MobileMe
MobileMe is an online service from Apple. At www.me.com, MobileMe synchronizes current e-mail, address data and appointments between a Macintosh, iPhone or personal computer and provides the user with online storage for files and photos. Following the basic idea of cloud computing, the user deposits his data in the cloud, in this case a "me.com" account in an Apple data center.
With the MobielMe online service, new messages are automatically transferred to an iPhone or iPod touch via push function and the user is notified when they arrive. MobileMe constantlychecks whether new messages have arrived and separates spam from viruses. The look of the mail client on a Macintosh and iPhone are quite similar, and mails remain backed up in the respective same folders. If the user changes an appointment or address on the office computer, the change is automatically transferred to the cloud and synchronized with the rest of the devices without the need to connect the iPhone to the computer.
MobileMe works with common applications such as Apple Mail, Address Book and iCal on the Macintosh, Microsoft Outlook on a personal computer, and the built-in applications of the iPhone and iPod touch.
Storage gallery in the cloud
In addition to updating appointments and contacts, MobileMe also handles the storage of photos from a computer or iPhone. Macintosh owners can upload photos directly from their photo software, such as iPhoto or Aperture. Gallery visitors can view photos using their browser, download them in zip file format, or add their own images. Features such as mosaic, carousel, or slide show can be used to visually enhance presentations.
The MobileMe iDisk is an online storage for the safe keeping of important files and can be managed via browser from the Macintosh or personal computer. On the Macintosh, iDisk data appears like an external storage device in the Mac OS X Finder. The iDisk can also be accessed using the free iDisk application for the iPhone or iPod touch from Apple's AppStore. Common file types from Microsoft Office and Apple's iWork, presentations, and PDFs can be viewed in portrait or landscape mode.
Files for other users
The "Public" folder on the iDisk holds the files that should be available to other users. They can modify the files and even place their own files in the folder. If a file is too large to mail, it can be transferred to the iDisk, from where the recipient can download it. The files can be protected with a password and downloaded only within a certain period of time. The storage space is 20 gigabytes (as of October 09), which can be divided by the user for Mail and the iDisk.
If the "Find my iPhone" function is activated in the MobileMe settings on an iPhone, the approximate location of the iPhone is displayed on a map in the "me.com" account. A remote wipe function protects an iPhone owner's data by resetting all personal addresses, phone numbers, emails and photos to factory settings if the device is lost. However, if an iPhone is not actually lost, or if the owner gets it back, all data can be transferred from the MobileMe account to the phone again.