The common belief among Android users is that there devices cannot be synced with Macs. The main reason for this perception is that there’s no Mac application that’s designed for syncing Android devices with the Mac. Even Samsung, one of the biggest supporters of Android, only developed their Kies software for Windows.
But in reality, you can actually sync your android device with the Mac, and the main conduit is through Google. By using Google as the bridge between your Android device and the Mac environment syncing becomes a synch. It may not be a one-click solution but it’s better than nothing. Here’s how you do it.
First, let’s tackle email. If you’re a Mac user who uses the Mail app for emailing, instead of through the browser, syncing your email with Android is easy. First, click on preferences in Mail, then click on the Accounts button. There is a plus symbol located at the bottom-left of the GUI. Click on it and just fill in your details (name, email address and your login details). Mail already has the correct configuration for Gmail.
Syncing your contacts is also relatively easy. Open Address Book on the Mac and then click on preferences. Look for Accounts and click on it. Look for an account that says On My Mac Local. Normally, this is already selected. On the right you will see check-box that indicates Synchronize with Google. Tick that box. You will now see a Sync icon on the menu bar of your Mac. This symbol is usually for syncing in conjunction with MobileMe, but it is actually also used with other accounts. Clicking on this will result in a menu appearing. Just click on Sync Now. The Address Book will now download the entries on your Google Contacts.
In order to sync your calendars and schedules with the iCal app in Mac, just open iCal and choose preferences. Click on Accounts and then click the plus symbol located at the bottom left. Enter your Gmail login details but leave the Account Type to Automatic. Click Create and iCal will automatically sync with Google Calendar. To prevent double reminders if you have alerts activated in Google Calendar, click the Advanced tab in iCal (located in Preference) and check the box that says Turn of All Alarms.
For syncing photos, you can use the Picasa Web Albums software that works seamlessly with Android devices.