Motorola Q and your Mac

Out of the box, the Motorola Q does not support the Macintosh platform. The latest alpha release of third party software Missing Sync for Windows Mobile provides hope for Mac users. Read how we were able to get the Mac working with the Moto Q.

Ok, so you own a Mac and it makes sense that you want a cool smartphone that works with the Mac. Up until now, that list ended at the Palm Treo 700p (which is very cool and Mac friendly). Enter Mark/Space and their Missing Sync for Windows Mobile software. The application is currently considered an “alpha” version, so don’t expect a full supported release just quite yet.It runs the latest version of Tiger and has Bluetooth built-in. You can read the full requirements at Mark/Space.

Your mileage may vary, but here’s how I got the Q to work with my PowerBook which met the criteria for successfully using Missing Sync.

Introduce Your Q To Your Mac

First things first, you’ll need to install a copy of Mark/Space’s Missing Sync for Windows Mobile 2.5. The only way to get this is to purchase version 2.0 and then upgrade to 2.5. Once again, buyer beware, because version 2.5 is still not “ready for primetime”.

With Missing Sync for Windows Mobile installed, I wanted to establish communication between my Q and the Mac. First thing we’ll do is make your Q available.

• Go to your Q and press the left “soft button” above Home
• Use the side scroll to select Bluetooth
• Select Bluetooth Manager
• Select Settings and check “All other Bluetooth devices to see this phone
• Press the left soft button Done twice. Press the Home button

• Go to your Apple menu and open System Preferences
• Open Bluetooth
• Set-up new Device
• Your Mac will now look for the Motorola Q. Upon finding the Q, it will provide you with a pairing code. Enter this code on your Q.

Once you complete this process, notice the Q is now listed among your Bluetooth devices.

The Mac and the Q have now established a Bluetooth relationship which is necessary for Missing Sync to work properly. At this time, Missing Sync only supports syncing through a Bluetooth connection. No worries because we’ve just got that out of the way.

I then proceeded to attempt to sync the Q with my Mac. I initiated the first ActiveSync using the following steps:

• Press the left soft button on your Q
• Select ActiveSync
• Using the right soft button, select Menu and then ‘Connect Via Bluetooth’
• Press Add to configure a new ActiveSync partner
• Select the Mac you’ve set up. In my case, it was Chris’ PowerBook
• The Q will initiate an ActiveSync process as shown below

If successful, your Motorola Q will now attempt to connect to Missing Sync for Windows Mobile using your Bluetooth connection. The first time it connects, the Missing Sync on the desktop will alert you that it’s a new smartphone and will need to install Missing Sync on the phone. Select OK and Missing Sync will transfer a CAB file to your Moto Q. Select OK and proceed. Once installed, your Q will notify you that it has successfully installed the Missing Sync CAB file.

During communication between the Mac and the Moto Q, you should see the following on your Mac desktop.

With this in place, we’re on the final steps on getting your Mac working with your Q smartphone.

• Press the left soft button and go back to ActiveSync
• Using the right soft button, select Menu and then ‘Connect Via Bluetooth’
• Select your Mac
• Missing Sync will now start syncing with your iApps

In this screenshot, the dialog asks “Motorola Q would like to sync Contacts with Address Book”. As you can see from the screenshot, it’s syncing with my dot mac, my Treo and a host of phones. Of course, you select Allow to start the process. During the sync process, the Motorola screen goes dark. This is normal

The Motorola Q will then attempt to sync your iCal events and you’ll see the dialog, “Motorola Q would like to sync Calendars with iCal and other applications. The answer to this is of course to allow the sync to happen.

Conclusion

That completes the tutorial on how to get your Motorola Q working on a Macintosh. For more information, please visit Mark/Space and you can also sign up for an updates on the Missing Sync for Windows Mobile release. If you sign for the Everything Q eNewsletter, you’ll also be notified of the release. While the process above went very smooth, I did spend a few months trying unsuccessfully to get a Treo 700w working on the Mac. Using the process outlined above, I’ve been able to get both the 700w and Motorola Q working. To discuss the Motorola Q and Mac, please visit our forums.