A TechLore "Ask the Experts" Question...
Question:
I recently purchased a Bluetooth dongle for my Motorola V551. However, everytime I try to send something from my computer to my phone it doesn't work. Sometimes I will get an error message saying that the file was not "downloadable" or it will download and not work (songs are corrupt, pics too big). What am doing wrong??
-submitted by Supernado
Answer:
The first thing to remember about phones like the V551 is that no matter how advanced it is on paper, it isn't a computer. Items downloaded to the V551 may require a little bit of work to get them to function properly on the phone.
MP3 Files
First, the V551 is capable of playing MP3 files as ringtones. However, it is important to note that the V551 is not an MP3 player like an iPod or Creative NuVo. To get files to transfer successfully, you'll want to download an MP3 cutting tool (MP3Cutter 4 is a free, and capable tool) which is used to cut out the section of the song you wish to use. If you are hesitant to download a freeware tool, you can always convert the MP3 file to a WAV file and use your favorite WAV editor. Just make sure you convert it back to MP3 before transferring it to the phone.
Try to keep MP3 clips at around 30 seconds to 1 minute long. Reencode the MP3 file at a low bit, something under 128Kbps. Also remember that the phone only has 1 speaker, so you can save space by converting the MP3 files to mono. Another thing that might help is to keep the filenames simple.
Images
As far as images go, the phone can't handle large pictures very well, if at all. Use an image editor to reduce the images size to 480x640 or smaller, and keep the file size under 50K. The phone will be able to scale well, provided the images meet the criteria above and are in a .75:1 ratio. The phone's native display resolution is 176x220, so any image resized to fit that space will look best.
Space Constraints
Also remember that the V551 only has 5MB of internal memory. This means that everything you transfer to the phone must fit in the space available. A 30 second mono MP3 file may only take up 150K, but a full MP3 song at higher quality will chew through your entire available memory.
Motorola offers a software package called Motorola Phone Tools, which inculdes many tools to optimize files for your Motorola cell phone. The package costs $30, but it may make this easier for you, especially if you have little experience in this area.
Matt Whitlock - Editor, TechLore.com
Did You Know...
The Motorola V551 can e-mail pictures to friends and family through the phone. Read "How Do I E-mail a Picture With the Motorola V551?" for instructions on how to do this.
Quantum Physics may some day lead to handsets that work across the galaxy. Read Jeff Block's article Tear Down the Cell Towers? to learn more about the possible distant future of cell phones.
While You're At It...
Pick up some egrips, a great cell phone accessory. The article "Why I chose to put egrips on my Treo 650 cell phone" will tell you more about it.
Set up your phone to get all sorts of useful info downloaded to your phone. The article "Receive News, Weather, Sports Headlines On Your Cell Phone For Free!" will tell you how.
