I want to have the Find My iPhone feature on my iPhone but I need MobileMe for that which costs $99/year and in these tough times, not many people can afford that (including me). It's not like there are any features I need on it... I already have an email and don't need their iDisk feature. Is there some third-party app (that's free) that allows me to locate my iPhone from my computer?
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I don't think it's an issue of breaking the bank, but having your priorities straightened (mortgage payments, insurance payments, rental/property payments, car payments, etc).
I pay my mortgage, my car, my groceries... I have a iPhone, which really is a luxury phone.
I think if anyone can afford the $400 phone and the insane data/voice plan, they can afford another $8 a month for the peace of mind of finding the phone if lost.
Just placed a bid on an individual one on ebay cost is $40 + $5 S&H; not bad for 1/2 the price 
well worth it IMO.
well worth it IMO.
I could be wrong on this, I've been wrong before, but I believe that this is for one year only. What I mean by this is that at the end of the year, unless you are careful, you will be automatically billed the normal $99.00 charge for the next year. So watch out come next September.
I have MobileMe and have had it for over a year. It is a great service, and I think you will enjoy it.
I have MobileMe and have had it for over a year. It is a great service, and I think you will enjoy it.
Set a reminder for yourself, buy another box on eBay or Amazon at the lower price, and enter the new code on your account on MobileMe. We just did this ourselves--saved about $50 on the family plan by going through Amazon instead of letting Apple auto bill us.
I wish you could buy the individual components of MobileMe. The rest of the service is completely useless to me, but Find My Phone would be nice to have.
The only problem with the alternatives to find my iPhone is that they can fold up shop one day. MobileMe will be here for some time I'm sure and I'm sure they won't close down anytime soon.
IrishVixen said:
Just a warning, to get your box before your current account expires because there is no way to suspend your account until you get a chance to buy the eBay/Amazon box. If you don't, all your data, including everyone you put on the iDisk and in the Gallery, will be deleted. Your me.com email is also deactivated. The alternative is that when your account expires it will automatically bill you $99.00. So stay on your toes unless you want to be billed at the higher rate.
If you do get MobileMe, make sure you download the iDisk and Gallery apps. They do make it very convenient to transfer photos and videos you shoot with your iPhone. It helps adds to the value of just using the findmyphone feature.
Keep in mind, you can add that code at any time prior to expiration without penalty--once you enter the code, it will simply add a year onto your current term, it doesn't shorten that term in any way if you enter a code two months early, for example. So on ours, it shows that the current period ends in November, 2010, at which point the renewal I entered this week kicks in and will expire in November 2011.
That's a very good point. Its only if you try to wait until the last minute that you might have problems.