So I've nee using the IPhone for the 2 months or so and have been having difficulty classifying it as a smart phone. My previous phone was a Nokia E61 . Yea, yea..a fossil by tech standards to day, but a beast at business uses. What are these business uses? Calendar, Contacts, Email and Tasks. As a University student I find myself scheduling every moment of my life and categorizing events. I need to keep track of events and assignments on a regular basis. Having reminders or easy ways of checking for tasks are major selling points for me in a smart phone.
I have been using Mobile Me for just about a month now and have difficulty justifying the $109 retail / $89 student pricing for a service which has left much to be desired. What you get is essentially the equivalent of a MSN or Google account with wireless push functionality.
- Calendar
- Contacts
- E-mail Address ( me.com domain)
Let's face it. I don't need a new e-mail address with another password to remember, and I don't need to pay for it. I currently use Outlook for all my email and scheduling needs. It would have been nice to use the Mobile Me client as a way of pushing Outlook inbox mail to my IPhone. That's actually what I thought it did when I first signed up. Ok, so the service (Calendar, Contacts) does sync 2-ways with Outlook 2003 & 2007, Outlook Express and iCal (I assume).
With my my expiry of the trial period soon ending for Mobile Me, I am building a guide to a free alternative with similar functionality as the $109 suite. Here are my goals for this multi part guide;
- Wireless Calendar Synchronizing
- Wireless Contact Synchronization
- Wireless Task Synchronization
- Wireless Push Email
All free folks!!! So stay tuned...
Wireless Calendar Synchronization:
Firstly, here is what you will need :
- A windows mail client such as Outlook 2003, Outlook 2007
- Google Account [If you don't have one, just get one here]
- Google sync Windows Client [Download]
- Nuevasync Account [link]
Setting up Google Calendar Sync (Courtesy of Google):
Install and run Google Calendar Sync. Choose "1-way sync" from your "main" calendar to the other (you'll be able to change sync direction later).
Perform synchronization. Your events will appear in both Google Calendar and Outlook once again.
Double Click Google Calendar Sync Icon in system tray. Change "Sync Options:" to "2-way sync"
Set Google Calendar to sync at any rate you chose too. I personally prefer 30 min rather than the default 120min.
Now your Outlook Calendar and Google Calendar are all synced. Time to move on to the IPhone.
Setting up NuevaSync Account:
Browse to Nuevasync
Fill in required information as suggested below. Note: Use your Gmail account created in previous section.
After navigating to your user Control Panel click setup link
Fill in you Gmail email address
Login with your Gmail credential to allow access to Nuevasync
Now you're done the NuevaSync setup
IPhone Calendar Setup (Courtesy of TheiLife):
Go to the “Settings” menu then touch the “Mail, Contacts, Calendars” button
Choose “Add Account…”
Choose “Microsoft Exchange”
Enter the Email, Username, and Password you set up at the Nuevasync site. Be sure to leave the Domain Field blank. Also add a Description, the default is the Email you entered in the email field, but I prefer “Nuevasync”. On the Nuevasync site they say “it is important that the e-mail address you enter when configuring the synchronization settings on your device matches the one you provided to sign up for Nuevasync.” I also found out that if you enter the wrong email address, then your events will show up as un-editable invitations.
Touch “Next”
A warning will pop up about the security certificate at “yourdomain.com” (Normally “gmail.com” or “yourdomain.com”, but I used my theiLife.com email address for the tutorial) Just so you know why this box pops up, on their website Nuevasync says “When you enter your e-mail address to sync, your device may warn you about a certificate being invalid. This is particularly likely if you use a Gmail address. It isn’t referring to our certificate or our service, so don’t be concerned. It is part of Apple’s auto-configuration feature as it tries to guess the appropriate server name based on your info. Our SSL certificate is valid and secure.”
Touch “Accept”.
The Server Box will appear. Enter www.nuevasync.com
Now, turn the “Mail” switch off. Nuevasync does not support push Mail yet, but they hope to in the near future. They suggest setting up IMAP for now. Nuevasync also says “turn off any other category you do not wish to sync. For example, if you want to sync only your calendar, make sure “Mail” and “Contacts” are both turned off. If you want to sync contacts and calendar, you should only turn off “Mail”, but if you are reading this article, you’re probably going to want to sync both. Touch “Save”.
Now the setup is complete. Nuevasync should show up as an account in the “Mail, Contacts, Calendar” page.
Go to the Home screen and touch Contacts. Your iPhone should immediately begin to sync with Nuevasync / Google. This first sync may take up to a minute, because it has to download all of your information. Future syncs will only take a few seconds. Afterwards, all of your contacts should appear. Go back to your home screen and repeat the process for your calendar. Again, the first sync may take up to a minute because it has to download all of your information. Future syncs will only take a few seconds.
You're Done!
There you go! Much simpler synchronization than the previous NemuSync. Most importantly there is no more Jailbreaking, although I still recommend doing it. Enjoy and feel free to contact or leave a comment on the guide.
Cheers,
Filip