File Transfer Via Bluetooth?

[bluesteel]

Has anyone been able to use bluetooth to transfer files to their Pre?

I tried transferring a JPG image to my Pre from my laptop, and got the message:

"The file transfer failed because the receiving Bluetooth computer or device did not respond.

If you sent the file to another computer, that computer must be running the Bluetooth File Transfer Wizard. If you sent the file to a Bluetooth device, make sure the OBEX File Push Profile is installed."

[showson1]

I was under the impression that the Pre doesn't support this, but I could be wrong.

[jhoff80]

No, it's not possible for exactly the reason the error message says. The Pre does not support the OBEX bluetooth profile.

[Dvigilante1]

i've been trying to figure that out too. they need to include bluetooth file transfers on the next firmware update

[mattf]

I know the Pre is brand new, and I try to cut them a bunch of slack, but it's getting kind of irritating. I happened to leave my USB cable at work and was hoping to load some songs on it for today, but it looks like I'll just be using the ipod instead.

[Ricyteach]

Actually you can do this over bluetooth, or over the network. But you have to follow all the instructions over at the dev wiki (root the Pre, install SSH server, download winscp and putty if you're using windows) to do it.

However, even though I now have 100% sftp access to the Pre filesystem both over the network and over bluetooth, I can't figure out where the user files are stored (pictures, ringtones, music, etc) in the filesystem. I've been looking everywhere and can't find it. I'm pretty new to Linux so I'm not sure where these kinds of things are stored typically anyway, and of course have no idea whether it would still be true of the Pre file system anyway.

[Ricyteach]

haha! i just found it! i've been looking for 3 days! i feel really dumb now.

it's all in this directory:

/media/internal

so if you root your pre and get access to the filesystem, just go to this directory and you can transfer over bluetooth or the local network (or even over the internet!) to your heart's content.

[h0ruza]

Fingers crossed this is sorted out on future rom updates as being able to send and receive content is an ability GSM phones have enjoyed for many years now.

Whether it's your contacts, photos or music not being allowed to filemanaged your media is a terrible Apple trait Palm can do without.

[MRBULLRED]

I want this feature...

[jbg7474]

Originally Posted by Ricyteach

haha! i just found it! i've been looking for 3 days! i feel really dumb now.

it's all in this directory:

/media/internal

so if you root your pre and get access to the filesystem, just go to this directory and you can transfer over bluetooth or the local network (or even over the internet!) to your heart's content.

That's interesting. In Ubuntu (the only linux distro I'm familiar with), usb drives, cd roms, or any other "removable" storage gets mounted in /media by default. This says to me that the primary storage is elsewhere. It could be that these are just different partitions, but the file system is essentially treating them like different disks. The cool thing about Linux is that you can have virtual links to different places in the file system. It doesn't matter where it actually is located, because the file system can mount it anywhere (even multiple places I believe).

[JerryG]

Try looking in the /dev directory for dev(ices) starting with sd or hd.

HTH,

-Jerry

[bpdamas]

I too wish this will implemented. I no longer can transfer files to other phones through bluetooth. Kind of a bummer.

[as4life]

i would also love to be able to send ringtones to friends via bluetooth

[dsloar]

Me too...

[Whatnot]

Why?wulda made life easier

[Ebbs]

Can you send a file from one pre to another via BT?

[PalmPre1337]

This is a basic feature which should just be built in to all phones.

For some reason though, the Pre, the iPhones and all Android devices don't do it, yet my crappy Nokia will do it just fine!

[edlex]

Originally Posted by PalmPre1337

This is a basic feature which should just be built in to all phones.

For some reason though, the Pre, the iPhones and all Android devices don't do it, yet my crappy Nokia will do it just fine!

It's called control, and sprint doesn't want to give it up. I do feel file transfer will happen soon though, no reason why not.

[KEYofR]

Maybe someone can write an app to do it like Softick Blue Files
did for palmos.
Site has a db error just now but it's an app you can install on a treo or centro and provides obex ftp so you can interoperate with other phones and pc's directly without having to be lucky enough to have some means of doing so via tcp/ip or usb.

This is yet another example where a thing which might normally be a mere convenience that can be lived without, is actually more important on the Pre thanks to some other even less-forgivable failing of the Pre. ie: if the Pre had a removable sd or microsd slot, you could juggle that way at least sometimes. That sounds less convenient than a usb cable, but I have that tiny sandisk microsd usb card reader on my keychain and it's so small it doesn't bother me to be carrying it around all the time like that. So, not exactly convenient to remove the microsd from a centro, but at least the ability to move files is _always_ there wherever I go, and that is a form of convenience. But there is no way to make a Pre-usb cable that convenient to carry around on your keychain.

And/or, even better was the older treos with full size sd slots. THAT was REAL convenience, because every other device I own also has an SD slot. My cameras, my other laptops and netbooks, pc's, even half of the printers I meet, and so do most everyone elses. So, on my OLD Treos, I could actually meet a stranger out at some event, and they could hand me the sd card from their camera and I could pull off that pic they just shot of me. And me them. No keychain card reader or even PC needed! What a concept! Progress sure is backwards a lot.

Then in the case of the Pre there is also the retardedly inconvenient placement of the usb connector and the retardedly inconvenient little cover over it. Nice convenient DOCKING STATIONS for desk and car are now IMPOSSIBLE. The touchstone is great for charging at home and office, but, with the battery life so pathetic you really need a car dock too, a dock, not a stupid usb cable if the connector is going to be covered up and sticking out the side like that. And since there is no physical-connector dock, you you really need the bluetooth even more than usual to take the place of the data connection you took away. GRR!

If you want to break good mature refined working convenient systems and throw them out the door, well, that's stupid, but if you're determined, then you MUST at least provide some replacements! In the case of the Pre they've taken a fist full of standard streamlines conveniences and just tossed them out the door with no replacement.

They need to pay designers more and make sure the teams aren't 100% made up of kiddies right out of school who haven't had real life and common sense beaten into them yet. Hire some cranky old jerks. PLEASE.

Another example is, normally I wouldn't care how crappy the built-in mp3 player was. But, since there is no Audible.com player for Pre (and running the palmos one in classic sucks worse than just carrying around your old Treo just so it can play books), it now becomes rather important that the mp3 player not suck or that at least some good mature 3rd party mp3 player app be available like PocketTunes.
But no the Pre's mp3 player is useless garbage, Or at best it's a good app that's only 1/4 finished and should never have been shipped yet. Obviously someone somewhere theorized "business users don't care about mp3 players", and even if that were true they didn't think of audiobooks which includes I don't know wall street journal every morning on their way to work? (in my case it's science news or some sci-fi book, but I know audible has WSJ and I can imagine it being used just that way by those mythical 'business' users) The remix player isn't good enough for audiobooks yet either. It's better than the stock one but only just barely. The scrubber bar makes the difference from possible to impossible, but that's as far as it goes, merely possible, not yet convenient at all because the auto save/restore position feature fails almost every time.

[SueC56]

If you are looking for something to play podcasts or audio books, check out drPodder (formerly PrePod). You can find it in the Homebrew list at PreCentral.net. It is "not quite ready for prime time" but is very useful and continues to be developed with user input and sure saves the day for those of us who listen to non-music mp3 files, in my case podcasts.

Sue