When the rumor mill for the iCloud first began turning it was thought that TV and movie streaming would have been a certainty, then it was suggested that Apple were still in talks with major labels and the deals just would not be ready in time. Now news from the Wall Street Journal has confirmed that the company is currently in talks with Hollywood studios, hoping to get the license to stream movies through iCloud.

Major movie studios are currently part of a service called Ultraviolet. This service allows people who buy movies Blu-ray or DVD to also have a streaming copy. The aim of this service is to deter people from pirating and reformatting copies of their own to play on their mobile devices. Apple is currently not part of the scheme, some industry pundits suggesting the company may be developing a similar service of their own. Others believe that the company may yet allow their users access the Ultraviolet content through an App, giving customers the chance to stream exclusives iTunes content that doesn’t make it to Ultraviolet if they choose.

iCloud will find itself up against tough competition should the company enter the movie streaming market such as Lovefilm and Blockbuster, but if they are able to develop their service so a single purchase could be compatible with all iDevices, they are sure to have a lot of success. Would you use the iCloud to stream movies on your device?

However, you have to get in fast, as the offer is only valid for 50 days from when it started, which will run to December 2, 2011. This service is not limited to your iOS device, as you can gain access to your account from any computer just by logging into your account. You are just a few steps away to get free Cloud storage – who needs iCloud?

The first step is to download the Box app from the App Store, more details can be found on iTunes. You then need to either login into your account or create a new one from the app. You are now set to start sharing your content in the Cloid, you are then asked to share the message with those on Twitter by typing #Box50GB.

You will also have to update the app to the latest version if you already have one installed in your iOS device, only then will you be able to take advantage of the 50GB offer for free. There are a number of new features added that will take advantage of iOS 5. We would like to know from our readers if they have signed up for Box app and if it really as good as what they say?

Backing up your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad device that supports iOS 5 is now effortless, as your photos, game data, mail etc will be backed up without you knowing about it – or will you? iCloud is very clever in what it does though, as it will never re-upload the same content twice, it will only ever do so when your content changes on your iOS 5 device. So it all seems perfect right, well it’s not so for a select few.

iClould Backup will only happen when your device is charging and connected to your Wi-Fi network, it’s then that the fun begins. Depending how much data you have saved on your phone a huge amount will have to be transferred via your wireless network, which is an issue if your main computer also relies on a wireless connection. A few readers and myself have found that when the iCloud Backup is running Internet speed is reduced to 0.58MB/s or even slower.

Now you can decide to charge and sync your iOS device when you do not need to use your computer – which is not ideal – or you can manage your storage manually. For those with a huge amount of data being backed up you will need to go to (Settings -> iCloud -> Storage & Backup -> Manage Storage -> [Device Name]). From there just select what you want to be backed up, this should help a great deal.

However, you can also select Manual iCloud Backup, but to us this defeats the object. There is one last resort, and that is to go back to the cable, but would you really want to do that? Have you experienced this issue, if so please share with our readers how you were able to overcome this? One thing we do know, Apple needs to resolve this when they release the first update to iOS 5.

So now we decided to go to iPhoto and check for an update, it said that we had version 9.1.5 so we had to go to the Mac App Store. We did that and found that the app would cost money for the latest version, which we then tried to do. However, after trying to buy we then had the message “We could not complete your purchase.” It said that we had the latest version.

We were then left wondering what to do, so thought that we would just check to see if there was another update for OS X, even though we had just updated to 10.7.2. Strangely there was, and then it said that it was now downloading iPhoto version 9.2. Well this was a long way round, why did they not just update this with the OS X update?

At least we did not have to rant at our readers saying that Apple was trying to con us into purchasing a new version of iPhoto in order to use the new iCloud service. The update also solved a few known issues, such as new swiping gestures, magnify view and much more.

Did you experience the same issue as we did?

The iCloud website has been live for a few hours now, and understandable people have been trying to get in. Go there and have a look now, you will see that Apple has dropped beta from the website – something that is certainly nice to see. Remember to have your Apple ID and password to hand, as you will need that to gain access.

There seems to be a mixed reaction, some of our readers have been telling us that they are able to login, but have had a few issues with non-supported browsers. We tried to login, but cannot, as we get a message asking us to got to our iOS 5 or Mac OS X settings – very strange indeed.

It will be interesting to know if more of our readers have been able to login into iCloud before iOS 5 goes live. We cannot understand how some people have managed to get in; we have to wonder if they are not telling the truth? We have asked a number of our friends, and they all have the same issue.

iCloud has been designed to work with all your iOS devices, and we just love how it will be launched the same day as iOS 5, and two days ahead of the iPhone 4S. Speaking of that new handset (which sold one-million pre-orders in 24 hours), iPhone Rumors says that we should look forward to a much faster iCloud experience because of the dual antennas. However, there is already an issue, which is something to do with a possible patent dispute.

There are still many regions in the U.S. and the UK where signal is not what it should be, but the new antennas should help to resolve this issue. However, we must stress that the public have not tested this in the real world, and we have all seen how Apple can get this very wrong.

Now, Apple has not said if Mac OS X Lion needs to be updated to make it ready for iCloud, but PCWorld reports that Mac OS X 10.7.2 update is being tested right now, and could also be released on October 12. This will be a true test for Apple, as they have three launches going on just days from each other, let’s just hope it all goes off without an hitch.

Apple’s next operating system version, iOS 5, will go live on this date, also on the same date Apple’s online storage service, iCloud, will launch. You can find out lots of juciy details about what iOS 5 here and iCloud here – obviously Android devices have boasted similar features for a long time, but Apple usually deliver things in a much more seemless and reliable way.

iOS 5 should silence lots of Apple critics as it consists of hundreds of innovative features which iPhone owners have been requesting for years, one of which is the notification centre which Android smartphones have boasted for a long time now – you can see a video showing this off here.

One additional feature which iOS 5 and iCloud will allow for is iTunes Matching (available late October), this will cost $24.99 a year and will store your iTunes library on the Cloud, this means that once your iTunes account has been set up on an Apple device it will scan and match your library, update what’s missing, intelligently sort the media and all new media will be immediately ready to stream, best of all even if your original copy was of low quality it will stream from iCloud at 256-Kbps AAC DRM-free quality.

With iOS 5 and the iCloud in place from October 12 it will be interesting to see how Apple build from here, perhaps in the future there will be seemless integration between all Apple devices, meaning your SMS messages, emails, contacts, photos, music, videos and other files are instantly accessible no-matter whether you are using your iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, iMac or MacBook – this seems to be what Apple are working towards.

Stay tuned for more iPhone-related news.

First of all there is iOS 5, we know for certain that this new mobile operating system is coming, but we still do not have a confirmed release date. We do not expect Tim Cook and his team to share any more feature details, just that all-important release date. For those who are not going to upgrade to the new iPhone, then iOS 5 will be more important to them, as it will make the iPhone an even better handset.

iCloud to us is the most important service, as this will mean that Apple has finally done what we have been waiting for, and that is breaking the iPhone away from the shackles of a computer. This will now mean that future versions of iOS will be made available via OTA. Not only that, the moment that you do something on one iOS device, then it will be made available to all your other portable Apple devices, such as an iPad.

Then we have that all-important new handset, which will either be called the iPhone 4S or 5. There are suggestions that it will just be a minor spec bump, but we cannot ignore the thousands of cases that are being made, all of them will fit a larger iPhone design. Maybe there is even plans for two models, we will just have to wait and see.

Finally let’s talk iPod Touch. This should have seen an upgrade last month, but we heard nothing. Now there is the worry that Apple could cancel their PMP and go with a cheaper iPhone to fill the void. You have to love all the speculation that surrounds these Apple events, talk about free advertising for the company.

We heard earlier today that Apple was trying to finalize music rights for iCloud in more places than just the United States. Apple’s aim is to get worldwide music rights before the event is streamed around the world in about 28 hours time. This article reports that sources “familiar” with the arrangements say iTunes managers are trying to secure a deal so it could essentially be announced during the keynote.

Apple’s new iCloud service will store your music, documents, calendars, apps, photos and more wirelessly in “the cloud”, and then you’ll get access to your information automatically as it’s pushed to all your devices. This means while you’re mobile getting access to data and purchases will be much easier, and can be pushed to your PC, Mac, iPod touch, iPhone and iPad. Apple is expected to give a release time for iOS 5 at tomorrow’s press conference, and as soon as your iOS device is updated to the latest software your apps will be ready to use iCloud.

Those of you that have not found a blog for live streaming of Apple’s event can find a few in our earlier article here, which gives you a few good places for complete coverage. If you’re not sure what iCloud is or want to learn more, then you should take some time to find out via the official website. What Apple announcements do you expect?

An article on AppleInsider is reporting that one of its readers has contacted them and said they received an email welcoming them to iCloud. It what seems like a mistake the email advises the user his email address is the Apple ID that will be used to get all his devices set up for the new service.

There is a link in the email that is to take the user to an instruction page that is to help you get everything working in no time. Currently though the instruction page is not working, so it is obvious the email was sent out too early during some internal testing.

The email also says once you have sent up iCloud, all your content will be stored and can be sent out to all your devices. It mentions that if you purchase a music track via iTunes it will appear on your iPod Touch and iPad. The email continues that if you take a photo on your iPhone, it will automatically appear on your iPad.

Apple’s new iCloud service along with iOS 5 is being looked forward to by many fans of the company, and will really simplify sharing content between user’s devices. Are you looking forward to the iCloud service?