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iSync Beta Released

Posted by pudge on from the carve-my-name-in-a-video-game dept.

OrangeHairMan writes "iSync, 'the cutting-edge synchronization software from Apple,' has been released in beta, with support for Bluetooth phones, iPods, Palm OS-based handhelds, and .Mac (for synchronizing multiple Macs). Now only if I had any of these products... ;)"

12 of 47 comments (clear)

  1. Needs a little work. by Alex+Thorpe · · Score: 3, Informative

    Out of the supported devices, I only have the iPod. But when I told it to sync, it failed to notice that I'd already copied over most of my contacts and two of my calendars already, so I've got a ton of duplicate entries. I hope it doesn't decide to replace the duplicates that I delete.

    --
    "Common Sense Ain't" -Unknown
    1. Re:Needs a little work. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      The release notes that came with the download said to delete old files (just on the iPod) before syncing. Apple tried to warn you.

  2. Not all Palm devices... by singularity · · Score: 4, Informative

    The ReadMe clearly says that it is for Palm devices from Palm or Handpsring. My Clie may be supported, but until I know I will continue to use Palm Desktop with the MissingSync. I have no desire to try to move over to iCal until I know that I can synch it with my Sony.

    It amazes me that people are able to write support for these devices without too much trouble and yet the companies are not able to support Macs.

    Getting my old Handspring to work with Palm Desktop 4.0 (so that I did not have to use Classic) was a very minor thing on my part, but Handspring took forever to get it working. They just released the Desktop 4.0 software for Visors last week!

    The fact that an indivdual can write support into Palm Desktop to support Clies is amazing as well, given that Sony will not support it.

    Now Apple will not support Clies, as well.

    I can only hope that support is added later.

    --
    - (c) 2018 Hank Zimmerman
    1. Re:Not all Palm devices... by DeanT · · Score: 4, Informative
      I don't have a Clie, but a friend of mine does.

      He tells me iSync works with it and is quite pleased.

      DeanT

    2. Re:Not all Palm devices... by class_A · · Score: 2, Informative

      iSync still uses Palm Desktop/HotSync Manager to sync to the Palm OS device. Apple has not written a new HotSync application. It's still up to Palm and/or your Palm OS device vendor to get your device supported in Palm Desktop.

  3. Re:Newton support by RevAaron · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm serious.

    On the Newton, to move data for use in iSync, I can simply connect via ethernet or PPP/SLIP. I don't need to rely on some proprietary syncing/comm protocol like on the PalmOS. Converting between NewtonScript objects and SyncML also will be a pretty straightforward operation.

    The easiest way to do this would be to create a web app, a module for NPDS (Newton Personal Data Sharing) or use Steve Weyer's Sloup.

    There's a reason the Newton platform has kept on kicking, it is still a very easy platform to code for, user and developer friendly.

    --

    Working toward a usable PDA environment in the spirit of Newton OS: Dynapad
  4. Re:Great... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    You need a .Mac account because it saves the information on Apples servers and then you can sync that info with any other machine you have. Its doesn't mean computer to computer in a direct sense.

  5. Re:finally can sync my Handspring on OSX by nilepoc · · Score: 2, Informative

    according to pdabuzz.com the handspring client for OS X is out.

    http://forums.pdabuzz.net/showthread.php?s=d3749 56 6e6c4e26885c2c7706ff5af8d&threadid=42479

    enjoy.

  6. Re:Getting warmer ... by pudge · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's not an invisible location, I believe; it's in your iDisk, in (IIRC) Library/Application Support/iSync/. Although, right now, it appears iDisk/.Mac is down, or somesuch, because I can't get to anything.

  7. Hope release is more full-featured by dr00g911 · · Score: 2, Informative

    It seems like a great idea to be able to synchronize my contacts, calendars etc. over .Mac between all my Macs spread out at 3 different locations.

    Problem is that currently, you have to manually run the Synch, and there isn't an automate option or even an Applescript hook yet (there isn't even an Applescript dictionary in this release). I've tried the usual suspects: synch, synchronize, dosynch. No luck.

    I'll be playing the next day or two to see if I can create something cron-able to synch my stuff at 8am and 6pm.

    I'm also interested to see if there's a way to hack this to work with other services -- iCal works (sorta) with WebDAV servers.

    --dr00gy

  8. iSync only wants to talk to Apple server by OttoM · · Score: 5, Informative
    I found out that
    • iSync does not use WebDAV, but a different protocol (at least for registering).
    • iSync contacts the server using https. The server is authenticated properly. I tried to fool iSync like I did with Backup but that didn't work, because iSync does not accept the server certificate.
    So at first look, iSync security is better done than Backup, making it hard to use another server, like can be done with iCal or Backup.
  9. Re:GNUsync? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Actually, I'm developing such a software. It's not called GNUsync but gsynchro. It implements SyncML standard (see www.syncml.org) which you were talking about. We're developing both a server and a client. Right now the client would be for the Zaurus and the iPAQ but port it to any UNIX platform ought to be trivial.

    For your information all the XML based sync you were talking about is really SyncML. You can see all the compatible servers and devices on that page : http://www.syncml.org/interoperability1.html#2. Of course there are all the Sony Ericsson supported phones but there are much more! I guess Apple don't want to provide support for all the SyncML devices. To synchronize Palm, Pocket PC and other non-SyncML platform we plan to do "proxies" to take advantage of what's already developed and present only one software to the user.

    We develop it in C++, using the SyncML specifications. We plan to release a first public beta by the next that just synchronize contacts between two PC and by the end of november all the PIM information between two Linux PCs or a Linux desktop and a Linux PDA (being the iPAQ or the Zaurus). But I don't think when that will happen you'll be informed on the slashdot site ;) Stay tuned!

    Christian Gillot