August 18, 2008
How to make Macs and Smartphones play nice
I've been using Verizon's XV6800 Smartphone for the last few months, a replacement for my venerable Motorola E815. While the Motorola was better at being a phone, the XV6800 -- Verizon's version of the HTC-made Mogul -- is a much more versatile device, equipped with a full sliding keyboard, touchscreen, and a suite of software running under Windows Mobile 6, including Office, PowerPoint and Excel, as well as a fully-functional internet browser.
The only thing I miss about the Motorola phone was it's ability to synch with my Mac laptop, enabling me to swap files between the two devices and keep my contacts and calendar updated on the phone.
Unfortunately, the XV6800 doesn't play nicely with the Mac; plug it in via a mini-USB connection and the computer sees ... nothing.
I wasn't particularly interested in loading Windows onto my Mac, solely for the purpose of being able to get the PowerBook to recognized the mobile, so I looked for another way around this high-tech roadblock.
Yesterday, I found the software-based solution to my woes: Missing Synch, a company that has software designed to bridge the gap between Apple's computers and their uncommunicative cellular cousins.
I purchased the appropriate version of the program for my phone, downloaded and installed it, and within a matter of minutes my Mac was happily exchanging data with the XV6800, cramming my 500-plus contacts into the device, without me having to enter anything manually.
A nice fix, well worth the $40 price.
Posted by Mike Lief at August 18, 2008 01:28 AM
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