Sharing files when not online

[Nataku4ca]

so couldn't your wife's friend/family turn their phone into a hotspot for her to tack on to?

secondly, i think u can connect to internet through usb cable like PG2G suggested (or at least ive done it before)

im pretty sure iphone is in the same boat as far as not able to connect to computer as mass storage device, it is actually more secure that way

bluetooth file transfer on the other hand is too bad we don't have, but i think they are trying to get nfc and make that beam thingy...

 

[aliensa]

so couldn't your wife's friend/family turn their phone into a hotspot for her to tack on to?
secondly, i think u can connect to internet through usb cable like PG2G suggested (or at least ive done it before)

Why is everyone rationalising this whole issue?
This is almost like telling a person that has no shoes how to walk through a field of thorns: "It will be better if you learn how to walk on the points of your toes....." wtf!

im pretty sure iphone is in the same boat as far as not able to connect to computer as mass storage device, it is actually more secure that way

Comparing with iPhone is pointless and it has nothing to do with security.
Since when was it more secure to work on the WEB (i.e. via WiFi etc) rather than on you own home PC.
The reason why Apple does not allow BT data transfer is DRM - same reason why MS has done it on WP7.5

bluetooth file transfer on the other hand is too bad we don't have, but i think they are trying to get nfc and make that beam thingy...

Why would NFC be better than BT ?
.... the reason for no data BT transfer is DRM.
DReaM on if you think this is going to be available with NFC

 

[oldpueblo]

I can count on one finger the number of times I've transferred a file via bluetooth in all my years of having a smartphone (10?). No offense man, but on a list of what's most commonly done having a data connection or an available wifi hotspot are far more likely than the need to transfer over BT. I get that it's frustrating, but someone has to be in the minority with their rare circumstance. If MS tried to cover all possible scenarios then we'd be just as screwed up as Android. Another solution is just use a real camera next time. Basically there are plenty of options, you just want the one. The rest of us don't care about that option. Not trying to be rude, just adding perspective.

 

[xmind]

As I already stated with a post about my initial grips with WP, I echo the OP's dilemma. I too find it unacceptable to require either an internet connection or to have to install software on a PC. One of the biggest features that I used frequently at work and at my parents' place with extremely slow internet on Windows Mobile, Blackberry, and Android was the mass storage feature. Having a smartphone is about eliminating gadgets: i.e. camera, music player, keys, computer, cellular modem, day planners, newspapers, books, USB thumbdrives, etc.

There are multiple scenarios where mass storage is useful:
1. Computers without an internet connection - How are you supposed to transfer pictures or whatever to this computer? The only way would be to carry a thumb drive around with you.
2. Extremely slow internet, or pay per x amount of data a month - If it was only a 1 MB install file or something, then maybe it'd be doable, but the Zune install is around 125 MB and over dial-up you can just forget about it.
3. Computers where I do not have permissions - I've had to do work on my company's equipment in different countries. Our equipment that we sell is Windows-based and changes to our software was needed. Since the computer is already on the customer's network it had all the security policies in place to prevent new installs, however, I saved the updated files from my email on my BB to it's storage card, then just hooked up to the PC and enabled mass storage mode. Extremely easy and something I couldn't have done with just a WP device as I have now.
4. Similar to above, but company PCs where IT monitors all installs and have a policy against non-work or IT approved software installs. If I want to transfer files like my music so I can listen to it via WMP on my PC I can't as I can not install anything and Skydrive is blocked...as well as personal email websites....and FTP.

While many of you may not have needed this feature I can honestly say I can use this feature at least once a week. I hate having to carry more than I need to and I think a flash drive should be obsolete by now....but that isn't the case if I don't bring my work's Blackberry with me.

Edit: BT file transfer will allieviate some of the scenarios, but not all (my parents and customers do not have BT).

I understand why MS has disabled this and I am not asking for them to open up the entire storage system to the connecting PC's view, just allow me to create a partition on the SD Card that can be a shared data repository, I would be fine with an intermediate storage medium.

PS: If you want this feature as much as I do, please vote here:
http://windowsphone.uservoice.com/f...stions/suggestions/1549645-enable-usb-storage
Obviously myself a few thousand other people feel the same way on this.

 

[aliensa]

There are two separate suggestions for BT transfer on the MS Suggestion Box.
One is no 5 in the top voted list.
With a total of over 14000 votes for both suggestions then this is the third most asked for feature.
Support Bluetooth File Transfer

Please enable bluetooth file transfer

Considering that the no 1 & 2 top voted suggestions are for language support then BT transfer is the most requested 'action' feature for WP.

 

[holzlondon]

I can count on one finger the number of times I've transferred a file via bluetooth in all my years of having a smartphone (10?). No offense man, but on a list of what's most commonly done having a data connection or an available wifi hotspot are far more likely than the need to transfer over BT. I get that it's frustrating, but someone has to be in the minority with their rare circumstance. If MS tried to cover all possible scenarios then we'd be just as screwed up as Android. Another solution is just use a real camera next time. Basically there are plenty of options, you just want the one. The rest of us don't care about that option. Not trying to be rude, just adding perspective.

The funny thing about bluetooth is that it seems to be used very differently regionally. I know that it's hardly touched in the US, while it's relatively commonplace in Europe, and even more commonplace in India. I remember there being a big to-do that Lumia devices will have a really hard time in India because of the lack of BT file transfer.

I'll agree that it is a bit of a niche method, but one again, I have to say, usb mass storage must be possible.

It's a phone with an 8MP camera with a Carl Zeiss lense. It's meant to replace a "real camera" for everyday shots.

It's funny how so many people blindly defend an OS (not just WP, others too).

Isn't the point of smartphones / converged devices to make life easier, to not have to carry multiple devices around?

Repeating myself from another post here: I understand that not having a data connection will limit some functionality, no questions. But getting a photo off the phone shouldn't be that hard.

The fact that Nokia has released the offline option for Drive just shows that they are aware of the roaming restrictions on data usage. They're not saying "tough s#!t", they're saying "here's a way to not run up your roaming costs".

BTW, thanks to the EU, roaming in the EU now "only" costs about ?3.40 per megabyte now (it used to be up to 5 times that price), so even a single photo would still cost a few Euros to send by email.

Not trying to start an argument, or hate on the OS - there are many brilliant things about it. The idea of the local SIM, flick+share, etc. are all things I'm gonna look into.

And I've already cast my votes on the update request page, months ago - BT fiile transfer was one of the first things I voted on, just after mass storage mode.

 

[PG2G]

Nokia will push for Bluetooth File Transfer because it is necessary in their markets. I would be VERY surprised if it wasn't (or there weren't APIs to allow people to develop apps for it) in Apollo.

 

[Nataku4ca]

Why is everyone rationalising this whole issue?
This is almost like telling a person that has no shoes how to walk through a field of thorns: "It will be better if you learn how to walk on the points of your toes....." wtf!

so much hate, giving solutions to get around the problem is better than just complaining imo, sure having those features would be great but its not there right now so u want to just complain ur way through life? what if god gave you a pair of wings and u insist on walking through that field of thorns without shoes on? chill out dude...

Comparing with iPhone is pointless and it has nothing to do with security.
Since when was it more secure to work on the WEB (i.e. via WiFi etc) rather than on you own home PC.
The reason why Apple does not allow BT data transfer is DRM - same reason why MS has done it on WP7.5

i never said it was more secure to work on the web, but plugging usb drive into a pub computer is like having sex with out condom, not saying its 100% dangerous but ive seen intereting malwares make their way on to good old winmobile that way(didn't cripple the phone but infested another PC that way)

and when did i say its ok for ms to not have bt transfer? i just said its nice to have too bad its not there =..=

btw from reading from few sites apparently Joe Belfiore did come out and say that having it work as mass storage device could potentially mess up the file system as i have seen a friend of mine done to his android

Why would NFC be better than BT ?
.... the reason for no data BT transfer is DRM.
DReaM on if you think this is going to be available with NFC

have you even seen beaming? or the method that google went about it? you didn't even need to pair like bluetooth, just open the program then touch the back of the devices and the stuff you want transferred gets done, do some reading and u might be surprised
Future Concept: "Beaming" across devices - YouTube

 

[aliensa]

@Nataku4ca

Read the Thread Title: "Sharing files when not online"

This is not a matter of complaining. The question was asked about sharing files when not online and everyone gives advice on how to do it when online (or connected to a PC).

The fact there is no other way is the point that needs to be raised with MS to supply an alternative Phone to Phone option.