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Apple Announces iSync 1.1 and QuickTime 6.3

chrisbw writes "According to this press release, Apple has announced iSync 1.1 and Quicktime 6.3. iSync adds support for more phones (including USB), as well as syncing Safari bookmarks!" Software Update has QuickTime 6.3 now, and iSync 1.1 is available via the web site.

22 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Software Update by HaloZero · · Score: 4, Informative

    Just worked for me. Also included is now a Bluetooth Software download, upgrade to 1.2.1, which wasn't mentioned by the original article poster in this Apple Update.

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    Informatus Technologicus
  2. and...yadayadayad makes 3 today by djupedal · · Score: 3, Informative

    Bluetooth 1.2.1 provides enhanced stability and support for the following Symbian OS based mobile phones: Nokia 3650, Nokia 7650, and Sony Ericsson P800. Bluetooth 1.2.1 is recommended for use with iSync 1.1.

  3. What a letdown by yorkrj · · Score: 3, Informative

    I was hoping that this update would fix some annoying features of iSync. In order to get iSync to work with your Palm, you need to install Palm Desktop before iSync then do the hokey pokey and ... well I forget how it goes. I first thought it would replace Palm Desktop but it does some sort of conduit interfacting with PD. I wanted to see this revision drop the complexities of getting iSync to work with my Palm but it looks like this has not happened. ...bummer.

    1. Re:What a letdown by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Once you set it up its nothing, just hit the sync button on your palm/cradle/whatever and it opens isync and syncs for you, they probably will never fix that "bug" cause it really isnt any, its probably a Palm thing where they wont license it out to Apple for fear apple might get more adventurous in the future and re-write the Palm OS, or some stupid crap like that. As long as Palm desktop is always on your computer they are happy, even if you dont use it

    2. Re:What a letdown by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      No, it's nothing so complex or bogus as that. It's simply that Palm doesn't speak SyncML, and iSync only speaks SyncML. So iSync and the Palm Desktop software have to work together. iSync pulls your data out of your address book and iCal and whatnot and packages it up for Palm Desktop, and Palm Desktop puts it into your Palm. And then, vice-versa.

      If Palm supported SyncML, we'd be in business. But there's not much that Palm does that makes sense. My Tungsten T has bluetooth built in, for instance, but it can't be synched over Bluetooth. Which makes the Bluetooth completely useless. Whatever.

    3. Re:What a letdown by c13v3rm0nk3y · · Score: 2, Informative
      My Tungsten T has bluetooth built in, for instance, but it can't be synched over Bluetooth.

      Er?

      I agree that iSync is really just a fat conduit that hooks up various bits to the Palm HotSync process, but I'm syncing My Tungsten T just fine over Bluetooth to my G4. The base station stays at work (on Win2000) and syncs up with Outlook (gotta use it -- corporate calendar/mail) for Calendar and ToDo lists only. Other stuff syncs to the Palm Desktop.

      At home I sync up iCal and Address Book, everything else to Palm Desktop and no "backup" -- all over Bluetooth. I don't connect the Tungsten to a USB device at all at home.

      It's all documented on the Palm and Apple support sites on how to do it.

      The next trick for me will be connecting over Bluetooth to the Mac via pppd. I'm half the way there -- just need to sort of the connection chat details -- but the G4 is happily thinking the Bluetooth adpater is a 115k serial port and can see the start of a handshake from Palm on the other side of the "wire".

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      -- clvrmnky
    4. Re:What a letdown by klui · · Score: 2, Informative

      Macintouch covered this today but did not exactly say in what order should things be done, either. After you download each component (iSync 1.1, iSync Palm Conduit 1.1, and Palm Desktop 4.1), and read the readme for iSync Palm Conduit 1.1, you'll then understand you should install/upgrade in the order: Palm Desktop, iSync, iSync Palm Conduit.

  4. Safari Bookmarks by GreenKiwi · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Does anyone know whether this will be bi-directional? i.e. Can I use bookmarks on one machine... and on another and add to each of them in between syncs? That would be awesome!

    By the way, is there any easy way to do this with Mozilla? Especially, with mozilla on different OSs?

    1. Re:Safari Bookmarks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Yes... syncing Bookmarks works exactly as calendars and contacts : you can edit them on any sync'ed computers and iSync will merge them correctly.

    2. Re:Safari Bookmarks by metamatic · · Score: 2, Informative

      I use a tool called BookIt, which will sync bookmarks between all Mac browsers as well as Mozilla on Windoze. It'll sync across the net as long as you can mount the remote filesystem somehow. I carry my bookmarks on a 128MB flash memory stick that's about 25x12x2 mm.

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  5. does it fix the muxed audio bug? by davesag · · Score: 2, Interesting

    does the new quicktimee fix the bug with muxed audio tracks in the movies that sony cybershot cameras make, whereby the movies play fine but if you try to save them as any other format they lose their audio and you have to mess about with a bunch of 3rd party hacks to get the audio out okay?

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  6. Another thing not mentioned.... by ihatewinXP · · Score: 4, Interesting

    (from the AP press release)

    [The new Quicktime is] the industry's first mainstream solution to support the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard and to deliver a foundation for the creation, delivery and playback of rich multimedia content over wireless networks.

    More coming from Apple and that DoCoMo partnership I guess? I would love to have QT capabilities on my cel.....

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  7. And to finish my own post..... by ihatewinXP · · Score: 4, Informative

    I just found some specifics....

    "QuickTime 6.3 delivers extensive support for the 3GPP standard, including Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) and Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) audio, MPEG-4 and H.263 video, 3G Text (TX3G) and native .3gp file format support."

    Of course AAC support and MPEG-4, but what the hell is 3G text?

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    1. Re:And to finish my own post..... by sg3000 · · Score: 3, Funny

      R E A L L Y . W I D E . T E X T

      [3G uses a wider frequency bandwidth for each channel than regular IS-95 CDMA. Approximately 3 times the bandwidth, if I remember correctly. Sorry. RF engineers have an annoying sense of humor!]

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  8. New iSync only for new iPods? by Van+Halen · · Score: 5, Interesting
    According to this post apparently iSync 1.1 only works with iPods that have firmware 2.0 and up. I can't verify it yet since I'm at work and my iPod is a 30 GB with the 2.0 firmware anyway. Anyone with an older iPod want to give it a try and see?

    If true, perhaps this means a new iPod firmware ought to be coming out very soon? I know Apple promised an update for USB 2.0 under Windows in June. But my primary concern is that we get an update that fixes the bugs in the 2.0 firmware (most notably the clicking between tracks).

    But then I'm straying a bit off topic here... Hopefully the AAC encoder in QuickTime 6.3 works as well as or better than QT 6.2 for encoding from iTunes. I did a quick comparison before leaving this morning, and while there are byte differences between a 6.2-encoded AAC and a 6.3-encoded file, they are both the same size and I couldn't tell any audible difference (improvement or otherwise) at 160 kbps. The blurb on the website about 6.3 has plenty of marketing-speak about AAC but no real technical details telling whether anything of substance changed.

    Just some random thoughts, back to work!

    1. Re:New iSync only for new iPods? by mcwetboy · · Score: 2, Informative

      No, only syncing To-Do Items requires iPod 2.0. Syncing To-Do items is new. Old iPods will work as before, presumably.

  9. Sony pda syncs now by Minter92 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    My WOOHOOO about my clie finally syncing with my mac was cut short when I realized it was only syncing the memo nothing else. No calender no address book. odd.

    Still playing with it though.

    1. Re:Sony pda syncs now by c13v3rm0nk3y · · Score: 3, Informative
      My WOOHOOO about my clie finally syncing with my mac was cut short...

      You've checked out Missing Sync, right?

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      -- clvrmnky
  10. Re:Well this is good by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    iSync is a generic synchronization platform. It uses SyncML to keep databases together across multiple devices.

    It's an important part of Palm use with a Mac, but in truth using iSync with a Palm is a little messy. That's because Palms don't support SyncML. So you still have to use their piece-of-shit "hotsync" software, although iSync handles all the ins-and-outs of getting your data in and out of your applications. Hotsync still has to do the heavy lifting with your Palm.

    With Bluetooth phones, on the other hand, iSync is all you need. Just pair the phone to the computer and click "Sync Now." Poof. All your contacts and calendar items are in your phone. It's pretty nice.

  11. P800...I'm not ready to blame Apple. Yet. by jtrascap · · Score: 3, Informative

    What version of Bluetooth in the P800 are you users on? (To find out, do this: Go to Applications (4 dots), menu: View, then System Information. When the System Infomation panel is open, click the arrow (go to the second page).

    My Bluetooth verison is CXC12529 R5A

    It's been updated TWICE in the past 2 months (once at CeBIT and once recently in the mass update). SE has really messed-up the Bluetooth implementation so that the Auto mode doesn't work with headsets (and possibly the Mac, when the phone rings for example). It only supports the most basic OBEX Push for Bluetooth.

    We might soon either have a workaround from Apple, or a new revision for compliance from SonyEricsson.

  12. Re:A family sharing Mac-PDA-Phone syncronization by ElGanzoLoco · · Score: 2, Informative

    Palm Desktop does that, easily. OR, (as another reply mentions) you should have two different accounts on your OS X computer.

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  13. And..iMovie makes 4 today by djupedal · · Score: 2, Informative

    iMovie 3.03 via the website...(this one, if an improvement, is badly needed).

    What?s New in iMove 3.0.3
    iMovie 3.0.3 provides improved performance and stability, especially on G3 processor Macs, for rendering, audio, and the Ken Burns Effect. Refinements to the Ken Burns Effect allow greater control over pan and zoom of digital images, and make it easier to crop digital stills. QuickTime 6.3 is required for improvements to audio sync and audio integrity.