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Part of iSync's charm is its ability to keep your iPod in perfect harmony with iCal and Address Bookand you don't have to export, drag, or drop a thing. To use the dynamic duo of iSync and iPod, you need version 1.2 or later of the iPod system software. (You can download the most current version at http://www.apple.com/ipod/download). Once you've installed iSync, connect your iPod to the Mac with the FireWire cable and then start up iSync. In iSync, choose Devices Add New Device. The iSync program looks around to see what compatible items are connected to the Mac. When iSync has located your iPod, it invites you to drag the icon into the iSync window to add it to the team (Figure 10-2). Figure 10-2. When you first open iSync (top), it doesn't "see" the iPod. But once iSync has looked around and found your iPod (bottom), you can add it to the brushed-metal toolbar by dragging its iconor by simply double-clicking it.Now the iSync window expands so that you can set up the synchronization process (Figure 10-3). (You can also expand the iSync window by clicking any of the device icons.) Figure 10-3. Click an icon to expand the iSync window. In this panel, tell the program exactly which contacts and calendars you'd like to synchronize.In the expanded iSync window, turn on the synchronization function. This is also your opportunity to decide whether or not you want iSync to update your iPod automatically each time you connect it to the Mac. You can also pick the specific calendars (that is, subsets of appointments; see Section 8.2) and contact groups you wish to add to the iPod.
NOTE If you're trying to work your Palm-based organizer into the iSync mix, you have to download the iSync Palm Conduit 1.2 software from Apple at http://www.apple.com/isync. You'll also need iCal 1.5 or later and Palm Desktop 4.0 or later for Mac OS X. Once you've installed the software, open Palm Desktop, choose HotSync Manager Conduit Settings, and turn on "Enable iSync for this Palm Device." Once you've made your selections, click the round Sync Now button. If this is your first syncing session, iSync may take a few minutes to copy all of the data down to the iPod. You might also see the Safeguard box, like the one at bottom in Figure 10-1, warning you of iSync's activities. After iSync finishes up, your iPod will be in sync with iCal and your Address Book. You can check the date of your last synchronization for any device by clicking its icon in the iSync window; the first line tells you when you last synced. As shown in Figure 10-4, you can also check your iSync log in Window View Logs to see what just happened . Figure 10-4. iSync gives you a progress report as it works (top), but in case you're curious , the program also keeps a log of what it did and when it did it (bottom). You can visit the log at Window Show Logs or by pressing L on the keyboard.NOTE If you've just run iSync only to realize that you didn't want to update all that information quite yet, iSync can save your bacon. You can go back in time and restore your data to the state it was in before that last synchronization by choosing iSync Devices Revert to Last Sync.
If you have several devices in your iSync list but don't have them all connected each time you run iSync, the program throws up a pessimistic alert box saying that the synchronization failed. Remain calm. This doesn't mean your iPod didn't get synced. It just means iSync has failed to synchronize all the devices on its listbecause they weren't all connected or configured properly. 10.2.1 Removing the iPod from the iSync ListIf you decide that iSync isn't for you, you can sever the connection between it and your iPod by choosing iSync Devices Remove Device. |
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