Nokia intros Media Transfer beta for Macs

Nokia today silently introduced a beta version of its Media Transfer 1.0 suite for Macs, marking the company's first support for sideloading media files from non-Windows computers. The app mounts any compatible Nokia phone as a Bluetooth or USB device in Mac OS X and allows two-way transfer to keep the phone up to date beyond the contacts and other basic information supported by iSync. Users who rely on iTunes and iPhoto can load most images, unprotected music files, and playlists (including iTunes Plus songs) directly from the relevant program. As with iPods, users can also choose to sync files by starting transfers automatically on plug-in, changing only the files that have been updated.

A special Device Browser utility also lets users customize their phones and send generic data, Nokia adds. A separate program running in the menu bar allows Mac users to drag and drop programs, wallpapers, and compatible documents (such as Word files) to relevant folders to upgrade the phone's appearance and features.

A Mac using the free, 2.2MB beta requires Mac OS X 10.4.9 or later as well as iTunes 7 and iPhoto 6. The phones themselves must run a variant of Symbian Series 60, which currently limits support to Nokia's N-series phones such as the N95.