# Bluetooth problems

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluetooth-problems/476563>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 10, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluetooth-problems/476563 "2008-12-10T16:16:12Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluetooth-problems/476563/1 "2008-12-10T16:16:12Z")

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I got a new cell phone and I’m trying to sync the contacts from my old phone, but I can’t get this phone to connect to either my MacBook or my old phone. The old phone is a Sanyo Katana and the new phone is a Samsung a237. The phones don’t see each other, even though they’re both set to “discoverable.” My computer sees them both, but I can’t sync or browse either device. Any ideas?

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluetooth-problems/476563/2 "2008-12-10T16:20:51Z")

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I doubt you are going to be able to do this without something like: [http://www.bitpim.org/](http://www.bitpim.org/)

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**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluetooth-problems/476563/3 "2008-12-10T16:31:50Z")

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Thanks, but that requires cables that I don’t have.

What the hell’s the point of Bluetooth if none of the devices can talk to each other?

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bluetooth-problems/476563/4 "2008-12-10T16:36:38Z")

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> [@SanibelMan](#):
>
> Thanks, but that requires cables that I don’t have.
> 
> What the hell’s the point of Bluetooth if none of the devices can talk to each other?

Bluetooth is multi-protocol. Some (many) manufacturers have made the decision to only support a small subset of all the possible Bluetooth functions, like just wireless-headset links. Often this decision is purely driven by greed. For example. the same phone (the Motorola Razr) will have ringtone sync enabled on one carrier but not another.