Over the last few weeks, there has been a lot of speculation suggesting that Google is in the process of releasing a unified chat application called Babel. Babel is rumored to have merged services such as Voice, Talk, and Google + Messenger. The new service is also rumored to be a cross-platform chat service, allowing users on iOS and Android to communicate with each other, within Babel itself. It’s like Google’s version of iMessage.

Facebook has begun rolling out its free voice calling feature to Facebook Messenger users in the United Kingdom, just days after the service landed in the U.K. on the iPhone. You won’t need to update the Facebook Messenger app; the feature will be added quietly in the background.

During the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, ZTE announced a brand new partnership with Nuance that will bring the company’s famous voice recognition software to ZTE’s upcoming smartphone family. The first devices to offer voice interaction will be launching this year, with support for more than 25 different languages and a new “Car Mode” app designed for use behind the wheel.

We told you earlier about the update for Google Search, but it turns out Google actually updated a whole collection of apps today. The array of apps updated includes Google Voice, Translate, Authenticator, and My Tracks. We’ll do a quick rundown of what’s new in each app and provide you with a Play store link to download them.

Image courtesy of Gizmodo

Apple’s new Siri assistant has really revolutionized the way in which we interact with mobile devices using our voice. It’s no wonder, then, that rivals are scrambling to introduce their own alternatives. Google already has one for Android, according to some reports, called Majel, and it’ll debut during the first quarter of 2012.