BlackBerry® PlayBook™

[canadajohn]

Still trying to find ways to transfer video files from my PlayBook to my IMac. I've downloaded the BlackBerry article: "How to transfer files to and from the Blackberry PlayBook tablet." WIFI sharing is an option, but at this point I'd still stumped by some of the instructions. The article also has a section entitled: "File Sharing with a Mac via USB connection". That one looks a bit more straightforward so I thought I'd try that. Problem here is that instruction #2 says "On the desktop or within Finder, double click "BlackBerry PlayBook CD"?

What CD? I've checked my box and sure enough no CD came with my Playbook. If you read "Kit Contains" on the box it's clearly not listed. So baffled. Might there be a way to download this CD?

John

p.s. I'm going this route to download video to my Mac because of problems I'm having using the BlackBerry Desktop Software. It keeps sending the video to IPhoto.

[Krypto · Accepted solution]

Hi John,

Try using the method described in the following KB article as this should be a little easier for you:

http://www.blackberry.com/btsc/KB31160

Hopefully that will help you out!

[canadajohn]

Thanks. This is the solution. Though I still open the Desktop Software application, via this route I can select exactly where I want the video files to go. No more having them go into IPhoto for some strange reason. And no more loosing them when I try to get them out of IPhoto and into Final Cut Pro.

In my case the Icon that appeared on the desktop just said "Media". Nothing to identify it as Blackberry. Also of interest, when I clicked and opened it, it revealed a series of folders, including names like: "documents", "downloads", "miscellaneous", "photos", "videos", "camera". My first reaction was to click on "videos". Nothing. The folder was empty. Foiled again, I thought. But out of curiosity I clicked the folder "camera" and there they were!

[hutch0707 · Accepted solution]

Hi John,

I transfer files btwn my macbook pro (mountain lion) and playbook all the time. PlayBook shows up as a shared device in finder and you just need to access the media folder. It's not a CD. Just connect USB to mac and blackberry device manager will recognize playbook and prompt for password if you have one set. Enter password and access files on playbook. 

This is the same for wifi. Just select connect to server under the Go tab above the finder Window. Then type smb://ip address of playbook (e.g. smb://1.1.1.1). PlayBook ip address can be found in settings under about and network drop down selection. You'll need your username and password once you connect via wifi. The playbook username is under storage and file sharing settings in the network identification properties. I use both usb and wifi just because...no preference. I do the same on my PC where I do have blackberry desktop software installed and do my playbook backups.

My playbook settings for storage and file sharing are set to USB automatically detect since I use both pc and mac, wifi sharing, and file sharing are both on.  I hope this helps.

[canadajohn]

Thanks for this reply too. i realize now that I'd actually done what you say earlier in the day but hadn't realized what I'd done.

Playing around I'd noticed that the Playbook seemed to be recognized in the Finder; at least I was pretty sure it was. Under "Devices" there was a new heading saying "Shared" and below was an image of a little blue TV screen and next to it a long list of numbers - so Blackberry wasn't mentioned by name. I recall clicking on it and getting a new window with that same list of folders - documents, videos, pictures, camera, etc. What had thrown me off was when I clicked on "videos" nothing appeared. With this "shared object" not identified itself as the PlayBook, and with the video folder empty, I was confused and thought this just one more bit of baffling information. I moved on. But as I mentioned in my e-mail above, by playing around a little more I saw that the videos are actually found in the folder "camera". So now I know this Shared Device is the PlayBook,

Thanks too for the WIFI advice, but I think now that i have figured out this other way I'll just leave that alone.

John

[jarviser]

"On the desktop or within Finder, double click BlackBerry PlayBook CD."

That really needs changing urgently as I think it refers to some years ago when external drives showed up on Mac desktop (as they do in Linux now) as a round CD Disk icon.   Unfortunately Mac documentation gets a back seat as we are a small minority (Mac users) within a tiny minority (Playbook users)

[Krypto]

Thanks for that jarviser. I was wondering, but I don't have a Mac so I can't confirm the little things like that. Will see if I can pass that info on so that it gets fixed.