No File Transfer for Galaxy Tab 10.1 LE?

By Jake • May 17th, 2011 • 13 Comments

So, this is weird.

The Galaxy Tabs all Google IO attendees were given last week aren’t recognized as file volumes when connected to a computer.

Galaxy Tab 10.1 Limited Edition not seen in Android File Transfer, Windows usability is spotty — Engadget

I heard about this first from Matt (@topperge), and initially thought it was simply the odd requirement for a transfer utility between Honeycomb and OS X.

Not so much. The Samsung Honeycomb variant seems to lack the USB device connection management option common to other Android versions. Typically, when you connect an Android device via USB, you’re offered the option to share its sdcard filesystem, which is a great way to transfer files between your computer and phone.

That doesn’t mean you can’t transfer files though. If you have the Android SDK, you can use adb to push files, which was the method used to establish root last week.

I never tested this on the XOOM. Maybe someone can comment, ahem Chet(@oraclenerd).

Anyway, this is an odd omission for the Tabs, considering the audience, and also an oddity about Honeycomb, i.e. requiring a utility to mount the filesystem.

I wonder what this means for Honeycomb and the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich version of Android. Does it signal a tightening of the filesystem to protect the devices from rooting and modding?

If so, that won’t end well. Even a tightly-secured filesystem like iOS can’t be protected from enthusiastic hackers.

Is Google conceding to pressure from its partners? That seems unlikely too, given the recent opening of sideloading to AT&T phones and the relaxing of the Motorola bootloader.

I realize that last sentence may sound like gibberish. If so, nothing to see here.

 


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  • http://www.matttopper.com topperge

    I like this device but I’m quite happy I didn’t pay anything for it.  I’m hoping that it’ll get better as we get closer to the public launch date.  The other thing I’ve noticed is that when you listen to the built in speakers it’s either blaring or its off, nothing in between. 

  • http://theappslab.com Jake

    It’s pretty slick, and Honeycomb will evolve. I actually think it’s too light and almost feels bendable, which would be cool if it were designed for that. I haven’t really tried the speakers yet, will keep that in mind.

    Root worked OK, fine for ROMManager, but not for ShootMe, not that I could do much with screenshots without adb :)

  • http://www.garry.to joel garry
  • http://theappslab.com Jake

    That’s exactly what came to mind. 

  • http://twitter.com/osteinmeier osteinmeier

    Jake, you may have seen this already, but you can sort-of get it to work with a MacOS tool called XNJB:

    http://blog.surfsoftconsulting.com/2011/05/samsung-galaxy-tab-10-1-google-io-edition-first-impressions/

    Fairly flaky in my limited experience.  Not sure if it’s XNJB’s fault or that of the tablet.  Hopefully with the tablet now officially launching next week Samsung/Google will be offering a solution for this.

  • http://theappslab.com Jake

    Interesting. I found out about Kies during my initial search. Using adb does work, if you want to move files. I did some basic testing with it. I had the same thought you did, i.e. once the Tabs are released, file transfer has to be available, probably through Kies unfortunately. I’m expecting this to be in the 3.1 ROM they eventually push to us.

    I’ve been using Dropbox to move files for now, which works well for smaller files. Such a great service.

    Incidentally, Cyanogen has a build working on the 10.1 Tab. Haven’t tried it, but I assume it support standard file transfers.

    Overall, I really like this device, except for the battery life. How are you liking it?

  • http://profiles.google.com/smjms6 Sam James

    I came across a full guide ” How to connect and transfer video files from PC to Samsung Galaxy Tab with
    Kies ” as follows
    http://portable-media-device.com/?p=499

    The Motorola Xoom, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1v and Acer Iconia all run the same
    software, so the end user experience is almost identical. Key features of
    Android 3.0 ‘Honeycomb’ include an ‘action bar’, a contextual option group
    displayed at the top of the screen, five customisable home screens with a big
    emphasis on widgets, a recent apps list for easier multitasking, a redesigned
    on-screen keyboard, a new browser and improved copy and paste. If all that isn’t
    enough of a tongue twister, Android 3.0 Honeycomb also offers support for tabbed
    Web browsing, and 3D graphics. Overall, the Android software for tablets is a
    huge improvement over earlier versions; tablets running earlier versions felt
    more like overblown smartphones.

    Here Share Another guide  Transfer your favourite videos, movie Blu-rays and DVDs to Samsung
    Galaxy Tab 10.1 on Mac
    http://www.pavtube.com/hot-mobile-phone/transfer-video-bluray-dvd-to-galaxy-tab-on-mac.html

  • http://theappslab.com Jake

    Thanks for the links. Like others, I’m hoping for a much easier solution when the 3.1 update drops.

  • Ray1nl

    ran into the same problem with file transfer. Best way I found is to use blue tooth which seems to work for file transfer

  • http://theappslab.com Jake

    Interesting tip, I rarely think of Bluetooth for anything, but this makes a ton of sense. Thanks for sharing.

  • http://www.facebook.com/EdwinChuaCH Edwin Chua

    I encountered a similar problem when connecting to my Windows 7 desktop.

    Solved it using the Device Manager. It was under “Other Devices > Samsung Android”. Double click, install driver, problem solved. Don’t know its still a problem for other people, but here’s my solution. =)

  • http://theappslab.com Jake

    Nice, too bad I run Mac :) It’s a bit odd that a Google device would play so poorly w OS X, given they prefer Macs as a general run.

  • Richardifeh

    this is simple, and a great solution.thanks.