Apple's iCloud service requires that you update to their latest system software, OS 10.7, aka Lion. Lion's horrible, and Apple's previous cloud service, Mobileme, shuts down in June, stranding users who haven't updated.
Gulp! Without some sort of cloud synch, Macs, iPhones, and iPads will not synch calendar entries, contacts, or bookmarks.
But...good news! Fruux offers a free way to set up cloud synch! Contacts and calendars synch instantly and automatically between devices, including Android! (I'm still trying to figure out if they support Safari bookmarks).
Update:
"Unfortunately we're not supporting bookmarks at the moment - not because we don't want to, but simply because there is no widely supported standard for it (yet). If that changes in the future (we sure hope so), we'll definitely be very interested to support it."
Another Update:
Count this as hearsay, but a very reliable company which doesn't compete with Fruux, but whose service ought to be a natural match for it, told me:
"We haven't had a lot of great reports on fruux, especially around calendars. We think the major players (Google and Apple at the point, if you need iPhone support) are a better long term play, but it's your data."
I almost missed this article. Very interesting, thanks. I didn’t know about Fruux.
ReplyDeleteI’m one of those reluctant to update to Lion, although aware of it being inevitable (and expensive, due to the need to update several applications, for instance Cubase).
I’ve been a Mobileme (and .Mac) user for many years and the main reason for buying an iPhone was the syncing of calendar and contacts. I really need iCloud.
I don’t know if the Fruux option is a good one in the long term.