Want to Try Out Apple's MobileMe? Check Out SproutCore

MobileMe won’t be available until July, but you can at least get a feel for some of the service’s features by heading over to SproutCore and trying out their photo app. SproutCore is an open source JavaScript framework that Apple used to build some portions of MobileMe, so it isn’t surprising that the photo app bears a strong resemblance to the demo shown at today’s WWDC conference.

At first glance the SproutCore photo demo looks like an online clone of iPhoto, which isn’t a bad thing. You can use the maginifcation slider to resize images in real time, and library photos can be sorted into folders. You can also create “subscriptions” (RSS feeds) to other users’ photo albums. Mac users will feel right at home.

SproutCore was created by the developers of Sproutit, an online mail help desk. Apple has actually been using SproutCore technology for some time – the .Mac galleries they introduced in 2007 were also based on the platform.