Google’s latest Chrome browser integrates speech-to-text capabilities.

Google has been working with the World Wide Web Consortium’s HTML Speech Incubator Group to determine the feasibility of integrating speech technology in HTML5, the Web’s new, emerging standard language.

A Web page employing the new HTML5 feature could have an icon that, when clicked, initiates a recording through the computer’s microphone, using Google’s Chrome browser. Speech is captured and sent to Google’s servers for transcription, with the resulting text sent back to the website.

For more than a year, Android app developers have been able to integrate voice recognition into their apps using technology provided by Google. This has provided Google with useful voice data to use in training its voice-recognition algorithms.

Early adopters can download the latest beta version of Chrome 11 to try the new speech-to-text capabilities.