BlackBerry External Charger Review

BlackBerry Battery Bundle Press Shot

Ah, it's been a while since I wrote my last review in this blog. Well, that's because I don't have anything new to review, and the time to write it. College life has made me crazy...

Anyway, I'm back to the review world with this accessory made especially for BlackBerry. I know that in less than 10 hours, this thing will be obsolete thanks to the new BB10 but heck, upgrading isn't everyone's cup of tea. I'm planning to keep my good 9930 until BB10 is proven solid, and has a QWERTY keyboard. BlackBerry isn't BlackBerry without the best QWERTY keyboard in the market.

And so, I think God also supports my plan for not upgrading :p. A few days ago, I found this little thing on my father's desk. It was... fortunate, very, since I was looking for a way to charge my spare battery on the go. I asked him if I could have it, and he said yes, which gives me that childish smile in my face :p. What's unfortunate was that it's missing the Y-Cable, which should've come with the bundle, and the battery unit. But heck, I've already had the spare battery, and I don't really need the Y-Cable. What's important is the main battery case, which I'm going to review today.

Hit the break to see if this expensive little accessory is worth giving up your cash :D

Design

The only side you'll ever need.

I'd say bravo to the design of this accessory. It's very slim and compact. The accessory is entirely made of black plastic. As far as I see, the plastic doesn't attract any fingerprints, but may be prone to scratches and shatter. I certainly don't want to drop it... either accidentally, or deliberately.

Its minimalistic design is well, minimalistic, indeed. You won't find any other ports but a single micro-USB port. It's compatible with any micro-USB charger, or even the original BlackBerry USB charger that comes with your handset. That's why I said I didn't really need the Y-Cable.

Oh, in case you don't know what a Y-Cable is, it's a Y-shaped cable just as seen in the header image. There's a single female micro-USB jack on the first end that will branch out to two male micro-USB jacks on the other end. It's pretty convenient if you only have one USB AC adapter, while you have two devices needing power at the same time.

Port Close-Up

Usage

Charging...

Using the external charger is very simple. You just have to pull out the transparent part of the accessory, and insert your battery just like the way you insert it into your handset. Next, close the lid again, and connect the charger to the accessory.

There's a noticeable LED light right below the lid, above the BlackBerry logo. The light comes in two easy-to-understand colors: Red if it's still charging, and green if it's done. 

As for compatibility, unfortunately, I don't have any other OS7 device that uses a different battery than JM-1. As for my initial hypothesis, I don't think it's compatible with other battery types (such as EM-1) because JM-1 already fills the hole in this device perfectly. If I remember correctly, there's also a battery bundle like this for EM-1. But it's rare here...

Green Means It's Done.

Final Words

Well, there's not much to review about this little fella, since it's very, very, minimalistic. Even its usage is very simple: Snap your battery in, close the lid, connect with your AC adapter, done.

I can't give any score, since I don't have the full package. However, what I can say is that this accessory is perfect for those who want a spare battery for their JM-1-powered handset (it comes with a spare JM-1 battery, once again, so there's an added value for this bundle).


Okay, so I guess that's all, Folks. I know it's not the longest review, but I still really grateful to you guys for reading it. As usual, if you guys have any comments or want to share your experience with this particular accessory, feel free to fill the comments section below. Finally, thanks for reading, and I hope you guys will have a good time with all the BB10 madness these few weeks! :D