Spire brings Siri to all jailbroken iOS 5 devices
updated 10:55 am EST, Tue December 27, 2011
New hack should dodge copyright worries
Two iOS hackers, Chpwn and Ryan Petrich, have released Spire, a new implementation of Siri for jailbroken iOS 5 devices. The code brings Siri to hardware other than the iPhone 4S, specifically the iPhone 4 and 3GS, the iPad 1, and third- and fourth-generation iPod touches. Chpwn claims that unlike a hack published earlier this month, there should be no copyright issues putting the legality of Spire in question.
The software is a free download available through Cydia, the main market for jailbroken iOS apps. Because the package is about 100MB, Spire's developers note that it should be downloaded through a Wi-Fi connection, not 3G. A more serious restriction is the need to grab information from an iPhone 4S, plus create a proxy server; together the tricks fool Siri into thinking a hacked device is authorized.
An untethered jailbreak has only just been released for iOS 5.0.1. The hack only works with devices that don't use an A5 processor, effectively blocking it and Spire from the iPad 2.
