The Missing Sync
Sync Your Pocket PC
17 October 2005 Justin Williams Skip to comments
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Ever wanted to make your Pocket PC and your Mac play nice together? Justin Williams reviews one of the latest contributions to the effort: The Missing Sync For Windows Mobile.
A Pocket PC is a PDA powered by a small version of Windows dubbed Windows Mobile. With a Pocket PC you can read e-mail, keep your calendars and contacts with you, make phone calls, chat and browse the Web. This is just a small sampling of what is possible with a Windows Mobile powered PDA.
In recent years, Windows Mobile powered devices have spread beyond just the PDA to Smartphones as well. Smartphone devices such as the i-Mate SP2 and JasJar have an even more condensed version of Windows on them, but still let you maintain your basic personal information.
I have been a Pocket PC enthusiast for years and finally bought one of my own several months ago.
Why not Palm?
Over the years, Palm has had a better track record in terms of being supported on the Mac platform. Even so, Palm has not kept up with the times in terms of connectivity and features in their operating system. Until recently, you couldn’t find a Palm OS device that supported both bluetooth and 802.11b WiFi. These two have been staples of Pocket PC devices for some time.
Another issue with Palm devices is that it isn’t a true multitasking operating system. When you launch Microsoft Word on a Pocket PC and then switch to a game of Solitaire, Word is still running in the background. On Palm powered devices, the current application does not retain its state. True multitasking has been promised in Palm OS 6 (codename: Cobalt), but whether it comes to fruition remains to be seen.
Native Mac OS X Support
When it comes to supporting Pocket PC devices on Mac OS X, there are two choices: PocketMac and Missing Sync. I have written about PocketMac before and found that it was a decent solution for my needs. Here’s how I concluded that review:
I think PocketMac is a good utility to let you synchronize your PocketPC with the Macintosh. I wish Microsoft would include ActiveSync for the Macintosh in the box, but since I doubt that is going to happen, this utility does a fine job.
I had very few problems other than the synchronization button not responding a few times and the iPhoto conduit freezing up on me a few times. The people at PocketMac were very helpful in answering my questions for this article and providing the software to work with.
Even with my decent experience with PocketMac, I wanted to try the competition and compare it to what I have used before. I contacted Mark/Space, the creators of Missing Sync For Windows Mobile, about obtaining a review copy and was told that they wouldn’t issue me one. I mention this only because the folks at PocketMac were much more gracious and willing to submit to a review by MacZealots. In the end, we decided to purchase a copy of Missing Sync since they wouldn’t provide one.
The Feature Set
Like PocketMac, Missing Sync strives to allow Mac users to take full advantage of their Pocket PC devices just like they would when using a Windows XP machine. You can synchronize your iCal and Address Book data (Entourage too), import and export iPhoto images, copy files such as documents and mp3s to and from the device and synchronize it via cradle, Bluetooth or WiFi.
Missing Sync also includes the ability to install Pocket PC applications as they are in the CAB file format. However, since many Pocket PC applications come bundled as EXE files this is not useful. PocketMac included a utility that would try to extract the CAB file from an EXE, but no such utility was present in Missing Sync.
The Missing Sync For Windows Mobile also has a new plugin architecture that allows developers to connect their applications to a user’s Pocket PC device. Most of the tasks bundled with the application are plugins themselves. For instance, when you are synchronizing your Address Book data, you are using a plugin written by the folks at Mark/Space. There are not many plugins currently available, and whether developers will take advantage of the architecture remains to be seen.
On With The Show
To test the Missing Sync, I acquired a Hewlett-Packard iPaq 2415 Pocket PC running Windows Mobile 2003. I installed The Missing Sync on a Dual 2 Ghz Power Mac G5 and a 1.33 Ghz G4 iBook; both were running Mac OS X Tiger.
The installation process is straight forward. Missing Sync runs an installer package that puts all the Missing Sync files under a folder in your Applications directory. The folder includes the application itself, documentation, an uninstaller and an extras folder with SplashPhoto, an AvantGo client and developer tools.
Upon the first launch, you will be greeted with a setup wizard that walks you through what data you would like to have synchronized. This is where you decide whether to use Apple’s personal information management tools or Microsoft Entourage. You can mix and match these. For instance, if you use Entourage for mail and contacts but iCal for your calendar, you can have your Pocket PC synchronize with those settings.
After the wizard completes, the main Missing Sync window appears. The window has a clean, intuitive interface. The top contains information on the device, owner, battery power and the date of the last synchronization. The main portion of the interface has a listing of all your plugins: Address Book, Entourage, iCal and Time Synchronization by default. At the bottom of the interface are three buttons: Mount, Install and Disconnect.
The Mount button lets you mount your Pocket PC as a hard drive so you can drag your files to and from it. The Install button allows you to install application CAB files on the device. Disconnect obviously closes the connection between your device and your Mac.
Syncing the device is a straight forward task; you just have to click the Sync button on the window. One of the neat features about the application is that you can set it to remind you to synchronize your device every X number of days. I have been using the application for several weeks now and have had no trouble with getting my device to stay in sync: adding items on my Pocket PC is sent back to my Mac and vice versa.
The only issue I have had with synchronization was dealing with Bluetooth connections. Syncing with Bluetooth is slow. I was also unable to synchronize with my Power Mac G5, but I had no problems with my iBook. I suspect it had something to do with having my Apple Bluetooth Keyboard paired as well.
Your Digital Life
Besides the regular PDA-type data that you can synchronize with your Pocket PC, you can also share your iPhoto and iTunes files with the Pocket PC. With iPhoto, Missing Sync integrates in the Export window. You will find a new Missing Sync tab that you can use to set your file format and the size of the image. I wish that the application had some predefined resize options for the various Pocket PC screen sizes instead of having to manually enter my screen size.
iTunes synchronization allows you to send MP3 files (not AAC) to your Pocket PC for listening. When you mount your Pocket PC on the desktop, it will show up in the iTunes source list as well. You can then drag files to and from the device in iTunes. To play songs on the Pocket PC you use the built-in Windows Media Player 9. It’s definitely not iPod experience, but if you are looking for convergence, it will get the job done.
The Final Verdict
I’ve now tried both of the Pocket PC solutions for the Mac platform, and I can say that I prefer Missing Sync to Pocket Mac. It is a more tightly integrated product and feels much more like a Mac application. The only thing that Missing Sync lacks from Pocket Mac is the EXE extraction utility to make it easier to install software. If you have a PC, you can get around this by setting up a guest partnership with it, but not all Mac users have one readily available.
The Missing Sync For Windows Mobile is currently available from the Mark/Space Web site for $39.95.
Justin Williams is founder and chief author for MacZealots. He switched to the Mac almost five years ago hasn't looked back since. When not blogging or coding, you can find him watching copious amounts of TV. Justin can be reached at
Reader Comments (11)
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#1) On October 21, 2005 12:44 AM
I have played just a bit with Windows Mobile and have discovered that Microsoft has finally done something cool…, actually, really cool. Up until now, I would not consider any pocket computer because the keyboards have been and still are obnoxious to me. But I do have a friend who loves his pocket computer and types like crazy with his thumbs. So tiny-typing can be learned, maybe. Moving on, what is now starting to outweight the keyboard size is the availability of decent IMAP email clients for the mini computers, but certainly not the stripped down Outlook Express that comes with Windows Mobile. Anyway, when coupled with cellular access to an imap server, pocket-sized computers may actually have some use for me. I know other people have happily used them for some years now, but, for me, 802.11 and Bluetooth wireless is not suitable. I would much rather use my iBook for short-range wireless. But, with American mobile phone carriers finally starting to catch up with Taiwan in supplying high-speed services, miniature mobile computing may finally be arriving. So thanks for your review on syncing with OS X.
#2) On October 27, 2005 9:26 AM
Thank you for the thoughtful review of these two programs. Your efforts have helped me in my decision of which software to purchase.
#3) On October 27, 2005 9:41 PM
Thanks for the review. I am life-ling Windows user, but I am seriously considering a switch to the Mac platform on a new PowerBook. Since I depend on my Samsung i700, I needed to know about syncing a Windows Mobile 2003 machine with a Mac, and though I looked at the Missing Sync website, your seemingly objective opinion was very helpful. I think I have finally found the answer to the last roadblock in my conversion to Mac…
#4) On November 4, 2005 3:10 PM
I can’t get my contacts to sync and have been trying for 5 days to get an answer. The support e-mail problem sheet does not take, and there is no one to call. I have been given a few suggestion from them on line, but, no change in my problem. Any idea of what I can do to get an answer?
#5) On November 23, 2005 2:08 PM
I had the same problem with not getting my contacts to sync. There were some other conflicts as well. Finally solved it all by simply disabling the Mark/Space conduits (except for MemoPad). That seems to have made it all work as it should.
#6) On December 13, 2005 5:05 AM
Has anyone tried using the Missing Sync product with Windows Mobile 5.0 OS?
Before I buy, I need to be absolutely certain that the mobile PC I’m contemplating (Xda Atom, which uses the Windows Mobile 5.0 platform) will sync with Entourage 2004:Mac with my OS X 10.4.3 OS. Just the Contacts and Calendar items are all I’m interested in syncing.
#7) On December 20, 2005 5:29 PM
I own Missing Sync For Windows Mobile for almost a year now. Mark/Space so far didn’t manage to fix problems with syncing appointments with repeats. They cause a mess or simply sync errors. Another weak point is the support: No real forum, only a dreadful email list. The FAQ are pathetic. Unfortunately I regret to have spent those $39.95.
#8) On December 28, 2005 6:32 AM
I tried pocket mac pro for almost a year now. I have Ipaq h5455. I can make it sync only with bluetooth. Impossible with wireless network connection. Company was contacted many times to fix this problem but was not successful. I was synching with Panther 10.3.9 on powerbook g4. I haven’t tired it with tiger yet. I have a strong feeling that it will not work. Changing files to CAB is always not possible. I finally decided to keep my PC computer for synching and for installing all my software. Most of them are .exe programs. I can make wireless sync with the pc through my wireless network. It’s a breeze. You do not have to be near the computer to sync.
The missing sync; I have not tried it myself although I own the program. I could not find where I left the serial number. I called the company to get another key. They refused and asked me to buy another copy.!!!!!.
But from your input, I can feel the missing sync is better. is this corret?
#9) On February 4, 2006 1:00 PM
PocketMac and Missing Sync do not currently support Windows Mobile 5.0. In fact, neither can even detect a Pocket PC, but both companies claim to be working out a fix. Funny, Etman, I had they same experience. Missing Sync wanted me to repurchase a key when I could not find mine (and I tried for days to find mine). I also had the odd calendar problems that Markus but I was using PocketMac. In the end, I used PocketMac because it detected my Pocket PC. It can take a dozen tries to get PocketMac to detect the Pocket PC and to sync contacts. After shutting down active sync on the Pocket PC, rebooting, etc., I can get things to work better. But this is the nonse of PCs, its shouldn’t be the case with Macs. I switched from PC to Mac 8 months ago, and I really love the Mac. It is just a shame that the sync tools for the Mac platform are really substandard. Hoefully the new versions supporting Windows Mobile 5.0 will be more robust and reliable. When they will be available is the first question.
#10) On February 14, 2006 1:25 PM
Does anyone know if this works with the new palm treo 700? Or if there is any software to sync it to mac and/or entourage?
The treo 650 works with entourage, but it doesn’t have high-speed internet access.
It’s really a shame that most web applications and PDA phones are not mac-compatible.
All suggestions are welcome.
#11) On March 8, 2006 8:41 PM
For the guy who forgot his reg code, note that the Mark/Space web site has a link where you can get an email with your reg code and link to the latest version.
Follow the steps at http://www.markspace.com/resend-codes.php
Enjoy!