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Cell phones do a lot more than make calls these days. They can take pictures, send text messages, and function as a mini personal organizer. Yet for many cell phone users, taking advantage of all this functionality can be a challenge. Once you store a file on your phone--be it a text message from your significant other or a picture of an outing with friends--you might think it's trapped there forever. This is especially true if you don't have a mobile with Bluetooth or an infrared port, lack a USB cable, or would just rather not pay to use their carrier's data service. Fortunately, though, there is an alternative with cell phone syncing software. This one-time purchase can be a great tool to truly manage the files on your handset. You can save and edit phone contacts, messages, and calendar entries on your computer; you can get photos off your camera phone; and you can manage your mobile's ring tones. The only caveat is not all cell phones are compatible with all functions, so it's important that you choose a product that works fully with your mobile. To help you find the best software for you, we've reviewed three syncing products, each with different features and capabilities.
First up is Mobile Action's Handset Manager 9.0. Available in versions compatible with almost every cell phone on the market, it not only transfers contacts between your mobile and your PC, it also moves camera phone pictures, videos, games, and other files. You can even compose your own ring tones with the software, then save them to your phone. Using the Motorola Razr V3, we had no trouble with most of the functions, save for a couple. We couldn't sync our calendar, and we could transfer only text from the computer to the phone and not the other way around; this was due to the fact that we were using a Motorola handset, which was not fully compatible. On the upside, it also came with USB charging capability, but the setup process had a few hiccups. It is fairly priced, however, at $33.
Next is Susteen's DataPilot Universal Kit. Overall, it's not only easy to use, it's also more visually appealing than Mobile Action's product. We like that you could keep several applications open at once. It has most of the same functionality as Handset Manager except for transferring videos. DataPilot, however, can be synced with Outlook, Outlook Express, and Palm Desktop. Again, keep in mind that not all the functions work with every phone. With our Sony Ericsson S710a, we weren't able to use the software's text-messaging features, which was irritating. Though it's an improvement over Handset Manager, DataPilot isn't quite worth the $79.95 price tag ($99.95 for the Mac version).
FutureDial Suite has the easiest installation process of the three products. Though not the flashiest, the interface was serviceable and easy to follow. As with the DataPilot, you can keep two tools open at once, and it lets you sync your Outlook contacts. Yet another bonus is the handy exporting of contacts to an Excel file on your PC. We like that the software automatically organized phone numbers into separate columns by type: for example, Home or Work. It has many of the same functions are the other products, but in our tests with the Motorola V600, the software's text-messaging features didn't work because our phone didn't support them. Also on the downside, picture-editing options are limited, and there is no ring-tone composer. The software is a bit pricey at $50.
Read the CNET editor's take
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