A totally synchronised life is what we were promised when this idea of the "cloud" came along. To some extent, we have it. When we delete emails, they're gone across all devices, and we can access webmail accounts from just about any machine, just about anywhere in the world.
If you've gone a step further and enabled services like Google Docs, you can store documents, spreadsheets, photos and videos in the cloud and open them on any computer. The same is true for files and photos stored somewhere like Dropbox or Box.
But all that syncing applies just to files, folders, photos and email. The new holy grail is unifying communications: to get your phone to talk to your computer, so you can view and respond to things like text messages and phone calls on any device.
That reality is here, and although Apple has the best-known solution, it's not the only one.
Apple's newest mobile operating system, iOS 8, and computer operating system, OS X Yosemite, include features called Continuity and Handoff. Continuity lets you share information like directions, browser windows and email drafts on multiple devices, as long as all those devices are from Apple and are running the latest software.
Once you've upgraded your devices, the features are often enabled by default. And when it starts working, it's pretty easy to use and even works with some apps that aren't made by Apple. With Continuity, your phone or iPad connects to your Mac using Bluetooth. If the device is in range of the computer (say 10 or 20 feet), it can pick up what you're working on and transfer it to the phone.
For example, while writing this column in the Google Chrome browser, using Google Docs, I tapped the home button to turn on my iPhone screen. At the bottom of the screen, in the left corner, there was a little browser icon. When I tapped the icon and swiped up, the phone automatically opened a browser window that brought up the very Google Doc I was working on.
An even more useful example is navigation. If I use Safari to search for directions and open them in Apple Maps on the computer, a Maps icon will pop up on the phone. When I swipe up on that icon, I see the directions on the phone.
Using the Handoff feature, you can also use your phone's cellular connection to make and receive calls on your Mac, and you can send and respond to text messages on any of your iOS devices. Making a call works with phone numbers in Safari. If you search for a business on Safari on your computer, for example, and find a phone number, you can click on the number to make the call. The call itself happens on the computer, using its speaker and microphone. You can also make calls from your Contacts app - it just has to be up to date.
You can also choose to forward text messages from one iOS device to another, and you can send and receive texts on either your iPhone or iPad.
Again, though, all that assumes you use only Apple products. There are other options for getting your phone to talk to your computer, and the next most comprehensive option is Google.
The combination of Gmail, the Chrome browser and the Google Hangouts app will let you see and sync email and open tabs, directions and messages on your phone, tablet or computer - even if some of those devices are made by Apple or another company.
Unfortunately, as with many Google solutions, it takes some doing to get it all working. For example, you can make voice calls from within Gmail at no charge using the Google Plus Hangouts app, but only to other Hangouts users.
And to send and receive texts and voice mail on your phone, tablet or computer using the Hangouts app, you'll have to set up Google Voice. That's a free service (available only in the US) that assigns you a new phone number. The good thing about the product is that you can attach multiple numbers to your Google Voice number - so when someone dials the Google Voice number, it could ring your cellphone and home phone simultaneously. But if you've had the same number for a while, it could be a pain to give it up.
Once you're using Google Voice with Hangouts, however, the service can handle calls on your phone or computer, transcribe voice mail messages and send them to you in emails, and send or receive text messages and calls anywhere you have the Hangouts app installed.
The Hangouts app works on Macs, PCs, iPhones, Android phones and other phones as well.
Google also offers an extension for Chrome called Chrome to Phone (not the same as an older extension called Chrome to Mobile, which has apparently been disabled) that will let you send links to web pages, phone numbers or directions from the browser to your phone with one click.
You can also sync Chrome's browser tabs between a computer and the mobile version of Chrome on either iOS or Android - just enable it in Chrome's settings under Advanced Sync Settings.
There are also apps that make it easier to sync between devices. One I really like is PushBullet, which is available free for Mac, PC, Android and iOS, and as an extension in most browsers. There are versions of the app for BlackBerry and Windows Phone, too. The app delivers notifications from your phone to your computer and lets you easily share files and messages between those devices.
BlackBerry offers an interesting sharing service, too. The company makes desktop software called BlackBerry Blend that loads messages, emails, photos and files from newer BlackBerry phones onto your Mac, PC or tablet - including iPads. You'll see notifications and read and respond to emails and work as if you were on the phone. All the messages and files open in a separate window, walled off from the rest of the other data on your computer.
Motorola makes Motorola Connect, which works with the Moto X, Droid Turbo and a couple of other phones, and also lets you see and send text messages or answer or decline calls on your computer. It works as a Chrome browser extension.
As we collect more devices and add more forms of communication to our lives, it doesn't make sense to be able to get text messages only on a phone and to send files or browse the web only on a computer. We're multidevice creatures, and every day, we're a little closer to moving seamlessly between our gadgets.
So, while we may not be getting any closer to having just one device with everything on it, at least it's easier to manage the collection.
© 2015 The New York Times News Service