iPod & iTunes: The Missing Manual, Second Edition

Chapter 10. iSync

High-tech gadgets are supposed to make our lives simpler and easier, but sometimes they just makes things more complicated. Think, for example, about how many different places you keep your address book: One copy on your main machine, another on your laptop, another on your Palm or PocketPC, another on your cellphone, and—if you’ve read Chapter 7—one more on your iPod.

Now then: Are all of these various address books completely identical, or do they vary from device to device? (“Well, Tory beamed me her business card, so I have that on my Palm Tungsten T3. But I haven’t programmed her into my cellphone yet, and I have Chris’s new office number on my phone but haven’t typed it into my Mac’s Address Book, and then there’s all of Charlie’s contact info since he moved…”)

Wouldn’t it be great if there were a way to synchronize all of your contacts and addresses books automatically, so no matter which gadget you grab on your way out the door, your data would be fresh, hot, and useful? If you use Mac OS X 10.2 or later, there is: iSync.

The iSync Concept

iSync can synchronize your address book and calendar with your iPod, Palm-based organizers, Bluetooth-enabled cellphones, and even other Macs (if you have a .Mac account). There’s only one prerequisite: Your address book and calendar information must already be in Apple’s own address book and calendar programs, Address Book and iCal. (See the box on page 209.)

For a quick visual reference, the main iSync window lays out all ...