Help me find a prepaid cell that iSyncs

June 27, 2009 12:31 AM

What cellphone can I get to use with a prepaid plan that will work with iSync?

My original RAZR is slowly dying, so I'm thinking of replacing it and switching to a prepaid plan (probably Virgin or T-Mobile). I have all my calendars and contacts on my Mac, so I'd really like to be able to sync my phone, but it doesn't seem like any of the prepaid handset offerings are compatible according to Apple's list.

Should I buy a compatible handset separately and then sign up for the prepaid plan? I know this should work for a GSM carrier like T-mobile, but I'm not so sure about Virgin. Any suggestions of specific handsets that work well with iSync (and where to buy, if not available from the carrier) would be great.

posted by Cogito to technology (5 answers total)

Note the information on that list says "Support for more recent mobile devices is available via downloadable plug-ins".

This thread might be of more use to you than the article you linked.
posted by fearnothing at 1:41 AM on June 27, 2009

I just bought a plugin from Feisar for my K510a, and it works fine. They charge about $3 per plug-in.

There are also some free ways to do it (find an old script, edit it to work with Leopard, etc, etc), but it wasn't worth the hassle to me!
posted by gregvr at 4:31 AM on June 27, 2009

I imagine almost any phone that supports bluetooth will have iSync drivers, but the phones you're seeing listed for "prepaid" users don't support bluetooth. Why not get a phone with bluetooth off eBay? You can google iSync & [phone] to find out if there are serious problems.

If you want T-mobile or AT&T, then you need an unlocked GSM phone. If you want Verizon or Sprint, then you might need their phone specifically, just ask around. If you travel internationally, then you need a quad-band GSM phone, which costs more, and you need a GSM carrier like T-mobile or AT&T.
posted by jeffburdges at 6:00 AM on June 27, 2009

It looks like none of the handsets sold through the prepaid plans are supported by iSync even with 3rd party plugins. I don't mind buying an unlocked handset, but I'd just like to make sure it works well with iSync (plugin or not). I'm looking into the K510a. Any other suggestions?
posted by Cogito at 4:00 PM on June 27, 2009

For the record, the Sony Ericson S500i with Feisar plugin seems to work pretty well and wasn't that expensive to purchase unlocked.
posted by Cogito at 10:16 PM on July 6, 2009