How to sync an Android phone with a Mac for free.

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This question has been rattling round in my skull for a while now. A quick google search and I found this link. http://www.ehow.com/how_5945326_sync-android-mac.html
I first checked the Apple Mac store and to my amazement, found it WAS available, for £8.99!
However, thats too easy. I want to do it for free. 

Ok, lets tackle these issues one by one....... firstly I have the details of my Gmail account. 

Contacts and Address book.  
All of the contacts I want are already stored in my gmail account. But what I really want is to add contacts in my Address book, and have them auto sync with my android phone. As they're already syncing, phone to gmail cloud. The issue becomes, how do I sync google with my mac? I boot up address book and click Address book>Preferences. I see a box; it says Sync with Google..... can it be this easy? I click it, and input my gmail details. Done.
Well, no actually, that option is only there because I own an iphone. And well, to be blunt. It won't work. 
After an hour or so investigation, I give up. 

E-Mail - Thanks to the wonderful tech that is IMAP, there is little more required than logging into the Mac Mail app with my default email settings, username and password and gmail is working fine, the folders, sent, received emails will sync across platforms with no further intervention required. 

Music, Videos and Photos next. An email that showed up whilst investigating reminded me I'd downloaded a free app called doubletwist for android. A link from the email leads me to the mac software. Upon opening, this shows a very itunes-esque window. A simple guide to tell me to mount my android and we're cooking on gas. I've hit the sync button after selecting the photos music and videos I'd like to sync and, Perhaps not surprisingly, it works; like a charm I might add. For a fairly modest fee of £3.99. I can have the wifi version. Meaning, yup, unlike iTunes and the iPhone, I can sync Over The Air! Heads up Apple!

Calendar. Ok another simple one. Preferences, Account Add, select Gmail from the Account types, enter username and password and I'm done. Calendars, sync'd too. This is too Easy. 

Back then, I guess, to contacts; which...... have synced! It took a while. But, they're done, and the "test" I wrote in the notes of a contact an hour ago, is also present. So it was that simple. Calendar>>preferences>>click the sync with google checkbox and add your details. 

Done..... For free! Seems Androids do like Apples!

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