Getting photos off of a mobile phone and on to my laptop.

[Captain Zep]

n.b. I'm rubbish at mobile phones - I have sent a text about three times in my life.

I have a little Bluetooth thing that plugs in to my laptop and I can send photos from my mobile phone between the two.

Problem is: I could do with getting one picture on to my laptop asap, and I've lost the wee Bluetooth thing.

Is there another way of doing this?  Laptop has wireless broadband and seems to have a Bluetooth setup (not using the wee thing I lost), but the phone and the computer can't find each other.  I've tried e-mailing it to myself, but this doesn't work (may be because I have the most very basic pay-as-you-go package?).

Any ideas?

RJMcB

[vince]

A very cheap (try the market if the phone shop want a packet for it) USB data cable. I find that it works faster and with less hassle than IR.

[Cunobelin]

Does the phone do email - email the piccie.

If unsue how to do this - nip outside and  find a ten year old who will do this fo you in seconds

[hellymedic]

I had to install phone software onto my computer to do this.
You might have to beg, borrow, steal or download software to allow this.

I have found a direct USB connection more reliable than Bluetooth.

I have a Motorola phone. Its USB cable has a standard '5 pin mini B' plug at the other end, same as my Canon camera and my card reader.

[D0m1n1c Burford]

I regularly send files to/from my laptop and mobile phone.  For small numbers of files, I use Bluetooth, and transfer them wirelessly (which is what Bluetooth is - a protocol for wireless data transfer).  For larger numbers of files, I insert my mobile phone's SIM card into a USB stick, and plug that into the laptop.  Windows then maps it to a drive letter, and then I can use Explorer to access the USB stick, and copy the files to the laptop.

It's all perfectly simple once you have figured it out.  If you know any teenage kids, ask them all about it 

[andygates]

Laptop has wireless broadband and seems to have a Bluetooth setup (not using the wee thing I lost), but the phone and the computer can't find each other. 

The little bluetooth icon down by the clock - what colour is it?  The "B" will be white for "OK and idle", green for "OK and connected" and red for "no bluetooth device on this computer" -- if it's red, then it's saying "I have the bluetooth software, but it doesn't work without the lipstick, sonny jim".

[Captain Zep]

Laptop has wireless broadband and seems to have a Bluetooth setup (not using the wee thing I lost), but the phone and the computer can't find each other. 

The little bluetooth icon down by the clock - what colour is it?  The "B" will be white for "OK and idle", green for "OK and connected" and red for "no bluetooth device on this computer" -- if it's red, then it's saying "I have the bluetooth software, but it doesn't work without the lipstick, sonny jim".

Thing is:  I try to turn "Discovery" on on the Bluetooth settings in "Control Panel" it just says "an error has occured".  Does this mean that my laptop doesn't have Bluetooth?

[andygates]

It probably means that the software's looking for the lipstick, unless the laptop has internal bluetooth as well.  It'll have a Bluetooth logo somewhere on the case if it does.

[Captain Zep]

It probably means that the software's looking for the lipstick, unless the laptop has internal bluetooth as well.  It'll have a Bluetooth logo somewhere on the case if it does.

Oh well, looks like I'll just have to roll up my sleeves and search down the back of the sofa for the "lipstick".  Thanks for your help everyone.

btw.  Why won't the phone let me send a photo to an e-mail address?  Do you need to pay to have the ability to do this? i.e. do some packages not have this facility.  I'm not sure what the package is (02 pay as you go).

[andygates]

Might just need setting up - I think mine did.  I'm on O2 payg as well.  Call the help monkeys.

[cometworm]

I regularly send files to/from my laptop and mobile phone.  For small numbers of files, I use Bluetooth, and transfer them wirelessly (which is what Bluetooth is - a protocol for wireless data transfer).  For larger numbers of files, I insert my mobile phone's SIM card into a USB stick, and plug that into the laptop.  Windows then maps it to a drive letter, and then I can use Explorer to access the USB stick, and copy the files to the laptop.

It's all perfectly simple once you have figured it out.  If you know any teenage kids, ask them all about it 

[pedant] it's most likely to be your memory card, not your SIM card. SIM card doesn't hold much more than a few hundred phone numbers. just so no one tries to stuff their simcard into the card reader. [/pedant]

Did your phone not come with a computer cable? A lot of camera phones do ... alternately, if your phone has a memory card in it (i.e. most newish phones with a 2mp or better camera) you might be able to use this in a memory card reader, which either a) your laptop, b) your printer, c) your mate's laptop/printer or d) a Jessops or similar shop would have.

[hellymedic]

I found the Bluetooth didn't work in both the phones I bought off eBay, thogh they were fine with a cable.
Have you used Bluetooth for anything else successfully?

[Valiant]

Worst come to worst, MMS the photo to someone with a phone and a bluetooth connection to email you. If you get really stuck and it's not really confidential you can send it to me.