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I was blind, but now I synch

I used to own a BlackBerry…back when I worked for a company that had a BlackBerry Server. With the BlackBerry Server, I would get real-time delivery of my behind-the-firewall email, and could use the SSH client to login to my behind-the-firewall servers. When I left corporate life to pursue open source full-time in 2005 (first as a consultant, and now as an industry analyst), the first thing I did was go out and buy a Sidekick. The Sidekick is made by Danger and is often referred to by its carrier-neutral name of the Hiptop. In the United State, T-Mobile is the only carrier that carries this phone. In July 2006, T-Mobile is releasing the Sidekick III - although it’s not a very major improvement over the current model, unfortunately. Yes, it has Bluetooth, a music player, and is 20% smaller, but the screen resolution and quality hasn’t improved, it doesn’t support Wi-Fi, and it still locks you into to buying applications from T-Mobile instead of opening up the built-in Java support for loading third-party applications directly. I’m still trying to decide whether I am going to upgrade or not.

So, why abandon the BlackBerry for the Sidekick? Well, first of all, without the BlackBerry Server, the BlackBerry is somewhat crippled. I could have signed up for mail hosting with a company like MailStreet which offers a hosted BlackBerry server, sure, but there were other reasons for the change, as well. Instant messaging is one such reason - support on the BlackBerry is poor, and this is one of the strengths of the Sidekick.

Another reason for going with the Sidekick was the release of Missing Sync for hiptop by Mark/Space. As a Mac user, I was dependent on this piece of software to synchronize my address book and calendar between my computer and my Sidekick - a Mac synch client is only available from Mark/Space. The BlackBerry already had a Mac synch client, and the release of Missing Sync for hiptop by Mark/Space put the two on equal footing. I have been using the synch product from Mark/Space now for over a year.

For some reason, synch stopped working towards the beginning of 2006, and I have no idea why. I didn’t upgrade the software. My guess is that T-Mobile made change with its synch server. Let me explain. Unlike most synch programs that connect a phone or a PDA to a computer directly through a USB cable or in some cases via Bluetooth, the synch software I am using synchronizes the calendar and address book on my Mac directly with a T-Mobile server over the Internet, which then copies the data out to my Sidekick over the mobile network. I have no idea why it is this way, but I suspect that Danger wasn’t willing to give Mark/Space the API for USB connectivity.

I simply haven’t had the time to fix the synch software this year and this has crippled me. I have missed a number of meetings (and birthdays!) because my Sidekick didn’t remind me. After missing a company meeting yesterday, I had enough. I did some digging on the forums and blogs, and discovered other people were having the same problem. Through a number of helpful hints posted by others, observing the log file (/Users/yourusername/Library/Logs/MissingSync for hiptop.log), and a fair amount of trial and error, I am back in business! I am posting this blog entry for the other users of Missing Sync for hiptop.

Here is what I did…I can’t make any authoritative claims that all of these steps are required, but I am sharing the steps I went through to make it work:

1) I removed all spaces and punctuation from first and last names in Address Book. I did this because I noticed that the application seemed to hang at these records in the log file.

2) I removed all entries marked as companies (most of these were old, anyway). I did this because the company records were all generating synch errors in the log file.

3) I re-added the companies I needed, insuring that each company entry had an associated contact first and last name (I used “Some Guy” for those that did not have a contact name). I tried just updating the company records, but this didn’t work. I had to do a delete and recreate, for some reason. Considering the number of old records I have in Address Book, it wouldn’t surprise me if the internal data format has changed and only a new record uses the new data format required for the synch process to function properly.

4) I went into iCal under Advanced Preferences and set all calendars to automatically delete old entries after 365 days. I did this because it was trying to synch 3,000+ calendar records from up to five years ago. It would hang - surprise, surprise!

5) In Missing Synch for hiptop, I set the Preferences to not synch any of my subscribed calendars from sources that kept historical calendar entries past 365 days. I did this for the same reason I listed above - since you can’t control the entry deletion on subscribed calendars, all you can do is turn them off for synch.

6) In Missing Synch for hiptop, I changed the synch to always overwrite the Sidekick on every synch. I think this is a much safer rule for anyone not planning to add new entries from their Sidekick - I don’t. I’ve had too many bad experiences with synchs deleting my master data due to bugs, and a one-way copy is a much safer plan. To expose this preference, hold the option key down when going to the Missing synch for hiptop main menu item in Mac OS X and selecting Debug options (it only appears when holding down the option key).

I hope this works for you. Please help me streamline these instructions if I am over-complicating the process. Post a comment with your experiences.

UPDATE 1: 06/21/06 - I ran into a new problem when enabling another local calendar. You may get an error like this:

Main Application: NSInvalidArgumentException [ISyncConcreteSession clientAcceptedChangesForRecordWithIdentifier:formattedRecord:newRecordIdentifier:]: you can’t change the record identifier from com.apple.syncservices:BE1F8536-A97C-416C-8C95-B87EA1B93E2C to E1444: it is already associated with a different record.
Main Application: Synchronization Complete!
Main Application: The calendar sync was unsuccessful

If this happens to you, you need to isolate the specific calendar that has the error and then attempt (somehow) to isolate the corrupt entry and delete it. Otherwise, calendar synch will fail. Good luck!

UPDATE 2: 07/03/06 - I was successful in getting my new T-Mobile Sidekick 3 to work with Missing Sync for hiptop.

UPDATE 3: 08/08/06 - I have given up on using Missing Sync for hiptop for calendar data, due to a “corrupt” entry in my work calendar. This stops calendar synch from completing. I have no way to track down the corrupt entry, so I’ve had to disable calenar synch, relying on Missing Synch for hiptop for contact data only. The workaround? Use the free AppleScript called iCal to Sidekick, which will convert your iCal entries to Outlook format. Then, login to My T-Mobile and import them from the Desktop Interface. It’s a two-step process but this is the only way I have found to make this work. Make sure you disable calendar synch in Missing Synch for hiptop before doing this.

UPDATE 4: 08/11/06 - My workaround is not working the way I want it to - calendar entries with long notes are getting turned into multiple entries. This is too much hassle and I am going to actually sell my Sidekick 3 and get a phone that is supported in iSync. I need sync on my phone more than I need the features of the Sidekick 3. I placed an order for the Sony Ericsson K790a, which is shipping in a few weeks. Although the K790a is not yet officially supported by Apple in iSync 2.3, you can download a 3rd party plugin for less than $3 at Feisar.

Thank you very much! I was having the same problems and, after following your directions, I get a complete sync. Does your Missing Sync exit after it’s done? My Missing Sync just exits out and I had to look at the log to make sure it completed and was successful.

Glad to know that it works! My synch app stays open, but shows the last successful synch time.

Can you give me more detail in steps 5 and 6. I can’t seem to find those options in the preferences on my missing sync program

Bless you! I need badly to get my contacts back into my sidekick. I only have 400 contacts but lately only 114 will show up on the device. I have deleted all from the tmobil desktop interface and tried to resync from missing sync after I confirmed in my apple address book that the 400 were there, etc. But no luck. I am going to follow each of your steps above and see if it helps me get back to an initial full transfer / sync of my apple address book to my sidekick. I don’t need the calendar portion at all right now. I’m going to Paris on Tuesday and only need my contacts.

Any other tips you can throw my way would be greatly appreciated. But either way thanks for all your efforts.

Truly,

C.

Hi sseligson -

For Step 5 - click the Preferences button and simply turn off synching of calendars that you don’t have control of. For instance, I am subscribed to a calendar someone else updates and they have years of historical events in there. I turned off synching of that calendar to get around problems with large amounts of old records trying to synch.

For Step 6- smiply hold down the Option key on your keyboard while clicking the “Missing Synch for hiptop” menu item in the Finder, and you’ll a item in the menu list called “Debug options…” Inside the debug pop-up window, click “Desktop overwrites handheld on next synch”.

Please let me know if this works for you.

Hi Chad - I hope it works. Please post here with your results. I can’t take all the credit for this. It includes some helpful hints in other posts along with a lot of trial and error - watching the Missing Synch for hiptop log file is a real help. I saw where it died, made changes, and tried again until synch worked.

It would be helpful for Mark/Space to provide some sort of data cleansing tool to automatically resolve these problems.

many many thanks. I will try the steps. This problem has been really affecting my life. I too have missed events.
iCal 2.0.3 only gives me the option (in advanced prefs) to delete all events older than 60 days. it’s v useful to me to be able to go back and look at old stuff, but I’m resigned to just backing up iCal and going to my ext HD to review old stuff if that’s what I have to do.

So I still have some questions:

1.Isn’t it possible to just ignore device events (as missing sync suggests it can here– — but i haven’t figured out how) older than x weeks or even ignore iCal events older than x weeks. This is what I devoutly wish for.

2. How does one sync “over the air” as the missin sync says it will?
ww.markspace.com/missingsync_hiptop.php

3. This may be more of a Mac question but how do you get

4. How do you get the sidekick to make your personal info into a vcard?

5. I read the sidekick 3 manual but still don’t understand. Will it be possible to sync wirelessly with my iMac via bluetooth?

I agree with you about the lackluster new features. What I’m angling for is video, the ability to easily write+post a blogpost (like I can do with photos via flickr) and the ability to have more events and wifi (or at least less places without lost connecticvity)

Hi heather -

1. No! This is a bummer, which is why I have to do this be deleting events in iCal. Like you, I’d prefer to save a history of events. Mark/Space should add this feature. It’s fairly easy to do, and would help people like us.

2. There is no synch directly from your Mac. Your Mac syncs to T-Mobile, and T-Mobile syncs to your Sidekick. This is how it works.

3. Your question was cut off - please fix it.

4. You can’t - you can generate a vCard from Address Book.

5. It all depends on Mark/Space. Right now, it’s only the “over the air” synch.

I’d like to see the Sidekick become a video blogging enabler. It’s almost there.

Nothing works. I tried everything Markspace sent me. And all your suggestions. I can only get 144 records to sync out of 339. It’s weird. One message I get is that it’s using .mac, my old nano, and other sources devices to sync.

This may sound confusing but markspace’s email said that I should hold down opt. to access debug then reset all, then restart, etc It’s at that point that I get the warning box saying it’s using all those devices and sources to preform my overwrte sync.

Man this program really blows, huh?

RZ,

can you think of any thing else I can do?

Thanks in advance,

chad

PS

Here’s acopy of my “Tech support email response” From MS.

Chad,

Here is what you will need to do, go to iCal and Address Book, click on the ‘File’ menu and choose ‘Back up database’ then go back to ‘File’ and choose ‘Revert to database back up’.

1. In Missing Sync click on the ‘Missing Sync for hiptop’ menu and hold the ‘Option’ key. When you do you will see the ‘Preferences’ option change to ‘Debug Options’.
2. Choose ‘Debug Options’
3. Click on the ‘Unregister Sync Clients’ button.
4. Restart the Mac. If you don’t restart the action you just took of unregistering the sync client will not take effect.

When you sync you should get a dialog box (actually 3 dialogs) with an orange sync icon. When you get that you should check the box to erase the device and sync. Then click the ‘Allow’ button.

–Dave

Mark/Space, Inc.
Technical Support

Glad to hear its working with your SK3 (as I will be getting one on Monday). Have you encountered any problems of any kind with your SK3 yet?

None specific to the Sidekick 3 - only the known problems with Missing Sync for hiptop. I’m bummed that sync doesn’t pick up the Instant Messenger fields - so my IM names on the Sidekick 3 don’t display as full names, but as the cryptic IM account names.

I asked Mark/Space to put this on the list for future updates (if any are planned!).

I got my SK3 today and downloaded Missing Sync. I was unsucessful at adding the hiptop to the isync list and at syncing using the missing sync software. The error received reads:

‘The syncronization failedbecause of a communications problem or you have exceeded the record limits. Some records may not have been syncronized.’

Can you offer any advice for a first time user of missing sync?

Thanks!

Hi Brian - you don’t add the Sidekick to the iSync list. Missing Synch for hiptop is standalone application that runs independently of iSync.

Did you try the trick of watching the log file and seeing where it crashes?
Did you clean up your address book entries?

Hey thanks for this info. I was having problems with my SK2. I went through and got rid of all the punctuation in my names in my address book and now everything syncs great. Thanks for sharing the steps!!

i’m syching ok now, after making these changes…but now i can’t nter the calendar on my sidekick. it lets me see the remaining events, but i can’t access the calendar. make sense?

I really appreciate you taking the time to put together your recommendations. I had first tried a half dozen emails back and forth to MarkSpace technical assistance. They were responsive, but not knowledgeable. They acknowledged that the problems you fixed are known, but had no solutions. I told them that if I wanted to spend this much time mucking around with an application to make it work, I would be using Windows - not Mac.

I am now able to sync all my contacts and calendars.

Thanks.

Please please help me, i can not get the missing sync app to show or contact to the servers. it keeps saying can not connect to the server. I noticed that when you hold option down the debug menu comes up and has an option to but the server URL there, does anyone have that URL on their debug section and if so, could you please share it with me, or if you have another way to assist me it would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry - can’t help you. I sold my Sidekick 3 last month and have switched to the Sony Ericsson K790a. Best of luck!

So, now you’ve switched to the SE K790a, what do you think of it? Does it live up to your expectations? Does sync’ing work as you would expect? Are you still with T-Mobile, or did you switch carriers at the same time as changing phones? One key question for me is whether you can sync all the details in your address book with the phone. On my T630 of course the address details are ignored as it has no place to record them, but I have a friend with a Motorola phone that has a place for addresses and he can’t sync addresses across, only phone numbers and email addresses. Oh, and last of all (this is getting to be War and Peace already), where did you end up sourcing your K790a from?

I LOVE the SE K790a - I do miss the full keyboard, but 90% of the time, I am just reading emails, not sending them. The 3.2MP camera gets used a lot for my moblog, and the free Shozu client lets me upload photos directly to Flickr (supports others, as well). The fact that I can actually synch makes all the difference in the world. No more missed meetings (well, at least not cause by lack of a reminder!). I have stayed with T-Mobile. Downloading the data settings for T-Mobile was easy, as the SE web site does this for you over SMS. The details come though, as this is where I store extension numbers for my contacts. I can’t vouch for long details, however. I have none. I bought my SE K790a from http://www.mobilecityonline.com. Very reputable. Good luck!

I just tried to get the missing sync software for my side kick and they told me that the product is discontinued. Any ideas about what I should do?