Jailbreaking

iPhone users were left severely displeased yesterday after blogger Arun Thampi uncovered that the iOS app Path was storing people's contact info and uploading it to its servers without requesting permission. Path’s CEO Dave Morin issued an apology and a new version of the app today, but many iPhone owners were left wondering what other applications collected personal information without their knowledge.

Developer Ryan Petrich created a jailbreak tweak that warns iPhone owners when an app is trying to access their contacts database. You can download ContactPrivacy from Petrich’s repository for free at http://rpetri.ch/repo. The tweak doesn't add any new icons or settings to your iPhone, but it should give you the option to block an application from accessing your information.

If you've used pod2g's exploit to jailbreak your iPhone 4S you can now take advantage of the many Siri tweaks available through Cydia. There is CustomSiriBackground, which allows you to wallpaper Siri with any photo from your Camera Roll, and Sireet, which gives Siri the ability to send tweets. But the best Siri tweak of all has to be AssistantExtensions.

AssistantExtensions turns Siri into the voice assistant we've all been waiting for. It allows Siri to search YouTube videos and launch apps, but best of all it can make her hold intimate conversations with you. Saying the phrase "Lets Chat" activates the Siri chat mode. After a short wait for her to load some textual data, Siri will tell jokes and give you information without having to connect to the web. For example, asking her "what is Apple" will result in her giving you three definitions, the third being "Empire for Steve Jobs." AssistantExtensions opens a whole new world of possibilities for Siri, and it even allows you to have custom conversations if you take the time to create them.

Siri isn't known for having a winning personality, but a new jailbreak tool can help you give her some pizzazz. The Siri Background Cydia Tweak allows you to spice up Siri's old boring grey background with new wallpaper. Just use any picture from your Camera Roll to change the background, and it will seem like you have an all new personal voice assistant.

Chronic Dev Team member Dustin Howett posted a video of a jailbroken iPhone 4S on YouTube a few days ago. The video shows the A5 device running Cydia after it has been powered off and on. Howett also proves that Siri still functions by asking her to check the weather.

iPhone hacker and Corona developer pod2g republished the video on his blog saying that a release is only a few days away. It only took pod2g nine days to release his A4 untethered jailbreak after he posted a similar video of a jailbroken iPhone 4 on YouTube.

iPhone developer and jailbreak specialist pod2g recently disabled comments on his jailbreaking blog, but he did take the time to respond to some of the serious inquiries he has received in the past.

Here are his answers to the top four frequently asked questions about his upcoming A5 jailbreak.