For people who rely on Google services, Android is the perfect platform. With devices such as the BlackBerry, you need to sync your calendar and contacts with a computer — or, at least, that makes matters easier. With Google services there’s no need for sync. Everything is taken care of on multiple devices. If I add an event to Google Calendar on my desktop, it shows up on my Nexus, and vice versa. The same goes for contacts. But what about those who are already using desktop options — and especially for Mac? These people seem left out to dry. That’s why we’re going over a sync option today: SyncMate.
Upon opening the app, my first impression was how simple the interface works. The software works with multiple smartphone platforms, but it only displays options available on yours. When I plugged in my Nexus I got options to sync contacts, iCal, Safari bookmarks, photos, iTunes, and folders. This makes everything relatively intuitive. You just check the aspects you want to sync, and then set the options for each. For many of the aspects this includes two- or even three-way syncs.
Contacts
You have the option to sync Address Book contacts either from your Mac to your Android, from your Android to your Mac, or a merged sync. One neat option is the ability to sync only contacts with phone numbers. That can help keep your address book in better working order. You can’t imagine how large my contact list is, because my Gmail contacts are numerous. You also have the option of syncing groups, if you have created any.
iCal
I used iCal before I used Google Calendar, so a sync is necessary on my Android. You can do this right through iCal, but I like the syncing option. It’s familiar and it makes sure that my iCal and Google Calendars are in sync — though that’s less of an issue now that I’ve sucked it up and just started using Google Calendar.
Safari Bookmarks
I don’t use Safari, but if you do you can sync your bookmarks with your Android. I can imagine this being useful especially for online reading.
iPhoto and iTunes
While contacts and calendar sync in a more traditional manner, the iPhoto and iTunes options act more like media managers. Here you can choose an iPhoto album, an iTunes playlist, or a local photo to sync with your Android. The playlist and album features are especially neat, since you can change them on your computer and then re-sync, which changes the content on your Android. I find this useful for my gym music. I just change the playlist on my computer, plug in my Android, and the music syncs automatically.
Folders
If you want to store local folders on your Android, you can do it quickly and easily with SyncMate. Again, this is probably best if the contents of the folder are always changing. With static folders a simple drag and drop probably does the job better.
There are also some other neat options with SyncMate.
The SMS feature is useful if you work at a desktop computer all day. When your device is connected you can read your SMS on your computer screen. You can even reply right from there with SMS manager. It’s not a totally necessary feature, since it’s free to respond from your Android phone. But it’s a little added convenience. You can also access your call history.
If you want to drag and drop files from your computer to your Android, or vice versa, you can mount your SD card right from the application. I did run into some lag issues with this, and would probably just mount the disk from the Android device itself. But the option does exist.
Free or Expert?
There are two versions of SyncMate. The first is a free version. It allows the two most basic and useful functions: syncing your contacts and calendar. If you just want a way to sync your Mac Address Book and iCal with your Android, I’d definitely settle for the free version.
If you’re looking for the more advanced features, including the media manager, then the Expert version is for you. Those SMS and call history features, as well as an automatic sync option, come with the Expert version. This one costs $39.95, and includes licenses for two Macs. A six-computer license costs $59.95, and a lifetime upgrade guarantee costs $11.99. That might seem a bit steep, but if you’re looking for a sync option — especially if you’re a BlackBerry convert — this might be worth it for you.
You can get more information about SyncMate, and then download or purchase the app, at Eltima’s website.
