Mac OS X: The Missing Manual, Tiger Edition

iSync

If Apple ever had evidence to back up its "digital hub" hype, iSync is it.

This attractive, simple program is designed to keep the calendars and phone lists on your various computers, Palm organizer, cellphone, and even your iPod in perfect synchronization, sparing you the headache of the modern age: inputting the same information over and over again. (See Figure 19-12.)

Figure 19-12. Top: For each gadget, you can specify which iCal calendar categories you want to sync, which contacts, and so on. (Don't bother clicking the .Mac icon. If you do, you're politely told, "You no longer synchronize information across computers using iSync. Instead, use the .Mac pane of System Preferences.") Bottom: The Safeguard window warns you about exactly how many changes you're about to make. (You can turn off this confirmation box in the iSync→Preferences dialog box.) You can also revert your setup to the last sync, or back up all your data, using commands in the Devices menu. Even with all these safeguards, synchronization can be a tricky business. Just remember never to sync a device with more than one Mac. Similarly, sync only one of each device type (phone, Palm, or iPod) with a certain Mac. Otherwise, iSync may get hopelessly confused as to what's most current.

Here's what it can sync:

• A cell phone. iSync can keep your cellphone and Mac up-to-date with each other's calendar, Address Book, and ...