So since it is Valentine’s day, I thought I would include an extra in today’s review. There are a couple of products that I felt were a must have after I had some time to play with my Z10.
One of them internal, and one external.
There are a few things that need to be tweaked in BlackBerry 10. One of these, though included, just isn’t enough. The battery meter.
Stock, we get a tiny icon in the upper right that really doesn’t show much other than full, half full, and empty. Since I like to have a better idea of how much run time I have, I needed to find one that would give me the info I need, and yet not put a drain on the battery itself.
A lot of apps that are available are free. Sometimes that free does have a price. Ads, or things that can be purchased through the app is how some companies get compensated. I wanted a Battery Meter that didn’t have a penalty so after reading a few reviews I decided on “Battery Info” from Toysoft Inc.
I picked it up from the BlackBerry World for 99 cents and clocking in at just over 300k, it was installed quickly.
As you can see from the pictures, it is a native app that runs nicely in an active frame. It doesn’t replace the existing meter but compliments it.
With Battery Info I know how much time I have left based on what I am doing at the time. If I get on a call, the info changes. Phone sitting there doing nothing, and the time goes up. Great feature.
What impressed me even more is that even when I plug in the charger, it switches to show me how long to do a full charge.
Clean, simple, and gives me the info I need. I can also attest to the great tech support as I emailed to ask a couple of questions and got a prompt response.
You can set the LED to show the battery color, green, orange, red if you want. I leave it as one of my frames and it keeps me in the know, especially when that USB cable doesn’t quite fit the way it should.
It works. I prefer simple interfaces that take no resources. Highly recommended.
The second piece of my review is the Transform Hard Shell for the BlackBerry Z10 case. A lot to say for an ingenious and well made accessory.
I love the natural feel of the Z10 naked. I also don’t want to bang it up or risk damage unecessarily. There is a certain amount of protection that I need without wrapping my phone up in a cocoon of rubber. The corners need protecting in case of drops and I wanted something that would keep the face off a surface. The glass looks best when it isn’t marred by the wrong surface.
Something that would let me use the dock easily in the future would be a bonus.
The kickstand…well that was just polish.
The case is very minimal. There is no doubt about the materials. The surface is not as etched as the naked Z10 but at no time do I feel that it could fall out of my hand like an iPhone. In fact, the corner grips almost help me hold the phone.
It snaps on easily, and has a stiff, yet flexible plastic. It has a secure grip on the corners of your Z10. The corners are raised to that they keep the face off the surface it is on. Because the raised areas are a softer compound, they actually offer some grip.
No ports or buttons are blocked at all, and the cutout fits perfectly over the camera and flash.
Flipping off two of the corners allows you to use it as a kickstand. Setting it up as your clock, or watching a movie. A very well done feature that I use a lot.
I went Black on Black as I like the way it stayed hidden on the phone. There to protect, but not in the way or not defacing the beautiful lines of the device.
There is a version of this that has a cover but that cover has to fold back and is going to be in the way. With this case I have balance. Each side is the same so typing is as easy as without a case.
This is my favorite accessory so far. Snapped it on. Then I gave the empty box to the store clerk. I knew as soon as I held the phone with it on that I had found a fit.
It comes in Red, White, and Black. Ranging from $15-30$.
If you want some protection, and don’t treat your phone like your keys, this is the case for you.
Guest post by:
Alan Castell office 204.415.6550 x 100
President fax 855.415.8324
alan@alphatechnologies.ca 425 Queen Street
www.alphatechnologies.ca Winnipeg, MB r3j 1l3
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