Sync contacts with gmail - no phone sync'd

Once I removed the Sony Ericsson from iSync, Google contacts no longer syncs. That's dumb. Turns out it it was a 'feature' only reversed in Snow Leopard.

Tried to set up so that sync happens without it:

http://lifehacker.com/393855/enable-google-contact-sync-without-an-iphoneipod-touch

There should be a plist file with the interval between syncs in it, but I don't have it. Someone suggested recreating the Google sync settings.

Tried to create a new address book entry and see if it syncs in the morning.

Copy iTunes music to SMB drive

Using rsync it is possible to copy only changed files to the BT Home Hub, once it's mounted using Finder->Connect To Server...

This command does it:

rsync -v -a -h --progress --delete --size-only --no-times /Users/Shared/iTunes\ Music/ /Volumes/Disk_a1/Music/

However, there is a problem in that the Home Hub, like all SMB servers I think, thinks you've made a typo when you use all capitals, but rsync is case sensitive.

This command line should do a fuzzy match (not clear from man file what that is precisely, but it looks for similar file names and sizes I gather), and delete files only after the transfer.

rsync -v -a -h --progress --delete-after --fuzzy --size-only --no-times /Users/Shared/iTunes\ Music/ /Volumes/Disk_a1/Music/

iTuneMyWalkman

http://ilari.scheinin.fidisk.fi/itunemywalkman/?page=details

This free application will synchronise playlists (including podcasts) on an sony ericsson phone, but it has to appear as a volume. It will even sync when the volume appears on the desktop, automatically.

Looked for MacFuse or MacFusion bluetooth, but it's not really available. Experimental at best.

However, a new cable for the W880i means that now it connects beautifully. Moved iTuneMyWalkman to Applications and ran it. Set up to have a Folder Action and a Script, and configured to use Stick 1 memory card (probably should have left the * in the settings name) and sync just Stick 1 playlist. Seems to work very well! Dragging Podcasts into the Playlist means they're transferred too.

Return to password manager and backups

The Keychain file format is apparently open source and documented.

It is possible to access Keychain from Java, but it might not work very well. Problem could be that only part of Keychain is accessible. Apple mentions it here.

If I could use the Bouncy Castle APIs to create a password store, then this program could read the archives on my mobile phone: TinyEncryptor

I tried MiniCommander which is already on the phone but it doesn't handle encrypted ZIP files.

I remember that I also found ways to export Keychains by automator or maybe it was applescript. But I can't remember where I put that info now... nor how to automate sending files to the phone via Bluetooth, automated by a script (check rest of this blog though).

Or, how about KeePass, open source, multi-platform - but is it as good as Keychain? Well, I guess I don't really use Keychain all that much, and it looks better than truecrypt because it structures data. I can also get it on my mobile. (There is another J2ME version but it's not looking as good.)

And some clever person has figured out how to get Auto-Type to basically work using some URL-handling trickery. Very clever.

iSync Sony Ericsson W880i with Feisar plugin

Bought and installed Feisar's plugin for my phone, then ran iSync.

I set up an address book group called On Phone which will have all my contacts that are on the phone in it. Got to sync with that at first, to avoid deleting anything on the phone - the group is empty at first.

Took a couple of hours to get everything well organised, but then did a sync and it seems to work fine now.

Calender syncing won't work seemlessly though, because it seems to be only able to sync with calendars on the mac, not my gmail calendar. The option to sync phone items to the gmail one isn't available, so I make one called On Phone just for things I add on the phone and want to move into another calendar at home. That's not the end of the world for now though. And the main thing is that todo items sync!

Apple Mail Leopard with Gmail

This is instructions for setting it up:

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=81379

Finally, some settings they recommend:

http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=78892

Seems to work nicely so far.

Ay curumba, they've even got address book syncing going.

http://googlemac.blogspot.com/2008/05/mac-os-x-1053-sync-google-contacts.html

My address book doesn't have the sync with google option, it might be because a software update is needed (one's been nagging me). I have 4.1.1.