Using a Sony Ericsson W580i with a Mac and iSync
September 23, 2008 by Ross McKillop
Many of you are probably aware of my recent decision to get an iPod Touch instead of waiting for an iPhone to come to Canada. Previously, I was using an O2 Xda mini Pocket PC based phone but unfortunately Leopard and my Pocket Mac software where not cooperating and I really wanted a phone that just worked without too much monkeying around.
I retired my O2 the day I got my iPod Touch and recycled an older Sony Ericsson T616 into use again that had played well with my Mac over Bluetooth using iSync. The T616 was OK but had always been a bit flaky signal wise and it seems like the Bluetooth headset pairing was not up to par with some of the newer phones. Stuff just gets better, what can I say!
Since previous Sony Ericsson’s have worked well I figured a newer model should work similarly and set out to get myself a new Sony Ericsson W580i in the shade of Charcoal. Now understand my main buying criteria was a phone that is small in size, has a decent Address Book and Calender and includes the usual bells and whistles (if you want to know about all the features of the W580i you can get them here). The unpacking was delightful and everything was going so well, the pairing went without a hitch and then I crossed my fingers as I went to the Add Device menu in iSync… Waiting… Waiting… Found device… Then the dreaded message “This device is not compatible with iSync”. Could this be? I am not easily deterred, just ask my wife! So off I went to the land of Google to find a solution, a few word combinations later and I found several posts all pointing to a site called feisar.com where the answer to my problem was apparently waiting for me.
This was truly the motherload, every kind of Sony Ericsson iSync Phone Plugin imaginable and yes mine was in the list. Then the gotcha! I had to pay for it, but one thing I don’t mind doing is paying for a product that has value and will inevitably save me time. So I paid the $3 bucks or so and downloaded my Sony Ericsson W580i iSync Phone Plugin, I was even given the choice of Phone color!
All I can say is I can’t tell any difference between syncing with my new Sony Ericsson W580i or my older T616 when using iSync and that’s a good thing because they both sync identically and perfectly. I even found a very cool iPhone Theme for my W580i to match my iPod Touch.
Now I have my full Featured and mind blowing iPod Touch for my portable Contact Management and Media needs and I have my compact ad-on Sony Ericsson W580i for the missing phone in my iPod Touch. And it’s all virtually seamless!
I love stories with happy endings especially when I’m involved, so if you have a Sony Ericsson phone that doesn’t seem to work with iSync you may just be in luck. Go check out www.feisar.com for an iSync Phone Plugin of your own.
does this have to be through bluetooth?
or can i use the usb cable that came with the phone?
i’d just like to know before before i purchase the plug-in