iPhoto 5: The Missing Manual, Fourth Edition

Transferring Cameraphone Pictures via Bluetooth

If you got all excited about the idea of taking pictures with a cameraphone back in Chapter 1, you’ve probably been wondering for about 250 pages how you’re supposed to transfer them into iPhoto. You can’t exactly plug in a USB cable (on most phones, anyway).

If you thought the owner’s manual for your digital camera was cryptic, crack open the documentation that comes with your cellphone. Programming the custom functions on your whiz-bang handset makes operating the Mars rover look like a high-school science project. That’s why most people never get beyond ordering pizzas and checking in with the kids on their cellphones—and why most pictures taken with a cameraphone stay in the cameraphone.

If both your cellphone and your Mac have Bluetooth transmitters, you’re in luck. Bluetooth is a short-range, wireless cable-elimination technology. It can also be a pain-elimination technology for transferring cameraphone shots to your Mac.

Sending Cameraphone Photos to Your Mac

To transfer pictures that you snapped with your cell to your Mac, where you can save and work with them in iPhoto, you need three things:

• Mac OS X 10.2.8 or newer. You can set up Bluetooth in its System Preferences panel, or let the Bluetooth Setup Assistant make configuration a snap (Figure 13-11).

• Bluetooth on your Mac. Many Mac laptop models have Bluetooth transmitters built in, or offer Bluetooth as an added-cost option. If yours doesn’t, you can join the fun by buying the ...