Syncing an i500 (and others) with a Mac Powerbook

I have never been able to sync my i500 except with an IR port (no longer available on power books). I bought one of those cheapo data cables but still no luck, until I plugged in the phone, opended System Preferences- Network. This opened up window which said a new port had detected \"Did I want to add it?\" You betchum I says and Voila I am syncing.[/i]