Syncing a Phone, PDA, or iPod


Mac OS X v10.4 comes with a utility program called iSync, which lets you synchronize some of your information to handheld devicessuch as cell phones, iPods, and PDAsin addition to your .Mac account.

To Use iSync with a Handheld Device

1.

Connect your phone, PDA, or iPod to your Mac via its USB cable; or, if your phone or PDA supports it, use a Bluetooth wireless connection. (You may need to consult your device's manual for guidance on this.)

2.

In the Applications folder, double-click iSync to launch it.

The iSync window opens (Figure 8.21). By default, it has one lonely little icon representing devices it can sync with the icon for your .Mac account. (The account isn't really a "device," of course, but iSync treats it as one.)

Figure 8.21. The iSync window starts out with just one iconthe one labeled .mac.


3.

From the Devices menu, choose Add Device (Command-N) (Figure 8.22).

Figure 8.22. To add a device to iSync, choose Devices > Add Device or press Command-N.


The Add Device window opens, and iSync scans for any eligible connected devices. When it finds your phone, iPod, or PDA, it notifies you in the Add Device window (Figure 8.23).

Figure 8.23. When an eligible device is found, the Add Device window expands to provide details. In this case, iSync has discovered a V60 cell phone connected by USB.


4.

Double-click the found device to add it to iSync.

iSync adds the device and displays its preferences (Figure 8.24). The preferences in this window vary according to the specific type and model of device you've connected.

Figure 8.24. After a device has been added, its preferences are displayed. These preferences differ, based on the kind and model of device detected.


5.

From the "For first sync" pop-up menu, choose one of the following:

  • "Merge data on computer and device" to preserve data on both the phone and your Mac, merging it and reporting any conflicting data to you

  • "Erase data on device then sync" to erase the phone data and replace its data with information from your Mac

6.

Check the "Turn on device name synchronization" box.

This ensures that data on the device will be synchronized.

7.

Check the boxes next to the information you want synchronized. This varies depending on the device, but it can include contact information, calendar events, and to-do items.

8.

In the upper right corner of the iSync window, click the Sync Devices button. iSync synchronizes information between your phone, your Mac, and your .Mac account (Figure 8.25).

Figure 8.25. iSync presents a progress bar when information is being synchronized between your computer, a device, and your .Mac account.


iSync for Mac OS X v10.2 or v10.3

Mac OS X v10.2 Jaguar and v10.3 Panther do not have built-in .Mac synchronization capabilities, but if you don't have Mac OS X v10.4, don't despair. You can download a version of iSync that works with Mac OS X v10.2 and v10.3.

This version of iSync (version 1.5) works with some cell phones and iPods, and it also controls how your Mac synchronizes its information with your .Mac account. With iSync 1.5, all synchronization is done with iSync.

You can download iSync 1.5 from the Apple Web site at www.apple.com/support/downloads/isync.html.


Tips

  • Not all cell phones work with iSync. To check your phone's compatibility, visit Apple's "iSync Compatible Devices" page (www.apple.com/macosx/features/isync/devices.html). Note that you may need to purchase a data cable separately.

  • If you're using a Bluetooth phone, be sure it has been set up using the Bluetooth preferences pane in System Preferences before you set up iSync to work with it. (If you don't see a Bluetooth icon in the main System Preferences window, your Mac doesn't have a Bluetooth module installed.)

  • The .Mac icon in iSync 2.0 doesn't do muchit presents a dialog noting that you have to change your .Mac Sync preferences in the .Mac pane of System Preferences. That dialog has a button called Open .Mac Preferences, which, if clicked, opens the .Mac pane of System Preferences.

  • iSync synchronizes data stored on your phone with the records in the Address Book and iCal applications installed on the Macintosh you're synchronizing with not with the data stored on your .Mac account. It's a good idea to do a .Mac sync, to make sure that Address Book and iCal are fully up-to-date, before you sync a phone or other device using iSync.





.Mac with iWeb Visual QuickStart Guide Series
.Mac with iWeb, Second Edition
ISBN: 0321442288
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 113

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