New iOS 5 Feature Revealed – Speech-to-Text

At the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), back in June, Steve Jobs said that there would be many other features to iOS 5 than what was being highlighted. In the latest beta release of the iOS update, a new feature has been revealed, which is a Nuance-powered speech-to-text capability.

A new button appears in the familair iOS keyboard

According to a report by 9to5mac, a source provided them with a screenshot displaying this new functionality. The procedure to activate this function appears to be quite straightforward. A microphone button is shown next to the spacebar key on the keyboard and upon tapping it one can activate this new feature. Upon activation, a screen will appear displaying a mic where the textbox remains as long as one is talking. Upon completion, the spoken text will appear in the text field.

The mic screen overlays the keyboard

The report states that this software is in the beta testing stage and may or may not appear in the official release of iOS 5. The source also reveals to the website that as of now this feature is made available just for the iPhones and iPod Touch. 9to5mac is not ruling out the possibility that this could also make its way to the iPad.

Let us know what you think of these possible features in iOS devices in the comments section below.