How do I backup text and email - read post....

[serpentine5]

My iPhone4 3gs is currently JailBroken with RedSn0w on iOS 4.2.6. I need to updat to iOS 5 now, and since there is an untethered JB for it, I am ready... but I do not want to loose my texts, contacts, emails or other personal info. I have searched and searched and all I can find is info on backing up with iTunes. But when the iOS 5 JB came out, I did the update and untethered JB on my iPod touch. It was previously JB with GreenPois0n. When I updated it, then jailbroke it with the newly released RedSn0w. Then I installed the backup I made and I got nothing but crashing. Took me about 2 days of resetting and doing it all over before I figured out how to get it up and running flaw free.
I lost everything that was personal on my touch after that. I could not use the back up I made.
I do not want to loose everything on my iPhone.
I would be very thankful if someone could give me a decent walk through of point me to one that will take me through the process of backing my phone up, updating it, jailbreaking it, and then putting my personal stuff back on it.
Thanks in advance, Serp

[keenpois0n]

pkgbackup can save all cydia apps (actually, a list of them it will later automatically download when you ask it to), app data, text messages, and data from all other stock apps (including safari) but not mail

[serpentine5]

Keen, thank you.... is that on cydia?
will go look, thanks again!

[keenpois0n]

yeah it's on cydia, but a hefty $8. if you don't want to use that, there is another app called datadeposit, that backs up individual app data to Dropbox (you'll need a Dropbox account for pkgb as well). except I don't think datadeposit works with stock apps

you can get your photos, messages texts and other things manually. using ifile or ssh, I can assist you with that if you likeu