I can’t help but write this during office hours because I am very annoyed by this weird bug that causes me to lose my Favourite contacts on my phone every single time it happens. Here’s what happens to my phone whenever I’m in the office:

• My Touch Pro is hooked up to my PC to charge & sync emails, etc all day in the office
• It syncs every once in awhile to get updated mails from Microsoft Outlook 2007
• When a sync happens lately this error message pops up ever so often

There has been a change made on your server that requires you to re-synchronize all items on your device. All changes made since your last successful sync will be lost.

• The phone goes through entire re-sync process which takes ages and the end result is that I lose all my list of favourite contact numbers every single time it occurs; meaning I have to select my favourite numbers again & again & again

Just a few days ago a weird thing happened where lots of contacts on my phone went missing but they still existed on Outlook and a sync didn’t do anything to solve the problem. I restored the contacts to my phone from my Mac using Missing Sync but when I did a sync with my office laptop Windows Mobile Device Manager duplicated the contacts on both my phone and Outlook 2007! Gaaaaah! To fix the problem I had to manually remove the duplicate numbers but the good thing was I also did some spring-cleaning on my contact list at the same time. Sigh. Maybe I should get an iPhone even though I am quite happy with how Windows Mobile works when it comes to doing actual “work” stuff. I really love the physical QWERTY keyboard on the Touch Pro and I hate touchscreen-based keyboards. What’s going on here? It’s such a weird problem that’s widespread and no one seems to be doing anything about it. *looks over at Microsoft and other smartphone makers*

The dumb ass solution...

It is annoying and I am pretty sick of having to go thru this on an almost daily basis lately. One suggestion that I found online was to turn of email sync which is kinda stupid as the reason why I have a smartphone is so I can stay up to date on emails on Outlook without having to pop open my notebook all the time. The most useful thing about synching emails is so I can read them and catch up on stuff when I’m on the go. So much for working smart! *sighs* An official forum thread I looked up had no proper solution too. Gyaaah!

I’ve been looking into this on and off for months but to no avail. Has anyone come across any solution to this problem? It’s A N N O Y I N G ! ! ! !  H A L P ! ! !

I spent the weekend updating my Mac (s aapl) to OS X 10.6.1 Snow Leopard. It went well, thanks to a little planning and a lot of patience. Windows (s msft) users are facing the decision as to whether and when to upgrade to Windows 7. Here are some questions to consider when you’re faced with an operating system upgrade.

Is It Worth It?

I’m generally not in a hurry to rush out and buy the latest and greatest OS. It’s always worth reading the reviews, and following reports of bugs. In this case, it’s been a while since Snow Leopard came out, and there’s already been a .1 maintenance release that seems to have dealt with most of its known issues.

Snow Leopard is, by all accounts, not that heavy on new features, but it’s also relatively inexpensive. Most of its advantages are under the hood, with 64-bit processing and better memory management. But one feature caught my eye: the ability to synchronize the Address Book (including pictures) with Gmail (s goog) or Google Apps — a feature that’s been around for a while, but which, for some reason, was previously only available to iPhone users.

Can Your Hardware Handle It?

This is an important consideration. Windows, in particular, is notorious for increasing its memory and disk space requirements with every release. And with computer prices falling all the time, it’s often tempting to just buy a new computer with the new OS pre-installed. But I decided that my Mac could work with the upgrade.

Is Your Software Compatible?

Planning for an upgrade made me realize just how much outdated and unnecessary software I had accumulated on my hard drive. Luckily, a couple of sites have compiled lists of what works, and what doesn’t, under Snow Leopard. I looked at several of them; I found this one particularly useful. It even has an application called SnowChecker that can be used to find what programs you have, and display information about their compatibility.

When you discover programs that are listed as incompatible, you can either find an upgrade (sometimes a beta version), switch to an alternative app that is compatible, or decide that you don’t need the functionality it provides.

Do You Have Backups of Everything, In Case Something Goes Wrong?

When preparing for major upgrades, I probably spend more time making sure that all of my data is backed up than I do anything else. Of course, I use the OS’s built-in tools like Time Machine, and I store multiple copies of customer data on an external drive, in the cloud through Dropbox, on my smartphone through Missing Sync, and on my company’s development server (which itself gets backed up). But it never hurts to make manual backups of really irreplaceable data, so — for example — I made backups of my address book in VCF, CSV and Address Book Archive format. You might think that I’m overdoing it, but I felt that the time was definitely worth taking after learning of Sidekick’s data loss and an apparent bug in OS X relating to guest accounts that could cause it to lose data. As Kevin over at jkOnTheRun says: “Services fail…what are you doing about it?”

Do You Have the Time to Plan and Execute the Upgrade?

Of course, doing all of this takes time, which is why I prefer to undertake projects like this after business hours. Even if it means missing a beautiful fall weekend. That way, I don’t have to interact with clients or put out fires, and being offline for a while won’t make a difference. I picked up a couple of good books at my local college bookstore where I bought Snow Leopard, and got to page 50 of Terry Pratchett’s “Nation” while waiting for the installation, so it was time well spent!

So far, I have been extremely pleased with how much faster many of the programs I use run under Snow Leopard, especially those that are available in 64-bit mode. And I’m happy with many of the OS’s new features. So for me, the time spent has definitely been worth it.

Have you upgraded to the latest operating system? How has it worked for you?

I have just spent the last hour trying to successfully synchronize my Blackberry to my Apple laptop…..and technology is supposed to help us. Anyone who has spent hours trying to figure out what should be the simplest thing can relate to what I am saying.

Almost a year ago, I purchased a Mac laptop after almost 15 years as a PC user. The switch was easy and after a few days I was praising the intuitive user interface, the integration between the different programs and the lack of curious shutdowns. To this day, I am still amazed at some of the features that this thing offers.

However, anyone that tells you that it is easy to integrate anything Mac with anything PC must be on something. I run a couple of programs on my Mac (MS Project and Quickbooks) that are not available in Mac format, so they run on a virtual machine within my Mac operating system. What a nightmare! But the biggest issue I have is syncing my Blackberry to my Mac Address Book using Missing Sync software. I have never seen more software glitches in my life. Names are curiously deleted from my device and calendar entries are repeated. If you can believe this, my device says that my Address book has 839 entries but there are only 617 on my laptop. How does that happen?

Long story short, technology used to be my friend, but the more we hang out, the more I want to break up with her. I invite you to share your thoughts.

To sign up for my monthly electronic newsletter ‘What’s New in Business,’ click here.

One of the greatest variations from the norm with the Pre and WebOS, is the idea that you are not traditionally tying your phone to a particular computer for Data Sync. The Pre breaks out of the Box in that way, not committing to any OS for sync. It relies on what ever Cloud services you want to tie it to, to maintain your personal data.  This great article from Ars Technica will explain it way better than I ever could.

One thing that becomes evident though, especially after the woes over Toodle-Do’s Toodle-Down, that Doug posted, are you completely happy to commit your Data to the Cloud?

If you are not completely secure, or at all doubtful about  sending your data out into the never never, without a local backup, Missing Sync software has been offering alternatives for cross platform data sync for ages, specifically Windows Mobile to Mac OS initially, but now the missing sync offers an option for most smartphones out there.  Significantly, and quickly, they have added an option for the Palm Pre.

Although it’s still a Beta, this is going to make a lot of Pre users happy. They are also working on a version for Windows, Bring it on I say!

Keep your life in sync with The Missing Sync for Palm Pre from MarkSpace

Once upon a time, RIM appeared to be on the verge of joining this century and offering native Mac syncing support for Apple-friendly users of the BlackBerry smartphone devices. Unfortunately, nothing has yet come to pass with regards to this tantalizing release, so BlackBerry owners are stuck, for better or for worse, with third-party solutions for the time being. One such solution is Mark/Space, Inc.’s The Missing Sync for BlackBerry 2.0, whose name actually depends on RIM continuing to ignore their Mac customers.

The Missing Sync recently received a major update that will likely leave BlackBerry owners much more content to wait while RIM drags its heels. One of the most significant new features introduced is over-the-air syncing via Bluetooth, which is something I really wish my iPhone could accomplish, since it has everything needed to do so except for the software implementation.

Not only can you sync via Bluetooth, but with Proximity Sync, you can do so automatically whenever your Mac and your BlackBerry are in range of each other. As an added bonus, Proximity Sync does not interrupt anything else you happen to be doing on your computer or your phone at the time, either.

The Bluetooth features may be the show stopper, but there are other new features as well. The Missing Sync now supports iTunes playlists, syncing of other media, and video transfer to and from your BlackBerry device. Not to mention storage and archiving of your SMS and call history, which can be very handy if you bill clients for call time and/or need to settle a lover’s quarrel with hard evidence that yes, she did in fact say that, and you have the text to prove it.

The Missing Sync for BlackBerry 2.0 is available now for $39.95. Existing users of version 1.0 may qualify for a free upgrade, depending on when you purchased it, or special upgrade pricing of $29.95 is available.

The Missing Sync for BlackBerry v2.0 çıktı!

Mac kullananlar iyi bilir. The Missing Sync for BlackBerry yazılımı çıkmadan evvel, BlackBerry ile Mac bilgisayarları senkronize etmek bir işkenceydi. Ancak bu yazılım sayesinde bu iş kolay ve zahmetsiz bir hale geldi. Yazılımı hazırlayan Mark/Space geçen zaman içerisinde boş durmadı ve yazılımın ikinci versiyonunu piyasaya sürdü. Bu sürüm normal senkronize işlemlerini bluetooth üzerinden, yani kablosuz bir şekilde yapmaya olanak sağlıyor! Bu gerçekten çok hoş bir eklenti. Bu versiyonda eklenenler sadece bundan ibaret değil. Yeni olarak eklenen özelliklerden bazıları şunlar: itunes için iyileştirmiş playlist desteği, BlackBerry’den Mac’e, Mac’den BlackBerry’e video transfer imkanı, SMS mesajlarını ve arama kayıtlarını Mac’e aktarma imkanı…

T-Mobile Dash

As soon as I got The Dash in the mail (ordered it through eBay) and slid my SIM card in, I abhorred every aspect! I immediately repackaged it and proceeded to create an eBay listing to sell it. I was convinced by a friend to stick it out and make it work. The following is a subset of all that it has taken to enable me to embrace the T-Mobile Dash – HTC Excalibur. Love is an overstatement, contentment is more accurate. I feel like I can make it until my contract expires in February 2009. I think I can. I think I can.

Screen Shot Windows Mobile 6.1

Windows Mobile 6.0 and then 6.1
I am pretty sure that T-Mobile offered a way to secure Windows Mobile 6.0 when it came on the scene. I do remember some additional updates being required but I cannot remember what they were. 6.0 was a great improvement but 6.1 is AMAZING and all the credit and work arounds for 6.1 being apart of my mobile life belong to the author of the following post at CodeRetards: http://www.coderetard.com/2008/07/14/how-to-hack-your-t-mobile-dash-htc-excalibur! This hack fixes the SERIOUS memory leak and the ANNOYING multiple alarms! Better UI, lots of added features and THREADED TEXT MESSAGING – OMG. The only thing the the tutorial doesn’t include are the proxy settings for MMS and Internet. They are easily found upon Googling. Also note that the US Keyboard fix has to be downloaded to the device not to your storage card.

Missing Sync for Windows Mobile

Missing Sync for Windows Mobile
This handy software enables The Dash to sync with my MacBook. Missing Sync is a lifesaver of sorts as backing up my contacts has become integral. I gladly lose my phone or find a need to hard reset and I do not miss having hundreds of numbers stored. However, my hard nosed, “I don’t answer unless I recognize your number,” policy does not change, stored contacts or not. Makes for a lot of angry callers. 

The drawback with this software is that you can only install software through Missing Sync when .CAB files are made available. Many, if not most, developers do not provide these files. Instead they offer .EXE files that have to be run on a PC while the smartphone is connected through ActiveSync or Windows Mobile Device Center (Windows Vista). Which means that plenty of work hours have been devoted to the dash using the office PC. Sneaky. 
http://www.markspace.com/products/windowsmobile/mac/windows-mobile-sync-software.html 

Antenna Booster

Signal Booster
There is nothing more irritating than sitting through a conference/meeting with nothing to distract you from the presentation! I often glance to my left and my right and witness countless individuals twiddling away on their cellular devices. I cannot join them. I have NO signal. This of course is a reflection of T-Mobile’s lack of network and poor excuse for 3G. I doubt the blame belongs to The Dash.

Nevertheless, I bought the little sticker. I do not really know if this works because I have not traveled lately. The true test is to check for a signal when you are in a place where you have known that you have had little to no signal. Others have tested it out and though it may not be all its cracked up to be, tests have shown improvement. Check out the study: http://home.pacbell.net/mtom168/antenna.

Red Hard Shell
I would not have needed this if the metal portion of the faceplate did not peel off around the LCD screen. Having a piece of metal bent upward toward your ear makes for an uncomfortable phone call. This egregious defect annoyed others greatly. Someone stood in front of me and taped the metal piece back onto my phone — they could not take it any longer. It stayed down for approximately 3 days.

Of course I attempted to remedy this myself, by crazy gluing the metal piece back to the phone. It worked alright except for the glue that I adhered to the LCD screen. Now I have this slightly bulky red shell that hides the offense of raised metal jetting out into my personal space. It also causes The Dash to stand out a bit and it looks great with the Windows Mobile 6.1 red home screen theme. The finish that I have is matte with a bit of shimmer, a bit dissimilar to the photograph above.

Replacement Screen

Replacement LCD Screen Kit
I have not received this yet but the crazy glue on the LCD is becoming bothersome and I have been looking for a good reason to start taking things apart and putting them back together, anyhow.

SanDisk 2.0 GB

SanDisk 2GB MicroSD Memory Card
Good to have – I am trying to move EVERYTHING that I can over to it. I think The Dash initially began blinking at me when I had the audacity to install a bible reader with two translations of the Bible. This nifty little object (about the size of my ring finger’s nail) is inexpensive and another great asset to loving The Dash.

That’s All for Now Folks
Save yourself the trouble. Get a Blackberry.

Ever since I switched from iPhone to Bold, I’ve been having problems syncing contacts and files with Mobile Me on my computers. Seems like there are more problems than I had originally discovered. Mobile Me is a program specifically designed to work with Mac, PC, and iPhone ONLY. From my experience, the ability to use this program with any device other than the iPhone is not as intended by Apple. You can read about my issues after the jump.

I got Mobile Me as soon as I was able to sign up for the trial. It truly is a unique type of software, which allows consumers to enjoy an exchange type email client for about $100 a year. Users can sync email, contacts, calendars and information between their Mac, PC, iPhone and iPod Touch. Since I had all these devices, it made sense to use this software, and it worked for a while too. I had the same information all the time on each piece of hardware, no matter which changes I made while I was on either one.

I was blind in the beginning though, I switched over everything to Me.com, assuming I was going to keep it forever, but after I got my Bold, things got worse with the software. Since BlackBerry software for Mac is sub-par, I installed everything on my PC, including Mobile Me. Me allowed me to sync my contacts into Windows Contacts, which was then used to sync that information on to my Bold. Unfortunately the information between Me and Windows Contacts got confused, and most of my contacts could not be sync’d to my BlackBerry.

In order to sync, I had to delete about 8 contacts, which I replaced into Windows Contacts after sync. However all my contact information was corrupted, pictures didn’t match their proper contacts, and most information from Me was missing on my hand held. In the brief time I removed those 8 contacts, Me removed them from it’s server also, which left all my devices void of those contacts (except the Bold). However the fun didn’t stop there.

I downloaded Missing Sync for BlackBerry, which allowed me to sync everything from my MacBook. This caused even more problems. When I Sync’d my contacts, it deleted everything I had on my device, which meant most information was once again missing/corrupted. I finally gave up and spent about 45 minutes adding all my missing contact information directly on my Bold. After that my plan was to remove all the contact information from Mobile Me, and re-sync the data from my Bold. Doesn’t work that way unfortunately. Its impossible to use Missing Sync to place contacts from my bold on to my Mac.

In the end, I wouldn’t suggest using Mobile Me unless you have a Mac and an iPhone, no PCs and no BlackBerrys. It seems like my problems are a result of a compatibility issue with Mobile Me and Windows, which sparked the further problems that arose. I am definitely not happy about losing all my contact data, and I am afraid to re-sync my contacts with Missing Sync.

syncmate – mac

sollte eine freeware alternative zu dem kostenpflichtigem missing sync sein.

das ca 7 mb große dmg file verspricht folgende möglichkeiten

- installieren von programmen

- synchronisierung von favoriten, kontakten, kalender/notes

- informationen über betriebssystem, speicherstatus, alarm, batterie und viel mehr.

- kompression von mpeg4 videos und photobearbeitung

installiert benötigt es ca 16mb und ein NEUSTART ist fällig. 

während dem ersten start fragt das programm danach ob man sich die expert version kaufen möchte -
mit klick auf ok und häckchen auf nicht mehr erinnern ist das auch erledigt.

beim ersten anschliessen wird eine installationsdatei (*.cab) auf das gerät kopiert.

die standard verbindung ist usb – aber auch über wirelesslan kann man sich verbinden – doch mein erster versuch verursachte einen absturz der software.

freigeschalten sind in der version
die sich beta nennt:

kontakte, ical, infos über das gerät und aktivitätslog – alle anderen sind dem
expert modus überlassen.

fazit:

das tool funktioniert !- wer seine kontakte und den kalender auf OSX organisieren möchte hat mit dieser freeware beta ausgesorgt (die sich aber eher als demo zeigt)- alle anderen weitersuchen - 

syncmate ist kompatibel mit
Tiger und Leopard

SyncMate FREE Edition is a perfect solution for information management. It is FREE and easy-to-use synchronizer for Mac and Pocket PC, that will help you keep all your documents, text messages, contacts, calendar entries and events and other stuff well organized. Simply establish a connection between your Mac and Pocket PC via USB or Wi-Fi and synchronize applications like Address Book, iCal, etc. With SyncMate it is very easy to read SMS directly from your Mac, check detailed device information (battery state, etc) and visually analyze memory usage.
(sagt der hersteller) 

the missing sync ist um $39.95 zu finden
und kann mit der demo version sicher ähnlich viel.
es wird hier eine bluetooth verbindung statt einer wirelesslan angeboten.

Missing Sync for Symbian é uma aplicação para Mac OS X que permite a sincronização de informações pessoais entre os smartphones e seu computador.

Agora que aumentou a quantidade de dispositivos suportados com a nova versão, Missing Sync for Symbian é compatível com o Symbian S60 ou UIQ 3.0 ou posterior.

Assim, uma grande quantidade de telefones da Nokia e alguns da Sony Ericsson e Motorola poderão sincronizar seus dados com o Mac OS X. E não é só a agenda que permite iSync, como também seus contatos, calendários, tarefas, música, fotos, vídeo e outras pastas.

Além disso, armazena o histórico de chamadas e SMS, de forma que estes sejam fácies de acessar e consultar em seu computador. Inclue uma função para realizar a sincronização automaticamente, através de Bluetooth, cada vez que nos aproximamos do computador, .

O preço do Missing Sync for Symbian para Mac é o mesmo da versão Windows Mobile, US$39.95

Site Oficial | Missing Sync for Symbian

Via Xatakamovil

Wie Teo von Symbian-Freak berichtet, stehen die Jungs von Mark&Space kurz vor der Veröffentlichung von Missing Sync für Symbian S60 (Update: Es ist jetzt schon für 39,95$ erhältlich). Ist das für Macuser mit einem Symbian Smartphone jetzt eine revolutionäre Nachricht? Nach meinem ersten Eindruck eher nicht.

Für diejenigen, die die Missing Sync Reihe noch nicht kennen – es handelt sich hierbei um Synchronisationsoftware für den oft vernachlässigten Mac, zum Beispiel für Windows Mobile oder Palm. Dabei geht Missing Sync deutlich über die oft rudimentäre mitgelieferte Sync-Software hinaus und synchronisiert auch verschiedene Kalender, Musik und vieles mehr.

Auch haben Macuser bisher eher das Nachsehen. Mittlerweile gibt Nokia zwar für seine Handys jeweils ein isync-Plugin und den Nokia Multimedia Transfer heraus, im Vergleich zur PC Suite für Windows fehlt da aber noch einiges. Für viele Sachen muss noch BootCamp angeworfen werden, wie zB Firmware Updates oder das Übertragen von Karten für Nokia Maps. Mal sehen, was die als ‘coming soon’ angekündigte Version der Ovi Suite für den Mac so bringt.

Erstmals steht jetzt aber mit Missing Sync für Symbian eine richtig gute Alternative zur Verfügung, falls Mark&Space die Qualität ihrer Schwesterprodukte halten können. Ich selber habe über ein Jahr Missing Sync für Palm genutzt und war (im Gegensatz zur furchtbaren und veralteten Palmsoftware für den Mac) mehr als zufrieden. Als besonderes Feature bringt Missing Sync für Symbian eine automatische Bluetooth Synchronisation mit, sobald man sich mit seinem Bluetooth Handy dem Mac nähert. Hört sich sehr gut an, obgleich ich Bluetooth bisher eigentlich immer ausgeschaltet lasse, damit der Akku länger hält.

Weitere Features sind:

• Sync mit iTunes (Musik, Video) und iPhoto
• iCal und Adressbuch Sync mit Support für unterschiedliche Kalender
• Automatische Synchronisation über Bluetooth
• Archivierung der Anrufliste und von SMS

Insgesamt bin ich eher enttäuscht von dem, was ich da lese. Außer der automatischen Synchronisation, die im Grunde nur einen Klick spart, bietet MS für Symbian wenig mehr als iSync/Nokia Multimedia Transfer. Für 40$ ist mir das zu wenig, zumal es eigentlich vieles gäbe, dass sich am S60 Sync mit dem Mac noch verbessern ließe. Aber ich will noch vorschnell urteilen und versuchen, mit MS für Symbian in den nächsten Tagen erst einmal selber angucken.

Update: Mittlerweile habe ich eine Lizens von Missing Sync für Symbian bekommen und werde es in den nächsten Tagen testen. Erste Eindrücke findet Ihr hier.

Nachdem mir irgendein Penner mein HTC P3600 während einer Pause in der Weiterbildung geklaut hat, musste ich kurzfristig ein neues Gerät beschaffen. Fündig wurde ich wiederum bei HTC mit dem relativ neuen Touch Dual. Das Teil ist zwar nicht halb so cool zu bedienen wie ein iPhone (die Scroll Funktion ist Schrott..), aber da Letzteres noch nicht verfügbar ist, eine gute zweite Wahl.

Zu meinem Erstaunen hat die Synchronisation mit Missing Sync tadellos geklappt und nach ca. 2-3 Minuten waren alle Kontakte aus dem OS X (10.5.2) Adressbuch sowie die Termine aus iCal sauber synchronisiert mit dem Windows Mobile 6 des HTC. Das Gerät ist in der Kompatibilitätsliste zwar nicht aufgeführt, aber offensichtlich hat sich HTC nicht zu weit weg vom Standard bewegt mit der Implementation von Win Mobile 6. Bravo!

Recently – in a move wrapped in common sense and taste – a friend of mine purchased an Apple Mac.
And so I sent her a list. A list of software I can’t do without on my own Mac. It occurred to me others might be interested so here’s my “couldn’t live without” software list for the Mac:

Firefox – Safari is good but it’s just not compatible with enough of the sites I use i.e. wordpress.com

Flip4Mac – the best windows media plugin, lets you watch video on sites to lazy to encode video for formats other than windows. The coolest thing is you just install it and everything else is automatic.

Fire – fantastic IM client that works with everything (MSN, AOL, YAHOO and .MAC). Sadly there will be no future versions of Fire as this open source project has come to an end but whilst we’re all still on OS X this remains a great IM client.

Missing Sync – This delightful software allows you to sync your windows mobile 6 handheld – or any number of other handhelds – to your mac (including itunes) anyway. Ace!

OpenOffice – Is a good cheap (free – if memory serves) alternative to buying Office for Mac (hideously expensive).

Handbrake – A good dvd ripper is essential in the UK if you want to take full advantage of your video ipod (particularly the touch)*. Handbrake comes with all the settings pre-configured for ipod formats and – once you’ve figured out how to use it – works really well.

Cyberduck – A great FTP client for Mac.

*One of the few lame features of Apple is their inability to sort out movie distribution for the UK via itunes.

A Mark/Space já tem uma extensa linha de produtos da série Missing Sync para diversos modelos de aparelhos. Eles básicamente fazem a ponte para sincronizar dados com o Mac.

Infelizmente, este lançamento para o iPhone podia ser melhor. Ele transfere (e não sincroniza) as notas do iPhone para o Microsoft Entourage, armazena SMS e call logs e pode trasnferir dados de Blackberry, Palm OS e Windows Mobile. Mas poderia realmente ser uma solução única.

After purchasing my new hot i-Mate JasJam and hacing it to run Windows Mobile 6 (more on that new post) I needed a way to sync my Macbook with my phone. Originally I was running VMWare with Windows XP and just syncing it in there but it came a time when I wanted to control my contacts and use Mail and other applications to access it, so it was time for a native application.

I wanted to use Missing Sync for Windows Mobile 6 but their store lacks the PayPal purchasing option, so thus I discovered PocketMac which ended up detecting my device during setup but refusing to detect it further while the application was running: what a waste of 30 Australian dollars.

So I browsed the XDA Developers forum and found out about SyncMate, this beta but free application uses iSync to talk to all the Mac services but slips in its own agent on the desktop and mobile device to initiate the sync. It takes a bit of plugging and unplugging but afterwards it provides Contacts, iPhone, iTunes, Calendar,  Notes, Time, Folders and CAB installation all in one FREE app. The application will also query your SMS and storage devices, something I believe PocketMac lacks.

Head over to http://www.eltima.com/products/syncmate/ to check out the FREE beta, if this ever goes to stable I will no doubt buy it. Without it I would be sucking down valuable RAM with VMWare.

Aye Eye I