Dolphin Sonar lets you browse the web on Android

Browser maker Dolphin has developed "Sonar," a feature that allows a smartphone user to talk directly to the browser.

 

"Currently available only in the Android version of the browser, Sonar can be used to search the Web, open or close tabs, and perform basic page navigation," tech site CNET reported.

 

Sonar has been integrated into Dolphin in a way that feels quite natural, CNET said.

 

One can activate it by either shaking the phone with the Dolphin app open, or by holding down on the Gesture button in the lower left corner.

 

"Tap the microphone to turn Sonar on, and then speak," it said.

 

CNET quoted Dolphin's head of marketing, Edith Yeung, as saying the company has been working on it for more than half a year.

 

"What we want is for people to forget about typing," she told CNET in an interview.

 

Yeung said that while Sonar hooks into Google's Voice API, that the server work is their own implementation.

 

CNET said a test found Sonar to be "surprisingly flawless."

 

"Sonar is basically Siri for the browser, and if it catches on, could positively impact the struggle between apps and browsers. Certainly, other apps that use voice could learn a thing or two from Dolphin," it added. — TJD, GMA News