Here’s a great way to give yourself a headache: Use the Bluetooth to copy a file between your Android tablet and a Bluetooth-enabled computer. It’s slow, it’s painful, and it might even work.
Get started by pairing your tablet with the computer. When your tablet and computer are paired and connected, how the file transfer works depends on whether you’re using a PC or a Macintosh.
Although a Bluetooth transfer can work, it’s not the most reliable method. It’s definitely not the easiest way to transfer files.
How to send a file from the PC to an Android tablet
On a PC, follow these steps to copy a file to the Android tablet:
Right-click the Bluetooth icon in the Notification Area on the desktop.
The icon looks like the Bluetooth logo, shown in the margin. The Notification Area dwells on the far-right end of the taskbar.
Choose Send a File from the pop-up menu.
Choose your Android tablet from the list of Bluetooth devices.
If you don’t see the tablet listed, ensure that the Bluetooth radio is on for both devices and that they’re paired.
Click the Next button.
Click the Browse button to locate files to send to the tablet.
Use the Browse dialog box to locate and select one or more files.
Click the Open button to choose the file(s).
Click the Next button.
The tablet may signal a notification alert, which lets you know that a file transfer is taking place.
Touch the Accept button.
If you don’t see the Accept button, choose the Bluetooth Share: Incoming File notification.
On the PC, touch the Finish button.
The transfer is complete.
On your Android tablet, you can pull down the notifications and choose the Bluetooth Share: Received Files notification. You’ll see the Inbound Transfers screen, which lists the file(s) downloaded. Choose a file from the list to examine it using the appropriate app.
Images sent to the Android tablet from a PC can be found in the Gallery app, in the Bluetooth album.
Not all PCs are equipped with Bluetooth. To add Bluetooth to a PC, you need a Bluetooth adapter. Inexpensive USB Bluetooth adapters are available at most computer and office supply stores.
How to send a file from an Android tablet to a PC
To send a file from the tablet to a PC, you need to use the Bluetooth item found on the Share menu in various apps. Follow these steps:
On the Android tablet, locate and select the media or file you want to send to the PC.
Choose the Share command.
From the Share or Share Via menu, choose Bluetooth.
If you see a Bluetooth icon in the app, just touch it to summon a list of Bluetooth devices.
Choose the PC from the list.
On the PC, click the Notification Area icon that appears, indicating that a Bluetooth file transfer request is pending.
On the PC, click the OK button in the Access Authorization dialog box.
The file is sent to the PC.
On many PCs, the received files are stored in the Bluetooth Exchange Folder, found in the Documents or My Documents folder.
Send a file from a Macintosh to the tablet
To copy a file to the Android tablet by using Bluetooth on a Macintosh, follow these steps:
Use the Bluetooth menu on the Mac to choose the Android tablet and then choose Send File.
You can find the Bluetooth menu at the far-right end of the menu bar.
Use the Select File to Send dialog box to browse for and select the file on your Mac that you want to send to the Android tablet; click the Send button.
On the Android tablet, choose the Bluetooth notification.
In the File Transfer window on the tablet, touch the Accept button.
The file is sent from your Mac to the Android tablet. It appears in a list of Bluetooth Inbound Transfers.
You can touch the file in the Inbound Transfers window to open it and do whatever interesting thing that the tablet wants to do with that file.
Sadly, some people cannot get the Mac to accept a file sent to it from any Android tablet by using Bluetooth. You might have more success, but keep in mind that the USB file transfer, coupled with the Android File Transfer program, works like a charm.