Apple has today launched iCloud.com, a beta version of its web portal for its cloud services that is open to developers, reports 9to5Mac. The site features versions of its Mail, Contacts and Calendar and Find my iPhone apps that were previously available through the MobileMe service.
While we’ve been getting some reports that people not enrolled in the developer program have been able to log in, only developers appear to have access to the syncing features that import Contacts, Calendars and email settings, making it of limited use to end users at the moment.
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iCloud.com includes a new version of the Mail app that looks very similar to the one foud in OS X Lion’s and, of course, on the iPad. The launch page features Mail, Contacts, Calendar, Find My iPhone and iWork icons on a Lion-like linen background. When you click on the icons you are taken to full-screen versions of the apps that feature a small iCloud logo in the corner that allows you to get back to the main menu.
When you compose a new email, it is opened in its own, smaller window, allowing you to write the mail while referring back to the conversation.
Apple has also added support for iWork documents that gives access to Pages, Numbers and Keynote files via iCloud. The iWork portion of iCloud.com is only populated by splash pages at the moment.
The calendar app has been updated to closely resemble the iPad’s version as well, with its distinctive imitation of a leather desk calendar.
Interestingly, when dialog boxes are necessary throughout iCloud.com, they are presented in the standard iOS fashion, not a traditional web-popup.
If your browser is in a mode that prevents websites from seeing cookies, you will be presented with this error screen. H/t to Alex Brooks of World of Apple.
At the moment it appears as if the Mail servers are still at the Me.com domain of the old MobileMe service. Contacts and Calendars have been ported over to the new iCloud service along with Find my iPhone.
If you visit your account settings, you can set an image to represent you in mail messages and throughout the iCloud.com site. You can also use his control panel to set your preferred language and time zone.
Apple has a basic rundown of the web applications and what they will look like available now on its site.
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