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Apple kicks out MobileMe iDisk app for iPhone
It still can't multitask, but as of today, it's finally capable of accessing and sharing iDisk files. Apple has at long last let loose a long-awaited application for iPhone OS 3.0 that enables iPhone and iPod touch users with MobileMe accounts to access the inner sanctums of their own iDisk. The app lets you login, view files (up to 20MB or so, sayeth Apple) and share files by sending others a link via email to whatever you deem appropriate. There's also an option to password protect those files and limit the amount of days the download is active, though viewing files is limited to iPhone-supported file types such as iWork, Office, QuickTime, PDF, etc. If you're a paying MobileMe user, go on and give this one a download -- it's free, you know?Read - iDisk [opens in iTunes]Read - TUAW's First Look: iDisk app
Find My iPhone reunites true nerd with lost iPhone
You know, we might be inclined to disbelieve this exciting tale of derring-do if it weren't for the highly improbably heroics and ingenuity displayed by its three protagonists -- you just can't make this stuff up. Probably. Kevin, Ryan and Mark were in Chicago minding their own nerdness out at Brickworld when Kevin left his iPhone behind at a dive bar. When they went back for it just minutes later the phone was gone, and instead of calling the cops like a bunch of suckers, Kevin and co. did the right thing and pulled out a Sprint 3G dongle and a MacBook Pro. Unfortunately, Find My iPhone couldn't get a lock on his phone at all -- it was either off or out of data range. The next day at lunch he finally got a delivery confirmation message from me.com, which kicked off a wild, dangerous chase into the wilds of Chicago. We won't spoil the ending for you (he finds the iPhone), but Kevin does raise a couple good points about the service functionality: you need to pull up MobileMe on laptop to use the service (instead of perhaps another iPhone), movement updates aren't pushed, ringer volume impacts alert volume whether the phone is on vibrate or not, and there should be an option for controlling the phone in more nefarious ways like taking pictures. We're glad it all ended up well, but those moments of Lego bliss that Kevin and his friends missed out on are gone forever.[Thanks, Tristan W.]
USB tethering, Publish Video and Find my iPhone found in OS 3.0
Apple touted quite a few new iPhone features at yesterday's OS 3.0 event, but now that the beta build is trickling out, there's been a bevy of unearthed discoveries to further pique our interests. First up, the gang at Boy Genius Report found an option to enable the "Find My iPhone" service in the MobileMe settings. Unfortunately, that's all we've got, but we wouldn't put it past Cupertino to build some me.com-linked location tracker that'd be the envy of Orwell himself -- hey, that'd be pretty useful if you accidentally left the mobile in a taxi. Also in the MobileMe section, it now says Publish Video when you go to publish an image. It's an odd typo, to be sure, and while video recording has been near the top of our wishlist for some time, we're not about to get our hopes up. Finally, Mac Rumors is reporting that a hacker has dug up and successfully activated the USB tethering capabilities. Apple's Scott Forstall had mentioned the devs were building it in, but were still in talks with the carriers. As to whether any or all of these functions will actually end up in the final OS 3.0 build, your guess is a good as ours. For now, check out more pics of the MobileMe additions after the break.[Thanks everyone who sent this in!]Read - Find My iPhoneRead - USB Tethering
MobileMe renewal: Yes or no?
Earlier this week, I noticed that the calendars on my Mac and my iPhone weren't in sync. "More MobileMe nonsense," I thought. However, I soon found the culprit, and it wasn't MobileMe acting wonky. My account had expired, and I was within the 15 day grace period.I saw the "Renew" button and reached for my wallet like a well-trained Pavlov iDog. Then something stopped me. "Do I really want to do this?" There are so many alternatives that offer nearly the same services. Calling upon my days as a used car salesman (true story), I pulled out a piece of paper and drew a vertical line down the center, labeling one side "Pros" and the other "Cons." Then, I got to work.ProsFirst of all, I should outline what I use MobileMe for. An email account, address book, calendar sync between my Mac and iPhone and iDisk storage. I don't use the photo galleries, though my kids' grandparents wish I did, or the web apps. With that in mind, here are the pros.Everything is built in. There's nothing to download, install or configure. iCal, Address Book, Mail (OK, I have to set up an account. Nit-pickers) and iDisk are ready to go from the start. My iDisk is accessible from the Finder, and things like MobileMe Galleries just work. Sounds like an easy choice, eh? Keep reading.ConsHonestly, it doesn't always "just work." The synchronization has been flaky in the past, and push notifications have been pokey. Granted, it's light-years beyond where it was after launch, but I don't really trust it 100%.It's a bit pricey. The standard fee is $99US/year. I've got one additional email address for my wife, so tack on another ten bucks. Before you fly into an iRage, know that I realize that one hundred bucks for push email, contacts and calendar, 10GB online storage, web hosting and so on is not a bad deal. It's just that there are less expensive alternatives.With Gmail, I can have email, address book and calendar for free. With Spanning Sync, [TUAW Spanning Sync posts here] I can sync Google Calendar and iCal in both directions for $25 per year or $65 as a one-time fee. And I can easily set up my iPhone to send and receive Gmail.Let's look at the available-anywhere online storage. Here at the TUAW offices, we're big fans of Dropbox [TUAW Dropbox posts here]. Once installed, it's super easy to use. A menu bar item and a Finder window item make access a snap. Additionally, sharing files and folders is just as simple.The first 2GB of storage are free. After that, you'll pay $9.99US/month or $99US/year for 50GB of storage. So why not just switch? It's not that easy. My MobileMe email address is in heavy use. Not only among my contacts, but across many places online. Switching would be a hassle. I'm also held back by the "What If Factor."There's a part of me, deep inside my cynical, self-deprecating heart that's convinced that the very day I cancel my subscription, Apple will release the MobileMe update of my dreams. It's the same certainty that prevents me from buying a DVD player or a Blu-ray player as I watch my VHS tapes.For now, I've got 14 days to decide. I'll let you know what I chose in a future post.
MobileMe launch date set: July 9th at 6 p.m. PT
Apple has just updated the .Mac status page with the date/time of the .Mac to MobileMe switch. So, for those of you wondering when Apple might start the switch will not have to wonder any longer. July 9th from 6 p.m. until 12 a.m. PT is the scheduled date and time.Apple says that during the switch, users will be "unable to access www.mac.com or any .Mac services ... with the exception of .Mac Mail accessed via a desktop application, iPhone, or iPod touch." According to Apple, "MobileMe will be available as soon as possible during this maintenance window." Be sure to stay tuned to TUAW for the latest on the .Mac to MobileMe switch. Thanks, Andy and Barry!
Which upcoming goodie are you anticipating?
With only a week before July, we're eager to get our hands on the new goodies from Apple. With so much to look forward to and try out, we're wondering which of the pending updates you're most interested in.Is it Mobile Me's offer of "Exchange for the rest of us?" Perhaps it's iPhone software 2.0, or even the snazzy 3G iPhone you're waiting for. Here's your chance to let us now. Add your answer to our highly unscientific poll, and we'll post the results tomorrow. Oh, it's like Christmas! In July. Or something.%Poll-16066%
The real .mac opens up with new regulations
ICANN, the ruling body for Internet domain naming, has voted to relax a few rules that will supposedly open up a whole slew of top-level domain names, multiple news sources are reporting. They haven't exactly said why they're doing this, only that it will "preserve the security, stability, and global interoperability of the Internet." Which seems like a good reason, we guess. But whatever the reason, it's good news for people who don't want to use the old standbys of .com or .org -- now, bidding can start for .sex, .xxx, .post, or any other combination of letters.Like, for example, .mac. Yes, for the first time in the history of the Internet, Apple would have been able to make good on its .Mac brand -- except that, as you know, they decided just a few weeks ago to change that brand to Mobile Me. Though we supposed mobile.me is probably out there somewhere.Of course, as we've speculated before, the change to Mobile Me wasn't so much about domain names as it was about just getting away from the Apple brand, and creating a service that both Mac and PC users would be interested in. So odds are that Apple wasn't waiting for .mac anyway. But it is interesting that even though they can finally have it, they don't actually need it any more.Thanks, Darcy L!
MobileMe requires OS X 10.5.4?
TUAW reader Lee Car noticed something odd whilst reading the Terms and Conditions of MobileMe (I'm impressed that anyone actually reads that stuff). The official System Requirements of MobileMe say that you need 'Mac OS X v10.4.11 or latest version of Mac OS X Leopard,' which isn't all that newsy worthy. However, as you can see above, the MobileMe Terms of Service lists Mac OS X v10.4.11, v10.5.4, or later. Very interesting, huh?This leads me to believe that around the time MobileMe launches ( July 11) we'll see 10.5.4.Update: Cory reminds me that one of our tipsters told us to expect OS X 10.5.4 during the second week of June. Looks pretty likely to me.
MobileMe announced
Today Apple demoed the much anticipated MobileMe application that we were tipped to last month. Currently, we were correct in what we thought would be the features list: Web version of mail, calendars, and contacts (look similar to desktop apps) Old .Mac users will be transitioned over to MobileMe when it launches Launch in early July Same $99 /year price that we've all come to expect Sync between iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, and PCs As soon as we have more information, we will post about it. Be sure to stay tuned to TUAW as we have continuing coverage of WWDC.
.Mac and Me rumors: TUAW inside look at Apple's next-gen service
What's next for .Mac, Apple's much-maligned online service offering for OS X users? TUAW has learned that .Mac will no longer be sold by Apple after WWDC, as new users will migrate to the new MobileMe service (not too shocking, given the swirling rumors as of late). Existing users will have their @mac.com e-mail addresses forwarded to their @me.com address in perpetuity, which should provide some relief for nervous .Mac users who depend on that email.MobileMe is slated to include a host of new features, which we alluded to early in May; in addition, there will be new web interfaces for all aspects of MobileMe -- calendars will look just like iCal, Contacts will look just like they do in Address Book, etc. This is similar to the way .Mac Webmail works today, though we've heard that the new interfaces will be much snazzier (yes, that's a technical term). Apple should also be updating the .Mac dependent applications (iChat, iWeb, iPhoto etc.) to work with the new service. The new service will be backwards compatible with .Mac protocols for the time being -- so developers will not have to rush out updates as soon as they hear the official word.MobileMe is scheduled to be available sometime in late June/early July. We have also heard reports that the latest build of the iPhone beta firmware (2.0) has already undergone revisions to handle the new MobileMe service. Some of the features of the service on iPhone will include: over-the-air syncing of contacts, calendars, and photos. Interestingly, there is also a Windows version of MobileMe planned. Though we're confident in the source of this information, this is still a rumor until Apple reveals all. We should hear more information about MobileMe at the World Wide Developer's Conference starting on Monday (June 9th).
Apple buys "mobileme.com" domain name?
TUAW is hearing that Apple recently acquired the domain name "mobileme.com." This domain name, would of course agree with the recent rumors of the .Mac re-branding to gain the "Mobile Me" name. However, the domain name is currently in the hands of Apple's registrar, Mark Monitor.When you query the domain with a whois search, the following information is revealed about the domain name: Domain Name: MOBILEME.COM Registrar: MARKMONITOR INC. Whois Server: whois.markmonitor.com Referral URL: http://www.markmonitor.com Name Server: NS1.MARKMONITOR.COM Name Server: NS2.MARKMONITOR.COM Status: clientDeleteProhibited Status: clientTransferProhibited Status: clientUpdateProhibited Updated Date: 07-aug-2007 Creation Date: 23-aug-2002 Expiration Date: 23-aug-2009This rumor comes after Apple recently bought the me.com domain name.
'Mobile Me' the new name of .Mac?
As Mat noted last night, it's looking like a name change is in store for the .Mac service. CodingRobots.com and Deep Apple (via Daring Fireball) have found some additional interesting strings in the newest release of the iPhone SDK, building on strings found in other parts of the Mac OS X update (iCal, Mail and more) released Tuesday. Apparently, Mobile Me looks like it wil be the name of the new service: CodingRobots has a screenshot of the "MobileMe" string inside the SDK 2.0 release. Add in the 2006 AppleInsider report, noted by DF, that Apple filed a trademark application for the name "Mobile Me" in early 2006, and all signs point to the new branding for .Mac. What Mobile Me could offer is known only by Apple at this point, though Gruber speculates that Mobile Me might extend the over-the-air sync capabilities of iPhone 2.0 (as announced, limited to Microsoft Exchange/ActiveSync users in the enterprise) to the rest of us.
Proof that Apple will be launching a mobile service?
Take this with several grains of salt, but an anonymous tipster has sent the above photo to us of what appears to be an Apple branded SIM card (or an iTunes gift card modified to look like a SIM card). Our tipster says that Apple is about 85% ready to roll out a cell service using the moniker Mobile Me, which was recently trademarked. Apple will be using Cingular's network and Motorola's hardware.We are told that the service is on track to launch sometime in February (or so we are told).Update: I should point out that our source isn't claiming that the phone pictured is the fabled iPhone (it is a Samsung SGH x497). He claims that the SIM card is Apple's.Update II: Our friends at Engadget also got the same tip that we did, so check out their take on it.Another picture after the jump.
Apple trademarks "Mobile Me"
According to Apple Insider, Apple has filed a request with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the phrase "Mobile Me." The request is divided into four main sections. The first concerns, "...Computer services; computer data recovery; data analysis being computer services; computer programming; updating of computer software; maintenance of computer software, computer and communications networks, and computer systems..."Next, the request discusses "...providing digital music from local or global communications networks, including the internet, intranets, extranets, television, mobile communication, cellular and satellite networks; operating chat rooms..." The same phrase is repeated to include audio books, electronics games, information regarding music and "...seminars and training courses relating to science, engineering, computer systems and business."The remaining sections discuss portable devices, and are by far the most interesting: "...Portable digital electronic devices and software related thereto; handheld digital electronic devices and software related thereto; digital audio players, including digital music players, and software related thereto..."It goes on from there. Of course, it could just be an example of Apple wanting to protect ideas that may or may not see the light of day in the future.
