Sotos.com > What I've Learned > Smartphone & Macintosh
What I've Learned:
How to Connect a non-USB Kyocera Smartphone to a USB Macintosh
Dramatis personae:
Step 1 -- Install the GUC232A USB-serial adapter.
- Installing the software drivers from the included CD onto a Mac is straightforward.
(On WinME, you have to use the Win98 driver!)
- Although I have a USB port replicator, I chose to minimize the opportunity
for mischief, and plug the GUC232A directly into a Macintosh USB port.
Step 2 -- Install the Palm desktop
- The computer will reboot after installation is complete.
- After the reboot, start the desktop application and create a user with
the "Edit users..." menu command.
Step 3 -- Configure the HotSync application
- Go into the "Palm" folder on your desktop and launch the Hot Sync manager.
(You should also see that the "Serial Port Monitor" application in that
folder has a grayed-out icon, meaning that it is running. The system apparently
launches this on its own.)
- A dialog window pops up, opened to the "HotSync Controls" tab.
- Click the "Enabled" option.
- I also un-clicked the "Enable HotSync software at system startup"
option. (I like to be in control of what my system does -- fewer surprises.)
- Click the second tab on the window: "Serial Port Settings".
- Make sure the "Local Setup" radio button is on.
- In the "Local Setup" area:
- Set the speed option to 9600. Somewhere I read that starting slow
is recommended, and that the speed be increased after everything is known
to run ok.
- The first time I ran this, the "Port option" in the "Local Setup"
area said "Palm Connect USB." I could not get it to work with that setting.
I changed it to "Modem port USB" and that seemed to be the secret ingredient
that permitted success.
Step 4 -- Hot Sync
- Plug the phone cradle into the USB adapter.
- Put the phone in the cradle.
- Open the phone's front flap.
- Press the HotSync button on the cradle. Your phone should emit
happy tones and HotSync.
Unanswered questions
- Why does the modem setting seem to be required for success? My
Mac has an internal modem, which I have never used. Is one of the USB
ports designated as a "Modem USB" port? That does not seem logical:
the modem has its own port -- a standard RJ-11 telephone receptacle.
Disclaimer
- It worked for me, but it may not work for you. Good luck.
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