Saturday, August 8, 2009

LG Xenon: Transferring multiple pictures via Bluetooth

If I had to pick one feature of my LG Xenon phone as my favorite, it would be the Bluetooth connections with other devices. Sure, there's the obvious wireless/hands-free earpieces, but when I can download MP3 podcasts via iTunes on my iBook and then batch transfer them to my phone without having to keep track of another USB cable, that's when it becomes cool and begins to border on outright magic.

So, when I found myself unable to transfer multiple photos simultaneously from my LG Xenon's "Camera Album" software, something wasn't making sense. It was weird-- I could view the photos in thumbnail mode, and when I invoked the Send -> Bluetooth option from the menu, all of the pictures had checkmark boxes (not radio buttons) beside them . . . implying it was somehow possible to select more than one. But whenever you tried to click the second, third, etc. photos, the checkmark would be removed from the checkbox of the previously chosen photo.

Very. Frustrating.

I looked through my phone's manual, figuring there'd be some sentence instructing me to hold down the shift-key-equivalent on my QWERTY keyboard-- unfortunately, the section of the manual dealing with the Camera Album was very sparse. It was basically a listing of the menu features with no explanation beyond into each feature. Apparently, there is no way to select multiple photos within the "Camera Album" and send them via Bluetooth to another device.

Fortunately, there is a separate application entirely called "Pictures" located within the tabbed organizer section of the LG Xenon screens. (From the Home screen, click on the blue square with the four white dots-- you can't miss it. It's at the bottom of the home screen and looks like a six-sided die with four pips showing. You should now be looking at a rolodex-style screen, with tabs running across the top: a phone handset, one of those director's snap/cue boards, an overstuffed file folder, and a gear. Click on the tab with the overstuffed file folder, and you'll see an icon for an application called "Pictures.") I'll try to include a picture later, if I'm able.

Once you open the Pictures application, you should see thumbnails of all the pictures stored on your phone. This includes pictures you have taken as well as the various wallpapers and icons that came with your phone. Hit the menu icon in the top right corner, and select "Send." From there, hit "Bluetooth." You'll see all your thumbnails again, but only the photos you've actually taken will have those (infuriating?) checkmark boxes. Hit the "All" button on the right hand side of the screen-- this will only select all the photos you have taken, not the wallpapers, etc. Now, hit send, and choose your destination from the "Paired Devices" screen.

Hopefully this little tip might save another LG Xenon enthusiast some time and trouble. If so, drop me a line in the comments, so I'll know if other people found it useful.