BlackBerry Z10 Tips & Tricks

 

The new BlackBerry Z10 launched with bells and whistles and set new records, but numerous reports of poor battery life mar the experience.

In fact, short battery life is the biggest complaint about the smartphone. Normally, developers should jump in and address the problem, but it seems this is not the case. Consequently, new Z10 owners have to do their best to deal with the handset's battery performance.

Until BlackBerry 10 (BB10) eventually gets an update, users can try a few tricks to temporarily extend the battery life of the Z10. First of all, the BlackBerry Z10 has a removable battery, which means Z10 owners can use accessories such as the Battery Charger Bundle. The accessory supports the LS1 battery and allows users to charge one battery while using the other. This BlackBerry Battery Charger Bundle costs roughly $48 and is available for purchase from ShopCrackBerry.

Not everyone, however, can afford or is willing to pay extra for an accessory to address the Z10's battery issue. For those looking for a temporary fix that doesn't add more cost, here are a few tips and tricks:

Sleep While Locked

 Keeping the device locked will save some battery, but setting it to go to sleep when the device locks will make a bigger difference. Reducing the amount of time needed before the Z10 automatically locks can also help preserve battery life.

Ditch Unnecessary Connections

When an Internet connection over Wi-Fi is not absolutely necessary, turning the Wi-Fi off might be a good idea. The same goes for Bluetooth and other connections. The more a phone stays connected to such services, the more it will drain the battery.

Adjust Display Lights

Many smartphone users never think of how much juice a big, bright display takes. Dimming the light on the screen can have a tremendous effect on the handset's battery life. Even a little less light can save a huge deal on battery. Displays are battery drainers.

Turn Off Unused Features

The new BlackBerry Z10 has some exciting specs and software, but remember that everything comes at a cost. Most users don't really need all of the features they keep turned on. Going through active features and deciding to turn off unused ones may significantly conserve battery life. Some may argue that this practice would mean turning the smartphone into a simple phone, but some compromises may go a long way until an update improves battery performance.

Ultimately, the decision is up to the consumer. BlackBerry Z10 owners unsatisfied with the handset's battery life can either wait for an update, purchase a battery accessory or customize the device so that it preserves the battery. 

How to disable music updates from BBM contacts on BlackBerry 10

If you’ve been a BlackBerry user you’ll know that there is a feature in BBM that allows you to update your BBM status with what music you’re listing to. The feature of showing people what you’re listening to is popular amongst BlackBerry users, more so that there was an outrage when BlackBerry removed it in the first versions on BBM that had BBM social integration.

Continue reading to see how to enable and disable the “show that I’m listening to” status updates on BlackBerry 10.

 

First you’ll want to open up BBM on your BlackBerry 10 device.

 

Once in BlackBerry Messenger you will want to access the application settings by swiping down from the top bezel.

 

From the BBM settings page you will be presented with a plethora of options to customize your BBM experience.

 

On this screen you will want to toggle off “Music Status Updates”.

There you have it, after you’ve followed these simple steps you wont be bothered by numerous updates of “I'm listening to the BackStreet Boys” from your BBM contacts.

How to change the default search engine in BlackBerry 10

If you've picked a BlackBerry Z10, opened up the web browser and found your default search engine set to Bing there is a good chance you're looking for a way to quickly change that. Unless of course, you like Bing. Getting it changed was quite honestly a bit of a task on BlackBerry 7 but with BlackBerry 10 it only takes a few seconds to accomplish:

• Open up your web browser and start typing a search in the search.
• Up top in the right hand corner, you'll see the Bing logo. Tap it.
• A drop down will appear showing Bing, Google and Yahoo. 
• Set it to whatever you wish and from there on out, it will be set.

That's it! You're all set with whatever search provider you choose and you'll never have to worry about it reverting back unless you wipe your device or reset it at some point.

The ability to hide your porn now requires an app on BlackBerry 10

*UPDATE* - I found another way as pointed out to me by Dave at BBThemes. If you zip files using the file manager, you can preview them from within the zip but they won't get indexed in the pictures app. Thanks, Dave!

Look, like it or not people keep porn on their smartphones. You've all likely heard the stories of phones being returned with porn on them along with all the documented accounts of celebs having their nudies swiped off their smartphones. There's no point in trying to gloss over the subject, it's a fact of life and a really hot business for some folks.

Previously on BlackBerry OS smartphones customers had the option to hide and unhide files on their device. In fact, we wrote up a really good tutorial on the matter that showed exactly how it worked. It was a great feature, easy to use and helped keep your or your significant others naughty bits from accidentally showing up for those who could possibly be poking around your phone.

Now that BlackBerry 10 has arrived and I'm using my BlackBerry Z10 daily, I was pretty shocked to find that BlackBerry had removed this (what I considered to be a) pretty fracking cool feature entirely. Sure, you can check the properties of a file using BlackBerry 10 but you no longer can adjust the permissions which in turn would allow you to hide / unhide files. Luckily, there is an app available to download that replaces this function in some ways.

The app is called Hide My Pictures and as the name implies, it allows you to hide your selected photos from others so that they cannot be viewed. It's a password protected app and does a great job, so if you're in need of such and app to replace the function that was once built-in and available for free, you'll have to spend $1.99 on it in BlackBerry World. Now, although I found a replacement for this, I have to wonder. Who the heck removed this from the OS? Put it back.

Purchase Hide My Pictures from BlackBerry World

Pootermobile wallpaper app for the BlackBerry Z10!

Looking for some great BlackBerry inspired wallpapers for your brand new BlackBerry Z10? Pootermobile has you covered with the new Pootermobile Wallpaper app. Having now arrived in BlackBerry World, the app features plenty of excellent wallpapers formatted specifically for your BlackBerry Z10 smartphone and created in the high-quality we've all come to expect from Pooter.

The app will set you back $1.99 but that's a small amount to be paying for an app that will constantly be updated with new content and is quality kit. Also, if wallpapers aren't exactly your thing and you're looking for some avatar options, you can check out the free Spark Me app in BlackBerry World as well.