Filed under: Peripherals, Software, Odds and ends
Two ways to sync iTunes to your Pre, but not for free
On Wednesday, our very own Christina "C-Mac" Warren told you about how the iTunes 8.2.1 update prevents the Palm Pre from syncing with your favorite music library. Never fear! There are a couple of ways that you can bring back that lovin' feeling between your Pre and iTunes, but they may cost you a few bucks.The first is from venerable Mac software vendor Mark/Space. The company made an announcement almost immediately after iTunes 8.2.1 hit Software Update, mentioning that The Missing Sync for Palm Pre still allows syncing between Palm's new touchscreen smartphone and iTunes. The US$39.95 application (announced last week on TUAW) is currently Mac-only, but a Windows version is in the works.
Our sister site Download Squad reported Thursday that another Mac software stalwart, Salling Software, announced an update to their Salling Media Sync for Mac application. Salling Media Sync, which is available for free in a slower-syncing edition or for US$22 for a version with "intelligent syncing" to speed up the process. Salling not only syncs iTunes and iPhoto with the Palm Pre, but a gaggle of Nokia,Sony, HTC, and BlackBerry devices as well.
The pre-emptive strike by Apple to exclude the Pre from the good graces of iTunes seems to have been extremely short-lived. Windows users of iTunes, however, are still out in the cold for a little while longer unless they stick with 8.2.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
metric152 said 12:19PM on 7-17-2009
I read you can also use double twist to upload content to your palm pre.
http://www.doubletwist.com/dt/Home/Help.dt#supporteddevices
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Phil said 12:46PM on 7-17-2009
Yes, DoubleTwist works great. I deleted the current set of music via the Finder (remember to empty trash), and then loaded it up again via DoubleTwist.
JLJ said 12:21PM on 7-17-2009
Would you write a post about how to sync a Zune with iTunes? No. So let's not make the TUAW into the TUPW.
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billcantfart said 12:43PM on 7-17-2009
I honestly would not be surprised if they wrote a post about Zune syncing with iTunes.
Like it or not, not everybody who own Apple products uses them exclusively.
dbreed said 12:46PM on 7-17-2009
This post is about applications for the Mac that Pre users can use to sync their iTunes library. I would say that still keeps it under the A in TUAW. Believe it or not, there are some Mac users that own Pres, and we appreciate this kind of info. If you don't like it, don't read it.
oliver hart said 12:46PM on 7-17-2009
I know right!?!
Blasphemy!
High tech sorcery, sorcery i say
oliver hart said 12:50PM on 7-17-2009
@dbreed
ya, but the iPhone is a direct competitor, the best (i guess) yet, so it's a little strange to see a big PRE on here RATHER than a picture of one of the said applications, on a mac, with the words "pre syncing". eesh
dbreed said 3:50PM on 7-17-2009
A quick search of this site reveals articles from the past that have used pictures of Windows, a Zune and a Blackberry. Using a picture of the Pre with a little iTunes card is an effective way to get the point of the post across. It also gets your attention.
At the end of the day, it's just a picture. I'm sure TUAW will continue to cater to iPhone and Mac users for the foreseeable future, but they may occasionally post a picture of a non-Apple product from time to time. I hope this doesn't offend you.
Collin said 11:13AM on 7-18-2009
I am always amazed that while this is an Apple blog, people never seem to understand that it shouldn't be and isn't an Apple sales tool. What is the best phone is subjective to needs and circumstances. Deal with a heterogenous environment.
For me the Pre is the best, and nearly only, option. Doesn't make me less of an Apple fan/evangelist, just means that I am not a member of this Mac Hizballah. But most people aren't and those that are, scare off normal people.
And yes, doubletwist needs to be in that list.
Mike said 12:33PM on 7-17-2009
Why bother can't the Pre load as a USB device, just select what you want in iTunes and drag it to the mounted drive on the desktop. It works with USB sticks so surely would with a Pre?
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oliver hart said 12:43PM on 7-17-2009
whoa, did i accidentally click Precentral.com or something?
if this was digg, this story would be BURIED
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Paul said 12:51PM on 7-17-2009
"The pre-emptive strike by Apple to exclude the Pre from the good graces of iTunes seems to have been extremely short-lived."
The "strike" wasn't because the Pre was syncing with iTunes, but because Palm coded the Pre to pretend to be an iPod.
As has been pointed out elsewhere, Apple doesn't stop you syncing your (non-DRM'ed) iTunes library with non-Apple products. You just need to write software to use the iTunes Library.xml file, which iTunes generates for use by non-Apple products.
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jdechko said 4:43PM on 7-17-2009
And the Blackberry users look up, shrug their shoulders, and go back to syncing with iTunes just as they have for a long time.
Paul, you're right on. It's not the fact that the Pre was syncing with iTunes, but the manner in which it did it. There are a ton of 3rd party apps (both Mac and Win) that allow BB and WM users to sync with their iTunes Libraries. However, the difference is that these 3rd parties rely on official APIs rather than unsupported hacks. How else do you explain it?
Thwarko said 12:54PM on 7-17-2009
How much do I care about Pre?
http://rlv.zcache.com/lets_check_the_give_a_damn_meter_tshirt-p235150349740777341yj9h_400.jpg
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Collin said 11:15AM on 7-18-2009
Do you really feel that you needed to contribute. Did anyone ask your opinion? Was that really worth your time. Grow up. If you don't care, move on.
Dustin N. said 1:05PM on 7-17-2009
Mod parent down.
There is an important distinction that needs to be made here, lest the unwashed masses misunderstand. Neither of these applications enable syncing the Pre with iTunes; they allow the iTunes Library to be synced to the Pre. Syncing with iTunes itself is what Palm was doing to get themselves into hot water with the large fruit company, by masquerading the Pre as an iPod to fool iTunes into syncing. The iTunes Library, which really is all anyone wanting content on their device cares about, can be accessed (as TUAW reader Paul above mentioned) through the .xml file, which is what these other 2 apps are doing. So instead of using the iTunes APPLICATION to sync content, 3rd party APPLICATIONS are accessing the iTunes LIBRARY to sync content.
Which really is what Palm should have done in the first place to make this a non-issue.
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Sax25 said 1:19PM on 7-17-2009
How is it not for free when Salling Media Sync IS free? Yes there is a faster paid version but they still offer a FULLY FREE version without limitations (except for speed).
Given that Salling Media Sync works on both windows and OSX and handles a whole bunch of other phones AND is nearly half the price of The Missing Sync by Mark Space, I would say it is much better value.
Imagine all the people who will avoid this post when they see the "not for free" part in the hopes of finding a free solution? Very smart of you Steven to turn people away from your article. "Two ways to sync iTunes to your Pre" is all the title should say!
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SpaceGoatPriest said 2:44PM on 7-17-2009
I know of a free solution. Don't update. If it really matters to you, just don't update. 9 times out of 10 the updates are generally not adding a feature or just fixing a bug that you may never see.
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jonathan said 4:43PM on 7-17-2009
yes but occasionally the itunes store REQUIRES you to have itunes 8.2.1 or whatever in order to purchase a certain app or song etc. it could very well be conceivable for someone to want to purchase something from the itunes store, and a popup shows up saying, itunes 8.2.1 is required for this purchase.
SpaceGoatPriest said 4:52PM on 7-17-2009
Hmmm. I did not know that. You learn something new everyday. (I really have not purchased anything since they implemented the $1.29 pricing)
Which on a total side track, TUAW should research about what happened to the "more 0.69 cent tracks vs 1.29 tracks". I mean Apple totally back pedaled on that (or who wrote that article way back when, misquoted them).