14 DAY TRIAL // It would seem that Google’s engineers are quite innovative, especially when it comes to Chrome extensions, and their latest contrivance is proof of that. Tone, the add-on introduced yesterday, shows that the innovative power in Google’s labs knows no limits.
Another useless invention, some might be quick to say, but the developers claim the exact contrary. In a world where everyone uses email or chat to share links with other people, this extension helps you break out of your routine and try out a more entertaining method.
Once installed, the add-on allows you to send a link though beeping sounds. However, the engineers specified that the machines are required to be "within earshot," which basically means that you can only use it at home, with the members of your family.
The developers say that they used it among themselves to share documents and such, but it is probably not very wise to use it at work as some colleagues might be disturbed by the constant beeping. The sound is similar to the one made by the classic phone when dialing a number.
There are a few requirements for it to work
For another machine to receive and interpret the beeping sound, it also has to have the extension installed and turned on. If this requirement is met, then all you have to do is click on the Tone extension from your browser and make sure that you are on the web page that you want to share when doing so.
All other machines in the immediate vicinity will pick up the signal and receive a notification with the URL in question as well as the Google name and profile picture of the person who sent it, just so that they know who they are getting it from.
It sounds pretty easy and efficient. Except that it’s not. "Not every nearby machine will always receive every broadcast, just like not everyone will always hear every word someone says," admitted the developers in the official blog post.
The extension does not work very well, and it seems to have a lot of requirements as well. Sending a URL via chat is definitely faster and safer, but you can’t really expect too much from a project that was conceived in an afternoon. It’s worth giving it a shot, though.
