Windows Phone 7 Connector is coming, for all you Windows Phone 7 obsessives stashing media on your previously incompatible OS X machine. No, it’s not Zune for Mac, but it does get the job done: we’ve been testing it out over the last few days, so read on for our impressions.
A little primer first for anyone who hasn’t been following Windows Phone 7 since launch. Microsoft has done away with the USB mounting of Windows Mobile (And Android and BlackBerry) for Windows Phone 7 handsets: syncing with a desktop computer instead relies upon proprietary software as the iPhone needs iTunes: except it’s Microsoft’s own Zune software. And that’s only available on PC.
Microsoft’s solution to this is Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac, and it does what it says on the tin. It works in a way that’s similar to media syncing with BlackBerry Desktop Manager on Mac. It’s a separate app, but it pulls in your iTunes content and playlists, and dumps everything on the phone back in your OS X libraries as well. For instance, our HTC HD7 photos and video are dropped straight into a new album created on iPhoto when we sync. It also shows you the storage capacity of the phone, just like iTunes, and what’s eating up all the space.
Set up is easy, and the first time you plug your Windows Phone 7 handset in, it’ll recognise the model and show an image. The Sync options in Windows Phone 7 Connector let you choose automatic and manual sync, as well as connect to music info from Zune. Everything worked quickly, and without a hitch, but music has to be in an iTunes playlist to make it across, and you can’t drag and drop into the phone’s name, as you can with iTunes. Unfortunately, there’s no WiFi syncing this way sadly – that’s a Windows thing for the time being. Pity really, as it’s very convenient.
Truth be told, Microsoft has kept this quiet for far too long: if it had plans for this, we’d have much preferred it flagged them up at launch back in February, or at one of the numerous press conferences it’s hosted since then. We’d also like to see a full Zune OS X application too, since it’s actually pretty nice, and well, Ping is starting to get on our nerves.
Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac launches in public beta on 24 October. In the meantime, why not check out our review of Windows Phone 7, and the first phones out of the block, the HTC HD7 and Samsung Omnia 7?
