Mac.sis making macs and S60 handsets talk

For most day-to-day use (calendar and contact synchronisation, exchanging the odd photo or song), Bluetooth is probably the most convenient option to connect your Mac to a bluetooth-enabled device. If your Mac has a Bluetooth adapter installed, you will find the BT icon in your menubar.

In order to use Bluetooth connectivity between your Mac and your handset, you need to execute the normal Bluetooth pairing process. However, generally it is a good idea to perform the following steps first:

• If your phone is not directly supported by OS X (see the Apple page for a complete list), look for additional iSync plugins as described in Installing additional Nokia iSync plugins.
• Consider whether or not you want to use your handset as a cellular modem for your Mac – if yes, please hop on over to the On the road tutorial to perform the necessary preparation-fu before going through the BT setup.

Once the above points have been considered, you can start the procedure by clicking the BT icon and selecting Set up Bluetooth device... from the drop-down menu. When the Bluetooth Setup Assistant start, click Continue and you will be faced with the following choices:

Not surprisingly, you want to select Mobile phone here. Before clicking Continue, however, make sure that your handset has Bluetooth switched on and that it has been set to be discoverable. You can find the settings in Menu > Tools > Bluetooth, in most cases:

When you click Continue in the BT Setup Assistant on your Mac, the computer will look for discoverable BT devices, and hopefully your handset will also appear on the list:

(Yes, there seems to be an Ericsson owner nearby. Must be a neighbour! :)

Select your handset from the list and click Continue. Your Mac will churn along for a moment and then arrive at the actual pairing procedure. The Mac will present you with a random sequence of numbers, and your handset should prompt you to enter the same sequence using the keypad:

If you manage to enter the same sequence into the handset, the two machines have been successfully paired. Pay attention to the screen of your mobile after you hit Continue – it may ask you to confirm once again that the Mac is allowed to connect.

After thinking for a few moments, the Mac should provide you with setup options for the paired handset:

Depending on your S60 device type, you may also have the option of using the phone with the Mac Address Book. This seems to work with S60 2nd edition devices, but I have had no luck with 3rd edition products yet.

Most likely you want to select at least the iSync option. The internet connectivity option depends entirely on your personal usage patterns.

If you deselect the internet option and click Continue, the pairing process is over, and your Mac will extend you hearty congratulations and fire up iSync for your immediate syncing pleasure. If you selected the internet access option, you will be presented with an additional setup screen – please see On the road for instructions.

As a final step, you may want to authorise your Mac to be able to connect to your phone without asking for confirmation every time – this is done in Menu > Tools > Bluetooth. Hit the right arrow key to reach the Paired devices screen:

Hit Options > Set as authorised to allow the Mac to connect to your phone without asking for confirmation every time. This is a good idea only if you can guarantee that the Mac is not generally used by unauthorised people with malicious intent. Like always, use common sense.