Backing up smartphone contacts

Creating a backup of your contacts is a simple, yet, important matter.

Generally, handheld devices are supplied with relevant computer software CDs but in case you have misplaced the disks, they can be easily downloaded officially on the Internet.

When you create a backup, you transfer your data from one platform to another and in the case of theft or damage, you can breathe a sigh of relief as you have access to that all important backup data.

You can transfer your contact list from a Blackberry device to an iPhone or the other way around.

Windows OS users can only transfer with Microsoft Outlook, which is included in the Microsoft Office package. Several email accounts can be connected and managed through this software.

To begin the transfer, open the Blackberry desktop software. After the software recognizes your device, click the “Organizer” button. There will be four kinds of fields: Contacts, Calendar, Tasks and Memos.

After ticking the “Contacts” box, a new window, regarding synchronization between your device and your computer, will appear. Choose one of the three available options, then click “OK”.

Finally, select “Sync Organizer”, found on the bottom right of the current window, and your computer will automatically save the data and connect it to your Microsoft Outlook account.

To transfer the data to your iPhone, open iTunes and then view your device.

Select the “Info” button, the option to sync your contacts with Microsoft Outlook only will appear if you have installed the program.

In the current window, there are several options to specify what data you want to sync to your iPhone.

After selecting the data option, click the “Sync” button found on the bottom right of the iTunes window. Now your contact list has been transferred from your Blackberry to your iPhone.

Mac OS users can also easily transfer data from a Blackberry devices to an iPhone, but prior to data migration, the Blackberry desktop software for Mac must be installed.

The software will have a summary of your device, so when the computer has recognized it, search and select the “Contacts” button on the left row.

Choose two-way synchronization between your computer and device when you are ready, select the “Sync” button found at the top right of the window.

You will face two options when you try to sync your computer with your device: Merge and Replace.

If choosing to merge, some data may be duplicated on your computer and device. Replace, on the other hand, might replace some contacts on your device with contacts included in the computer’s data.

Your contact list will be saved as the sync completes. To check the data, open “Address Book”. The contact list from your device may be browsed from there.

To start transferring your contact list to iPhone, open iTunes.

Open your device through the program, then search and select the “Info” button. You can personalize the data sync as you please, before clicking the “Sync” button found at the bottom right of the application window.