getUserMedia API coming to Chrome

The latest Chrome Beta implements the getUserMedia API already present in the current version of Opera and Opera Mobile. The API gives developers access to users' cameras and microphones via simple JavaScript calls. Other browsers are lagging behind on this one, although Firefox is getting there. Google's blog post on the release points to a few cool demos: Webcam Toy and Magic Xylophone.

In both Chrome and Opera, the user is presented with a permission request if a page attempts to use the API. However, the spec doesn't stipulate this, prompting various security concerns.

It was, of course, already possible to achieve this in the browser using Flash or similar plugins, but getUserMedia allows it to happen natively, simply using JavaScript. It's the latest step on the road to empowering web apps to gradually replace native apps on the desktop and mobile, which is good news for developers and end users alike.