iPhone Tweaks

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.

Now that the iPhone 4S has been jailbroken developers are scrambling to provide new tweaks and improvements to enhance iOS 5. The Siri personal assistant is exclusive to the iPhone 4S and is already getting some great enhancements to add functionality. One example of a feature left out by Apple is the ability to update Twitter with Siri.

Apple still considers Siri technology in a beta phase, which is probably one reason why sending tweets is not officially supported. Not only this, but iOS 5 is the first time Apple has integrated Twitter into the operating system. Now thanks to Sireet, jailbroken iPhone 4S users can natively send tweets using Siri.

iPhone developer chpwn has created a new iPhone tweak called Zephyr that brings multitasking gestures to the iPhone. Zephyr allows you to swipe up from the bottom of any screen to access a multitasking switcher filled with your apps. You can then switch between multiple apps by edge swiping like the iPad allows you to do.

Chpwn says this is the most efficient way to multitask on the iPhone, and that more gestures will be added through future updates. The idea for Zephyr came from a UI concept video created by Max Rudberg. Zephyr is available now through the Cydia jailbreak store for $2.99.

Tired of the dictionary restrictions on Words With Friends? Now you can play any word by installing a simple tweak on your jailbroken iPhone. MessWithWords is available on the Cydia app store for $4.99. Although it might sound pricey for the ability to cheat, there are other advantages to installing the package.

For instance, you receive notification when an opponent is circumventing the Words With Friends dictionary so you won't be caught off guard by a cheater. Playing words that are outside of the dictionary can also open up a whole new world of interesting games, provided your friends are willing to play.

Apple plans to release iOS 5 sometime this fall, with over 200 new features and improvements. Although an iOS 5 release date has not been announced, several of the upcoming firmware improvements have been described in detail. Many of these features already exist and can be installed on your iPhone now. Why wait to get the most out of your mobile device?

Some of these additions require a jailbroken iPhone, but now thanks to JailbreakMe jailbreaking your iPhone is as simple as visiting a website in Safari. There are many useful apps available that will bring iOS 5 features to your phone for a few dollars or completely free of charge. Here's a list of 15 different iOS 5 features you can get right now using the Apple App Store or Cydia: