More Details of iPhone OS 3.0 'Voice Control' Emerge

Tuesday April 21, 2009 7:11 am PDT by Eric Slivka
Several weeks ago, we mentioned in passing that configuration files for a feature called "Voice Control" had been unearthed in the iPhone OS 3.0 beta. Ars Technica now provides a few additional details about the feature, although the specifics remain unknown. Chiefly, the feature is apparently code-named "Jibbler" and will enable both voice synthesis and voice recognition on the iPhone OS 3.0.

Not much information is known at this time, but according to our own people familiar with the matter, Jibbler appears be an enhancement to the iPhone SpringBoard application, the Finder-esque app that acts as a launcher and will support the newly announced 3.0 Spotlight search. Jibbler may be controlled via the iPhone headset -- button squeezes could be used to record short voice segments from the user, which Jibbler will then interpret. Voice synthesis can then be used to give the user a response, similar to the latest generation iPod shuffle, which can "read" playlists and track names -- the difference being that the iPhone hardware itself could handle real-time voice synthesis.

Ars Technica notes that the evidence allows for the possibility that "Jibbler" could be made available via the SDK to third-party developers for use in their applications. There is also no indication whether the feature would be limited to the next-generation iPhone or if existing devices would also be able to take advantage of it.

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