Holster Questions
 

I just got the Verizon 8703e. I bought it used, so it didn't come with a holster which I'm looking to get. (It came with the Sena leather case)

1st question is:

Is the RIM holster or the Seidio holster better? I'm not going to be skinning it or anything.

2nd question:

How does the blackberry detect if it's in the holster?

I see options that you can edit when it is "In Holster" and "Out of Holster"...

I didn't get a manual either...sorry for the retarded question.

Oh, also...when I first turned it on it lagged twice when I just scrolling through the menus. Has this happened to anyone else? It hasn't lagged since but I've only had it for a couple hours. Is it supposed to lag?

And it's pretty crazy how the phone can detect if you're in the light or in the dark so it turns up/down on the back light.

I'll probably have more questions as we go along but I'll search the forums before anything.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8703e/4.1.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

Welcome new 8703e user. Standard holster that comes with BB has a magnet that "tells" the device when it is in the holder.

1. As for which holster to get, I've always used the RIM holsters and been very happy.

2. There is a magnet in the holster that runs across the keypad of the BB putting the BB into "sleep" mode.

3. Lags happen the first time through menus and then usually go away after the first time, this is normal. If it lags a lot, all the time, then there may be a problem. If you think you have a problem usually removing and re-inserting the battery to reboot the device will usually fix most issues.

4. The auto backlight feature can be turned on and off (on the 8700's) in Options >Screen/keyboard...

Good luck and welcome to the forums....

Thank you for the efficient and kind replies. At most forums, if not all, you are told to search.

Is the Plastic or Leather holster more popular?

I'm looking at the leather and plastic holsters on the blackberry site (can't post the links because I don't have 10 posts yet).

And as far as car chargers go...the BB8703e has the USB charger. Many Motorola phones have this now, and a lot of PDA's and smartphones have this slot as a charger...

Would any car charger be safe? Using logic, they all would transfer the same amount of voltage/power to the battery/device.

You would be wise to only use a car charger that is designed for a Blackberry

Any reason behind this?

I love the plastic holster because it's thin and doesn't stick out a lot. It doesn't offer the BB much protection though, and I've noticed that the keys on my 8700c are apparently dragging on back of it as I remove and insert my BB. To minimize the wear and tear that the plastic case might eventually cause, I applied a thin square of adhesive felt material to the inside back of the case. So far so good.

Kurtis

Neither is "better". It's a matter of personal preference and no one can accurately guess your needs and wants. I've always been happy with RIM's plastic holster but it will scratch your Blackberry which drives some people nuts. Some people have problems with the plastic holster dropping the Blackberry but I've never had such problems and I've used at least four different models with the plastic holster.

All that said, I'm currently using RIM's leather holster with the magnetic flap.

I won't say search but I will suggest reading the reviews forums to learn the pros and cons of the options out there. Other than that, it's really a trial-and-error process.

Personally I like the plastic holster that comes with the 8700c and add egrips to the back of my BB. Unfortunately, I've broken three of these holsters, the tabs that hold the BB in on the sides have broken and I finally decided to go for the leather holster with the flip top/mag clasp. It works, the fit was tight with the extended battery at first but I had to remove my egrips.

I would probably have tried the Seidio if I could get it locally to see first hand before I bought it.

Regards-Michael G.

I have the 8703 and am using the plastic holster that came with it. I did set the option to lock the keyboard when holstered but it will not lock it.

Any ideas? This would be great to use.

Thanks

I would definitely buy the Seidio holster! :)

Yes, as I understand, some USB cables do not transmit the required power that is needed to charge the BB unit. I know from personal experience I purchased a USB cable auto charger for mine, from a 3rd party vendor, which would not charge the BB. The BB handheld charging signal (the +plus sign next to the battery symbol, would not activate, while the light on the actual charging unit was lit. But after no several hours, no charge.

So... get one that says INTENDED for BB with your model #, and then be weary if its not a RIM unit.

There is reason why you should only use a BB-approved car charger or wall charger. Chargers are set up differently regardless if they say the same voltage. What happens is there is a specific flow within the charger for specific products. If you happen to use a charger that isn't "approved" for a certain product, the flow may not be appropriate or consistent with that device...meaning it could overcharge or undercharge.

Also, and I've seen this happen, it may cause the battery to overheat which can lead to all kinds of problems. Another way to think of it is a power surge from a lightening storm, although that's probably not the best analogy.