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The first beta of iOS 5.1 has been seeded to Apple developers, and includes several changes and improvements. First off, code has been uncovered pointing to support for a new piece of hardware, namely a Sprint iPad 2. Apple launched the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 on Sprint's network just recently, and it appears they are taking the next step.

Other changes spotted by 9to5Mac include a new setting in Location Services for geofencing. One source of battery drain is geofencing, when an app such as Reminders puts a virtual perimeter around a location. Notifications are sent when leaving or arriving the location, and in iOS 5.1 each app that uses the feature has a special icon in Location Services.

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.

The cat and mouse game between Apple and jailbreakers never stops. Chronic Dev Team announced they had already found several exploits that could possibly be used in a future iOS 5 jailbreak, however Apple quickly patched these exploits before the public release of the firmware. One of Apple's weapons in the arsenal against jailbreaking is the log of crash reports that is automatically sent from iTunes that serves to identify possible exploits.

Chronic Dev Team is trying to stop Apple from finding out about these potential jailbreak opportunities by circumventing the automatic crash reports from iOS. Efforts to complete an untethered iOS 5 jailbreak are in progress, and Chronic Dev is asking for everyone's help to keep potential exploits away from Apple.

The beta version of Ac1dSn0w is here. So what is it? PwnDevTeam has released Ac1dSn0w as an alternative tool to jailbreak Apple devices running iOS 5, including the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and first generation iPad. The software also jailbreaks the 4th generation iPod touch and runs on Mac OS X Lion and Snow Leopard.

Like other jailbreak tools including Pwnage Tool, redsn0w and sn0wbreeze, Ac1dSn0w provides a tethered jailbreak solution for devices running iOS 5 or 5.0.1. Currently the software does not create custom firmware packages, however several features are available in the current version.

The list of devices Siri can voice control is getting longer thanks to the efforts of developers who are thinking outside of the iPhone 4S box. It all started when Applidium reverse engineered the Siri protocol and posted the files for anyone to use.

A developer named plamoni took the process a step further by creating an extensible Siri proxy server, which allows Siri to interact with other devices on a network without jailbreaking the iPhone. He successfully used his iPhone 4S to control a Wi-Fi enabled thermostat using the software.