Steve's unofficial iSync and Sync completeness page.

Thank you to my web host... (its a great read too...)

Steve's unofficial iSync and Sync completeness page.

Click HERE to get right to the data...

Last Update: Tuesday, December 6, 2005

This page is an unofficial attempt to list devices which work with iSync or possibly other 'sync' software as well. However, the goal here is to go a bit more in-depth into exactly what information syncs.

Apple's compatibility list does a nice job of showing which devices sync, and a general overview of whether iCal, Address Book, To-do's, etc will sync. However, it does not show, for example that some particular phone will only sync the phone numbers when it does the sync of Address Book.

The goal is not to label anything as 'good' or 'bad', but to let users know which devices might best meet their needs when they are considering a new phone or PDA. (I have added color coding at the request of readers of this site, but again, this does not mean a device with more 'red' is bad... unless you need the field that is red to sync for your purpose.) So, as the reader of this site, you must first determine what info you need to sync. One person might need a phone number and an address, while another user might need 3 addresses, 5 phone numbers, and the Instant Messenger account.

What initially got this project started, was that I noticed that all the info in Address Book did not make it over to my older Palm V. I noticed that almost all the info was in my iPod. I started wondering which devices would get the most complete sync. After an active thread on Apple's discussion board, it seemed that many people were wondering the same thing. This site is an attempt to collect some of this info in a central location.

While I will attempt to collect the best information possible, I also can make no guarantee for the accuracy of the information here. If someone notices information which is in error (especially the manufacturer), please let me know and I will make a correction as soon as possible. The info is only as good as the user testing and info that is sent to me.

I am also not going to attempt to figure out the complexities of calendar syncing at this time. However, if someone wants to include some comments about calendar or to-do lists, I will note them here.

To assist in the process, I will provide a 'template' vCard filled with information to be used in this test. I don't believe it is possible for a vCard to corrupt Address Book, but if you have any fear about this, I will also provide a screen shot of the contact so you can simply enter it on your own. (you'll have to copy / paste in a photo if you want to also test that)

Click HERE to download the vCard file...
or enter the information below into your own Address Book entry.

Screen Shot of Address Book entry

The basic instructions for this experiment are as follows...

Step 1 - Either download the vCard and add to your Address Book, or enter in the information in the screen shot to an entry in your Address Book.

Step 2 - Sync, so this new contact is added to your device.

Step 3 - Look at this 'contact' on your device and compare it to the contact in Address Book.

Step 4 - Make note of any differences (see example below). These could be the name of fields, missing information, or I suppose possibly some kind of error.

Step 5 - Send this information to me in an e-mail, and I'll add it to the site.

Note - if a device is already listed here, there is no need for you to do this. If you want, give it a try, and if you notice any difference from what is already listed, let me know.

Please provide a valid e-mail return address, so if your e-mail is not clear, I have a way to contact you. Obviously, I will not be using your e-mail for any other purpose than to exchange information regarding this page.

And finally.... a big THANK YOU from the user community if you can help with this project. I think many of us are in situation of trying to decide which phone or PDA to buy... and are wondering if it will meet our needs. Its usually not simple to find this information out without buying such a device and giving it a try. So, hopefully this information help some of us make a more informed purchase.

Also... Please bear with me on the 'beauty' of the site. I know its a bit ugly. I just don't have time to make pretty graphics right now, but I am planning to make the 'results' part way nicer at some point. But, I wanted to get it up and running, and the current format, while ugly, does communicate the data.

-Steve
Steve Wilkinson

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Sample feedback list (you could copy this into your e-mail to help you make your notes):

Photo -
Name -
Job Title -
Company -
Phone -
E-mail -
URL -
'Relationships' -
IM -
Addresses -
Notes -

also... Please include version of OSX and iSync version

Note: Green indicates the data is all there (there might be a slight variation in field labels).
Yellow indicates some of the data is missing... see the notes.
Red indicates that the field did not sync.
Gray indicates that the report did not include this data... if you have this device... please test and e-mail the results to me.... thanks. :o)

Please Note: While I make every attempt to report these results accurately, the data is only as good as what users have sent me. I DO NOT personally test each of these. If you believe one to be in error, please let me know.

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Apple iPod gen 1
Photo - not sync'd Name - First Name, Middle Initial, and Last Name only Job Title - yes Company - yes Phone - yes E-mail - yes URL - yes 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - Office and Home, NOT OTHER Notes - yes Additional notes:

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Apple iPod gen 3
Photo - not sync'd Name - sync'd title, first, and last - no middle, or suffix Job Title - yes Company - yes Phone - all phone #s sync'd but a couple of the labels changed, however they make sense; ie: work becomes office E-mail - sync'd all, but no labels - I considered this a good sync, I suppose that could be debated. URL - yes 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - did not sync 'other' address, I'm guessing it only does 2 addresses. Changed lables from work to office. Notes - yes Additional notes: calendar and to-do sync perfectly as far as I can tell.

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
BlackBerry 7100t **
Photo - not sync'd Name - First and Last only - missing Title, Initial, and suffix Job Title - yes Company - yes Phone - yes, but changed 'work' to just 'phone'. I am giving it a 'yellow', but this is very close to being 'green'. E-mail - sync'd all, but all just called e-mail - I considered this a good sync, I suppose that could be debated. URL - not sync'd 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - missed 'other' but did work and home Notes - yes Additional notes: **NOTE: this requires PocketMac, as the BlackBerry does not sync directly with iSync. (it appears to cost $29.95 USD) Might sync 'relationships' field with newer phone OS. An advantage of the BlackBerry (it may be this way on the Treo, I don't know) is that with a click, you can "call John Doe (mobile)" or "call John Doe (Home) or "Email John Doe (Work)" etc.

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
HP iPAQ 1940h**
Photo - not sync'd Name - syncs title, first, middle, last, and suffix Nickname - not sync'd Job Title - yes Company - yes Department - not sync'd Phone - all phone numbers synced (work, mobile, home, work fax, pager) E-mail - all three emails sync'd URL - not sync'd 'Relationships' - not sync'd Child - not sync'd Birthday - sync'd Anniversary - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - Syncs work and home addresses, but not the country. Does not sync "other" address. Notes - yes Additional notes: **NOTE: I'm using Mac OS 10.4.2 and PocketMac Lite 3.51. My PocketPC is an HP iPAQ 1940h running PocketPC (i.e., Windows Mobile) 2003.

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Motorola e815
Photo - not sync'd Name - yes, First and Last Name only Job Title - not sync'd Company - not sync'd Phone - yes, except for FAX E-mail - not sync'd URL - not sync'd 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - not sync'd Notes - not sync'd Additional notes: The E815 created 4 entries for this contact, one for Home, one for Work, one for Cell, and one for Pager, NO FAX

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Motorola RAZR v3
Photo - not sync'd Name- yes - syncs first name and last name, but no other name fields. The phone will only display names as First Name, Last Name, and not last name first. Job Title - not sync'd Company - not sync'd Phone - yes, syncs work, mobile, home, work fax, and pager. E-mail - syncs all 3 e-mails. (In iSync, select "Options" to check the boxes to sync email addresses and fax numbers). URL - not sync'd 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - not sync'd Notes - not sync'd Additional notes: Only syncs with Tiger (OS X 10.4.x) Also, it does not sync the Address Book's "group" to the phone's "category." In iSync, you can select which Address Book groups you want to sync. I've created a group called "Razr" and only sync items in that group so that I don't sync every Address Book entry to my phone because I'd run out of phone memory. Lastly, I'd note when when you sync the Razr there is no option to allow you to specify which contact is attached to which phone Speed Dial preset. After you sync, you need to go into the phone's address book and move contacts around so that you can attach the Speed Dial presets the way you want them to be. When you re-sync, though, your Speed Dial presets will be changed and you'll have to reset them manually. Sometimes, the voice dial and phone category information also disappears, too. Very annoying.

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Motorola Rokr E1 - aka. 'iTunes phone'
Photo - not sync'd Name - yes Job Title - not sync'd Company - not sync'd Phone - Yes (symbols for phone, mobile and fax) E-mail - not sync'd URL - not sync'd 'Relationships' - not certain (probably no) IM - not certain (probably no) Addresses - not sync'd Notes - not sync'd Additional notes: Tiger 10.4.2 and iSync version - 2.1

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Motorola v265
Photo - ? (not tested yet) Name - yes (if there is a phone number associated with it) Job Title - not sync'd Company - not sync'd Phone- yes (it basically makes 1 contact with each phone number. A contact with 3 phone numbers would become 3 entries, each with the name, phone number, and icon relating what kind of number it is. I am not positive what the limit is for how many per contact.) E-mail - not sync'd URL - not sync'd 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - not sync'd Notes - not sync'd Additional notes: It syncs with iCal. The alarms that I set in iCal come across the phone, too. It gives me a pop up window on the phone! I appreciate is that it doesn't mess with the speed dial numbers I have set on my phone, something that always bugged me with other phones.

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Motorola v551
Photo - not sync'd Name - yes (if there is a phone number associated with it) Job Title - not sync'd Company - not sync'd Phone- yes (it basically makes 1 contact with each phone number. A contact with 3 phone numbers would become 3 entries, each with the name, phone number, and icon relating what kind of number it is. I am not positive what the limit is for how many per contact.) E-mail - not sync'd URL - not sync'd 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - not sync'd Notes - not sync'd Additional notes: I am using Panther as opposed to Tiger (Tiger supposedly syncs via bluetooth, Panther requires USB cable to sync.) Also I noted that when address book deletions are made on the phone and then phone and computer are synced it is only the phone number, not the name entry that is deleted in the mac address book (this is using the V551 with the multiple listings for each phone number, not the "primary" one number per listing setting. With iCal, the V551 offers options to sync from one week up to 8 weeks ahead only (actually this is probably a good move to limit memory usage of the calendar.) Individual events on iCal are synced, but not multiple day events (i. e. a 7 day vacation to Disney World will sync only as Disney World on the first day of the vacation not all 7 days.) I did not test the alarm function in iCal. One further point; as I mentioned above Panther needs USB to sync, but Panther can utilize bluetooth to browse the phone and transmit photos, mp3 ringtones, and videos both to the phone and from the phone to the mac. I was hoping the voice memo function could also be accessed this way, but alas it does not seem to be able to do this. One reader reports: Apple lists the Motorola v551 as an iSync compatible device, but I was unable to iSync (2.1) with my G5 running on Tiger (10.4.2) with Bluetooth USB adapter. I got the same results with my PowerBook G4.

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Nokia 3650
Photo - yes Name - missing dr, mi and jr Job Title - yes Company - yes Phone - yes, all of them E-mail - yes, all 3 URL - yes 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - yes, all 3 Notes - yes Additional notes:

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Nokia 6600
Photo - yes Name - First and Last only - missing Title, Initial, and suffix Job Title - yes Company - yes Phone - yes, 'work' called 'business' E-mail - yes - 'other' becomes unlabeled default URL - yes 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - yes 'other' becomes unlabeled default Notes - yes only first line visible unless you select 'edit' when it all appears Additional notes: nickname - no; Mac running Tiger 10.4.2; iSync 2.1 (88.0) Address Book Groups not supported (as far as I can tell) Phone will only search by 'name' - first or last. Will not search by 'company' or 'nickname' unless the name fields are empty. Calendar & To-Do - Sync generally OK but no control over calendar alarms. Firmware: V5.27.0 28-06-04 NHL-10

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Siemens s56
Photo - not sync'd Name - yes, First and Last only Job Title - not sync'd Company - yes Phone - yes (except pager) E-mail - yes, work only URL - yes 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - work only (doesn't copy state) Notes - not sync'd Additional notes: calendar and to-do sync perfectly

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Siemens sx1
Photo - yes Name - yes Job Title - yes Company - yes Phone - yes E-mail - yes URL - yes 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - yes Notes - yes Additional notes: ical syncs very well as do notes and to do lists and birthdays from the address book

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Sony CLIE PEG-NR70V
Photo - not sync'd Name - sync'd First and Last; no prefix, middle, or suffix Job Title - yes Company - yes Phone - sync'd work, home, work fax (listed as fax), & pager; omitted mobile. E-mail - sync'd work (listed as e-mail), omitted home & other URL - not sync'd 'Relationships' - not sync'd IM - not sync'd Addresses - sync'd Home address; work & vacation addresses omitted Notes - yes Additional notes: Palm OS 4.01 / iSync 2.1 on Mac OS X v 10.4.2 There are many additional fields available on the Palm OS but they do not sync.

Model	Photo	Name	Job Title	Company	Phone	E-mail	URL	Relationship	IM	Addresses	Notes
Sony CLIE PEG-TJ37