| App keeps Mac in sync with Windows Mobile |
Aug. 05, 2008
 Eltima Software has updated its software for synchronizing Windows Mobile devices with Macintosh OS X desktops. SyncMate version 1.4 synchronizes email on a Mac with Outlook on a mobile device, syncs tasks on a device with iCal to-dos, and includes miscellaneous improvements and fixes, Eltima says.
(Click here for a larger view of SyncMate)
SyncMate, first released last November, takes Windows Mobile content stored on a device in its Favorites, Contacts, Calendar, and Notes applications, then synchronizes it in both directions with the Macintosh desktop equivalents -- Bookmarks, Address Book, iCal, and Stickies. As such, it compares to a longer-lived competitor, Missing Sync for Windows Mobile from Mark/Space Inc.
SyncMate's iCal plugin synchronizes data with the Windows Mobile calendar
(Click to enlarge)
But unlike Missing Sync, which was updated to version 4.0.3 in June, SyncMate is additionally claimed to synchronize email, linking Apple's Mail application on the OS X desktop to Outlook on the Windows Mobile device. Version 1.4 of SyncMate is also said to offer a "to dos" plug-in that synchronizes Tasks on a Windows Mobile device with the To Dos in Apple's iCal application.
SyncMate can retrieve a variety of information about a connected Windows Mobile device
(Click to enlarge)
Touting unspecified additional interface and stability improvements for this latest release, Eltima also lists a bevy of other changes that have been made since the program's November 2007 beta. They include:- Synchronization via WiFi
- A "more convenient" user interface
- The ability to give a mobile device Internet connectivity via a USB connection
- The ability to check incoming, outgoing, and missed calls via a "Calls history" plugin
- Synchronization with Google calendar and contacts
- A "mount disk" feature that allows accessing the mobile device as a disk drive
- A variety of "fixed bugs and glitches"
Unlike when SyncMate was first released, however, the free version of the program no longer includes special functionality for dealing with the Mac's popular image management program, iPhoto, and its music software, iTunes. This functionality is still available, but now reserved for a $39.95 edition known as SyncMate Expert.
With regard to iPhoto, SyncMate Expert can move images to and from selected folders on each device, and, in the case of a Mac-to-mobile transfer, can automatically resize photos so they fit onto a device's screen. For iTunes, music can be sent from specific Macintosh folders or playlists to a mobile device, or can travel from the mobile back to the Mac. iTunes and SyncMate Expert also work with video, which can optionally be compressed into MPEG4 format as it is sent from the Mac to the mobile.
The SyncMate Expert edition also offers an SMS manager plugin that allows sending, managing, and deleting SMS messages using the Macintosh desktop computer's keyboard. In addition, it can synchronize bookmarks between Internet Explorer running on a mobile device, and Firefox or Safari running on the Macintosh desktop.
Further information
For more information about SyncMate, see our earlier coverage, here. The free edition of the program may be downloaded from the company's website, here, and the $39.95 SyncMate Expert Edition may be purchased, here.
SyncMate supports both Windows Mobile 5 and 6 operating systems.
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