HOWTO: Shuttling MP3s, jpgs, etc. on and off the Verizon LG cellphone
A good way to move files between your cell phone and Linux machine is to
use the excellent BitPim (http://bitpim.org). Some phones will not
work with BitPim, however, in part because of their closed-source
nature. [1] This post describes an alternate solution. This should
work for nearly all Verizon LG phones, including the LG-VX9800,
LG-VX8100, LG-VX600, so long as it's a phone that has a miniSD card
slot. [2]
Again, the problem is: how can you move images, mp3s, and other files
between the LG phone and a Linux machine? The solution is to get a
miniSD card, as well as a reader for it (for the linux machine). You
can configure the phone to automatically save new camera images to the
card. [3] Then you can take pictures, remove the card from the phone,
put it in the flash reader, mount the card in linux, then move and copy
files off and on it just like any other media. Similarly, you can copy
MP3s onto the card from linux, and listen to them on the phone when you
plug the card in.
USB Flash readers are pretty cheap. Search for "external flash reader"
on eBay and you will probably see many listings for under $20. I
bought a nice one from CompUSA for $30+tax. Usually these readers are
marketed as "8-in-1", "12-in-1", etc., which is the number of flash
formats they read. Make sure that the one you get reads the miniSD
format. Alternatively, you can get one that just reads the SD format,
and get an SD-to-miniSD adapter. That's what I did, and it works well.
The adapter came for free with my miniSD card. I don't know what they
would cost, but it's just a bit of plastic with some metal, so I'd bet
it's cheap. Just try to get a miniSD card that includes the adapter.
The card must have some particular directories on it. They will have
names like "my_mp3", "my_pix", etc. To put these in, insert the card
in the phone. The phone should automatically make them for you. You
may have to take a picture and save it to the card first.
Once you get the reader, plug it into a spare port on your linux
machine, then insert the card. The only step left is to mount it.
After that, you can read and write to it just like any other mounted
device. Unfortunately the mounting is not always trivial, but it IS
always solvable with reasonable effort. The exact steps vary,
depending on the specifics of your hardware. As baroque as the process
can be, it is really well documented on the net. Just search and you
will find instructions. It might also "just work" for you without any
trouble. Hint: try mounting it as a vfat filesystem.
Incidentally, at least some Verizon phones have their MP3 functionality
disabled by default. If it is, you may have MP3s on the flash memory,
but your phone will not play them. This is very easy to fix. You need
to go into the super-sekrit Service Menu. To do this, punch "Ok" to
open the main menu. Then, press "0" (zero). You will see a popup
titled "Service Code", and a prompt for a 6-digit password. The
password is "000000". Tricky, aren't they! You should now be in
the "Services" menu. (There are a lot of options here, and they are
not supposed to be user-configureable. Be careful if you play with
them. It is possible to break your phone's software by misconfiguring
something.) Scroll down to the item titled "Music Setting" and type
OK. Select "MP3 Enable" and press OK. Press End to return to the main
screen. Now, under Menu -> Get It Now -> Get Tunes & Tones, there will
be a new menu option, called "My MP3s". This will list the sound files
on the miniSD card, and you can play them. Note: This is how it works
for my setup. I believe it will be identical or very similar for all
recent and near-future models.
The rest is straightforward. Incidentally, while we're talking about
cellphones, I found a way to get internet access on the phone for $12 a
year instead of the normal $60. Go to
http://hopke.net/proxy/proxyhome.php
They offer inet service for cellphones. Just like Verizon's service,
but much cheaper.
Finally, if someone from Verizon is reading this: I am VERY UNHAPPY
that you DELIBERATELY designed the firmware to prevent the phone from
being accessed from my PC. I *know* you did this. I *know* that when
you do firmware upgrades for your phones, you include "enhancements"
that prevent people from using the phone that they BOUGHT (not leased
or borrowed) in ways that are convenient and reasonable for them. I
*know* that you do this to induce people to spend money on extra
services that they would not need if you did not put in these barriers.
I like that you have those addons, in case I decide to get them. Then,
of course, it's win-win. But if the only way for me to get my pictures
off my cell phone is to pay $0.25 EACH to email them to myself, well,
that is highly annoying. I have a cable, which you sold me, that
connects my phone to the USB port. There is no technical reason I can't
just plug it in and copy the files over. Except for the software
blocks you installed.
And that's why I'm mad. I'm mad I fell for this, that I signed a 2-year
contract that will financially support this corporate behavior. And
that is why I wrote this detailed, step-by-step article on how to
circumvent it. That's why I point out how someone can get web access
on their phone without paying you. I'm actually very happy with
everything else about the phone and the service - really, no sarcasm.
The phone is delightful; the sound quality, coverage, and cost are all
better than Cingular (which I had a few months ago, before I switched
to you). But the deliberate functionality de-hancements really
subtract from that.
Endnotes:
[1] For example, it doesn't seem possible to use Bitpim v. 8 to get data
to and from my Verizon LG-VX8100 cellphone. Bitpim version 9 is now
out, and that may work. That version does not seem to be available for
my hardware (AMD64) yet, though, which is why I sought another way.
[2] The workaround described in this post only works with phones that
have a miniSD card slot. Many recent phones (as of 2006) have one. If
your phone does not, there might be something analogous you can use.
[3] Go to Menu -> Settings & Tools -> System -> Manage Memory -> Save
Options. You can also transfer images between the card and the phone's
memory; just highlight the image, select Options, then Move.
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