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dbranham · May 22, 2007, 04:31 PM

Like many of you, I use a PC at work and then come home to my Mac. That gives rise to separate calendars, contacts, and email. Although it isn't yet clear whether the iPhone will sync with Outlook through iTunes (or by any other method), does anyone know how seamlessly the iPhone will be able to sync with a PC at work as well as a Mac at home? I'm afraid syncing with one will update the iPhone by erasing all the sync'd data from the other.

I have never even sync'd a single iPod with two computers. If no one can answer the above question, perhaps someone knows if it's possible to effectively sync one iPod with a second computer without erasing all the data from the prior computer. If so, maybe the iPhone will also allow that kind of thing.

GSixZero · May 22, 2007, 04:42 PM

No one knows, but I would guess that the iPhone won't do it by default, but there will probably be ways to hack it all together in a messy kind of way

mduell · May 22, 2007, 05:28 PM

Look how the iPods sync with music/contacts/notes/etc... I don't think we're going to see anything different with the iPhone (it doesn't even support BT contact/note/email syncing).

analogika · May 22, 2007, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

the iPhone (it doesn't even support BT contact/note/email syncing).

How the HELL do you know this?

dbranham · May 22, 2007, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

Look how the iPods sync with music/contacts/notes/etc... I don't think we're going to see anything different with the iPhone (it doesn't even support BT contact/note/email syncing).

2 Questions:
-What is "BT"?
-How do you mean iPods sync with music/contacts/notes/etc...? I know how the iPod syncs with these media on a single computer. Are you referring to how it syncs with multiple computers. In other words, does syncing with a second computer preserve the sync'd data from the first computer, or erase it all?

mduell · May 22, 2007, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by analogika

How the HELL do you know this?

Apple's New Calling: The iPhone | TIME
"And even though it's got WiFi and Bluetooth on it, you can't sync iPhone with a computer wirelessly."

Originally Posted by dbranham

-What is "BT"?
-How do you mean iPods sync with music/contacts/notes/etc...? I know how the iPod syncs with these media on a single computer. Are you referring to how it syncs with multiple computers. In other words, does syncing with a second computer preserve the sync'd data from the first computer, or erase it all?

BT is BlueTooth.
I don't understand your question.

krove · May 22, 2007, 08:17 PM

I doubt the iPhone will sync to more than one computer. Such a scheme would be too difficult to manage and explain to end-users. Find a way to sync the PC to the Mac (I'm sure there is software out there) and then choose just one computer to sync the iPhone.

shinykaro · May 22, 2007, 08:43 PM

I have a slightly convoluted solution, thought I can't speak for Outlook because at work we use something else entirely.

I keep my calendar on Google Calendar, which you can subscribe to via iCal. That way I updated it online when I'm at work on a PC; at home I just refresh iCal and when I plug in my iPod it syncs with the downloaded calendars. I'm sure you could do the same with iPhone.

Again, I can't speak for outlook, and Google Calendars + iCal is a one-way street, so anything I enter in iCal won't show up online, only my iMac and synced iPod.

There might be a better way to work this, but there's some value to storing your calendars online, mainly because of the accessibility.

dbranham · May 22, 2007, 09:54 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

Apple's New Calling: The iPhone | TIME
"And even though it's got WiFi and Bluetooth on it, you can't sync iPhone with a computer wirelessly."

BT is BlueTooth.
I don't understand your question.

Of course BT is Bluetooth. Mental lapse on my part. Thanks.

Let me attempt to rephrase my question. You implied that you already know how the iPod syncing system functions. I wondered if you were referring to syncing an iPod with multiple computers or just with a single computer. I am already well familiar with syncing my iPod with a single mac, but don't know how syncing with multiple computers would work. I fear syncing with a second computer would erase everything inconsistent from the first computer. I hope that is clearer.

k2director · May 22, 2007, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by shinykaro

...and Google Calendars + iCal is a one-way street, so anything I enter in iCal won't show up online, only my iMac and synced iPod.

Hey, actually, there's a third-party utility called Spanning Sync which lets you sync your iCal and Gmail Calendars. So if you make a change in iCal, that change shows up on your Google calendar(s) as well. And vice versa. Works just like .Mac synching. You can set it to synch very often, automatically. It's been working like a charm for months, I highly recommend it!

k2director · May 22, 2007, 10:49 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

Apple's New Calling: The iPhone | TIME
"And even though it's got WiFi and Bluetooth on it, you can't sync iPhone with a computer wirelessly."

I would be surprised if Apple didn't set up iSync to handle Bluetooth synching of contacts and calendar items with the iPhone. Not available on the PC, but for the Mac, since iSync is already there.

It would be pretty ironic if you could wirelessly sync up your Sony or Moto phone through iSync, but not your iPhone. We'll see...

shinykaro · May 22, 2007, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by k2director

I would be surprised if Apple didn't set up iSync to handle Bluetooth synching of contacts and calendar items with the iPhone. Not available on the PC, but for the Mac, since iSync is already there.

It would be pretty ironic if you could wirelessly sync up your Sony or Moto phone through iSync, but not your iPhone. We'll see...

Oooh, great tip! I'll have to check it out, thanks!

analogika · May 23, 2007, 06:52 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

Apple's New Calling: The iPhone | TIME
"And even though it's got WiFi and Bluetooth on it, you can't sync iPhone with a computer wirelessly."

We'll let that stand until the phone is out.

Article is dated January 10th, 2007.

iomatic · Jun 5, 2007, 07:31 PM

<digs thread from the dead>

Unless, you can sync via .Mac.

MrPhelps · Jan 7, 2008, 08:49 PM

you may wish to look at iphone sync client at Nexthaus Home which on one hand requires unlocking the iphone

but on the other hand is getting very good reviews for doing a good job of sync'ing.

QSilver · Jan 8, 2008, 11:23 AM

I sync to an iMac at home and a work PC several times a week.
No unlocking required, no additional software needed

The iMac has all the typical iTunes media on it. The work PC has my calendar and contacts in Outlook 2003. You can only get iTunes media from one computer (if you try to sync music/videos from a second computer, the music/videos from the first computer will be over-written). Some have reported success at keeping caledar/contacts on two computers but many have reported problems with this (I completely fragged AddressBook the only time I tried it).

Settings-
iMac: On the summary tab in iTunes when the iPhone is connected a) un-check the box so iTunes does not auto-sync with the iPhone; b) check the box to sync only the selected items. On the Info tab, nothing is checked. On the other tabs (Music, etc.), select whatever palylist, podcasts, etc. that you want to sync to the iPhone.

PC: On the summary tab in iTunes a) no auto-sync with the iPhone; b) sync only selected items. On the Info tab, both calendar and contacts are checked. On all other tabs, nothing is selected.

HTH,
QS

LouN · Jan 8, 2008, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by dbranham

Like many of you, I use a PC at work and then come home to my Mac. That gives rise to separate calendars, contacts, and email. Although it isn't yet clear whether the iPhone will sync with Outlook through iTunes (or by any other method), does anyone know how seamlessly the iPhone will be able to sync with a PC at work as well as a Mac at home? I'm afraid syncing with one will update the iPhone by erasing all the sync'd data from the other.

I have never even sync'd a single iPod with two computers. If no one can answer the above question, perhaps someone knows if it's possible to effectively sync one iPod with a second computer without erasing all the data from the prior computer. If so, maybe the iPhone will also allow that kind of thing.

You can sync everything. It does take a jailbroken iPhone though.

To get wireless sync on your iPhone, install SyncJe for iPhone (free licenses available until tonight, might as well get one, even if you use it later).

You then need a SyncML server. Since google cals have come up in this discussion, I will use GooSync as an example. Sign up for a free account there. More detailed instructions are available here. Now your iPhone is synced with your google cal.

For your desktop, you also need a sync client. You can use Spanning Sync as has been suggested. If you are using Outlook, you can use SyncJe for Outlook, and sync that to GooSync also. You can do the same from work or home.

You then have an end to end wireless sync from your iPhone to your desktop. There are many other free syncml server providers, like Mobical, you just have to find one that suits your needs.

As an example, the path a new calendar entry would take is:

iPhone -> GooSync -> Google Cal -> Spanning Sync -> Desktop (work and home)

...and the reverse path also works.

If you would like more details on how to do this or have any questions, please let me know.