Review: BlackBerry Transform Shell Case For BlackBerry Z10 & Battery Info App

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Alan Castell                                  office   204.415.6550 x 100

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