[Mango Himself]

Hi guys,

I tried MobileMe for a few weeks but it's not what I need. Now, I wish to cancel my free trial but I've read that upon doing that all contacts are erased from both the iPhone and its iTunes database.

Does anyone know if this is indeed true and if so, is there a way to backup my contacts in the iPhone before I cancel MobileMe?

Thanks

[whpalmer4]

You've got all your contacts in the Address Book app on your Mac, right? If not, use the MobileMe sync to get them there before quitting your trial. Then you can do a File->Back up Address Book in the Address Book app to write a copy of all of your contacts to a file for safety. As long as you have 10.5.7 or later on your Mac, you can sync directly over the USB cable, no MobileMe required:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1386

So, even if quitting the trial may result in the contacts being taken off your iPhone, it seems you can put them right back on if you've kept them in the Address Book.

[Mango Himself]

Thanks for the great advice. I do have one tiny problem. I do not use Mac. I use PC. Any suggestion?

[whpalmer4]

I do not use Mac. I use PC. Any suggestion?

Well, there's an obvious solution for that problem :D

You can sync with Yahoo Address Book, Google Contacts, etc. on the PC, according to a quick glance at the iPhone User Guide and the MobileMe pages. And if your iPhone is still under warranty, why not call up Apple at 1-800-APL-CARE and ask them how to proceed? But it seems like you ought to be able to do .as I suggested in the earlier message, except substituting some Windows or web app for Apple's Address Book app.

[Mango Himself]

whpalmer4

thanks for the help. I saved my contacts and everything is under control.

I am indeed buying a Mac but due to the nature of my business I need one that is about $8,000 once it's configured so I must wait a bit. I may just buy a basic one to run some porgrams though.