Mark/Space
Latest
Mark/Space ships Missing Sync for iPhone
We mentioned back in September that Mark/Space was planning a version of Missing Sync for the iPhone and now they've finally released it. In many ways it seems mainly focused on backing up your iPhone data to your Mac. It allows you to download SMS messages, your call log, and Notes. Unfortunately, the Notes functionality remains one-way; it lets you download notes from the iPhone to your Mac, but not upload them. In addition it will help in transferring personal data if you're migrating from a Palm, Blackberry or Windows Mobile device.Missing Sync for iPhone is $39.95 thought a $24.95 crossgrade is available for owners of other qualifying Missing Sync products.[via PowerPage]
Mark/Space to release Missing Sync for iPhone
When I saw that Mark/Space was planning to release a version of Missing Sync for iPhone my first reaction was: what for? But as it happens I think they've hit upon some needed features that are actually missing from the out-of-the-box iPhone experience. First is a Migration Assistant for moving contacts, calendar entries, and photos from a Palm, Windows Mobile, or Blackberry device onto your Mac and thence to the iPhone. It also syncs your SMS messages and call log to your Mac so you don't lose information when you hit the storage limits on the iPhone. Best of all, perhaps, is Notes syncing, which will allow you to view iPhone notes in Yojimbo, Entourage, or Mark/Space's Notebook application. Unfortunately, however, it appears that it's only one-way, from the iPhone to the Mac, and not vice versa. This lack two-way Notes syncing remains a puzzling lacuna as far as I'm concerned, and I'm looking forward to somebody, whether it be Apple or Mark/Space, filling this obvious hole in the iPhone feature set.Missing Sync for iPhone won't be available until the 4th quarter and will sell for Mark/Space's normal price of $39.95, but crossgrades will be offered from other Missing Sync products.[via MacNN]
Missing Sync for Windows Mobile beta allows syncing without Flight Mode
It is ironic that I just recently found this new beta of Missing Sync for Windows Mobile, as a BlackBerry Pearl is arriving today to replace my Samsung BlackJack, which I can no longer stand. Nevertheless, I know there are plenty of Mac users out there who are rollin' with Mark/Space's Missing Sync to get their Windows Mobile device to sync with Mac OS X, and I thought y'all might be interested in a new beta that takes Flight Mode out of the picture. Though it isn't specifically listed in the release notes for this current version (3.0.2b6 as of this writing), Windows Mobile users no longer have to shut off the phone radio (what is known as Flight Mode) to perform a sync over Bluetooth. This is great news since turning off the phone radio, as handy of a UI as it may be, is still a clunky and annoying process. Support for a few more devices has also been added, as have the typical batch of bug fixes, so check out Mark/Space's testing page for a download link and release notes with more details.Now, where's FedEx with that Pearl...
Mark/Space releases SyncTogether 1.0, the alternative to .Mac syncing
Mark/Space's has at last released SyncTogether, the spawn of their acquisition of MySync. SyncTogether fills the much sought-after void of application syncing on the Mac, a niche which Apple's .Mac currently has cornered. A $50 one-time purchase which covers up to 3 Macs will allow you to sync everything Apple's SyncServices (which .Mac uses) can, with a few additional perks. For example, instead of syncing your entire Address Book between two Macs, you could keep most of your contacts private by syncing only a specific group with family members. In contrast to Apple's $100 yearly subscription .Mac service (which, to their credit also offers email, web hosting and more), SyncTogether looks to be a powerful alternative for many who are only interested in this specific feature. SyncTogether doesn't come without its disadvantages. First, if you own more than three Macs you want to sync, you'll need to purchase a second $50 license to cover those other machines. Also, SyncTogether uses a direct connection between Macs (even when you're out and about) to do the actual syncing, which is a double-edged sword: on one hand, the security nuts in the audience will likely have peace of mind knowing that their data isn't lying around on anyone's servers, but this also means that setting up SyncTogether isn't quite as "it just works" as Apple's .Mac. Lastly, and this is a major gripe many users have against Mark/Space's practices: SyncTogether doesn't have a demo. The company seems fond of forcing customers into paying up front to get their hands on the software, so all we can tell you is purchase at your own risk. Any readers care to share experiences in the comments? At the end of the day, this .Mac customer is definitely interested in what SyncTogether has to offer, especially since I'm only on board these days for app syncing and the iDisk. Still, I think I'm going to have to wait until comments roll in from those more adventurous (and financially mobile) than I before making any leaps of Mark/Space faith.
SyncTogether - a solid .Mac syncing alternative
One of the key features of .Mac is extensible application syncing. Sure, there have been roll-your-own-.Mac contests, plenty of solutions for individual apps and even a guide for switching from .Mac to Google, but none of these have offered a serious replacement for the entire syncing umbrella that .Mac offers. SyncTogether from the makers of Missing Sync, looks to change all of this. This new syncing app from Mark/Space works with many of the same fundamental apps, such as Address Book, iCal, Mail and Safari, but it employs some unique features. For example, you can chose specific groups in Address Book (instead of simply 'everyone'), and you can then share this information with other users on your home network. Want to let mom, dad and the kids all collaborate and add iCal events for Macworld 2008? SyncTogether has you covered, though it might be a little clunky to work with: local syncs sound easy, but the system requirements state that you must know a machine's physical IP if you're going to sync remotely while you're away from that machine. For now, SyncTogether is planned to drop Q1 of 2007, and until then, there is least one major question that I haven't been able to answer from Mark/Space's product page: Will it be open to 3rd parties like Apple's Sync Services? As far as pricing is concerned, users who are unhappy with .Mac's yearly subscription model will probably rejoice that SyncTogether's price is already set at a flat $49.95, but those are all the details we have for now.[Update: Our own Mat Lu clued me in (via email) on the fact that SyncTogether is very likely the product of Mark/Space's acquisition of MySync. MySync, for those who aren't familiar, *did* support any extra 3rd party apps that plugged into Apple's Sync Services, so in theory, apps like Yojimbo and Transmit should already be along for the ride, with no extra work on Mark/Space's part necessary. However, Mat also pointed out, and I agree, that it's kind of strange that SyncTogether's page makes no mention of this extensibility.]
