iPod and iTunes: The Missing Manual, Third Edition

Chapter 11. iSync

High-tech gadgets are supposed to make our lives simpler and easier, but sometimes they just makes things more complicated. Think, for example, about how many different places you keep your address book: one copy on your main machine, another on your laptop, another on your Palm or PocketPC, another on your cellphone, and—if you’ve read Chapter 8—one more on your iPod.

Now then: are all of these various address books completely identical, or do they vary from device to device? (”Well, Tory beamed me her business card, so I have that on my Palm Tungsten E. But I haven’t programmed her into my cellphone yet, and I have Deb’s new office number on my phone but haven’t typed it into my Mac’s Address Book, and then there’s all of Charlie’s contact info since he moved.…“)

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to synchronize all of your contacts and addresses books automatically, so no matter which gadget you grab on your way out the door, your data would be fresh, hot, and useful? If you use Mac OS X 10.2 or later, there is: iSync.

The iSync Concept

iSync can synchronize your address book and calendar with your iPod, Palm– based organizers, Bluetooth-enabled cellphones, and even other Macs (if you have a .Mac account). Recent versions of iSync even support a USB cable connection between the Mac and about a dozen different Motorola phone models, so you can skip Bluetooth altogether if your Mac isn’t already equipped with it. There’s only one prerequisite: your address ...