Each year later: Is MobileMe finally worth $99?
Allow me the chance begin this by saying that I am a stingy guy. In school, I got myself a hair clipper and adopted a buzz cut largely to economize by not needing to journey to the barber. I'll be bookmarking also stop dead with my tracks to accummulate a penny.
So for me personally, spending $99 a year on Apple's MobileMe, services that basically does Web e-mail, contact syncing, photo hosting, and file storage, has been a hard sell--especially after its bad start. Today, however, Apple finally got me to take the plunge. Why? It's commencing to add genuinely useful tools for Apple hardware owners, with the promise of more coming.
On Monday, the business demoed a whole new tool for MobileMe subscribers called "Find My iPhone" that allows you to both use a lost (or stolen) iPhone, plus remotely wipe its contents. You can even have it to ring and vibrate for a couple minutes straight, which can be beneficial in case it is stuck between couch cushions or buried deep in a bag. Anyone who's been late to be hired, or endured a near-heart attack from trying to find a lost phone can appreciate how a reverse phone lookup alone will be worth a Benjamin.
Then there's the upcoming iDisk iPhone andiPod Touch application that allows you to access files you've input into your MobileMe online storage. This alone just isn't groundbreaking, nevertheless, if you're an apple iphone or itouch user who it stun gun sales is already using MobileMe's online storage, it is a nice bonus. Apple is advertising this in order to display presentations and get at important business documents, but I'd believe that this is a easy way to extend the limited storage over a iPhone by preserving most of your music and videos on MobileMe instead. In the event you a Wi-Fi flashlight stun gun connection, you can stream both.
But why don't we get straight into the. Might be the other parts of the service definitely worth cash? Not into my mind--and a crucial, fat no for everybody who is making use of it to your Web apps alone. Let's break it down:
(Credit:Apple)
For Web e-mail: No
On the iPhone and ipod itouch, you've gotten messages the instant they're sent. With the browser, however, it's missing quite a few features that competitors like Search engines have continually. Each of those services have the freedom, and between Gmail's labs, and Yahoo's just-introduced apps platform, MobileMe's Web mail feels rudimentary. It drives me nuts the service logs you after Fifteen minutes of activity. This isn't my family savings, it's my e-mail. (Note: readers wrote in move it so that you can avoid having this happen in the event you check up from the "keep me logged set for two weeks" option when first signing on).
Web storage: Maybe
If you're aMac user, MobileMe's iDisk storage explorer looks an equivalent, but over a browser it's missing really important such things search and file previews. Neighborhood retailer know in which file is stored, you should hunt it down, which is actually pain.
Also, though you will see pics and vids in rest of MobileMe, the only way to view those file types from a browser requires you pepper spray for sale to download and open them of spray for sale the hard space. Most today's Web storage providers may charge on the sorts of space Apple is offering, but they've striking search and preview features that rival the desktop experience.
For it's faults, though, you discover a generous degree of storage for it is. You should also allocate space clear of other regions of your MobileMe service to delay your limit without purchasing additional storage from Apple.
(Credit:Apple)
Contact/calendar management and sync: No
When MobileMe first shown up, management and syncing with your contacts and calendars was major characteristic, question then Google has place the heat on Apple on the launch of Google Sync. This free product syncs calendars and contacts from any Google account, and sends any changes throughout the air, which can be just what actually MobileMe does. The sole massive difference usually Apple's solution permits sync contacts and calendars without eliminating existing data.
But even there, Apple's own data syncing is flawed. Right after i did my first sync to MobileMe, I decided to merge my existing contacts from Mac's Address Book app and my iPhone (something it will oniTunes every occasion I sync my phone). As an alternative for finding the obvious dupes and ignoring them, it made duplicates of the my contacts. Apple also can be further cannibalizing the appeal of this feature allowing users register for LDAP directories, and CalDAV/hosted calendars as a part of iPhone OS 3.0. When you are someone who's already using services employing data channels, body fat reason to hide MobileMe since you also can put in your phone to Stun gun sync up to them.
MobileMes online galleries stand out, as they are quite possibly the most polished aspects of the service.
(Credit:CNET)
Photo/Video/Site hosting: Yes
While I am a big proponent of sites like Flickr and YouTube, Apple's hosted galleries are very nice. They're straightforward beautiful, pepper spray purchase and there are no ads or distractions. Sure, they are not as social, and you're simply limited kept in storage because when much you've got, nonetheless, if you're planning to send a photograph album to associates it's really elegant solution. Supplanted when you're using Apple's iPhoto, which permit you to publish as well as make changes to the Web albums looking at the software.
As for that Web hosting service, though, Practical goal sold. To earn a hosted site you need to use Apple's iWeb or another joint of Web publishing software. There isn't how to build or maintain a site from Me.com alone, which means that so that you can make edits in a computer without worrying about the software, you're hosed. This is certainly unfortunate considering the number of tools are in existence so that you can implement this straight from the browser. Apple will add this to future versions, fo the time being this can be a feature you can not fully use without software.
So will Apple add more features to MobileMe later in 2010? In my opinion , so. If a company releases a Netbook, you can bet a serious characteristic is without a doubt MobileMe, since it is in order to replace disk drives and software with Web apps and virtual storage.
At least that's its potential. The drawback are usually that MobileMe is treated less as an effective useful suite of Web services, as much as a direct get a link from specific Apple hardware and software. It is good to tightly-knit ecosystem, which is often what made Apple an amazingly success to get started with. I just now wish it resulted in its Web apps got alike sort of attention because their software counterparts. You do not MobileMe, it is quite not there yet.
Update: Several readers have pointed out that MobileMe are usually had through Amazon relating to $60.