How to USB and Wifi File Share to and from the BlackBerry PlayBook

Kris AlvarezNews

Earlier in the unboxing I mentioned that as I was going, things were coming to me but I still had a lot of work to do in order to get familiarized with the PlayBook and RIM’s new tablet OS powered by QNX. The way a passionate photographer relentlessly snaps multiple shots, I too, was capturing numerous screenshots within the tablet’s screenshot function for my PlayBook editorials. Once I accumulated around 30 screenshots in my library I decided to connect my PlayBook to the PC for the first time so that I could extract the screenshots to my desktop.

After several device restarts and watching the time fly, I still was unable to locate my PlayBook on my PC even though the tablet drivers had been installed. Thanks to RIM’s support services again, I was able to configure out how to access and set up file sharing the BlackBerry PlayBook.

What you will need to do is locate your”network” and then looking straight you will be your PC and PlayBook computer icons which is exactly what I’m looking for. Below are the sections outlining the different methods of transfering files to and from the BlackBerry PlayBook.

Wi-Fi Sharing

Complete the following steps to share files over a Wi-Fi connection:

  1. From the BlackBerry PlayBook home screen, select the settings icon.
  2. Select Storage and Sharing.
  3. Toggle Wi-Fi Sharing to ON.
  4. Tap Properties to verify network identification information. (PlayBook name, password etc)
  5. From a Windows or Mac based computer on the same network as the BlackBerry PlayBook, navigate to the IP address of the PlayBook which can be found under Settings > About >Network.
    1. On a Windows computer, open the Run dialog box and type \\127.1.1.1 (where 127.1.1.1 should be replaced with the actual IP address of the BlackBerry PlayBook)
    2. On a Mac computer, select Go -> Connect to Server… and type smb://127.1.1.1 (where 127.1.1.1 should be replaced with the actual IP address of the BlackBerry PlayBook)
  6. Users will then connect to the media folder which contains several subfolders such asdocuments, music, photos, videos etc.  Users can then move files between the computer and these folders.

File Sharing with a Mac via USB connection

To share files between a Mac and the BlackBerry PlayBook, BlackBerry Device Manager will need to be installed. Complete the following steps to install BlackBerry Device Manager:

  1. Connect the BlackBerry PlayBook to the Mac.
  2. On the desktop or within Finder, double click BlackBerry PlayBook CD.

File Sharing with a Windows PC via USB connection

To share files between a Windows based PC and the BlackBerry PlayBook, BlackBerry Device Manager will need to be installed. Complete the following steps to install BlackBerry Device Manager:

  1. Connect the BlackBerry PlayBook to the computer via USB cable.
  2. If BlackBerry Device Manager is not yet installed, the PlayBook will display a screen entitledInstalling Drivers.
  3. On the computer, double click the BlackBerry PlayBook CD drive icon.
  4. Open the Drivers folder.
  5. Double click Setup.exe
  6. After selecting the appropriate region and accepting the License Agreement select Install.
  7. Select Finish and then OK to the prompt confirming that the PlayBook will need to be disconnected and then reconnected prior to use.
  8. Once reconnected to the computer, the BlackBerry PlayBook will be mounted as a Network Drive labelled PlayBook [PIN: 500AAAAA].  Double click the network drive icon to access the PlayBook folders.  Users can then move files between the computer and the PlayBook.

File Sharing with a Mac via USB connection

To share files between a Mac and the BlackBerry PlayBook, BlackBerry Device Manager will need to be installed. Complete the following steps to install BlackBerry Device Manager:

  1. Connect the BlackBerry PlayBook to the Mac.
  2. On the desktop or within Finder, double click BlackBerry PlayBook CD.
  1. Double click the BlackBerry Device Manager Installer to start the installation process.
  2. After reviewing the Read Me and License Agreement click Continue Installation.
  3. Reboot the computer when prompted.
  4. After the reboot is complete and the PlayBook is started, a message may be presented stating that a new network interface has been detected.  If this is the case, click on Network
  1. Preferences and click Apply.
  2. After the PlayBook has been setup in Network Preferences, the PlayBook share will appear on the desktop whenever the PlayBook is connected to the computer.
  3. Click the Playbook icon on the desktop to display the PlayBook share.  Users can then move files between the computer and the PlayBook.

official steps