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Hilzoy · Jun 4, 2003, 08:43 PM

Hi -- after years of using my Mom's old cell phone, I finally upgraded to a T720 (Verizon Wireless) recently, but hadn't thought of hooking it up to my Mac since the sales people said it only worked with Windows. And besides, since I have never had a decent cell phone, I have absolutely no sense of what one can do with cell phones besides dial them. Then iSync 1.1 came out, and I thought, wow! I can connect this to my Mac! But how? Motorola's website still claims it's incompatible with Macs; the iSync webpage directs me to Motorola; and googling on combinations of words like 'forum Macintosh T720' yields nothing informative. So: can one of you knowledgeable people tell me exactly what I need to buy (drivers? cables?) and do to get this working? I have a G4 867 running 10.2.6; and I know something about computers but nothing at all about cell phones. Thanks a lot.

slider · Jun 4, 2003, 09:42 PM

http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...hreadid=163209

Hilzoy · Jun 4, 2003, 10:24 PM

Yes, I read that, but it presupposed more knowledge than I have. What sort of "generic USB cable" does one buy? (The sorts I have do not in any obvious way plug into the phone.) The software in the Motorola kits works only with Windows: does one need some other software? If so, what is it and where can one get it? I wish this information were accessible in some obvious place, like the Motorola website, but I haven't been able to find it. Thanks.

Hydra · Jun 4, 2003, 11:46 PM

Originally posted by Hilzoy:
Yes, I read that, but it presupposed more knowledge than I have. What sort of "generic USB cable" does one buy? (The sorts I have do not in any obvious way plug into the phone.) The software in the Motorola kits works only with Windows: does one need some other software? If so, what is it and where can one get it? I wish this information were accessible in some obvious place, like the Motorola website, but I haven't been able to find it. Thanks.

The link I gave in the other thread I started has a USB sync cable for the t720. When we refer to a "generic USB" cable we mean one in which it is USB on one end for connection to a computer and a special plug on the other end for attachment to the phone. It is generic in the sense that Motorola does not make it and it is MUCH cheaper.

Assume that the Verizon salesperson knows nothing about mac but in this case he was sorta right.

Up until today (before the release of iSync 1.1) there was no way to sync with a mac and the software was Windows only.

As it stands now many Mac users have it easier to sync their t720's with the computers because iSync is free and Motorola charges a fortune for their software which only they sell.

The only thing you need is a cheap cable (I got mine for something like $3.00) and iSync. You can sync your contacts and address book along with your iCal datebook with your t720. You can spend the full price of $80 for the Moto connectivity kit with cable and software (which is Windows only anyway) or around $30 for the cable only but it seems allot for a little cable.

As a side note I tried the cable with the 720 and used it as a wireless modem with a Verizon modem script. Anyone with a laptop and a USB port can have a mobile connection (a slow 14.4 Kbps) but great for checking email.

Here is a link to the site directly or you can do an auction on ebay and get it a little cheaper:

720 cable

Any more questions and I'll be glad to help.

-Jerry C

Hilzoy · Jun 5, 2003, 01:13 AM

Thanks a lot -- that's exactly the sort of thing I needed to know before starting to buy things. (I am totally new at cell phones -- my mother had lost the instructions to her old phone, so I never bothered to try to get it to do anything but dial. Moving from this rudimentary level to the T720 in one go is a blast.)
Is it possible to create one's own rings and load them onto the phone? I have for some reason decided that it would be fun to have my phone make the hoot of a great horned owl when it rings (I am sure this is the sort of thing I'll be tired of in a few months), but while sound files of owls are available on all sorts of birding sites, the places Verizon lists as sources of phone rings don't seem to have them...
Thanks again.

escher · Jun 5, 2003, 10:49 AM

Hilzoy: You may get more answers to your mobile phone questions if you ask them in the Motorola forum on HowardForums. Several Mac users who also know about cell phones hang out there.

Let us know how your knowledge progresses. I'm looking at buying a T720, T720i or 722i, probably with T-Mobile GSM service, for myself as well.

Escher

Hilzoy · Jun 5, 2003, 11:22 AM

Thanks -- just the kind of resource I was hoping to find.

dscottbuch · Jun 7, 2003, 11:21 AM

Originally posted by Hydra:

As a side note I tried the cable with the 720 and used it as a wireless modem with a Verizon modem script. Anyone with a laptop and a USB port can have a mobile connection (a slow 14.4 Kbps) but great for checking email.

Here is a link to the site directly or you can do an auction on ebay and get it a little cheaper:

720 cable

Any more questions and I'll be glad to help.

-Jerry C

Hi. Thanks for the info. One question though, where to you get the 'Verizon modem script' and where do you put it on OSX?

Thanks in advance

The Wolf · Jun 7, 2003, 03:52 PM

The verizon script is only necessary if you want to use your cell (like a modem) to get onto the internet, send email, etc., via your t720. If you just want to synch your contacts and calendar, you don't need the script.

Anyway, if you still don't have the script, just e me and I'll send it to you. I think you could also contact verizon tech support as well - but it may be hit or miss.

Hydra · Jun 7, 2003, 04:37 PM

Originally posted by The Wolf:
The verizon script is only necessary if you want to use your cell (like a modem) to get onto the internet, send email, etc., via your t720. If you just want to synch your contacts and calendar, you don't need the script.

Anyway, if you still don't have the script, just e me and I'll send it to you. I think you could also contact verizon tech support as well - but it may be hit or miss.

Yeah, here is the link to the site where you can get the script and directions on where to put it. It is only necessary if you want to use it as a modem.

http://homepage.mac.com/jrc/contrib/mobile_office/

-Jerry C.