Everything you need to know to get your mail, contacts, calendars, bookmarks, notes, and reminders syncing with iCloud

iCloud includes push email, calendaring, and contact services. That means whenever you get an email, it's immediately made available on all your devices. Whenever you make or change an appointment it shows up in your calendar on all your devices. Whenever you add or change contact information, its reflected in the contacts on all of your devices. You can access these services via the Mail, Contacts, and Calendar apps on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, via the iCloud.com website from any desktop browser, or through popular mail, calendar, and contacts apps on your Mac or Windows PC.

iCloud will also sync Bookmarks, Notes, and Reminders.

• How to set up iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendars
• How to enable or disable individual iCloud services
• How to access iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendars via the Web
• How to access iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendars, and more via Windows PC
• How to access iCloud Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and more via Mac

How to set up iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendars

If you didn't originally set up your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with iCloud, or if you want to use a different iCloud account for Mail, Contacts, and Calendars than you do for iTunes purchases, for example, or you simply want to add an additional account to your device, here's how to get it working.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap on Mail, Contacts, & Calendars.
3. Tap iCloud.
4. Enter your iCloud (me.com) email address as the Apple ID and your Password.

How to enable or disable individual iCloud services

Whether you're setting up iCloud on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad for the first time and want to choose which services are turned on and which are turned off, or you've already set it up but want to make some changes, it's easy to configure.

You can selectively choose to enable or disable Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Reminders, Bookmarks, Notes, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, and Find my iPhone/iPod/iPad.

• Launch the Settings app
• Tap on iCloud
• Go down the list and toggle anything you want to enable to On, and anything you want to disable to off

Turning off an iCloud feature on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad will remove the associated data from your device, but not from iCloud's servers. So, if you change your mind again, just repeat the process and flip the switch back on.

How to access iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendars via the Web

You can access iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendars, as well as Documents in the Cloud, and Find my iPhone/iPod/iPad from any Mac, Windows, Linux, Unix, or other PC with a modern web browser via:

• http://www.icloud.com

How to access iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendars, and more via Windows PC

To access your iCloud data via a Microsoft Windows PC, first you need the iCloud Control Panel for Windows Vista SP 2 or Windows 7.

Free - Download now

1. Click on Start to launch the Start menu.
2. Go to Network and Internet.
3. Go to iCloud.
4. Enter your Apple ID username and password.
5. Check mark the iCloud services you want to enable.

You can choose to turn on Mail, Contacts, Calendars & Tasks (Reminders), Bookmarks, and Photo Stream. The following software will then be able to access iCloud data:

• Mail: Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010
• Contacts: Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010
• Calendars: Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010
• Reminders: Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010
• Notes: Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010
• Bookmarks: Safari, Internet Explorer

How to access iCloud Mail, Contacts, Calendars, and more via Mac

iCloud is built into Apple's OS X 10.7 Lion for Mac, and will be even better integrated into the upcoming OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

1. Launch System Preferences.
2. Click on iCloud.
3. Check mark the iCloud services you want to enable.

You can choose to turn on Mail, Contacts, Calendars, Bookmarks, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, Back to my Mac, and Find my Mac. The following software will then be able to access iCloud data.

• Mail: Mail, Outlook for Mac (via IMAP)
• Contacts: Address Book, Contacts (Mountain Lion)
• Calendars: iCal, Calendar (Mountain Lion)
• Bookmarks: Safari
• Photo Stream: iPhoto, Aperture

How to get more help with iCloud

If you still need help with mail, contacts, or calendars on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, or any other iCloud feature, head on over to our iCloud Forum and ask away!

• How to set up, back up, restore, and update using iCloud
• How to set up and use iTunes in the Cloud
• How to set up and use iTunes Match
• How to set up and use Photo Stream
• How to set up and use Documents in the Cloud
• How to set up and use Find my iPhone
• How to set up and use Find my Friends

Ally Kazmucha, Chris Oldroyd, and Gary Mazo contributed major sections of this guide.

Apple released a developer preview for OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion today, and it finally makes the Mac an equal iCloud citizen, alongside the iPhone and iPad. Previously, iCloud could be enabled as a sync tool for OS X, and a way to re-download iTunes content, but versions of apps like iWork for Mac weren't updated to take advantage of Documents in the Cloud.

Now Documents in the Cloud is a core part of OS X, a secondary, simplified file system that aims to make keeping copies of your important files as easy on the Mac as it is on iOS.

"It just works. In more ways than ever. In OS X Mountain Lion, sign in once with your Apple ID and iCloud is automatically set up across your Mac.¹ That means right away iCloud keeps your mail, calendars, contacts, documents, and more up to date on every device you use. So when you add, delete, or edit something on your Mac, it happens on your iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. And vice versa."

iCloud was previously described by Tim Cook as more than just a service, but Apple's strategy for the next decade. That seems to be very true, judging how many of today's preview announcements at least have hooks in iCloud, if not being full integrated already.

Since they've got hardware more or less on lock, now Apple is smartly following up by competing in the services realm. Of course, there are product-side implications, too.  All of these changes inch Macs and iPads closer together, and in so doing, setting the stage for the day when Apple tablets are more like really small computers rather than really big iPhones.

More: Mountain Lion on Apple.com.

Ford has quite the presence at CES 2012. From the slick Evos concept car to the upcoming Focus Electric (with nice mobile app integration) and 2013 Ford Fusion, Ford has a strong showing (which is impressive, when you consider that the Detroit Auto Show is also this week). In addition to the mobile integration going with the Focus Electric, Ford's moving forward full stream with their in-car infotainment system Sync. Powered by Microsoft's Windows Embedded Automotive operating system, Sync has been leading the in-car media game for a few years now, and the latest version naturally kicks things up another notch. Sync integrates with BlackBerry, iPhone, and Android devices, allowing a driver to control apps on the device with a combination of voice commands, steering wheel controls, and the center stack and touchscreen.

Have you gone (or stayed) all in on any one approach? Do you mix and match, for example use iCloud for personal information but still connect to iTunes for big files like movies? If you have a family and are managing iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads for spouses and kids, do you sync them all the same or does it vary? Do your kids games pop up on your work iPhone thanks to automatic downloads, or do their iPods get stale because it's become too much of a chore to keep everyone updated?

How is sync working for you in iOS 5? Does it "just work" or is it more complicated and confusing now than ever? Vote in the poll up top and let me know the details in the comments!

Switching from an old iPhone to the new iPhone 4S and wondering how you can transfer your data over? Luckily, iTunes makes this process almost painless. After your initial transfer to your new device, iOS 5 and iCloud will make the process even easier from here on out. But if for some reason you still need to transfer your data manually, we've got you covered!

If you've ever had to swap an iPhone out at an Apple store, you're probably already familiar with this process. If not, follow these easy steps to copy data to your new phone. This process will save all your contacts, camera roll photos, apps, and settings into an iTunes backup for you.

1. Plug your current iPhone into your computer and open iTunes.

2. If it doesn't start to sync automatically, click the Sync button. (You can alternately right click your device name in the navigation bar and click back up as well. Either way will work just fine.)

3. Unplug your current iPhone and plug in your new iPhone.
4. You'll be asked to register your iPhone if you haven't already.
5. iTunes should prompt you to do one of two things, set up as a new iPhone or restore from a backup. Choose to restore from a backup and select the backup you just made.

6. Once the restore is done your iPhone will reboot. When iTunes detects it again it will start to sync back any apps and games your old iPhone had installed.
7. Let iTunes do its thing. When you come back, your new phone should have all the same settings and data as your old one!

After you've done a manual transfer you'll have the option to use iCloud backups in the future. If you have any questions or have issues, check out our TiPb Forums for all the help you could ever need!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

For some strange reason, our tip box is now overflowing with 960x640 screenshots (what, no iPad love?) showing a few changes from today's iOS 5 beta 2 release. Among the more interesting ones:

• Welcome screen now has an info button to give you your UDID number, should you have failed to record it previously (Thanks Apple!)
• The iCloud icon in settings is no longer purple. Long live brush metal cone fill!
• Lock screen notifications get a new, single pop up. You can pull down the full list if you like, and if you get multiple notifications, they start to stack again like they did previously.
• Wi-Fi sync in now working, but you need to be connected to a power source.
• iCloud has bumped Exchange from the top spot in mail account setup, while MobileMe has been condemned to the bottom.

We'll update as we receive more. Screenshots after the break!

Cult of Mac's source claims to have the inside info on just how Apple's new iCloud service will work, and they're saying Apple's Time Capsule (Airport Extreme + hard drive combo) will serve as its local hub.

Files saved on your computer are backed up instantly to Time Capsule, which makes them available to remote Macs and iOS devices.

If you make any changes on any computer, those changes are updated through iCloud and stored on your Time Capsule. The Time Capsule archives and serves up your files even when your computers are off. When you get home and fire up your desktop computer or laptop, the files are automatically synced across your devices.

This service will also allow you to upload photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to your Time Capsule. The media will be stored on the device and be made available for other devices to sync. iCloud is the “conduit” through which everything moves, the source said.

“Your computer gets backed up to Time Capsule anyways,” said the source. “Now it’ll serve up your content when you want it, where you want it, right there on your iOS device.”

Rumors of a Time Capsule update have been circulating recently in regards to iOS updates. If this new source is accurate, it raises some important questions. Would the $299 1TB or $499 2TB Time Capsule be required for iCloud, or just be an additional option if you prefer to control your own data? If required, that's an expensive ticket for entry into the iCloud.

Time Capsule is also presented as a single drive, with none of the parity and redundancy of something like the RAID 6-like Drobo, and the offsite protection of something like DropBox. Will iCloud offer that?

If the base iCloud service is on Apple's data center, but you can keep a cache locally on Time Capsule, you'd get local + local backup + offsite backup, which is pretty much the magic formula. That would be a very interesting service. Wouldn't it?

[Cult of Mac, @arnoldkim]

Do you wish there was a faster method to getting photos from your camera to your iPad than via iTunes? There is! The Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit is a nifty little accessory that allows you to plug an SD card into your iPad or directly connect your camera to your iPad via USB. This is excellent for quickly transferring photos from your camera without needing to use your computer as an intermediate step.

To find out how to transfer photos from the Camera Connection Kit to your iPad, follow along after the break!

1. Purchase the Camera Connection Kit from Apple
2. Choose the appropriate connector
3. Plug in SD Card or camera via USB cable
4. Connect Camera Connection Kit to your iPad
5. Photos app will automatically launch and load the pictures from your camera (USB) or SD card
6. Tap "import all" or individually select which photos you want and tap "import selected"
7. Once the import completes, you will be prompted to either keep or delete the imported photos on your SD card or camera. Make your selection.
8. Unplug Camera Connection Kit.

There you have it! Now you can quickly transfer photos from your camera or SD card to your iPad.

If you have any other tips regarding the Camera Connection Kit or have any questions, let us know in the comments below!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

There are hundreds of thousands of iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps for just about everything -- so how come the one you need, the one you know just has to be there, is so hard to find? Enter TiPb's new weekly feature where staff and readers alike sort through the App Store and help you find just the right App for That. This week, Kyra asks:

Is there an app that can help me sync my photos from iPhone to iPad? Emailing them is such a pain.

You can always use the iPad camera kit to connect via dock cable from your iPhone to iPad and suck all the pictures from your iPhone Camera Roll into your iPad Photo app, but that's so mechanical. For a more interesting solution, follow on after the break!

CameraSync [$1.99 - iTunes link] hooks into DropBox, Box.net, iDisk, or even Flickr, Amazon S3, or FTP and syncs your photos to the cloud. It's a universal app, so you buy it once and can run it on your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Launch the app and it syncs all the photos in your Camera Roll to the online storage of your choice. That means your iPad gets your latest iPhone photos, and vice versa.

Since all the sync stores are also available on your PC, any photos you sync from iOS are also available on your Mac and Windows machine (and in some cases Linux) as well. (Yes, that means you can just drag a photo into the right folder on your PC, and next time you launch CameraSync on iOS, it'll be added to your Camera Roll as well. Automagic!

Now it can take a while to upload, especially if you have a ton of new photos in your Camera Roll, and we have gotten occasional time outs (especially if you leave the app running in the background and it can't finish before iOS times out the connection.) It is incremental, however, with a nifty "photo falls into the box" animation to show you when a specific pictures has been synced. So if you have any problems, you can relaunch and continue from where you were last.

All in all, its a good solution -- and one we hope Apple builds into iOS 5...

Anyone else have any App for That suggestions for Kyra? Let her -- and all of us -- know in the comments.

Having trouble finding what you need in the app store? Send us an email to news@tipb.com and let us know what you're looking for, and we'll do our best to find you just the right App for That!

Both the iPhone and iPad do phenomenal a job of displaying the photos you take with them, but how do you get your existing photos, the ones on your computer, onto your iPhone and iPad? iTunes is the answer, and we'll show you how, after the break!

Syncing with iPhoto on Mac

Using iPhoto is my favorite choice for transferring photos from Mac to iPad because it offers the most options. You have the ability to sync all albums, events (dates), and faces (people based on facial recognition), or individually choose which combination of albums, events, and faces that you want to sync.

1. Organize your photos in iPhoto
2. Plug in your iPad or iPhone into your Mac via the USB to dock cable.
3. Open iTunes (if it doesn't open automatically)
4. Click on the Photos tab
5. Check the box to "Sync Photos From"
6. Choose iPhoto from the drop down menu
7. Select which options you prefer
8. Click sync

Syncing with folders on Mac or Windows

If using you're using Windows, or if you're using a Mac but you prefer not to use iPhoto, you can sync iTunes with a folder on your computer. If you want multiple albums on your iPad, I recommend placing the individual folders into a larger folder. In this folder, you can have more subfolders than you desire to sync with your iPhone and iPad because you can individually select which subfolders you want in iTunes.

1. Organize your photos in iPhoto or folders
2. Plug in your iPad and open iTunes
3. Click the Photos tab
4. Check the box to "Sync Photos From"
5. Select "Choose folder..." from the drop down menu
6. Browse to the desired folder
7. Select which options you prefer
8. Click sync

Depending on how many photos you're syncing, both methods have the potential to take some time.

There you have it! Now you can carry around those thousands of photos you have stored on your computer and show them off on your iPhone or iPad's beautiful display.

If you have any other tips for transferring photos to your iPhone or iPad or have any questions, let us know in the comments below!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

RockMelt has released a free iPhone version of its popular desktop app, a social-network, orientated web browser, that integrates with your Facebook/Twitter accounts, to share sites with your friends/followers as you surf, or you can update your social network statuses directly from the app. RockMelt for iPhone, brings all of these to the iPhone.

Since RockMelt uses your Facebook login, the iPhone App offers real-time syncing for your bookmarks, RSS feeds or social networks, between your iPhone and other computer. As well as offering their new "View Later" feature, which allows you bookmark specific items, like sites or tweets which you can read on your computer.

Unfortunately, there is no iPad app, as of yet.

Are you a RockMelt user? Will the iPhone app be replacing your current iPhone browser? Check out screenshots and a video after the break.

[FREE - iTunes Link]

• Our podcast feed
• Download Directly
• Subscribe via iTunes

Georgia, Chad, Rene, and Jon talk iOS 4.3.2, the mysterious ix, Toys R Us and Best Buy, Adobe concedes, how do you Sync, the BlackBerry Playbook, hiding the iPad from Google, and the state of the Jailbreak. This is iPad Live!

Complete show notes for the week in iPad after the break!

Announcements

• TiPb Asks: What would you like to see in a TiPb App?

News

• Apple releases iOS 4.3.2 for iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, iOS 4.2.7 for Verizon iPhone
• Compatible with ix.Mac.MarketingName?
• Toys R Us to sell iPad 2 WiFi models starting April 17
• Best Buy promoting iPad 2 this Sunday
• Adobe to adopt HTTP Live Streaming for Flash Media Server
• iCade iPad arcade cabinet passes through the FCC, coming end of May [video]
• Poll: Which iPhone and iPad sync solution do you use?

The competition

• iPad 2 vs. BlackBerry PlayBook browser battle
• Apple hid iPad from Google’s Eric Schmidt?
• iPad competitors considering delays in the face of tepid market reception?
• TiPb Asks: Are you tempted by the PlayBook or an Android Honeycomb tablet?

Jailbreak

• State of the iOS 4.3.2/iOS 4.2.7 Jailbreak
• i0n1c confirms current untethered jailbreak works on iOS 4.3.2

Apps

• Adobe announces Photoshop SDK, 3 new Photoshop companion apps for iPad
• Sony set to release a Crackle app, access to free streaming movies and TV shows
• Time Warner starting to add channels back into the TW Cable app
• Viacom now taking aim at Cablevision as well as Time Warner

Hosts

• Georgia (@GeorgiaTiPb
• Chad Garrett (@ichadman)
• Jon Fingas (@jonfingas)
• Rene (@reneritchie)

Credits

Thanks to the TiPb iPad Accessory Store for sponsoring the podcast, and to everyone who showed up for the live chat!

Do you sync your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch email, contacts and calendars from Mail or Outlook via iTunes or have you moved to the MobileMe, Google, Yahoo!, or Microsoft cloud? For many people, especially in business, Outlook is life but connecting a cable and launching iTunes isn't a very convenient way to stay current. MobileMe had a rocky start but has been stable for a while now, and rumors persist that Apple is about to re-invent it (especially now that the $99 box is almost impossible to find). Google is huge with geeks but does things in its own way and provides little to no support when things go wrong. Yahoo! was once a power house but now you almost never hear about them anymore. Meanwhile Exchange is huge in enterprise and Hotmail has become Microsoft Live Mail and is finally playing nicer with iOS thanks to ActiveSync.

When it comes to files there are even more choices. You can still sync via iTunes to apps that support it, or you can use Apple's iDisk, Google Docs, Dropbox, Box.net, SugarSync, or a number of options from Microsoft including Skydrive and SharePoint (though you seldom see any of them when it comes to iOS.)

Have you standardized on a single solution or do you use more than one? For example, do you use different accounts or even services for home, work, school, private info, etc.?

Vote in the polls and let us know the details in the comments?

Rovio Mobile is working on a way to sync game positions in Angry Birds across multiple devices. We don’t know at this stage if this sync will be limited to just iOS devices or across all devices that have access to Angry Birds, including other smartphones, tablets, and the version sold in the Mac App Store. Either way it would be a great help for those of us that play the game on iPhone and iPad but don’t want to repeat levels; or be at different stages of the game.

Rovio Mobile is also planning an Easter update for Angry Birds Seasons. Not much detail but it promises lots of great new stuff in the update!

[Rovio Mobile Twitter via The Appera]

Switching from an AT&T iPhone to a Verizon iPhone, or switching from any old iPhone to a new one, and curious how to transfer all your information, apps, and data over? Luckily Apple makes this process almost painless thanks to iTunes iTunes. Click through for a couple easy steps that will ensure all your AT&T iPhone data and settings get transferred over to your new iPhone smoothly.

If you've ever had to swap an iPhone out at an Apple store, you're probably already familiar with this process. If not, follow these easy steps to copy data to your new phone. This process will save all your contacts, camera roll photos, apps, and settings into an iTunes backup for you.

1. Plug your current iPhone into your computer and open iTunes.

2. If it doesn't start to sync automatically, click the Sync button. (You can alternately right click your device name in the navigation bar and click back up as well. Either way will work just fine.)

3. Unplug your current iPhone and plug in your new iPhone.
4. You'll be asked to register your iPhone if you haven't already.
5. iTunes should prompt you to do one of two things, set up as a new iPhone or restore from a backup. Choose to restore from a backup and select the backup you just made.

6. Once the restore is done your iPhone will reboot. When iTunes detects it again it will start to sync back any apps and games your old iPhone had installed.
7. Let iTunes do its thing. When you come back, your new phone should have all the same settings and data as your old one!

If you guys are switching, let us know how transferring your data worked out! Any issues with things transferring or did everything go smoothly?

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to news@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

Have an iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, or any combination of iOS devices and curious how to manage just what music, apps and videos get synced to which device? Apple has posted a handy tip on doing just that. Check it out after the break!

[Inside iTunes]

Let's say you want your podcasts only on your iPod touch, your games only on your iPad, and your getting things done stuff only on your iPhone? (Or any combination of music, TV shows, podcasts, apps, games -- you get the idea.) It even works if you have a lot of devices, like separate iPod touches for all the kids. There's no limit to the number you can sync, so here's what you do:

1. Plug your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad into iTunes via the USB dock cable.
2. Find it listed under Devices in the left sidebar and click on it.
3. Go through the tabs on the top of the iTunes window and select the music, movies, apps, podcasts, etc. you want to sync. (Bonus tip: the big, colorful capacity gauge at the bottom keeps track of how much space you have left so you can't add more than your device can handle.)
4. Your selection can include none, all/automatic, or just the exact content you wish.
5. Sync!
6. Repeat with all your (or your family's) devices.

iTunes will remember the individual settings for all your iPhones, iPads and iPod touches and never confuse them so you get just the content you want on exactly the device you want. Every time you sync the content will get updated with whatever new media and apps you've purchased and selected and you can change your selections any time your device is plugged in via the tabs.

If you're using iTunes to manage multiple devices let us know what tips you've come up with to make your life a little easier. And if you have any questions leave them in the comments!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you'd like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it's especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we'll even give ya a reward...)

MobileMe makes it incredibly easy to setup a new Mac, why can't Apple do the same for iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad? This week I picked up an 11-inch MacBook Air so TiPb could see how it compared (and competed) with the iPad, and literally as soon as it boots up, you're asked for a MobileMe or Apple ID. Once booted, you can go into System Preferences and turn on MobileMe sync. Then, unlike iOS where all you get is Mail, Contacts, and Calendars, you can start syncing down all your preferences, keychains (passwords), dock and dashboard setups, and iDisk files straight from the Apple Cloud.

Imagine the same happened on iPhone or iPad. Get a new device, enter your MobileMe login, and all your Settings, passwords, Home Screen and Folder layouts (including installed apps at the time of last sync!), and iDisk files just worked. You would only have to restore from iTunes if you chose to, and you could do a clean install without half the hassle it takes now.

Re-installing apps is still a pain on Mac, even though sync means you usually don't have to go looking for licenses any more (which is an incredible pain). With a Mac App Store, Apple could easily do the same kind of app sync on the desktop as well.

There would still be a few hurdles, however.

The first is universal login. I currently have my MobileMe ID, my iTunes ID, my Apple Store ID, my Apple Discussions ID, my Game Center ID, etc. There are hints in iOS 4.2 that Apple is taking steps towards unifying at least Apple ID and MobileMe ID. True unification and single login would be fantastic. Android already does this via Gmail, so does webOS via Palm ID. If I'm prompted for my MobileMe/Apple ID when booting a new Mac, why not when booting a new iOS device?

The second is the pay wall. That excludes a lot of users. Given how successful Google has been with their free-as-in-ad-supported services, and given Apple now has iAds and a huge data center spinning up, the idea of free -- or at least a free tier of -- MobileMe services must have been kicked around by Apple. There would still be room for a premium service, either similar to how Google Accounts is a paid version of the free services like Gmail, how DropBox offers extra capacity if you offer cash, or by actually having extra services.

Find my iPhone, which ironically Apple is currently -- and confusingly -- listing above the Paid Subscription services on me.com for iOS devices, is an example of a premium service people would pay for. And there's lots of room for others as well.

For now, however, I'd just like to be able to sign into MobileMe on my iPhone or iPad and download my environment the way I can on Mac. Apple, you've just given a lot from iOS back to the Mac. How about giving iOS that in return?

Tomorrow at their annual special music event, Apple might announce a new version of iTunes (iTunes X?) -- maybe with $0.99 TV rentals or streaming cloud music -- and thinking about that made me realize I hardly if ever sync my iPhone with iTunes anymore.

Just before iPhone 4 came out the Apple Store swapped out my 3GS due to cracks along the dock that had been preventing me from syncing. Because I couldn't sync, I'd been downloading apps directly onto my iPhone, streaming podcasts via the iTunes app (iOS 4 made that rock solid), and otherwise existing pretty much entirely from the cloud.

When I got my replacement iPhone 3GS, I just stuck in my MobileMe, Exchange, and Google logins and all my personal and work data started syncing over the air (OTA). I re-downloaded the few apps I use regularly -- Twitter, RSS, online file storage, password management, etc. and I was fully operational before I left the store. (Though, yes, they did have to tether it to iTunes in the Apple Store to activate it, and if not I would have had to do so when I got home.)

When I got my iPhone 4, same thing.

Now I do sync my iPad to iTunes a lot and I have way more apps -- especially games -- on my iPad than I do on my iPhone. The introduction of iPad and iOS 4 for iPhone, however, let me change my habits enough that my iPhone is now pretty much iTunes free. I can't remember the last time I synced (probably for iOS 4.0.2 and it annoyed me when iTunes pulled off apps I'd re-downloaded because they weren't checked off on the desktop side -- can't we do a sync for most recent changes on that?)

How about you, do you still regularly sync your iPhone with iTunes? As much as you used to? Why or why not?

By now you probably know that I am big into productivity apps and I am always looking for the next big thing. I use a lot of task management apps on the iPad, and there are some great ones for sure. However, I have just come across the ultimate task management app for your iPad; OmniFocus. This is, without a doubt the best app for utilizing David Allen's "Getting Things Done" (GTD) methodology. What makes this app stand out so much are three things: good design, Forecast and Review. But, I am probably getting ahead of myself. Let's start at the beginning. Note, a lot of the features I am going to discuss are not unique to OmniFocus, but I think it is fair to describe them so you know what is contained in GTD and can get a better grasp for how it is used. For this review I literally rebuilt my tasks in the app form scratch except for the made-up Inbox screenshot below. I had to do that since I am already organized

Gather your stuff

Organize

On the OmiFocus sidebar located on the right of the screen in landscape or the overlap menu in portrait contains the link for creating projects. Once you tap it, you are presented with a screen that displays what projects you have. If you don't have any, tap the plus sign in the top right. A project can have a few different types: Sequential, Parallel and Single. Sequential means that the project you are about to start follows the typical finish-start task relationship in project management. So, back to my previous painting the house example, you must finish buying the paint before you start to paint the house. Parallel means that the tasks do not have to have a specific order. For example, I have bills due this month, it doesn't matter when I pay them as long as they are paid by the 30th. Last we have Single. Single is used if there really is a single task to your project, or, how  I use it, a general grouping of unrelated tasks that fall under a bigger more general umbrella like "Personal" or "Work". Hmm, let's talk about those bigger umbrellas now.

Once you have projects outlined you can group them together into logical areas of your life. Tap the plus button in the top left and choose folder. Some examples of my folders include: Personal, TiPb and a couple of work-related folders- that's it. Every project, every task in my life can be put into projects within these folders.

Now, to maximize your time completing tasks within your projects, you can use what are called Contexts. Think of a context as a way to virtually group your tasks into a place or method of communicating. For example, I have an errands context I assign to tasks that I need to do while I am out shopping. I have an email context for when, if I am doing email, I can get those specific tasks completed and so on. But what is the best part about contexts in OmniFocus? You can create location- based contexts! For example, I create a location context for Starbucks (where I do most of my writing). I assign that context to tasks I need to get done when I am at Starbucks. When I arrive, I tap on that context and using the iPad's location services, it finds my location and tell me relevant tasks that I have selected that need to be done in this location. Another example might be creating a context for different office locations at work. I need to speak to certain people at a location. I assign that location context to a task and OmniFocus only shows me contexts for that location.

At this point things might start to sound a little overwhelming. I mean, you have a billion tasks with a million projects, even with contexts and due dates, how do you keep it all in order? That is where OmniFocus really shines. Where other task management apps end, the power of OmniFocus really shows it's stuff.

First, you can filter your projects and tasks by seeing only what is the very next action (task) in each project to be completed, see what tasks are available across projects (even items that are on Hold, more on that in a minute), what active tasks are remaining and all of your tasks. You can easily focus on specific projects by tapping and holding on the title. It magically makes the other projects go away so you can focus on the project or task at hand. Using the same method, you can quickly expand all or collapse all to make viewing even easier.

Forecast and Reviews

Review allows you to literally review your projects on a weekly basis. You can change this interval to another time, but I think one week works well. This is so incredibly useful. It acts like a reminder, but without nagging. You can review your project, add tasks, adjust due dates and more knowing that in a week, it will be time to review these projects again. Of course this is something you should be doing anyway, but building it into the app was pure genius.  You can do more than just marking  a project complete. You can change the status of the project to Active (which is the default), On Hold (if you don't know when you will complete it or need more information), Completed (Yeah, it's done. Think if it like you are archiving the completed project) and Dropped (Canceled).

Syncing and conclusion

I did not cover every aspect of OmniFocus here (yes, there is more...) but I think you have a good indication of what it does and how well it does it. Oh, and did I mention it's pretty with a cool app icon? Those are great bonuses, but this is clearly leaps and bounds ahead of what else is out there and our patience for this app release has truly been rewarded; thanks OmniFocus. It would be nice if there was a lite version of this app as the $39.99 price might be too steep from some. However, if you use the GTD methodology, then you are probably already hooked.

[$39.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Beautiful, intuitive design
• Workflow to add tasks is painless
• Multiple organization options
• Different sync options

Cons

• Expensive
• No way to sync to the web via a website (like Toodledo)
• No lite version is available for users to try before buying

Apple has posted a knowledge base article support note for users whose Exchange ActiveSync mail, contacts, and calendars are no longer syncing post-iOS 4 update.

Here are the symptoms as described by Apple:

Immediately after updating to iOS 4, some users may notice that Exchange ActiveSync Mail, Contacts, or Calendars do not sync, or sync very slowly. In addition, some Exchange Server administrators may notice their servers running slowly.

And the solution:

To work around this issue, users should install a configuration profile from Apple that increases the amount of time the iOS 4 device will wait for the Exchange Server to respond to its sync requests. For best results, the profile should be installed on as many iOS 4 devices at your company as possible.

To install the profile:

1. Use Safari on your iOS 4 device to download the configuration profile. It may be easiest to read this article with your iPhone or iPod touch and tap the download link there, but you may also email the attachment to another email account on your iOS 4 device, and tap the attachment to open it.
2. Tap Install to install the profile, and enter your passcode if prompted.
3. A warning message will appear because the profile is not signed. Tap Install Now. Tap Done to complete the installation, then power off your device and power it back on.
4. Wait for your Exchange data to finish syncing.

After installation, the profile will be listed under Settings > General > Profile.

If you've been having Exchange sync issues under iOS 4, let us know if this does indeed resolve it for you.

[support.apple.com, thanks Doug!]

The Smartphone Experts S&C retractable sync and charging cable for iPhone 4 [$4.95] is something Georgia took a look at recently for iPad and iPhone 3GS but, frankly, I needed a convenient, tidy, highly portable way to sync and change my iPhone 4 on the go and so I grabbed it. Literally.

The Smartphone Experts S&C Retractable Cable for iPhone expands to a length of 2 ft. and has a locking feature which allows you to choose which length you would like the cable locked at. A light tug on the cable and it retracts back to its wound state. When wound, the Cable is only 4.5 inches long, making it very easy to bring with you. My regular usb S&C cable was always a tangled mess when I carried it loose in my briefcase. A good deal of time and effort was spent on untangling the cord from whatever it had become attached to. With the Smartphone Experts S&C Retractable Cable for iPhone, charging and syncing my iPhone is a snap, just take it out of my briefcase and plug it in and when I am done a quick tug and is thrown back into my bag. The cable is quite well constructed and after a month of use it is still working like new.

It's also $4.95, so I'm not too concerned about lending them (which usually translates into giving them away). If you want to keep your iPhone 4 synced up and charged, check out the Smartphone Experts S&C retractable sync and charging cable for iPhone 4.

And check out Georgia's video after the break to see it in action on the iPad and iPhone 3GS. (Works the same with iPhone 4).

YouTube link

Update: This app seems to break core functionality, read my article here on uninstalling Wi-Fi Sync. Until the developer decides these issues need to be addressed, I can't recommend anyone pay for this application, or until another workaround is found. The developer has been completely unresponsive when I've tried to contact him about the issue and at this time, I have no current easy solution to resolving broken backups and upgrades.

Wi-Fi Sync for iPhone is a jailbreak app that allows you to wirelessly sync with iTunes as opposed to having to plug in your phone.  It found it's way into Cydia after it was rejected by Apple.

As of now, Wi-Fi Sync is only Mac compatible.  The developer is currently working on a PC version which he states on his website should be complete in about 8-10 weeks.  If you have a Mac and want to try it out, simply click here to get the Mac desktop software, then go in Cydia and purchase Wi-Fi Sync [$9.99 - Cydia Link].

After you've installed Wi-Fi Sync on your Mac and your iPhone, you should now be able to pair them.  The first time you do this, you'll need to be by your Mac as it'll ask you to accept the connection.  You'll see this new icon in your Mac task bar (far left).

From that menu you have a few settings.  One being to disable backups.  I did this, as backups typically take a while and obviously, over wifi, your syncs will not be as quick as they are via traditional USB connection.  It'll definitely make your battery take a hit with backups enabled as the time it takes to sync drastically increases.  To disable backups, just click that little icon and click to disable backups.

Now I don't know if it was just me or if it's a bug but my Mac kept asking me to accept the connection everytime, or wouldn't find it sporadically.  There was also a couple times it would boot me off and my iPhone would tell me I had no wi-fi connection.  As this app is in it's newborn stages, we will see how it progresses in terms of stability and feature set.  As far as I see, you'll also need to tell your phone to sync automatically if you plan on using this app while not directly in front of your computer.  If that setting isn't there, you'll physically have to be in front of your computer to hit sync, which to me is somewhat counter-productive.

In my opinion, it's a nice tool but I don't know if it's worth $10 at this point.  I personally encountered a few more bugs than I would have expected for an app with this type of price tag.  We'll see what the developer does to refine it in the coming months.

Pros

• Ease of use
• Convenient
• Uses same familiar syncing process users are already accustomed to

Cons

• Drains battery pretty quick
• Must have automatic sync enabled for this to be useful
• Price tag is somewhat high
• Mac Only (for now)
• Breaks backups within iTunes
• Breaks the upgrade/restore process within iTunes

No shock: Apple has rejected that nifty Wi-Fi sync application that was submitted for the App Store. Good news is, it's now available via Cydia for any jailbroken iPhone for $9.99. Engadget contacted the developer by phone and here is his rejection explanation.

"While he agreed that the app doesn't technically break the rules, he said that it does encroach upon the boundaries of what they can and cannot allow on their store. He also cited security concerns."

If you need to have this app and don't know a thing about jailbreaking be sure to stop by our jailbreaking forum for all of the information you will need.

[Engadget]

The Smartphone Experts S&C retractable sync and charging cable for iPhone and iPad [$4.95 - iMore Store Link] is for those who abhor long cables that always getting caught, tangled and the imposing clutter, the SmartPhone Experts S&C Retractable Cable for iPhone is the way to go. Small and lightweight, you can take it with you everywhere and charge/sync your iPhone through the USB connection on your laptop or computer with ease.

The Smartphone Experts S&C Retractable Cable for iPhone expands to a length of 2 ft. and has a locking feature which allows you to choose which length you would like the cable locked at. A light tug on the cable and it retracts back to its wound state. When wound, the Cable is only 4.5 inches long, making it very easy to bring with you. My regular usb S&C cable was always a tangled mess when I carried it loose in my briefcase. A good deal of time and effort was spent on untangling the cord from whatever it had become attached to. With the Smartphone Experts S&C Retractable Cable for iPhone, charging and syncing my iPhone is a snap, just take it out of my briefcase and plug it in and when I am done a quick tug and is thrown back into my bag. The cable is quite well constructed and after a month of use it is still working like new.

I would recommend getting this for everyone who charges and syncs their iPhone. I absolutely love this Cable and at $4.95 it is practically free (appeals to my Scottish side).

Pictures and video after the break!

YouTube link

We just finished having a sit down with the fine folks from DocsToGo and they shared some exciting news about DocsToGo Premium: Desktop Sync and Google Sync are en route! They expect they'll be submitting the app to the Apple in a couple of weeks, so stay tuned for the release. DocsToGo is currently $14.99 in the App Store.

Document Sync with the desktop works just like you would expect it to: plug in and Sync. What's more exciting for me (and for cloud-lovers everywhere) is that you'll be able to sync with all the documents you've stored up at Google Docs. It's a full sync client - meaning that you can download and edit documents offline and then sync them up with Google Docs later. Another thing worth noting is that Google recently updated Google Docs to allow you to upload any file - which means you will be able to upload and store PDFs, images, and documents to Google Docs and then access them later with DocsToGo. (Video after the break!)

Otherwise, as it always is with major mobile conferences, the iPhone isn't officially here but unofficially it's everywhere. My completely unscientific method of "hey, what's in people's hands" poll shows that it's slightly edging out Nokia as the most popular phone at Mobile World Congress.

The following Top 5 Must-Have iPhone Accessories for New Users guide is sponsored by the TiPb iPhone Accessory Store

Just got a new iPhone? Congratulations! Now it's time to decide if you need a little something extra to go along with it -- a case to protect your investment, Bluetooth for wireless phone calls or music, headsets for wired, batteries and chargers to get you powered, and cables to keep you connected.

There are lots to choose from, enough to personalize your iPhone just the way you want, but if you're having trouble deciding, we asked TiPb's editorial staff to pick some of their favorites. Check them out, after the jump!

Cases

Cases come in all shapes and sizes, from the full-on armor of Matt's favorite, the Otterbox Defender to the barely-there BodyGuardz skin. If leather is your thing, check out Jeremy's pick, the Sena Elega Pouch, or if your prefer silicon like Leanna, try the iSkin SoloFX. And if you want to combine a charger into your case, James still loves him his mophie Juice Pack air.

Bluetooth

If you just want a Bluetooth headset to use while you drive, or for some walk-and-talk, Dieter is currently going gaga over the Motorola H17. Jeremy is likewise enthralled with the Blueant Q1. If you'd rather have it on your visor than in your ear, Chad likes the Blueant S1 while Rene has been driving with the frenemy, BlackBerry VM605-style. Now if you want to rock stereo music with Bluetooth, the Motorola S9-HD is still turning heads.

Headsets

The iPhone and iPod touch come with Apple's trademark earbuds but for those with ears that like to listen different(ly), or just better, Rene likes the iharmonix Platinum i-Series, and Dieter's given the thumbs up to the v-moda vibe duo. If all you need is an expensive backup or replacement buds, however, Smartphone Experts has you covered.

Sync'ers and Chargers

Everyone, and we mean everyone, loves the Griffin Power Duo charger. And again, if you just want a second sync/charge cable, Smartphone Experts has one that's perfect, and perfectly inexpensive.

Mounts and Cradles

Still not enough? Well, if you want to mount your iPhone in the car (for turn-by-turn navigation, or to use with a Bluetooth Stereo device perhaps?), the iGrip Custom Fit is always popular. If the desk is where you dwell, then the Seidio Inno Dock is Rene's pick -- and it's friendly to most cases!

Your Recommendations?

What did we miss? Any must-have accessories? Check out the TiPb iPhone Accessory store and drop some ideas in the comments, would ya? Make sure we get this right!

AppleInsider has the goods on yet another Apple patent, this one for a "grab and go" simplified sync solution that would let iPhone users more easily and organically share bookmarks, iTunes content, Time Machine backups, business and personal documents, video game status, etc. between Macs, Apple TVs, the cloud, and other gear real and imagined:

The filing with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office suggests a scenario where a user is sitting at their desk working on a document, when they are called into an unexpected meeting. While the user may have a number of personal applications running, they would only want to bring their work-related content with them. The preferences would allow the user to "grab" only files and data related to work from the computer.

As always, just because Apple applies for a patent doesn't mean there are immediate (or even eventual) plans to release products that offer those features. Still, we want. How about you?

While Apple made a Windows version of iTunes years ago, they still haven't seen fit to roll out any official syncing solution for our Linux friends. That leaves unofficial solutions, which according to Marcan's Abort, Retry, Hack? blog, are finally on their way:

• libusb-1.0 provides an advanced API to access USB devices under Linux, replacing the old libusb-0.1 API
• usbmuxd coordinates application access to the device and talks the specific iPhone/iTouch USB protocol
• libiphone implements the Apple-specific protocols that are tunneled through usbmuxd: it can launch services through lockdown, retrieve device info, send notifications, and access the filesystem via AFC.
• iFuse and gvfs-backend-afc both provide access to AFC to regular Linux apps. iFuse does this by mounting via FUSE, while gvfs-backend-afc is obviously a backend for gVFS.
• libgpod (the library that traditionally has managed music databases for iPods) is being extended to support the new SQLite format, the new hash, and also to talk to libiphone to properly put the device in to and out of sync mode.
• Theoretically, actual music players such as Amarok and Rhythmbox will need none or very few modifications to work.

If you've got your FOSS-on, and you're eager to check out this solution, head on over for the details, and then let us know what you think!

[Thanks Brian for the tip!]

This weekend GigaOm brought word that Mozilla was working on an iPhone app. Of course, thoughts turn immediately towards their most famous product -- Firefox. However, Apple doesn't allow 3rd party code interpreters and that means no Gecko HTML renderer and no TraceMonkey Javascript engine. And again, I don't think there's any need for Mozilla to make a WebView wrapper...

So what else is there? Browser link sync? The iPhone will sync Safari links, or Internet explorer on Windows, but syncing links for Firefox users is thus far unsupported, and no doubt many would love to have that functionality:

Later, I sat around gabbing with Lilly and Jay Sullivan, Mozilla’s VP of Mobile, talking about Weave and the Awesome Bar, which is a way to get access to all your browsing history and bookmarks by just typing them in the URL bar on your browser. And while we were talking about Weave, I asked them if it was going to be part of this new, mysterious iPhone app. Lilly and Sullivan smiled and remained silent. Interestingly, they didn’t correct me.

Malik notes that Weave might be too competitive with MobileMe for Apple's tastes, but that of course will depend on the exact implementation offered on the iPhone, and how flexible Apple is feeling (more so than ever, it seems of late). And if ever a Weave there was, bringing it to the iPhone certainly makes sense.

With Apple's September 9, "It's only rock and roll, but we like it" event fast approaching, and its promises of new iTunes 9 social media and app management features, here's something else, just like @sethclifford, we'd love to see added to the list: "WhisperSync". More specifically, for MobileMe to do a little over-the-air syncing of our location in a podcast, audiobook, or lengthy video so we can switch between the iPhone, iPod touch, or iTunes and always be at the same location in our media, regardless of where we continue listening or watching.

We can do this now, of course, but it requires a tethered USB sync between our iPhone and/or iPod touch and our computer. Amazon's Kindle, however, does this transparently and automagically over the air using WhisperSync, and yes, we want Apple to iClone it. (Well, we don't care about the likely-trademarked name, we just want the tech!)

So, next time we finish our run and hit pause on our iPhone's player, we can wash off, grab a tasty beverage, flop down into the couch, and keep listening right from our Apple TV.

How about it, Apple?

Jeremy already passed along the warning from the iPhone Dev-Team on iTunes 8.2. In case you missed it, they told jailbreakers and potential jailbreakers NOT to install Apple's just-released iTunes update.

According to their latest Dev-Team Blog post, the reason seems to be:

It breaks your ability to use QuickPwn, PwnageTool, and iPhone Tunneling Suite (ssh over usb). We don’t think this is a deliberate breakage of these tools. It’s just that Apple has updated a low-level USB protocol that normally only Apple cares about (but jailbreakers care about).

Is Dev-Team working on a fix? Youbetcha, but they don't want to release anything further until iPhone OS 3.0 is final. This may annoy people who have the 3.0 beta, but legit developers probably have more pressing concerns than jailbreaking at the moment, and why would the Dev-Team waste their energy and tip their hand to Apple when the betas will likely keep changing every couple of weeks before release anyway?

Of course, the blogsphere now has another concern, since last week's announcement that the Palm Pre syncs with iTunes, likely by faking Apple's USB protocols to disguise itself as an iPod (see Daring Fireball's take on this as well). There have been two pre-release versions of iTunes 8.2, going back over a month, but the obvious question still becomes: will the iTunes 8.2 final release also effect the Palm Pre sync?

Dev-Team thinks it's possible:

It may actually break Palm Pre’s connection to the device (please give us feedback on this).

We think Palm's Jon Rubinstein -- who used to head the iPod division at Apple -- may just have compromising pictures of the iPhone taken during it's "bachelor" party the night before Macworld 2007 ... We mean, it's got to be something, right?

Microsoft produces Windows, the operating system of choice for most iPhone users, and Exchange ActiveSync, the push data system Apple (and Google!) have licensed for business users. They also make Sync, the integration system found in Ford cars, which has just gotten an update.

TWICE (via CNET) lists all sorts of interesting info on the update, but the really interesting part is what's revealed about future updates, including support for Pandora streaming internet radio, and... the iPhone:

“We’ll be able to link you to your Internet in the car. If you brought an iPhone into the vehicle, you could interact with that through voice. You could then read your email by voice,” said Joe Berry, Ford business and product development director for Sync, referring to a future version of Sync.

Good news for Ford owners... eventually.

(Thanks to the Reptile for the tip!)

Lately the forums have been on fire and leading up to another iPhone release it is bound to be one wild ride. So now is a perfect time to get yourself registered and join in on the conversation.

Just yesterday Rene started a interesting thread, Are You Running Your iPhone 3G on EDGE and Why? While I understand why some of you may choose to EDGE over 3G, for me, I like to live dangerously, 3G or go home. How about you? Stop by and let Rene know what you think.

This next thread was started by Crackberry veteran forum moderator, Duvi. He simply wants to know, do you think the next iPhone will come with a flash for the camera? Feel free to speculate all you'd like on that one. I'm going with no, it will not have a flash.

Next up we have a thread that yours truly started, it's simply about the latest iPhone rumors. Is there an EDGE only iPhone in the works? How about a CDMA version for China? And before all of you Verizon hopefuls start to get exited - no, a CDMA version from China would not work on the Verizon network. They use different frequencies. Thoughts?

Poor RIM, I can't remember such a hyped phone that pretty much just flopped from the very beginning. Enter the BlackBerry Storm. It seems like the in thing to do these days is ditch your Storm for an iPhone 3G. Not a bad move in our opinion and we welcome forum member whsingleton to the good side!

You heard that the App Store is approaching 1 billion app downloads right? Well you could win a $10,000 iTunes gift card and Dizzy wants to know, what would you do with a $10,000 iTunes gift card?!

Our last thread for today comes to us from Ivoryplum. Ivoryplum wants to know what is the average sync time with iTunes? I honestly can't complain with my syncing. How about you?

So there you have it folks, some really good threads for all of you to check out. Just remember to register first!

See you on the forums!

For the last few months I've been conducting an experiment, trying to figure out whether it better suited my needs to sync my iPhone 3G to my desktop computer, to my laptop, or to embrace the (potential) future and try to sync only over-the-air with the cloud (online services and storage).

First, a little about the contenders.

• My MacBook is purposefully kept light. Aside from whatever temporary I'm working on at the time, it has almost nothing on it, including no media unless I'm actively watching it. It's speed on-the-go with limited capacity.
• My iMac is heavy duty and also serves as my media machine. It's connected on one end to a Drobo and serves an Apple TV in the living room on the other. It's pure power and content, but absolutely no portability.
• My cloud is, well, the cloud -- everything I keep on my MobileMe, iDisk and Apple keeps ready for me on their massive iTunes servers.

A month with each of them (Round Robin interuptus notwithstanding) and what were my results? Which have I stuck with (for now)? Read on to find out!

Syncing the iPhone with a Laptop

The laptop is a convenient sync-solution to be sure. It goes almost everywhere I go, so it's almost always available. If I get new content, be it a new podcast or a new iTunes movie, I can immediately plug my iPhone in and sync it over. This is one heckuva compelling argument, even more so prior to iPhone OS 2.2, when the iPhone itself couldn't directly download new podcasts. It also makes for easy charging on-the-go. There's always a USB port available, and I don't have to worry about iTunes wiping out my current content to "helpful" prepare for syncing with a different machine. Have a problem? If Apple pushes out a firmware update, or -- horror of horrors -- I need to restore, the laptop being mother-ship, means I can handle it right away -- no waiting to get home to re-load everything.

The downside? My laptop hard drive is small. My old laptop had a tiny 100GB 7200RPM drive (I went for speed over size) and my new one has a 128GB. With the OS, applications, data, etc. (sometimes virtual machines), that leaves precious little space for media files. This meant I was always in "management" mode. I could keep a small subsection of my laptop, either subscribing to a few of the same podcasts I already subscribed to on my iMac, or moving files back and forth when I was on my home network (or, in a pinch, slooooowly over iDisk). This reduced the convenience and eliminated one of the best features of the Apple ecosystem -- the ability for it to keep track of what you've watched and how much of it you've watched across platforms. Duplicate files throw that out the window.

Syncing the iPhone with a Desktop

The desktop is a powerhouse. Big drives, lots of ports, and in my case it already serves up content to my Apple TV. That means what I want to watch and listen to it is already loaded up -- and because it's on most of the time, is constantly downloading new podcasts and other content. I can wake up in the morning, plug in, and get the latest stuff, maybe move over a TV show or movie if I want to go somewhere later and watch something (via the iPhone AV-out cables -- like a portable Apple TV!). And then when I get home at night, I can sync up again and continue watching/listening to anything I haven't finished yet via Apple TV or AirTunes speakers (and thanks to the iPhone Remote App, I can control it from anywhere in my home), from right where I left off.

Limitations? You betcha! Aside from not having my host machine with me while I'm away from home -- meaning I can't get new stuff when I want it -- if I ever decide to rent HD content (or create my own with an HD camcorder) or subscribe to HD podcast feeds to really make use of the Apple TV's 720p output, those won't transfer over to the iPhone. If I subscribe to both HD and iPod feed, then I have the same content duplication problem. Granted, for most podcasts the iPod version is fine, but when we get into TV Shows and especially movies, it just won't cut it anymore.

Syncing the iPhone with the Cloud

Since iPhone OS 2.0, with MobileMe and Exchange ActiveSync support, both my work and personal email, calendar, and contacts have been syncing with the cloud, and I've been able to buy wirelessly from the App Store (2G/3G for under 10MB, WiFi for over). That was step 1 in my considering living foot-loose and tether-free. iPhone OS 2.2 was step 2: over-the-air (OTA) podcast downloads (with the same 10MB cell/WiFi split). Sure, I'm skipping the iTunes music store, but I don't buy music anywhere near are often as I get Apps or download podcasts. If I'm out and about, without desktop or even laptop, and I find out a great new podcast has just dropped, I can either hit the "get more episodes" link, or just search for it in the iTunes App and download it directly to my iPhone. With apps like MobileFiles, I can even access my iDisk to view my docs and even transfer them to my local iPhone storage.

Need more? Yeah, I'm still waiting on Apple revamp MobileMe and add push support for Task, Note, Photo, and Backup, syncing as it looks like Microsoft is about ready to do with Windows Mobile 6.5's "My Phone" feature (cute name!) Bandwidth limitations, however, make me think I won't be getting OTA TV show or movie downloads anytime soon. Given the size of firmware updates, they too will likely remain tether-only for now. Also, just like I can be caught away from a laptop or PC, even WiFi and cell coverage have their limits.

Conclusion

After having tried these three different sync solutions, each on their own, which one have I decided on? Which one is the clear winner?

None. Frankly, each one has advantages and disadvantages, so I've evolved into a hybrid model. My iPhone is setup on my iMac desktop and I sync there fairly regularly. Due to the advances in iPhone OS 2.0 and 2.2, however, I don't sync anywhere nearly as often as I used to, and if I need new content while I'm away, I just download it directly (for podcasts) or drop it into my iDisk (for other types of small media -- using Back to My Mac from my laptop).

It's not completely elegant and seamless yet, granted, but it's amazing how far we've come even just recently, and while "sync is hard", I have every confidence future iPhone and MobileMe updates will make it easier and easier over time.

So What Do You Do?

Sync from your desktop? From your laptop? Pure cloud baby? Or, like me, do you keep a couple tools at the ready? Let me know what you're doing, especially if you have any ninja-sync skills you wouldn't mind sharing!

Good news, Windows PC users: Apple's MobileMe News blog has just announced that they've finally put some shove into their Windows-side push:

We've recently improved the performance of MobileMe syncing with Microsoft Outlook on Windows. Contacts and calendars automatically sync whenever a change is made in Outlook, and likewise when a change is made on the web or from another device. To take advantage of this improvement make sure you're using iTunes 8.0.2 and MobileMe Control Panel 1.3 and that you have "sync" set to occur "automatically" in the Control Panel.

Anyone out there tried it yet? How's the performance?

The forum community here at TiPb keeps growing in numbers every day! With more and more great threads getting posted it's been hard to try and keep up. Today on the forums, we have a few more good ones that you should definitely check out!

First thread up was started by Dizzy, Google Sync (Beta). For more information about Google Sync for iPhone be sure to check out Dieter's post from the other day. I'm sure a lot of Gmail users are happy campers at this point.

Next thread comes to us from a new forum member, fallingsenses, he seems to think a lot of people have the iPhone 2G rather then the 3G. What do you usually see? More 3G's than 2G's or vice versa? Be sure to chime in!

This thread is pretty straight forward, Will you renew MobileMe? I know without hesitation I will be giving more money to Apple when the time comes. How about you?

Lastly, I'd like everyone to know about our iPhone Help forum. If you have any questions regarding the iPhone please head into this forum and post your issue or question. There are a so many knowledgeable forum members that are always willing to help you out.

In order to get in on the forum action you must register. It's a quick painless process which can be done at this link right here.

See you on the forums!

Here's a welcome surprise for you: Google has now created Google Sync for iPhone so that you can sync up your Google Contacts and Google Calendar. They are doing it by making their data look like an Exchange server -- meaning that if you're not already using Exchange on your iPhone for work, you can point it at Google's servers (see full instructions here) to get your contacts and calendars pushed out to you. Nice? Nice.

Of course, if you're already using Exchange for work but still want to get your Google data on your iPhone, you'd going to need to get a solution to sync your Google data down to your desktop and then get it from your desktop to your iPhone either via USB tether or via MobileMe. You can learn more about how the two work together in Rene's excellent article on that very subject.

Now, Google, just get Gmail to look like Exchange and we'll be happy campers. Actually, you know what, just fix IMAP, that'll be enough.

Quick Update: As I just noted over at WMExperts, Google licensed Exchange Active Sync (EAS) from Microsoft, which is a shot at RIM but also, maybe, a shot at Apple. Rene just pointed out to me that given all of Google's recent moves with the CalDAV/iCal system, they might have kept on pushing to make the stuff that Mac uses the industry standard. Instead, Google and Microsoft are suddenly working together on using EAS.

This is really exciting news for anyone looking for this type of syncing. Personally, I have moved beyond Apple's todo's and use Toodledo for my task purposes and Appigo's Todo just happens to do over-the-air syncing for free with that site; even on EDGE. However, if you still use iCal's todo feature, this just might be your killer app!

If you are a Windows user, Appigo says they are working on a Windows/Outlook syncing tool as well.

(Via TUAW)

Google has dropped the iCal bomb. That's right. Buh-bye third party intermediaries, hello built-in Google Calendar support for Apple's open source CalDAV standard:

The Google Calendar team is proud to announce the public release of our support for the CalDAV protocol. You can now use Apple iCal with your Google Calendar, so you can work even when you're offline, sync almost instantly, respond to invitations from others and see the free/busy data of your friends and coworkers.

You can get both the setup program and the download from Google code source. (Now if we could only get some similar Google love for CardDAV as part of a Google Contacts revamp...)

If anyone has a chance to try it out, let us know how it works for getting your gCal into MobileMe or onto your iPhone (I'm -- right now very sadly -- transitioning to the HTC FUZE for the Round Robin, so let me live vicariously through you!)

I'm so boring. I don't use Entourage, Lotus Notes, or Meeting Maker. However, for those of you Mac users who do, and are looking for some help syncing things over to your iPhone, PocketMac may be worth a look. As a bonus, it will also sync your SMS messages and call logs.

If you give it a try, let us know what you think!

It's that time of the week where we bring some of the discussions from the forums to the main page.

Big reminder to everyone, the voting for the latest TiPb AT WORK Contest ends tomorrow! This weeks contest, to do/task apps! Time is short so go get your vote on now!

Are you one of those people who is all about security? Well we want to know how many of you actually use the passcode lock on your iPhones? Chime in on his thread! I recently switched from MobileMe to a Exchange account and was personally interested in the following thread. Pascalcheck had a good question regarding Exchange with his contacts and calendar events. Rene was super quick to jump in and help out!.

A lot has been said about jailbreaking lately, and a lot of questions are being asked... so if you have questions and need answers please check out the following two forums - Jailbreak Central (for anything related to jailbreaking) and iPhone Jailbreak Apps.

As always you need to register to join our growing community! Register here to get in on the action, only takes a quick minute!

See you on the forums!

When Gizmodo honcho Brian Lam found out via Twitter that one of his readers was experiencing a brutal 8-hour iPhone sync, he did what any EiC worth his postings would do: secured time-lapse video! To put 8 painful hours fully into perspective:

That's a full night of sleep. That's a full day of high school. That's longer than it takes to fly cross country, or drive from SF to Los Angeles. After seeing this video, I stopped complaining and tried to figure out what caused Brandon's problem with him.

Heck, it's a wait in an launch day Apple Store line! They tried syncing via a MacBook Air and an iMac, and even switched out cables, but the 74 App sync just wouldn't -- indeed couldn't! -- be tamed.

Atypical? For certain. Incredible? Pretty much. If it were us? We'd probably nuke the thing, bury it upside down, cover it in concrete, and salt the earth -- then politely ask Steve Jobs to start over...

Luckily, my longest sync has probably never topped 5 minutes. What about you? What's your longest sync been to date?

Mild Mannered Industries, which claims some experience with Sync Services, has an interesting and insightful blog post about how MobileMe syncing probably works, why syncing in general is so hard, and if we can ever look forward to a day where MobileMe actually, really, truly "just works":

Is this really Apple’s fault? In the case of Mobile Me, and .Mac before it, all of the code is essentially Apple’s, but I think this just goes to show how hard it is to get a sync client and the core sync services code right. When you add in all of the third-party Sync client code, and mail synchronization, it just seems inevitable that many users will hit a problem at some point, and become very very unhappy.

Their glass-not-only-half-empty-but-broken-and-spilled-out-on-the-table outlook?

Personally, if it was me, I would have let .Mac die a quiet death. The problem set for ubiquitous syncing is just very very hard, and the consequences of failure, in terms of user dissatisfaction are too high. I suspect that, in time, MobileMe will go the same way as the Newton …

Our take? Pretty much the opposite. Not to get all Tennyson about it, but Apple is strong of will as they come, and striving, seeking, and finding the most reliable sync solution possible is only going to increase in importance when it comes to the mobile world they're embracing with the iPhone and related technologies. Perhaps they won't crack the nut, but they'll mess it up something fierce in the attempt. And come on, would any of us really rather have no sync at all?

(via Daring Fireball)

Mac nerdery stalwart John Gruber over at DaringFireball has put together a very interesting essay about how iPhone Calendar syncing has evolved from firmware 1.x (1.0 - 1.4) to firmware 2.0, and how the current iTunes syncing differs in functionality from syncing via Apple's MobileMe service.

From welcome improvements to frustrating choices, from new methods of use to evolving work-arounds, Gruber ultimately comes to the ultimate question:

Whither the “digital hub”?

While iTunes originally served as the one-stop location for all syncing and sync settings, MobileMe now works outside the iTunes universe, but does not offer the options (e.g. selecting individual rather than all calendars to sync) iTunes does, nor does the MobileMe pref pane.

Is there a way for Apple to cleanly present a unified place to manage all iPhone syncing, with a robust set of options?

My vote remains iTunes. When MobileMe is in use, keep the settings enabled, and pass the preferences along to the "cloud". That keeps data, media, and commerce all in one place, with one interface, in a familiar context. Just "push" choices of calendars, contact groups, etc. back up to MobileMe.

Vindication! Well, kind of. Our MobileMe is still having problems but at least Apple admits that the transition from .Mac to MobileMe was "rocky" by sending an e-mail/apology letter to all MobileMe users. Billed as Exchange for the rest of us, MobileMe is still having problems with syncing, calendar, duplicate messages, etc. Not quite that Blackberry killer we envisioned.

Also, Apple will stop using the word push to describe MobileMe until syncing is "near-instant" on Mac and PCs like it is for the iPhone and Web Apps. Not that "15 minute" version of push it currently is. Either way, Apple is begging (read: bribing) for your forgiveness with a free 30 day extension to all current subscribers.

It's good to see Apple admit mistake and take care of their customers, but I'm fairly certain most of us would have rather had a product that 'just works'. Unreliability, problems, and false promises are for the folks over in Redmond, this is supposed to be Apple right?

Thanks for the tip Cherryhead25!

Read on for MobileMe's full apology letter!

Although Apple forces you to get your iPhone activated in-store before you walk out the door, that may not mean that people are going to have a trouble-free syncing experience today. To wit: the error message above is the best I can get when I plug my iPhone 3G into my Mac. Apparently iTunes wants to double-check that my iPhone really is what it's supposed to be. With the presumably massive number of people getting iPhone 3Gs today, iTunes is not handling the load so well.

The store itself is up, but I find it aggravating in the extreme that I can't sync over any of my apps or media without this initial call-in to the Apple mothership. Thank god Mobile Me is working for me, otherwise I wouldn't even have contacts on my iPhone.

Update: Rene just called in to say that all of Rogers in Canada is basically down an unable to activate iPhones, so he's just sitting pretty in the store until things clear up. Let us know -- any delays at AT&T or Apple stores when trying to activate?

...Speaking of downtime: yeah, we know, TiPb is not performing up to spec lately. We're upgrading servers over the weekend (we hope) to bring it back up to acceptable levels. Pardon our 503s.

During the 2008 WWDC Keynote today, Apple VP of Marketing, Phil Schiller, confirmed the rumors of a .Mac maga-revamp in the form of MobileMe.

Apple's answer both to previous critiques of the admittedly out-dated .Mac service, and the expected cloud computing boom (see Android, Google), MobileMe features ActiveSync-like "push" email, calendar, and contacts syncing between your iPhone (or iPod Touch) and your Mac or PC, or via any web browser with some pretty spectacular looking Web 2.0/AJAX style online apps. It also adds photo syncing, clearly targeting consumers.

iDisk (the online storage service) gets a bump to 20GB, and goes fully online as well. Mac user? Still enjoy the Mac sync, iWeb, and Back-to-my-Mac that you know (and I) love.

Launching in July in time for the new iPhone 3G, and priced at the same $99 as .Mac, it still smacks the expensive, but if your don't have Exchange, and value highly polished syncing and web-based solutions, this might just be the service for you.

Existing .Mac customers will be rolled into MobileMe -- see Apple's migration page for details -- with a choice of maintaining their old @mac.com address, or the new @.me equivalent.

For more, go to me.com (which will redirect you to Apple.com/MobileMe), where a handy-dandy MobileMe guided tour awaits!

Ah, .Mac, the poor abandoned stepchild in Apple's 360 degrees of spherical integration. It's the online service Google, Yahoo, and even Microsoft Live kick sand at on the playground.

Sure, Back-to-my-Mac can rock, and syncing can be oh-so-sweet, but c'mon, what have you done for us lately?

Could be a lot, if rumors pan out. We've already brought you word on possible iPhone 2.0 .Mac "push" mail, and even reports of a total revamp. Now it seems the revamp may be more of a full on renovation, including a brand spanking new name!

[Dmitry Chestnykh, the CEO at Coding Robots] went through the iCal Localizable.strings file in the recently released 10.5.3 update and found a number of changes. In particular, he found a lot of evidence that the .Mac brand name is going to be replaced. Apple is apparently using a placeholder %@ which will be dynamically replaced by the new name, whatever that is, when it's released.

Read

Updating yesterday's story about .Mac getting the push-email treatment in iPhone 2.0, TUAW's tipsters are back with this little gem:

According to our anonymous tipster, .Mac will undergo a complete revamp that will coincide with the iPhone 2.0 launch (which everyone expects to occur at WWDC 08).

Again with the asking and receiving, eh?

Rumored highlights for the updated .Mac include full wireless (cell + wifi?) calendar, contacts, and email (an Apple Exchange anyone?) and .Mac support for -- you guessed it! -- Windows.

First El Jobso gives PC users a cool glass of iTunes and iPhone, and now a possible consumer-centric push service.

Did I mention how June can't come fast enough yet?

No sooner did our own Chad Garette lay out the case for .Mac syncing via the iPhone, then iPhone Alley, (via TUAW), brings word that El Jobso might be doing just that:

In the just released SDK beta 2, iPhone Alley found a string within a preference bundle that reads: "Syncing with this Dot Mac account will turn off syncing for other Dot Mac accounts and delete any existing synced data." This suggests the possibility of wireless syncing for non-Exchange users.

This would be awesome additional functionality for both the iPhone and for .Mac. 2.0 really can't come fast enough.

And note to Chad: How about an article on why the iPhone really needs immediate release in Canada? Please?

I spent a bunch of time getting Leopard installed and set up on my mac to find out what goodies it would bring to the iPhone. It looks like syncing notes from the iPhone to Mail might have been pulled just before it was ready, or that it's going to come in a future iPhone update. When I tried to change the default font in an edited note from Marker Felt to anything else, I'm given this warning message:

"Convert this note to rich text format?
Changing the style or formatting requires that this note be converted to rich text format. Rich text notes may not be editable on iPhone and other devices."

And in other news, it looks like Apple hasn't made up their mind whether or not we'll be able to edit rich-text notes in the future. The fact that there's a warning at all indicates that we should be able to edit notes on the computer and have them sync to the iPhone.