Monday, June 9,2008 @ 2:20pm
MobileMe: "Exchange for the rest of us"
Apple today launched its widely rumored MobileMe service, described as "Exchange for the rest of us." Mac, Windows, iPhone and iPod users with MobileMe accounts get e-mail, calendars, and contacts pushed to all devices; an update on one device automatically gets sent to the others. On Macs, it works with Mail, Address Book, and iCal; Windows users integrate with Outlook.
A Web 2.0 service provides a "desktop-like" experience to work with all data from Me.com, including contacts, galleries, iDisk access, and more. Users on iPhones can take photos and upload them directly to MobileMe. Full computers have an experience that allows "skimming" photo albums and events similar to iPhoto; users can drag and drop calendar entries and create those as well as contacts, messages, and other content from the web.
The service works with any modern web browser and costs $99 per year for 20GB of online storage for content; a 60-day free trial lets users test the service. A family pack is available for $149, while additional 20GB storage packs are available for $49. MobileMe replaces .Mac and will automatically upgrade users, including their e-mail addresses. The service is available today from the online Apple Store.