What do you need to transfer photos from a phone to a laptop using Bluetooth?

05 July 2007

I have a neighbour who owns a mobile phone and wants to transfer photos from it to her laptop using Bluetooth. What will she need for her laptop and what should she do?

-- Submitted by: Eddie

Answer by:
Ella Morton

If she has a Bluetooth-enabled laptop, she'll just need to activate Bluetooth on her phone and computer (in the settings), and make sure that both devices are "discoverable" or "visible" so that they can recognise and communicate with one another. She may be prompted by one device to enter a code on the other in order to pair the two products for sending files. This code should be provided by the first device.

Then it's just a matter of sending the files -– in the phone's photo-viewing options there is usually a menu item that says "Send using Bluetooth".

If her laptop does not have Bluetooth, she'll need a Bluetooth dongle, which is a little device that plugs into a USB port to allow the computer to receive files wirelessly.

What is Bluetooth?
An obscure dental hygiene issue? Something you've heard a friend talk about on their mobile? CNET.com.au explains Bluetooth, what to be aware of when buying Bluetooth products, and what to expect in the future.

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