I recently switched from my iPhone to a BlackBerry. A few weeks after the transition, I have discovered my likes and dislikes between phones, and by far the most frustrating difference is the “syncing with computer” feature. An iPhone is literally plug and play, whereas a BlackBerry requires tons of configuration, even for the simplest tasks.
Below I have roughly outlined how to send files between your BlackBerry and computer via Bluetooth.
Pair BlackBerry to your computer
- On your BlackBerry, turn on Bluetooth.
- From your manage connections menu on your BlackBerry select “Set up Bluetooth.”
- Click the menu button and select “Options.”
- Next to discoverable, select “Yes.”
- On your Mac, launch System Preferences (Applications ? System Preferences).
- Under the “Hardware” section click on the “Bluetooth” icon.
- Make sure Bluetooth is turned on. Click the “Set up New Device” icon in the middle of the Bluetooth window. (If you already have a device set up, click the plus arrow in the device column.)
- The setup wizard will pop up. Click “Continue” on the first pop-up window.
- On the “Select Device Type” window select “Mobile Phone.”
- Select your phone from the next screen and click continue.
- Your computer will prompt you with a PIN to enter into your BlackBerry. Enter the PIN into the BlackBerry device.
- If you entered the PIN correctly, your devices will be paired.
- Uncheck the “Access the Internet with your phone’s data connection” box.
- Your phone is now paired with your computer.
Turn on Bluetooth file-sharing on your Mac
- Launch System Preferences (Applications ? System Preferences).
- Under the “Internet & Network” section, click on the “Sharing” icon.
- In the “Services” column, select the checkbox next to “Bluetooth Sharing.”
- Leave everything as default. (You can change the preferences if you want, but I just left as the default.)
- Close System Preferences.
Send a file from your BlackBerry to your Mac
- Browse your BlackBerry’s media and find the file that you want to transfer.
- With the file selected, pull up your BlackBerry menu and select “Sending Using Bluetooth” from the BlackBerry menu.
- A pop-up will come up on your BlackBerry asking you to select a device. Select the paired computer you want to transfer the file to.
- A pop-up window will appear on your computer asking what you want to do. Accept the transfer, and the file will start transferring.
Send a file from your Mac to your BlackBerry
- Pull up your BlackBerry media browser on your device.
- Open the menu and select “Receive Using Bluetooth.”
- On your Mac, find the file you want to transfer and right-click on it.
- From the pop-up menu, select “More ? Send […] to Bluetooth Device” and select your phone from the pop out menu.
- Make sure you BlackBerry isn’t asleep. If you make a successful connection, you will get a pop-up on your BlackBerry asking what to do with the file. Select the location you want the file to save and and click “Save.” The file will begin to transfer. NOTE: I’ve had this fail a few times, but when I hit send again from my Mac computer it works; seems like second time is the charm. Making sure your BlackBerry is not asleep is also crucial.