it all locally.

Either way, Scout is an interesting concept that's more of a vision than an actual product.

“We use our internal All Hands conference to come together so we can plan and build for the future,” Mozilla said. “We look forward to discussing these efforts publicly when they are further developed.”

SourceCNET
Ryan Maskell
Ryan Maskellhttps://ryanmaskell.co.uk
Ryan has had a passion for gaming and technology since early childhood. Fusing the skills from his Creative Writing and Publishing degree with profound technical knowledge, he enjoys covering news about Microsoft. As an avid writer, he is also working on his debut novel.

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