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Hands-On Look at the Case-Mate Fuel Case for the BlackBerry Bold

Power user? BlackBerry Bold not making it through the day? You need to pour some FUEL into it! What you’re looking at in the photos above is a new carrying / charging solution from the folks at Case-Mate that will power your BlackBerry Bold for a long, long time without adding any size or bulk to the actual smartphone you hold in your hand.

The Case-Mate Fuel Case for the BlackBerry Bold serves as a protective case, carrying solution and extended battery all in one. The standard BlackBerry Bold battery offers 1550mAh of power, and Fuel adds another 2300mAh of charge, over doubling the OEM capacity.

Case-Mate Features and Specs

• Talk time: up to 7 additional hours beyond standard BlackBerry Bold battery life
• Stand by time: up to 20 additional days beyond standard BlackBerry Bold battery life
• Power on/off button makes more efficient usage of the fuel by only engaging when you decide to
• Fully ratcheting 180-degree belt clip

I’ve been using Fuel for the past few days and can really appreciate the convenience it offers. For hardcore power users, Fuel will be a much-loved everyday solution. For others, it may not be a daily-use accessory but definitely is one to keep in your accessory drawer as it will come in very handy on occassion. For example, back at WES in Orlando this month I was rocking the Bold and to make it through the day had to carry around a (charged) spare battery at all times (heavy 3G usage was draining my battery quick). And while carrying spare batteries can get a heavy user through the day, it also means buying/carrying around a spare battery charger and remembering to always charge the spare battery. Having dead spare batteries doesn’t do one much good (been there, done that). Having Fuel for WES this year simply would have been awesome.

Fuel doesn’t have a sleeper magnet, but because it’s charging contacts make contact with the Bold’s charging contacts it does put the device into standby when in holster. The holster itself really holds onto the Bold securely. All in all, this is a good accessory - one that I’m looking forward to spending a lot more time using (will report back down the road with longer term findings). It’s not exactly cheap to buy, but with a retail price of $79.95 (you can get it for less at ShopCrackBerry.com) you technically are getting a spare battery, spare battery charger and a holster which all summed up would be more expensive than Fuel but without the added level of convenience. It’s definitely a creative option that true BlackBerry power users will want to check out. If you’ve already put Fuel to use, be sure to let us know your thoughts of it in the comments!

• Learn More, See More Photos,  and Purchase @ ShopCrackBerry.com >>

There’s no shortage of BlackBerry Bold 9000 skins and cases on the market today. Finding the one that’s best for you is really a matter of personal preference. But if you’re looking for a minimalistic case that offers decent protection without adding any significant bulk to your Research In Motion (RIM) Bold smartphone, you’ll find a friend in the Seidio Innocase Surface.

The Bold Innocase is good looking, adds a much-needed degree of “sturdiness” to the Bold’s less-than-rock-solid build, and fully protects its chrome bezel from scratches and other aesthetic damage. However, it’s high price; hard, non-malleable plastic, which makes accessing depressed convenience keys and other buttons somewhat difficult; and a few unfortunate design flaws mean the case is far from perfect.

Overall, I was pleased with the Seidio Innocase Surface for Bold-it has become my new case of choice and my Bold is wearing it as I write this post-but I’ve got quite a bit of constructive criticism for Seidio, as well. Hit the jump for the specifics.

Read Full Review >>

If you want to maintain your BlackBerry’s sexiness, you have to keep it protected. It brings a tear to my eye to see true BlackBerry abuse. Some scratches and nicks are one thing, but when a BlackBerry looks like it was dragged by horse through town is just awful. As soon as I purchased my Curve almost a year ago, I bought a black skin to protect it. It added some bulk to the device, as far as size went. Since then, my Berry has been looking great for its age, but the skin has become dull and worn looking. Should I opt for another skin? Should I let my Berry run around in the buff like “Curves Gone Wild”?

Enter BodyGuardz from NLU Products!

BodyGuardz are transparent, thin skins that offer all over protection from scuffs, dings and whatever you carry in your pockets. While my Berry slips into something a little more comfortable, click on for more!

Got it Covered

Excellent marketing!

NLU Products offer scratch-proof skins for more than just BlackBerrys. These custom fit skins can be used to protect your PSP, iPod, MacBooks and more. The material used for the skins are also used to protect the front of your vehicles from the elements. This material is tough as nails! When they asked me to try out their product, I leapt at the opportunity. I had been eyeing their product in the CrackBerry store for months. I loved the BlackBerry skin I had sported for so long, but the BodyGuardz skin gave me the chance to bask in my Berrys naked glory.

Read the instructions on the left carefully!

The packaging opened like a book, perhaps a new chapter in the story of protection. Within this package I found:

• 2 complete, Curve customized sets of skins
• A squeegee card, sporting the BodyGuardz logo
• Step by step instructions
• A bottle of the super duper secret application solution (okay, not really a secret. It’s water and baby shampoo)

All you need for complete protection

The solution is crucial during the “fitting” portion, as it will prevent the adhesive skin from sticking to you, and itself, as you position it on the Berry. The customized sets are custom cut to fit your device. Hence you cannot use an 88xx skin for the 83xx series. I cannot stress the following key points enough when dressing your Berry:

1. Read, reread and follow the directions
2. Take your time, a rushed job is a poor job

Seeing as I was going to be a while, I waited until our little CrackBerry Abuser-in-training was in his crib, and my wife was deep into 27 Dresses before I dove in. I started off with the Battery door skin, it went on easy enough. The skin covers most of the area, with a millimeter on each side to allow for easy door removal. A rectangular hole was left for the camera, flash and mirror. The LCD skin came next, followed by the difficult part; the sides, bottom and keyboard perimeter. I’ve never been good at corners, and I was having a hard time getting with either getting them to stick, or preventing bubbles from forming. This is where the squeegee came in. I gently glided it over the applied skin, making sure it would end up nearly invisible. If you have any difficulties with the application, let the problematic section sit for a few minutes and then try working at it again. You may have better luck. Once I was finished I realized the hardest part yet; I couldn’t touch my Berry for 12 hours!! I went to bed to pass some of the time by.

Berry is only skin deep

Once the 12 hours were up, the Berry looked almost perfect. All of the foggy patches were gone, leaving behind my Berry and the BodyGuardz skin. The corners I had trouble with earlier, were not sticking well and bubbles formed. This was purely an aesthetics issue as the corners were still protected. Perhaps I didn’t spend enough time, carefully applying the skin. Now all that remained was a field test. Having babied my Berry for so long, it was difficult to let loose. I need some ideas so I watched their video showcasing the skin. Since applying the skin, I’ve been carrying my Berry in my pocket with coins and keys. I’ve been tossing it in my drink holder in the car, the organizer on my desk, you name it. The skin showed no sign of wear and tear. With these results, it’s hard to see why the send you 2 full sets. Maybe the second is a backup, in case you mess up during the application process, like I did. On top of this, NLU Products offers life time replacements!

The Verdict

Folks, I am sold. I can now revel in my BlackBerry, as it was meant to be. Though the BlackBerry skin added protection, it also added to the Berry’s dimensions. The BodyGuardz skin is more like a transparent membrane, offers protection while displaying the beauty that is the BlackBerry. You can either purchase the full set, or the LCD skin alone. The CrackBerry Store offers the BodyGuardz Skins for various BlackBerrys, all for $24.95.  With this kind of protection, I guess I should stop babying my BlackBerry. Sigh, they grow up so fast…

Pros

• Superior protection
• Minimal bulk added

Cons

• Cannot rush to add on the skins (be very careful!)

Check out the full BodyGuardz lineup at ShopCrackBerry.com >>

Protection & Pizzazz in One
Needing to find a way to protect your investment without losing your BlackBerry cool? The 8300/8310/8320 (it fits all Curves!) Leather case from Case-Mate’s Signature series may be what you are looking for! The form fitting case and accompanying swivel holster are made from genuine Napa leather and molded plastic. Boasting durability and high impact resistance, this entry from Case-Mate seems ready for any challenge. The case itself rings in at $34.95, while the case-holster combo comes in at only $49.95. Being one to treat my BlackBerrys almost as carefully as my baby boy, I was hesitant yet somewhat enticed to let loose and see what this case could do…

At First Glance
Okay, now I’m not one to read the box for contents or anything so at first sight I see the case and holster, simple enough. After I open it however, I am also greeted with two additional items; a clear plastic film screen protector and a grey cleaning cloth. I was quite impressed with the cloth itself; I’ve never seen one included with a case before. My cloth for my glasses won’t have to pull double duty with my BlackBerry anymore!

Case-Mate Signature Series Leather Case and Holster
Combo for the BlackBerry Curve (8300, 8310, 8320)

More Bang for Your Buck - the cleaning cloth is a Nice Touch!

Testing, Testing…

The Curve slid in rather nicely into the case (very much a leather Skin), as if to snuggle in for a good night’s sleep. The case accommodated for every port and button on the Curve leaving an opening, even for the LED!

The case can be used alone or with the holster, allowing the phone to sit facing out or in. The holster also has a clip that can rotate 360 degrees, allowing for a comfortable carrying solution. One should note that the case/holster combo does not provide sleep mode.

Facing In

Facing Out

Assuming the typical quick draw position you would find in most Western movies, I wanted to see how easily I could remove the phone and case from the holster. With a finger on the bottom of the case and a thumb on the holster clip I could easily respond to a pin or answer a call with impressive speed.

The film is square where as the Curve’s screen is rectangular. I tried to apply the protective film to the screen I found that it wasn’t large enough, it left about a ½ cm space unprotected. This was disappointing as I felt it would better fit a Pearl’s screen.  Both the case and holster’s interiors are cloth lined which is adorned with Case-Mates logo. The cloth lining is to allow for easy removal and appears to be glued, which may come loose over time on the holster, though it’s held up fine for me so far. The holster’s clip feels more durable than on BlackBerry’s lambskin leather holster. With respect to the case itself I found the Curve somewhat difficult to remove, having to pry the case slightly open and drag the device out. As I pulled the Curve out I noticed that, due to its form fitting nature, the case would rub slightly against the Curve’s shell, keypad and screen before letting go. Over time I am worried that it could cause some cosmetic damage on the Curve. If you pull the battery cover off your Curve on a regular basis, this is something you will want to pay attention to. On the other hand, if you have rarely seen under the hood of your BlackBerry you’ll appreciate the snug fit.

The Curve Coming out of its Shell - Snug Fit!

Navigating was easy enough with the case on, though it did feel bulkier, as though I was using an older model of BlackBerry. The bottom lip of the case comes up a bit too high and too close to the buttons for my taste, which causes the bottom row of buttons to be difficult to use. The bottom row buttons are accessible, but require more of a ‘vertical’ stroke (tip of your thumb/finger). If you type more on the ‘flat’ of your thumb/finger the case may get in the way. I thought maybe those with smaller fingers would have an easier time than me. But I passed the phone to my wife and she also had a difficult time accessing the bottom row with her fingers, disproving my hypothesis that smaller hands were needed.

Time to Play Rough!
Now comes the fun, time to see what kind of abuse it could take. First I tried dropping it on the floor. It survived as expected with no visible damage to either the case or the Curve. Due to the case’s design, the raised edges to the case protected both the screen and the keypad from any damage if dropped on a flat surface. Next I insert a dummy 8300 into the case and toss both the case and holster down a flight of stairs. On the first bounce the case and dummy 8300 separated from the holster though again no apparent damage was seen. I took the carnage outside and tossed the case and holster across the lawn. The case held on in the holster longer this time, only dislodging itself as it spun in mid air after the third bounce. Again, no damage to be seen.

Final Thoughts
For those who may be a tad less careful with their devices, this would be an appropriate accessory. Both the case and holster provide great protection from everyday wear and tear, unless you fall down a flight of stairs. As previously stated the price of the case itself is $34.95 and the suggested MSRP for the combo is $49.95. The screen protection would have added extra security if it had actually fit the screen (if you read this Case-Mate, make it fit!).

I found that the device focused on fashion and fortitude over function. It looks nice, can take a decent beating, and for the most part has good design - it does accommodate the ports, buttons, speaker/mic and camera, but I found the access to the bottom of the keypad and lack of a sleep mode disappointing as these are critical for everyday usability of the BlackBerry.

The genuine black Napa leather says “I love to wear it with my Armani suit..” , while the durability says “…while  4 wheeling on the back roads.”

Review Summary: Case-Mate Signature Series Leather Case-Holster Combo
	Pros: Injected plastic molding for durability Easy to remove case from holster Sylish Napa leather and cloth lining Heavy duty ratcheting belt clip Cons: Lack of sleep mode magnet in the holster Difficult to remove device from case LCD protective film too small for screen Poor access to bottom row of buttons
Buy Now: Purchase the Case-Mate Signature Series Leather Case from the CrackBerry Store: $49.95 - Case-Holster Combo $34.95 - Case only