Not too long ago, my brother Jay (www.byrdistheword.com) told me about a new service called MobileMe that Apple was about to introduce that enabled multi-device synchronization across various devices and your iPhone.  At first, as I usually am with new technology services, I had mixed emotions because 1) I usually get excited and think of the best possible solution and hope that is what is coming out but 2) am usually met with lackluster service products that are never as good as they could be due to compatability, proprietary bullshit and marketlust.

When Apple announced MobileMe I was def excited because I have a not-so-unique connundrum that people on the go have… multiple devices that each have their own info like contacts, calendars and emails.  Here’s my list of current devices and what I use them for…

Blackberry Curve

  • This phone is what I use 99% of the time when possible for phone calls, emails, addresses, directions, data storage, text messeging and entertainment.
  • I’ve got a legacy plan on this phone from 2004 that allows me to roam North America (US, Canada, Mexico) and make calls to/from those countries with no extra charges.  Problem is, I run out of minutes pretty quickly (800 anytime, 1000 night/weekends).
  • The problem with this phone is simple…the software works flawlessly for the basics but beyond that there isn’t room to fixate on the entertainment and interface driven stuff.
  • The built in addressbook has a lot to be desired – syncing options are limited, re-assigning phone numbers to contacts requires like 5 steps of selecting, copying and pasting.

Apple iPhone

  • Got my iPhone as a “gift” from someone that owed me a lot of money the week before the phone actually released last year.
  • Use it mostly for all my business/Undrcrwn related phone calls (lots of minutes).  This phone is great for making calls – simple interface, easy caller management for 3-way conference calls, muting, holding, etc.
  • Replaced my iPod to play music
  • There was very little built in entertainment outside of Youtube and iTunes, so this phone didn’t get much use over the last year.  I usually keep it out during the day and then get all my calls forwarded to my Blackberry once I leave the office.

15.4″ HP Pavilion Laptop

  • I had to get a new computer three months ago because my old 17″ Toshiba died several times on me (she is since barely hanging on enough to play DVDs in my bedroom).
  • Transfering files sucked balls
  • Installing new programs sucked even more
  • Getting Vista to work without annoying me was a pain but overall not too bad
  • I used to use Outlook to deal with all my email, calendaring and contacts until I switched computers.  I hope to get back to it once I figure out this syncing thing!

Three Devices and No Way To Sync Up the Important Stuff!!!

Until yesterday when I signed up for MobileMe ($99/year), it took some serious skills to figure out how to share my contacts in an efficient and organized manner.

If you want to see how I synced all my devices…see below.

For those of us that use the iPhone, Blackberry and Outlook we have a common problem.  How do we sync our contacts and address books?!?!?!  It has been something that has troubled me for a while because I often felt like I needed an assistant to management my contacts between devices.  Calling on one, emailing on another while at the office and then one while on the road.

I think I’ve managed to use Apple’s new MobileMe service to solve part of this problem.

First off, if you only have one cell phone (like a normal person) and it’s an iPhone – I highly suggest you use the MobileMe service.  It’s absolutely sick and does just about everything they says it does with the exception of handling your other email accounts.  If Apple can figure out how to cross this service over to other email providers and calendar applications, this will be a real killer app.

Here’s what I did for my iphone, windows vista PC and blackberry…

mobileme-1

Sync Your Blackberry With Your PC Using Microsoft Outlook

I personally deleted all my Outlook contacts and Calendar entries so I could start from scratch since my Blackberry had the most accurate and current info.

  1. Download & install the most recent Blackberry Desktop Manager from Research in Motion (currently v4.5)
  2. Connect your Blackberry to your PC
  3. Once connected, choose “Synchronize” from the Desktop Manager main menu, then “Synchronization” on the left menu and then the “Synchronization” button (Apple doesn’t follow the redundancy mantra that PC developers do huh?)
  4. Choose the applications you want your Blackberry to sync with.  Their options are VERY limited (Outlook, data files and Yahoo)
    mobileme-4
  5. Double-Click the “Microsoft Outlook” text so we can make a slight change to how it handles the sync.  This will make sure if you make changes on your Blackberry, Outlook or iPhone it won’t automatically overwrite one or the other without you knowing.

    mobileme-5b

    mobileme-5c

  6. Once you complete that, click “Synchronize” and all your Blackberry contacts/calendars will be synced with Outlook.

Setting Up the MobileMe Service On Your PC & iPhone (Windows Vista)

  1. Sign up for the MobileMe service.  There’s a 60-day trial period for those that want to give it a test drive.
  2. Log into your account at www.me.com
  3. Download and install the most recent iTunes from Apple.
  4. Go to Control Panel -> Choose Classic View -> Double click the MobileMe iconmobileme-a4
  5. Login to the MobileMe application and it will link your computer with your iPhone/iTunes.
  6. Set the applications to sync your contacts, calendars, etc to Outlook.
    mobileme-a6
  7. Now, your iPhone and Outlook will sync AUTOMATICALLY when you make changes on either device.  This works amazingly well.  Test it out for yourself.

The Final Step – Using Outlook to Connect the Data Between the Devices

  1. Your iPhone and Outlook will automatically synchronize themselves using the MobileMe service.  You won’t have to do anything manually and it all happens in near real time over the internet and your cell phone’s data service.
  2. The Blackberry must be manually synced by plugging it into your PC and then using the Desktop Manager to perform the sync.

Overall, this is a pretty simple fix once you get it installed and operational.  I think this will save some people serious headaches and will help keep the data on your various phones and devices relatively organized.

Please note, I haven’t even begun to deal with how to synchronize emails because I don’t use my iPhone to handle email and I don’t plan on using the MobileMe email address/service quite yet.  I already have my work account, gmail and a yahoo.  Too many emails to manage.

Hope that helps.