Using Google as a *free* MobileMe alternative (with push contacts & calendar)

For those who dont want to shell out the $99 for a MobileMe subscription, here’s a free alternative with support for push Contacts & Calendar on your iPod touch or iPhone, thanks to NuevaSync and Google.
(You’ll need the iPhone 2.0 software for this, if you havent upgraded already. Plug your device in and click ‘Check for Updates’ in iTunes)

NuevaSync is a new website which links Google Calendar and Contacts with their Exchange server, letting you sync your Google items with devices that support Microsoft Exchange.

First up, you’re going to need a Google Account (you’ll need a Gmail account if you wish to sync your contacts too.) if you dont already have one (Google Apps accounts work fine). You can sign up here.

Once that is done, NuevaSync reccommends you verify your account, by filling out a simple CAPTCHA.
For regular Gmail and Calendar accounts go to:

https://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha

For Google Apps accounts go to:
https://www.google.com/a/YOURDOMAIN.com/UnlockCaptcha (substitute ‘YOURDOMAIN’ with well, your domain!)

Read the rest after the jump ;-)

So, you’ve got your Gmail account set up, and you’ve verified your account. Now, here’s the fun stuff.
Surf on over to NuevaSync, and create a new account. It only takes a second.

When you’ve verified your account, login to set your settings. We’ll start with Calendar. Click ‘Change’ next to the Calendar option, and choose ‘Google’ (or disabled if you dont want to sync your calendar). Click Change to confirm. On the next page, click the link to configure your account.

On this page, enter in your Google Account details (full email address, eg test@gmail.com) of the account you wish to sync with. All of your calendars will be synced to your device.
Click Save.
Alright, that’s the Calendar all sorted. Now, on to your contacts!

Head back to the status page on NuevaSync, where you’ll hit ‘change’ next to Contacts. Here, you can choose from your Google or your Plaxo contacts. I’m selecting Google for this guide. Again, you’ll need to fill out your Google Account info of the account you wish to use.
Save, and back to the status page; it should look something like this:

NuevaSync (Beta) : status
Uploaded with plasq’s Skitch!

So, we’ve got the online part all worked out. Let’s move on to setting up your iPod/iPhone.
Tap ‘Settings’ from your home screen, followed by ‘Mail, Contacts, Calendars’, then ‘Add Account’.

photo.jpg
Uploaded with plasq’s Skitch!

Choose ‘Microsoft Exchange’ from the list of services (it’s the top one).

Under Email, put in the one you used for NuevaSync registration.
Your Username is the one you chose when you registered for NuevaSync, and same for the password.
For description, you can put anything (I decided on ‘NuevaSync’).
Tap ‘Next’.
Your device will now verify your account, and may take a couple of minutes.
After it has been verified, you’ll see a new field, “Server”. Enter “www.nuevasync.com” in here. (without the quotes)
When the next page comes up, make sure you turn off ‘Mail’. You can also toggle Contacts or Calendar if you just want to sync one of them.
Tap ‘Save’.

That’s it, it’s done! You can play around with your push/fetch settings in the Settings.app on your device as well.

Read on to Part two to find out how you can add your Mac into the syncing ‘loop’.

Footnotes;
- This will sync all your calendars, (except ones shared over your domain for Google Apps users), however they will all appear as the one calendar on your iPhone (eg. no colour coding).
- All of your existing contacts & calendars will be wiped from your iPhone, so I’d recommend you make a backup before turning on ‘push’ ;-)

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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 17th, 2008 at 9:15 pmand is filed under Guides. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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