14 DAY TRIAL // Just a day after the latest update to the Dev Channel, Google has pushed Chrome 11 to the Beta stage of the development process.
Testers running Windows, Mac OS X or Linux can now download the Google Chrome Build 11.0.696.16 bits from the Beta Channel.
Having graduated into Beta, Chrome 11 brings to the table a number of enhancements, the most visible of which, as far as end users are concerned, is a new logo.
The fresh visual identity spans across various design elements of Chrome 11, including the icon associated with the browser.
Early adopters already running Chrome 11 undoubtedly know that the new logo for Google’s open source browser made its debut into a Dev release last week.
What the Mountain View-based search giant is doing now is generalizing the changes introduced with Dev Channel releases into the Beta builds. Subsequently, users can expect the elements of the visual identity overhaul to start appearing in the Stable Channel releases.
At the same time, there are additional, under-the-hood changes in Chrome 11, such as a new HTML5 application programming interface.
Chrome 11 allows web developers to take advantage of the HTML5 speech input API. Devs that leverage this technology can build Cloud applications capable of transcribing the user’s voice into text.
Such text-to-speech apps can really come in handy to users, especially to people with writing disabilities.
Websites will present a visual indication, such as an icon, to users, informing them that they’re capable of transcribing their words. Customers only need a microphone connected to their computer. Web apps using the HTML5 speech input API are capable of recording audio, sending the data to the transcription speech servers and effectively typing text for users.
Another Chrome 11 addition that will please devs is related to 3D CSS. Google calls it GPU-accelerated 3D CSS, and what the search giant means is that developers are now able to apply a range of 3D effects to pages via CSS.
With Chrome 11 now in Beta, Google will offer early adopters the first taste of Chrome 12 through the Dev Channel soon. Keep your eyes on this space and I’ll make sure to provide an update when the first Chrome 12 Dev downloads go live.
Google Chrome for Windows is available for download here.
Google Chrome for Linux is available for download here.
Google Chrome for Mac is available for download here.