Hi, I�m Molly Wood from CNET.com, and I�ve got a tip for you that really shouldn�t have to be a
tip. How to get photos off your BlackBerry.
Sure, the BlackBerry makes it easy to take pictures, but getting them off the phone isn�t the
simplest task, and there are multiple ways to go about it. So, let�s go through all the possible
ways to get pictures off the phone � and I�ll end with the best method, so stay tuned.
Ok, now, if you just want to transfer one or two pictures, it�s not too difficult. Click the
applications button, here, and scroll down � you�ll see options to email the photo to yourself or
someone else, or send it as an MMS. Now, Flickr also has a BlackBerry app, which I have
installed. Once that�s there, you can also choose the option to send the photo to Flickr. Same for
Twitter apps like UberTwitter. These work best over WiFi, by the way.
You�ll also see an option here to send using Bluetooth. If your computer has Bluetooth, you can
pair the phone with the computer and transfer them that way. On the main menu, scroll down to
the Bluetooth icon here and choose Search for Devices from Here. Choose ok and let the
Bluetooth do its magic. Once you find your computer, pair it with the phone, and it will create a
Bluetooth Transfer folder on your machine. Choose Send Using Bluetooth, and the photo will
wirelessly transfer to your computer.
Now, these methods are fine if you only want to transfer one or two photos. But they�re hell if
you�ve taken a lot of pictures. If that�s the case, you�ve got two good options � and NEITHER of
those options includes installing the BlackBerry Desktop Software with the Roxio Media
Manager and using that software to transfer photos. For one thing, the installation alone took like
30 minutes and required a restart. For another, the software is clunky, horrible, and unintuitive.
That�s a no.
Try this instead. First, if you�ve got a microSD card, you can simply treat that like a media card
from any camera � take it out, put it in a microSD adapter, insert that into a card reader, open
the mounted drive as a folder, and drag and drop the photos wherever you want. But beware:
some people have trouble getting the microSD card adapter to mount properly. In fact, I tried it
on both Vista and XP, and in both cases, it crashed Explorer. And I�m not the only one this has
happened to. Plus, it�s annoying to have to remove the battery to take out the microSD card like
that.
By far, the best way to get photos off your BlackBerry is simply to plug it into your computer
using the included mini-USB cable. When you plug in the phone, you�ll see an option to mount it
in Mass Storage Mode. This is the magic right here. If you have a password, you�ll have to enter
it now, and then, Windows should should pop up the Removable Disk menu, with options to copy
pictures, print them, view a slideshow, etc. I�ll choose Open folder to view files, open the
BlackBerry folder here, and choose pictures. And there they all are. Now I can drag them to
another folder and do whatever with them � upload them to the Web, send them to friends, or
just delete them because my Curve�s camera is so crappy. But at least my pictures won�t be
trapped there for all eternity. Free your photos, friends.
For CNET.com How To, I�m Molly Wood, and you�re welcome.
