Gone are the days of hacking into OSX to get your Nokia to sync. New models are Mac-ready out of the box (almost) so now Mac users can keep contacts, photos, videos and music backed up properly. Windows users look away now.

What’s the point?

Safeguard your contacts, photos videos and music by keeping a backup on your Mac – you can even keep a third copy locked away online for extra security. Lockdown!

Is it free?

Certainly is.

Sold! How do I do it?

1. Update iSync

Awkward software patches used to be needed to make Nokia phones talk to iSync on Mac. Not any more, Nokia have heaps of official plug-ins for Apple’s syncing software on its support site. Install one for your phone, head to the Bluetooth menu at the top of your Mac’s desktop choose ‘Set up Bluetooth Device’ and follow the instructions to sync your contacts and calendar.

2. Integrate with iTunes

Thought only iPods could work with iTunes? Wrong! Your Nokia can too! Download Nokia Media Transfer from the Nokia download section, install it and open it at the same time as iTunes on your Mac. Connect your Nokia smartphone and you’ll see it listed as a folder in iTunes. Create playlists and Nokia Media Transfer will copy everything over to your phone, just like an iPod!

3. Collate pictures in iPhoto

As well as integrating with iTunes, Media Transfer will make your phone show up as a camera in iPhoto. It’ll even replace bulky photo files with smaller versions once they’re offloaded, letting you archive full-size pictures while keeping phone-friendly versions for browsing on the move.

4. Access your Mac from anywhere

Download and install SoonR from the Soonr site, it’ll let you tap into your Mac’s hard disk wherever you are, so you don’t have to lug around your fat media collection - just whip out your phone and download it, as long as your Mac’s switched on at home.

5. Subscribe to calendars

Using iSync to get calendars on your phone is sweet, but it can also help your phone subscribe to datebooks from the web for instance. Your friends’ Google Calendars can be synced too. Make a new calendar in iCal, right click on it, hit ‘subscribe’ and enter your Google Calendar’s address. Now its entries will appear on your phone too, updated each time you sync.