iSync Beta Released

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... ;)"

Comments

finally can sync my Handspring on OSX

[Pengo]

Without any kludgy work-arounds and anoyances. There hasn't been a non-classic solution to that in a while.

Needs a little work.

[Alex Thorpe]

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.

Re:Needs a little work.

[Anonymous Coward]

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

Re:Needs a little work.

[daemonjon]

Needs a little work? well yes for starters RTFM and you wont have duplicate entries (its ok i did it wrong the first time as well, a breeze to fix). Aside from not having a cell phone to try this out with I was utterly blown away. I have been doing the manual shuffle between OSX address book.app - my handspring visor - and an ipod for some time now knowing that it couldnt be THAT hard to create a real synch procedure. when the old iCEO steve first demo'd iSync it just didnt seem to be anything behind the hype besides vaporware and strange folders popping up on my ipod. well i was wrong, like they say "It just works." Of course your main fear is that in this magical sync that all important address would go back into the ether and be replaced with ancient incorrect versions thereby alienating you from your friends/family/jobs etc - I was amazed that apple managed to program something just the way i would ask for it "OK sync everything, use the newest version to fill in the blanks in the old ones, and if you run into anything sticky just ask me and show me my options." wish granted in beta form. apple just gave the world quite a big reason to switch and really solidified their version of the 'digital hub experience.' now if only they had waited and 'fixed' ical first and released this all at once as a real show stopper. 'set up us the bomb'

Not all Palm devices...

[singularity]

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.

Re:Not all Palm devices...

[DeanT]

I don't have a Clie, but a friend of mine does.

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

DeanT

Getting warmer ...

[esemplastic]

I've been holding out on .Mac for some time, but today I finally took the plunge (not because of iSync, but because my $50 discount was about to expire). Some cool stuff included, one of which is that iSync can sync up the Calendars and Address books of two macs. Very nice (if I had 2 macs).

What I'm really looking for it to do, and what it doesn't yet do, is sync up my desktop stuff (cal, address, etc.) with web versions of the same (the way that MAPI lets email be synchronized between the web version and any number of desktop mail readers). Right now, when you sync to .Mac, your data gets sucked into some invisible location at Apple's NOC, never to be seen by anyone by the iSync application. Instead, I want it editable -- I want webtop versions of iCal and Address Book, at least very rudimentary ones. They've got webtop Address Book as part of .Mac email, but that doesn't sync. Yet.

My guess is that Apple is working on it, but they just haven't gotten that far. But come on! I need it now ... :)

Re:Getting warmer ...

[pudge]

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.

Newton support

[RevAaron]

Look forward to Newton support soon for iSync... Luckily, getting Newton support is in a lot of ways, a lot more straightforward than it is for Palm OS. It's easily done via a plain old TCP/IP connection with a little app on the Newton side. :)

Re:Newton support

[RevAaron]

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.

GNUsync?

[Gerry Gleason]

Ok, so when will we be able to do the same with Linux? I don't have any of these devices yet, but this functionality will be important when I do. I imagine someone is already working on it.

It should be just a small part of the larger design problem of allowing for your personal info and identity to securely track between all the computing devices you use.

Re:GNUsync?

[DevilM]

It would be pretty straight forward to write such an application if the all the vendors would finish the XML based sync specification and then actually implement it.

Re:GNUsync?

[Anonymous Coward]

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

iSync only wants to talk to Apple server

[OttoM]

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.