Explain iOS5 iCloud implementation to me

Ive been enjoying iOS5 for some time now but Im still not completely clear on some of the aspects of iCloud. In Settings > iCloud you have the on/off sliders for mail, Contacts, Calendars, etc. If these are switched to 'on' *when* does it sync to iCloud to make the nessessary updates? For example if I have Contacts set to on, I add a contact to my iPhone, does it update iCloud with that straight away?

The reason I ask is that in Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > there is an on/off slider for 'iCloud backup'. At first I thought that if this was set to off it would never backup to iCloud full stop. However I suspect that this slider is only for having the phone do an automated backup when its locked and charging?

To turn off iCloud backup completely would I have to have 'iCloud Backup' switched off and also all the individual sliders for Mail, contacts, etc?

The reason I want to turn it off completely is because I also like to sync with iTunes and it causes duplicate contacts etc.

Thanks for any advice

 

Hi thanks for the clarification, can you tell me where the above setting is?

Also if they sync by push instantly, and lets say you are not currently connected to a fast data service such as wi-fi (or even 3G for that matter just a regular cellular signal), could more intensive settings such as 'Photostream' and 'Documents & Data' cause battery drain as it tries to sync these changes to iCloud?

The reason I ask is because 'Photostream' would need to upload a picture you have just taken to iCloud so that it can sync it with your other iDevices.

 

Hi

Thanks for clearing that up. I watch all the keynotes as they happen but havent had the chance to go back and re-watch it. Appreciate the info

 

based on your experience with iCloud so far are you guys planning on using this as your primary way to keep your devices up to date, rather than the old way of connecting and syncing with iTunes on your mac/PC?