iSync is fantastic. It allows you to keep your computer and mobile phone in syncronization. For example, you're out somewhere and manage to get the digits off somebody you're interested in, the next time you iSync your mobile with your computer your mobile will update your Mac's address book with the new number you added to your phone. And if you add any new contacts in your Mac's address book, they will auto-sync to your phone. This is a simple yet very powerful tool to help keep your computer and mobile phone in sync.

iBluetooth

The only thing that makes iSync even better is being able to perform the iSync wirelessly via Bluetooth and to automate the iSync so that it happens automatically without your having to initiate the process. This entry covers how to make this happen.

I was in need of a new mobile phone and as cool as the upcoming iPhone looks, I just want a basic phone. I don't have many requirements of a phone. I want a thin phone since I carry it in the front pocket of my pants. I also want a phone that is compatible with the Mac's iSync so that I can easily syncronize my contact information between my iMac and my phone.

Be sure to check to see if iSync supports your phone, or something new that you're considering. Here is Apple's iSync device compatibility list. There are also some modifications and third party solutions to make more phones work. Just google the phone model and isync to see if there are solutions if your device is not directly supported by iSync.

The Motorola Razr is the phone I picked, it is thin and it works with iSync over bluetooth - no cables needed! It is very easy to setup your new mobile device to talk with your Mac via Bluetooth. From your menu select the Bluetooth icon, select Set up Bluetooth Device... and follow the steps to pair the mobile device to your Mac.

I used to sync my previous phone, a Motorola V180, via a USB cable to my iMac which worked fine. But having to plug in the USB cable often meant that I didn't do it. When I received my new Razr I was excited, more than anything, to get it connected to my iMac via Bluetooth. After charging the phone, I went through the menu shown just above to set up the new bluetooth device. It takes less time to actually set up the device than it takes to read this paragraph talking about it. It is a nice and easy procedure.

The next step is to add the device to iSync. Launch iSync, select the Devices menu, and then Add Device... select your Bluetooth enabled phone, and then it will show up in the iSync application.

At this point, you can begin syncing your computer and your mobile device by launching the iSync application and pressing the Sync Devices button. That is all fine and good, but it works much better in my opinion if I can completely automate it. After a little searching, I found an AppleScript at MacOSXHints.com that would launch iSync, initiate the Sync Devices, and then exit iSync. Here is that script. There are several method you can then choose from to schedule this AppleScript. You can do a Cron entry via the terminal, you can use Lingon, or what I did was to just use iCal. I made a new iCal entry for iSync for each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8PM, then in the Alarm settings for the event in iCal, I selected to Run Script and selected the script that I had got from MacOSXHints.com. I'm not so sure that I like seeing the iSync event in my iCal though, so I may just delete it and set a cron job via the terminal to run the script say every 48 hours.

By the way, if you do want the Applescript, you can download the actual script here.



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