Siri Speaks on iPhone 4, iPod Touch 4G

iPhone 4

The finish of Siri's exclusivity on the iPhone 4S might be near. No, I'm not referring to Siri running on the purported Apple tv, but Siri on jailbroken apple iphone 4 and -- possibly -- 3GS mobile phone models.

Ireland-based hacker Steve Troughton-Smith as well as his San Francisco-based comrade Grant Paul (no regards to the author) over the actual weekend claimed they got Apple's voice-enabled digital assistant functioning properly with an iPhone 4 and a fourth generation ipod itouch.

The pair solved the problem using Troughton-Smith's code for that Siri port developed earlier this particular month, as well as software authentication tokens from the jailbroken iPhone 4S. Screenshots of the hack were posted to Twitter in addition to two YouTube videos demonstrating the actual Siri port, one of that was given exclusively to 9-to5 Macintosh.

Hackers have been trying to obtain Siri to work on iOS devices besides the iPhone 4S for many weeks now. But until the current breakthrough, they had only the user interface functioning while Siri voice commands about the iPhone 4 went unheeded. Siri depends on Apple's servers to do all of the heavy duty processing of tone of voice commands, and hackers hadn't yet determined how to trick Apple into believing an apple iphone 4 was actually an iPhone 4S. This issue, it appears, has now already been solved.

Source: Steve Troughton-Smith

"I've tested almost every type of interaction you could make with [Siri on the iPhone 4], " Troughton-Smith told PCWorld within an interview via instant messenger. "It works just along with the iPhone 4S, and I've seen it function even faster than it sometimes. " The only feature that does not work, according to Troughton-Smith, is the iPhone 4S's so-called "raise to speak" feature that enables you to activate Siri's voice-command interface by raising the telephone to your ear. The issue with raise to speak upon Siri, Troughton-Smith says, is it requires the new gyroscope within the 4S; it's not clear whether this may be solved. Google offers a comparable raise to speak feature within its search application for iOS products, including the iPhone 4 as well as 3GS.

Apple's Server Conundrum

iPhone 4

"I can't quite get into details just yet, " Troughton-Smith stated. "The last thing I want is perfect for Apple to lock this down before anybody's got an opportunity to see it. " Part from the solution to Troughton-Smith's Siri port could be credited to the iPhone Dev Team's recent discovery of the preliminary jailbreak for the apple iphone 4S. This made it possible to obtain an authentication token for Siri through Apple's latest iPhone. Troughton-Smith said he'd known for a while that his code for porting Siri towards the iPhone 4 required an authentication token in the iPhone 4S, but without the jailbroken device, obtaining that token was difficult otherwise impossible. But after meeting along with Paul, who had access towards the DevTeam's unreleased jailbreak, the pair used Troughton-Smith's code and it worked almost immediately.

It's not yet clear exactly how Troughton-Smith and Paul solved the actual Siri-Apple server issue. Another set of hackers were also working about the problem, and said their solution will depend on a third-party server to alter data sent between an unapproved Siri gadget and Apple's servers. Troughton-Smith declines to express whether his solution requires some thing similar, although I got the sense it would not. Regardless, the Ireland-based hacker is keeping his solution fairly near to the vest for now.

Siri Unchained

It isn't clear when the Siri port is going to be released. Troughton-Smith said he first really wants to confirm it works properly, is actually secure, and doesn't break additional apps or functions on iOS products. It's likely the Siri port is going to be available after a public discharge of iPhone 4S jailbreak resources.

For Troughton-Smith, the Siri hack isn't actually about creating the final device, but solving the technical problem presented by moving Siri in order to other iOS devices. "I desired to prove to myself that I possibly could make Siri work, " Troughton-Smith stated. "To make it easy for everybody else I'll leave to whomever takes the reins following this. "

But even once the actual code is released, porting Siri towards the iPhone 4 and other iOS devices defintely won't be for the faint of center. Troughton-Smith said he plans release a source code to the resources he made, but won't create a compiled program that will help you do the port. In component, Troughton-Smith is leery of developing a specific jailbreak tool, because it might be grounds for Apple to prosecute for copyright infringement since an entire Siri hack tool requires changing and distributing system files obtained from an iPhone 4S.

original text pcworld