Staying In Sync With Your Mac & iPhone

The 21st century is a beautiful thing. Just an hour ago, I added a new contact to Address Book on my MacBook, then switched over to my iPhone, only to find that MobileMe's push sync service had already added him to my iPhone contacts - which I was of course expecting, but not quite so quickly. Yay for push.

I called the new contact, opened Sygic and was cozily navigated to his house using the address info it took me a handful of seconds to type into Address Book. I gave a familiar mental nod to the fact that I typed in all this info once, and it was immediately available to me in three applications across 2 platforms. I've been through this process countless times now, but I get a nice little nerd-kick every time. How can we get this symphony of awesome happening on all our services?

Where Do I Start?

There are many ways to sync your data between computers, but not all are free, and not all are… well, nice. I'll only be focussing on 2 strategies for syncing your mail, cals, contacts and bookmarks; one paid option (in my opinion worth every penny), and one free option. Each is a mixture of services, though the paid option (MobileMe) only relies on one other utility to get the full cross-browser bookmark functionality I prefer (MobileMe only takes care of bookmark sync in Safari).

For this guide, I'll be focussing exclusively on syncing Macs and iPhones/iPod Touches. For those who have other devices, Google is your friend. Note that this has been written for the new iPhone/Mac owner or first-time sync user. Power users and seasoned syncers, move on.

The Paid Option - MobileMe

MobileMe is a tough pill for some to swallow. Why pay for a service you technically replicate all (or most of) the functionality of for free? To them, I might argue "Why did you choose to buy a Mac in the first place?" You can do all the same stuff (although in different and not-always-as-pleasant-ways) on a PC and pocket the change. Is this any different?

[caption id="attachment_5170" align="alignright" width="275" caption="MobileMe may not be free, but it has many handy features beyond Sync"][/caption]

Sure, if all you got with MobileMe was the syncing the services discussed in this article, MobileMe might be hard to justify (especially with Google Sync on the scene), but MobileMe has many other features which, if they're applicable to you and your setup, easily justify the purchase. I just wish Apple would stop advertising it as primarily a 'sync service', when anyone with a keyboard can find free alternatives in no time. It's an odd marketing angle...

But great execution and user experience are worth paying money for, especially since we spend so much of our modern lives keeping in touch and staying organised using these tools. MobileMe isn't perfect, but it's a platform you can really enjoy using all aspects of, and for me the pleasure and functionality are worth it. Also, when you're moving between macs a lot and replacing them often, ease of setup/config is a huge factor, and MobileMe really has this covered.

Setup

Setting up MobileMe couldn't be easier. To get started, follow the steps below:

Mac

1. Ensure your Mac is running the latest OS revision by running Software Update from the Apple menu


2. Subscribe to MobileMe (or a free trial) here


3. From the Apple menu, choose System Preferences


4. Click MobileMe and enter your username and password, then click Sign In.


5. Now for the Sync settings, click the Sync tab and tick any service you wish to share between devices.


6. For cross-browser bookmark sync support, go to www.xmarks.com and install the plugin for any browsers you use (on Mac or PC), as supported. Even though you have MobileMe sync for Safari, make sure you install Xmarks for Safari anyway, as this will force all changes you make in Safari to automatically spread out to all other browsers with Xmarks installed, and Vice Versa.


7. Repeat all steps (except 2) for all other Macs you wish to sync.

[caption id="attachment_5156" align="aligncenter" width="359" caption="Syncing Services via MobileMe is a sinch"][/caption]

iPhone

Thanks to an update last week, going to me.com on your iPhone actually does what it should; it offers some helpful basic setup instructions and links to free MobileMe apps on the App Store, as well as the new option of using Find My iPhone… on your iPhone! Just what I always wanted.

So, for MobileMe setup on the iPhone, head over to me.com on your iPhone and make use of Apple's handy new steps.

iTunes

This final step is non-essential but worthwhile for cleanliness.

Up till now, you've probably been synchronising your contacts, calendars, bookmarks and mail settings manually via iTunes sync every time you plug in the iPhone. Now that you have MobileMe syncing these over the air, you can disable the manual sync to speed up USB sync time and avoid potential clashes:

• Plug in your iPhone via USB


• In iTunes, select your iPhone from the Devices list and click the Info tab.


• Uncheck Contacts, Calendars, Web Browser and Mail Accounts.

[caption id="attachment_5158" align="aligncenter" width="294" caption="Many sync settings can be disabed in iTunes once MobileMe is set up"][/caption]

The Free Option

If the feeling takes you, all of this can be done for free, except that it's not quite as immediate as the over-the-air push sync offered by MobileMe. Also, it requires more setup and is not quite as seamless in the Mac environment, but it sure gets the job done. If you have no need for MobileMe's other features, this is your best bet.

Mac

This guide assumes you already have a Google account (click here if you don't), and have calendars already entered in iCal, as well as Contacts set up in Address book. You may already have iTunes syncing your services when you plug in your iPhone. The difference with Google Sync is that this sync will not be limited a single Mac, and you won't have to plug in every time you want to sync.

• Export your contacts to Google using A to G. This application generates a CSV file of your Address Book contacts which can then be imported into your Google Contacts using the instructions provided.


• Export your iCal calendars using iCal's own Export function (in File menu). This must be done one calendar at a time.


• Go to Google Calendar and log in, then click Settings > Calendars > Import Calendar


• Use the 'Choose File' option to locate the exported file for each calendar, then import each calendar into a Google calendar (it's advisable to set up matching calendars with matching names before importing to streamline the process).

[caption id="attachment_5179" align="aligncenter" width="456" caption="Import your exported iCal calendars one at a time from the Import Calendar tab"][/caption]

• For bookmark Sync, first go to www.xmarks.com and download the Safari version, as well as any other version for other browsers you may use both at home and work on any machine. Xmarks makes this surprisingly simple. It's a great app.

iPhone

• You'll need to clear out your contacts and calendars on your phone before proceeding. If you're already syncing these between a single Mac and your iPhone, the settings for Calendar and Contacts sync will be checked in the Info tab (available when you plug in your iPhone and select its name from the Devices list). Remove these checks.


• Follow Google's instructions to set up Google Sync on the iPhone

If synchronization between your calendars and contacts on iPhone and Google is all you want to achieve (i.e. you manage it all on your phone, or you use Google's pages in a browser to view cals, mail and contacts on Mac), this completes your setup. If you wish to have full sync with Address Book and iCal and Mail, follow these additional steps:

• Sync your Google Contacts to Address Book


• Sync your Google Calendars to iCal


• Configure Apple Mail for Gmail (IMAP)

In The End...

Whichever your poison, setting up sync properly makes your digital life considerably more pleasant when moving between devices. I find it hard to imagine working without it.

Happy syncing. Feel free to leave comments below!