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. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]